Parallels Between Pagan and Christian Diety

I have found several mythical-historical personages before the advent of Christ, who are said to have suffered crucifixion/death and to have risen from the dead. The most important event in the lives of Pagan Saviours, after their crucifixion, is that of their descent into the infernal regions. This page is put forth only to show that the idea of crucifixion/death/rising from the dead was found among many cultures prior to Christ. Paganism was and is a religion of everyday life, to seek blessings, good crops, health, peace, etc. The various gods/goddesses each had their principle attributes and would be sought out by devotees wanting to enhance the quality of their lives .

Adonis - was celebrated in Syria at Easter time.

Alcestos of Euripides - Alcestos, who was female, is the only example of a feminine God atoning for the sins of the world upon the cross.

Attis of Phrygia - Attis was fundamentally a vegetation god, and in his self-mutilation, death, and resurrection he represents the fruits of the earth, which die in winter only to rise again in the spring. He was made a solar deity in the 2nd century AD. The worship of Attis and the Great Mother included the annual celebration of mysteries on the return of the spring season. Attis, the 'Good Shepherd', was extremely popular in the Empire around the time of Christ.

Dionysus - as a son of Zeus and Demeter, his mother pieced together his mangled limbs and made him young again. In other tales it is simply said that shortly after his burial he rose from the dead and ascended up to heaven; or that Zeus raised him up as he lay mortally wounded; or that Zeus swallowed the heart of Dionysus and then begat him afresh by Semele, who in the common legend figures as mother of Dionysus. Or, again, the heart was pounded up and given in a potion to Semele, who thereby conceived him.

Iao - was crucified on a tree in Nepal. The name of this incarnate god and oriental saviour occurs frequently in the holy bibles and sacred books of other countries. Some suppose that Iao is the root of the name of the Jewish God, Yehouah (Jehovah), often abbreviated to Yeho.

Krishna - In the Hindu bible, written more than three thousand years ago, the Saviour Krishna 'went down to hell to preach to the inmates of that dark and dreary prison, with the view of reforming them, and getting them back to heaven, and was willing himself to suffer to abridge the period of their torment.' Krishna lived at the conclusion of the bronze age, which is about eleven hundred or twelve hundred years before Christ.

Mithra - Sungod of Persia, the story of Mithra precedes Christ by at least 600 years.

Prometheus - Five centuries before the Christian era, esteemed Greek poet Aeschylus wrote Prometheus Bound. Tradition holds that Prometheus was crucified on a rock, yet some sources have opined that legend also held he was crucified on a tree and that Christians muddled the story and/or mutilated the text, as they did with the works of so many ancient authors.

Quexalcoatl - Aztecs/Mayans prayed for the return of their crucified saviour, Quexalcoatl, and were rewarded with Cortez. He was a God of such importance and power that nearly no aspect of everyday life seemed to go untouched by him. He also is known by the names of Gukumatz, Nine Wind, and Kukulcan.

Thulis - This Egyptian saviour appears also to have been known as Zulis. After suffering a violent death, he was buried, but rose again, ascended into heaven, and there became the judge of the dead, or of souls in a future state. He came down from heaven to benefit mankind

Wittoba - The worship of this crucified God prevails chiefly in the Travancore and other southern states of India in the region of Madura.

Several of these figures are said to have been crucified at the Spring Equinox and to have risen on the third day. The doctrine of salvation by crucifixion had, like most of the ancient forms of religious faith, an astronomical origin. People were saved by the sun's crucifixion or crossing over the equinoctial line into the season of spring, and thereby gave out a saving heat and light to the world and stimulated the generative organs of animal and vegetable life. Many of these figures are said to have birthdays near the Winter Solstice. During this time, the ancients declared that 'God's sun' had 'died' for three days and was 'born again' on December 25th.

Here are some of the characteristics of the 'sun of God':

* The sun 'dies' for three days on December 22nd, the Winter Solstice, when it stops in its movement south, to be born again or resurrected on December 25th, when it resumes its movement north.

* In some areas, the calendar originally began in the constellation of Virgo, and the sun would therefore be 'born of a Virgin.'

* The sun is the 'Light of the World' which everyone can see.

* The sun 'cometh on clouds, and every eye shall see him.'

* The sun rising in the morning is the 'Savior of mankind.'

* The sun wears a corona, 'crown of thorns' or 'halo'. Many of the sungods, including Horus, Buddha and Krishna, are depicted with 'haloes', hundreds to thousands of years before it became fashionable in Christianity.

* The sun "walks on water."

* The sun's "followers," "helpers" or "disciples" are the 12 months and the 12 signs of the zodiac or constellations, through which the sun must pass.

While Christians can only claim a period of 2000 years since the birth of their religion and the incarnation of their saviour, most of the heathen religions and their divine incarnations are assigned a date several hundred or several thousand years earlier. In my opinion, the inference is that if there has been any borrowing, Christianity has been the borrower.

Some Sources:

Crucified Saviours
Rival Saviours
Encyclopedia Britannica
The Origins of Christianity
The Christian Conspiracy: The Orthodox Suppression of Original Christianity
The Great Myth of the Sun-Gods by Alvin Boyd Kuhn, PhD
The Historical Jesus and the Mythical Christ by Gerald Massey
The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors by Kersey Graves

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