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The Pagan Connection to Jesus Christ

August 20th, 2010 by jgrimes

The Pagan Connection to Jesus Christ

By IntimatEvolution

 If you have ever questioned the vitality of the Christ story, you must read  some of the comparisons from the extremely talents, and versed hubber writer Rishy Rich.   This intellectual, dream boat one day, was participating in the HubPages.com community religious forum.   Rishy Rich brought up the Horus comparison to Jesus Christ.  I didn’t even know there was such thing, but, boy what he had to say, really peaked my interest in the subject matter.  I hope it will bring you as intrigue and fun, as it did for me.
Here is his actual thread on the subject matter:

 

The Parallels Between Jesus and Horus

by Rishy Rich“The sun-god Horus was worshiped nearly 1,000 years before the story of Jesus.”

1. Both were conceived of a virgin.

2. Both were the “only begotten son” of a god (either Osiris or Yahweh)

3. Horus’s mother was Meri, Jesus’s mother was Mary.

4. Horus’s foster father was called Jo-Seph, and Jesus’s foster father was Joseph.

5. Both foster fathers were of royal descent.

6. Both were born in a cave (although sometimes Jesus is said to have been born in a stable).

7. Both had their coming announced to their mother by an angel.

  • Horus’ birth was heralded by the star Sirius (the morning star).
  • Jesus had his birth heralded by a star in the East (the sun rises in the East).

8. Ancient Egyptians celebrated the birth of Horus in December.

9. Both births were announced by angels.

10. Both had shepherds witnessing the birth.

11. Horus was visited at birth by “three solar deities” and Jesus was visited by “three wise men”.

12. After the birth of Horus, Herut tried to have Horus murdered. After the birth of Jesus, Herod tried to have Jesus murdered.
13. To hide from Herut, the god that tells Isis, “Come thou goddess Isis, hide thyself with thy child.” To hide from Herod, an angel tells Joseph to “arise and take the young child and his mother and flee into Egypt.”
14. When Horus came of age, he had a special ritual where hsi eye was restored. When Jesus (and other Jews) come of age, they have a special ritual called a Bar Mitzvah.
15. Both Horus and Jesus were 12 at this coming-of-age ritual, Neither have any official recorded life histories between the ages of 12 and 30.
16. Horus was baptized in a river.
17. Both were baptized at age 30.
18. Horus was baptized by Anup the Baptizer.  Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.
19. Both Anup and John were later beheaded.
20. Horus was taken from the desert of Amenta up a high mountain to be tempted by his arch-rival Set. Jesus was taken from the desert in Palestine up a high mountain to be tempted by his arch-rival Satan.
21. Both Horus and Jesus successfully resist this temptation.
22. Both had 12 disciples.
23. Both walked on water, casted out demons, healed the sick, and restored sight to the blind.
24. Horus “stilled the sea by his power.” Jesus commanded the sea to be still by saying, “Peace, be still.”
25. Horus raised his dead father (Osiris) from the grave.  Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave. (Note the similarity in names when you say them out loud. Further, Osiris was also known as Asar, which is El-Asar in Hebrew, which is El-Asarus in Latin.)
26. Osiris was raised in the town of Anu. Lazarus was raised in Bethanu (literally, “house of Anu”).
27. Both gods delivered a Sermon on the Mount.
28. Both were crucified.
29. Both were crucified next to two thieves.
30. Both were buried in a tomb.
31. Horus was sent to Hell and resurrected in 3 days. Jesus was sent to Hell and came back “three days” later.
32. Both had their resurrection announced by women.
33. Both are supposed to return for a 1000-year reign.
34. Horus is known as KRST, the anointed one.  Jesus was known as the Christ (which means “anointed one”).
35. Both Jesus and Horus have been called the good shepherd, the lamb of God, the bread of life, the son of man, the Word, the fisher, and the winnower.
36. Both are associated with the zodiac sign of Pisces (the fish).
37. Both are associated with the symbols of the fish, the beetle, the vine, and the shepherd’s crook.
38. Horus was born in Anu (“the place of bread”) and Jesus was born in Bethlehem (“the house of bread”).
39. “The infant Horus was carried out of Egypt to escape the wrath of Typhon. The infant Jesus was carried into Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod. Concerning the infant Jesus, the New Testament states the following prophecy: ‘Out of Egypt have I called my son.’”
40. Both were transfigured on the mount.
41. The catacombs of Rome have pictures of the infant Horus being held by his mother, not unlike the modern-day images of “Madonna and Child.”
Noted English author C. W. King says that both Isis and Mary are called “Immaculate”.
42. Horus says: “Osiris, I am your son, come to glorify your soul, and to give you even more power.” And Jesus says: “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.”
Horus was identified with the Tau (cross).

“Approximately 46 similarities were identified between these two, however some of the similarities are considered debatable. Although I’m not confident about the authenticity of these parallels, I would like to know your opinion.”—Rishy Rich

Unfortunately for HubPages, Rishy Rich frizzled out of the hubber scene like so many people do, and no longer writes hub articles.  Too bad, and we wish him lots of luck in his endeavors.

Keeping the Two as One

http://www.zenit.org/article-27803?l=english

Now as an amateur, religious historian and Christian philosopher, I immediately turned to my own beliefs in a new light.  What I loved about Rishy’s comparisons is that he made you think about Christianity from far-off perspectives. Whereas nobody else does anymore.  It has been my ever evolving, Christian, belief that Christianity is a mixture of many different religions.  I have always felt Christ was foretold in the bible, and was the true son of God.  However,  this Horus comparison is hard to dismiss.   Could it really be the irony, behind the intangible tempest, which separates the folds of these two legends?  Or is there factual reasonings here, which proves that the Christian version of  Jesus Christ, was basically a copyright infringement?

There is no denying that many of these forty-some, listed, comparisons  are really quite amazing.  The comparisons definitely add in a ray of reasonable doubt and bewilderment to the Christian order.  Forever questioning the rites and passages of the Christian faith, in hopes of making it better, and free of false truths and unnecessary clutter, I naturally searched Google on the subject matter.  I picked a very interesting site, www.kingdavid8.com.  It would appear that from the get go, the authors at kingdavid8.com debunked Rishy Rich’s parallels almost immediately or did they?

You decide!

Kingdavid8.com writes:

1) Horus was born of the virgin Isis-Meri on December 25th, in a cave/manger with his birth being announced by a star in the East, and attended by three wise men.

Let’s take this one apart and deal with each separate issue:

Horus’ mother was not a virgin. She was married to Osiris, and there is no reason to suppose she was abstinent after marriage.  Horus was, per the story, miraculously conceived.  Seth had killed and dismembered Osiris, then Isis put her husband’s dead body back together and had intercourse with it. In some versions, she used a hand-made phallus since she wasn’t able to find that part of her husband.  So while it was a miraculous conception, it was not a virgin birth.

My Rebuttal

I underlined the part, that is of importance to me.  I do not find much difference between a miraculous conception, and a “virgin” birth.  They are both “godly” miracles.  That is the critical question here, was the birth of Christ miraculous or not?  If he is God’s true son, well then it had to be.  In my article about Christ’s twin brother, I broach this subject of the Immaculate Conception.   I think people, particularity Christians make up reasons for  miracle.  Whereas in any other religion, miracles are miracles, without reasons.  Take Christ’s birth, if God so willed the natural birth divine, is it not divine?  Why must it have been an Immaculate Conception, or of virgin birth at all?  Moreover, what of Christ’s siblings?

Mary, I feel was no virgin people.

As for the comparison, immaculate means miraculous, therefore the comparison stands, and what of the virgin birth?  Man-made words of ill design.  Immaculate, is a word of ancient linguistic origins, and extremely astute in its meaning.  It appears in attempt to cover up this main comparison, the Catholic Church at one time or another, covered up the immaculate/miracle, and used the words “Virgin Birth” too bear false meaning.   No matter how Christ was born, his birth was a miracle.  He is the supposed  son of God- that is a miracle in itself.

The Catholic Church goes to great lengths, to justify their reasoning behind their Virgin Mary theory.  Although, it is my opinion that the truth never needs, such a lengthy monologue to tell a story, and a story completely showered in doubt.  This “Virgin Mary” folktale has always plagued the Catholic Church.  For the longest time, it was the only thing that separated Catholics from Coptic believers.  It’s my further opinion, they need to let loose of it, and let’s be honest for once here, they need to plainly declare Christ’s birth to be a miraculous birth, as the ancient Egyptians did with Horus.  Christ was a plain man.  Though, richly divine and made by God, the “virgin birth,” does not even fit his style.  God never wanted Christ to stand out in a materialistic way, or in any way that could make the truth behind him, seem unreasonable.  The very idea of Christ being born unto a virgin, does everything that God was against.  It shadows Christ in a cloak of doubt.  Shed the cloak, shed the doubt.

In reference to the The kingdavid8.com site, well it just continued trying to debunk, Rishy Rich’s number one reason, as listed above for debunking the whole Horus/Jesus comparison.  Although I must add, without really questioning the thought processes, that could have brought ought such theories and revelations, in the first place.  Somewhat sloppy debunking if you ask me.  As for myself, I have made Organic Chemistry to be a personal development blog, through truth and revelations.  In essence to debunk the debunkers.  In this adventure, many of my personal religious findings, have clearly remained the same.   Stuff like this for now, backs up my personal philosophies.

Like this philosophy of mine:
“The human race is a constant, tribal, band-of-drifters, needing nothing more than ‘hope’ to define their meaning for life, and want for religion.”

It is in all humans,  to question the unknown, without first appearing upon the answers laid before them.  Is there some direct correlation to the Horus myth, and Jesus Christ?  Without a doubt in my mind, there most certainly is.  It does not take a deep thinker, to understand why earlier man might have wanted to combine the two myths together, and make them into one.  As I preciously wrote in my Christian/Pagan Similarities blog, the Catholic Church in its beginning took many Pagan symbols, rituals, and holidays, and made them into Christian ones.  Why then does one think, that they would have not done the same, in the case of Jesus Christ?

The true message from this is that, Jesus Christ was definitely a man.  Furthermore, even though there are no archaeological findings that back this theory, Christ indeed walked this earth.  His message of love and peace, were so divinely powerful, that it forever left its mark on the human race, and all of its cultural societies.  It is quite apparent to me that Christ was a God-like character.  Why else would entire nations of men, choose to personally follow him?   Although, the comparisons are quite real- Horus was never the man Jesus Christ was.

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Being Gnostic

March 15th, 2010 by jgrimes

What does it mean to be Gnostic?

It is written in the Christian doctrine, Miscellanies,by TITUS FLAVIUS CLEMENS (better known as St. Clement of Alexandra) that,

  • God’s truth is to be found in revelation, another portion of it in philosophy. It is the duty of the Christian to neglect neither. Religious science, drawn from this twofold source, is even an element of perfection; the instructed Christian—“the true Gnostic”—is the perfect Christian. He who has risen to this height is far from the disturbance of passion; he is united to God, and in a mysterious sense is one with Him. Such is the line of thought indicated in the work, which is full of digressions.

Clement of Alexandra was a self-proclaimed, and formally converted, Palestine Jew.  He is one of the founding fathers of Christianity, and was the foremost instructor of the Catechetical school of Alexandria.

A Catechetical school, was one such school that taught higher education, through oral dictations.  They arose to popularity in 190 ad.   The most commonly addressed subject-matters, taught in this fashion, was the  elements of religion.  As they peaked in popularity, their specialty provided the extra preparation needed, for initiation into Christianity.

In the bible, there are many references to people being furthered instructed in knowledge, in many given subjects.  Take (1 Corinthians 14:19); “Let him that is instructed in the word, communicate to him that instructed him, in all good things.”  Those instructions would have come from a Catechetical school.  Simply put- Clement of Alexandria, was an earlier Christian Theology professor.  His philosophy and written ideology, would have been accepted as the truth, and given great weight over other theories.  Therefore how is it then, that the average modern-day Christian, has no idea what it means to be Gnostic?  It is without a doubt that the spirituality of Gnosticism, was clearly being dictated orally to those leading early Christian followers.

It is said that when John the Baptist first laid eyes on Jesus, at the shore of the Jordon River, he knelt before Christ and said, “I’m not worthy to baptist the son of God.”  In fact, it was John the Baptist who first publicly recognize Christ, as the son of God.  Up until that hour, Jesus was referred to as a gifted spiritual prophet, and biblical nomad.  The Gospels teach us that Christ was both human and divine.  He was made of flesh and bone, yet his hands could work great miracles.  Miracles, that could have only come from God himself.  Be that as it may, his blood spilled red, for Christ was just a man.   However, he was a man clearly gifted with divine foresight, with divine healing properties.  He was gifted in religious wisdom, and could create miracles out of tangible objects such as food, water and wine.   He was born to be a powerful, biblical legend; like that of Abraham, Noah, Moses, David, Jacob, and Daniel.  Jesus Christ was a Gnostic.  Which means, “One touched by God.”  Nowadays, to be Gnostic means virtually the same as it did in Jesus time.  John the Baptist could have been said to be “Gnostic.”  Many faithful followers of John the Baptist, do indeed believe he was.  So who were these early Gnostics, and what did they stand for?

“We seek to follow the injunction from the Gospel of Thomas:  ‘If you see what is before your face, there is nothing that will not be revealed to you.’ We seek to know what is real, and to follow that beyond our current notions, ideas, and understandings. We stand apart in that we do not prejudge the real to exclude what is called the spiritual.  We do not exclude what has always been a part of human experience, nor what has always been a part of human culture.”—Gnostic Institute website.

It must be noted that the Gospel of Thomas, was first written on papayas around 280 ad to 340 ad.  The gospel’s introduction states, “These are the hidden words that the living Jesus spoke, and Didymos Judas Thomas wrote them down.“    Didymus in Greek, and Thomas in Aramaic, both have the same meaning: “Twin.”

However, does accepting this way of life, make you a Gnostic? No, it does not.  For being a true Gnostic, means you must be divinely embraced by God.  Essentially, you must have been blessed with special senses.  Someone who is Gnostic, is said to have a clearer image in their mind, of how God operates his master plans.  They are said to be more knowledgeable in religious study, and any odd religious perplexities makes sense to them, and not to everyone else.  A Gnostic is divinely gifted by God.  As one blogger writes, “Many of us would not take issue with the bumper sticker that says, I am a spiritual being having a physical experience.”

The word Gnostic is of Greek origin.  It literally means, “a certain type of knowledge.” The type of knowledge the word is referring to, comes from a divine insight into understanding the supernatural.  However, as with all religious or spiritual belief systems, their is a core principle in which to live by.  Gnostics believe that an evil God created the earth.  Its very representation is evil, and our fleshy bodies are personal prisons, for our captive souls to dwell in.  The Gnostics believe, there is another God.  One even more powerful than the earth’s creator, and the one whom Jesus Christ answers too.  It is through Jesus, to whom our messages and needs are correlated to this other God.  Heaven is based off the belief, that there are different levels to Paradise.   Our spiritual worth on earth, plays a vital role to our future position in heaven.  Much like that of the Buddhist or Hindu belief systems.  The Gnostics also believe that everything on earth, is of evil decent.  That our true nature and our souls were sent here to suffer materialist wants, needs and desires.  Needless to say, Gnosticism has it odd perplexities just the same as the Catholics or the Baptists do.  However, Gnosticism is a much wiser religion, and has played a key role in the early developmental periods of Christianity.  Our very core and basic fundamentals, has been from Gnostic philosophies.

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