
Linkage between Jesus and various Pagan
saviors:Introduction
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Introduction:
There are many dozens of events in the gospels that are very similar, or
identical, to incidents which appeared centuries
before, in the stories of Pagan hero/saviors. These "god-men"
were worshiped by the priesthood and laity of Mediterranean and Middle
Eastern religions. Modern-day conservative Christians generally discount the similarities
between
gospel and pagan stories. Some of the most radical of liberal Christians see Jesus as
simply the Jewish equivalent of a Pagan savior, such as the Egyptian
Horus, Hindu Krishna, or Greek Dionysus. They view Jesus' biography in the gospels as
having been largely lifted from Paganism. 
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Pagan saviors of humanity:
Pagan spirituality in ancient times from the Mediterranean region was composed of two components:
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The Outer Mysteries consisted of Pagan beliefs and practices which were
widely disseminated and taught to the general public. Knowledge of these has
been largely preserved
in historical records.
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The Inner Mysteries were revealed only to those who had been
initiated into the Pagan religions. The initiates learned that Osiris-Dionysus
was not a historical person. His legends were simple "spiritual
allegories encoding spiritual teachings." 1
Late
in the 4th century CE, Christianity was established as the state
religion. Pagans were given the choice of converting to Christianity,
being
exterminated, or being exiled. Their temples were either stolen for use as
Christian churches, or destroyed. Eventually, detailed knowledge of the inner mysteries
was lost.
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The core of the Outer and Inner mysteries was a mythical, male
entity who was part god and part human -- often referred to as a "god-man."
The biographies of these god-men were consistent from religion to religion. The
main difference among the faiths was his name:
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Alexandria: Aion |
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Asia Minor: Attis |
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Babylonia: Antiochus |
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Egypt: Osiris and Horus |
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Greece: Dionysus and Asclepius |
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Syria: Adonis |
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Italy: Bacchus |
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Persia: Mithras |
These were viewed as mythical characters. There were also some
self-proclaimed god-men -- humans who actually lived on earth. Two are:
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Samos, Italy: Pythagoras (569 to circa 475 BCE)
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Sicily: Empedocles (circa 450 to 390 BCE) |
Osiris in Egypt may have been the first god-man. His story has been found
recorded in pyramid texts which were written prior to 2,500 BCE. These saviors were truly interchangeable. Coins have been found with Dionysus
on one side and Mithras on the other. A person who was initiated into one of the
mysteries had no difficulty switching to another Pagan mystery religion. In the 3rd century CE, these god-men were referred to by the composite name
"Osiris-Dionysus." Authors Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy have used
this term in their book "The Jesus Mysteries." 1 
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Timothy Freke & Peter Gandy, "The Jesus Mysteries: Was the
'original Jesus' a Pagan god?" Acacia Press, (1999). Read
reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
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Tom Harpur, "The Pagan Christ; Recovering the Lost Light," Thomas Allen,
(2004), Page 5.
Read reviews or order this book.
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Copyright © 1999 to 2004 by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance.
Originally written: 1999-NOV-14
Latest update: 2009-APR-01
Author: B.A. Robinson 

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