Jesus' birth isn’t the only myth associated with him. Other gods and goddesses played an important role in history throughout history, such as Attis or Dionysus. Many of the earliest Jesus stories were inspired in part by Egyptian gods. We'll be looking at some of these characters and their stories in this article.
Horus
There is some controversy over the many similarities between Horus & Jesus. Both were deities popular in ancient Egypt. Many of their stories can be compared to Jesus. Both are distinct entities. While Christians often view Jesus as "savior of mankind", Egyptians considered Horus to have been a literal savior, who saved them from the venomous scorpions.
Historical evidence points to the similarity of Jesus Christ with Horus. John the Baptist baptized both, but neither had a name for his Baptizer. Horus had at least four disciples, whereas Jesus had a number of followers he never named.
Dionysus
While some Dionysus stories may be similar to Jesus's, others are quite different. Dionysus, a Greek god, was not crucified in the same way as Jesus. Also, his trials were not as openly public as Jesus'. Zeus and Rhea raised Dionysus from his death to bring him back to life, but Jesus did not suffer for our sins.
Jesus and Dionysus shared common interests. There were also many similarities between them and other ancient religions. Both shared the belief in divine birth, resurrection, celebration. Both religions allowed women and children to participate. The initiation ritual of the cult involved a winnowing bowl full of phallus. This ritual entitles a male to become an initiate or Neophyte. The initiate will then be reborn.
Attis
Many people argue that Attis stories resemble Jesus stories. In fact, Attis' resurrection myth is quite different. Attis is traditionally hung from a tree to be killed and then resurrected. Attis' mother is a virgin goddess like the Virgin Mary, but unlike Jesus.
In one version of the story, the god Dionysus puts wine in Agdistis' water and makes him sleep by tying a rope around Agdistis' genitals. He wakes up and picks pomegranate fruit. According to Attis stories, Attis’ mother Cybele was rival to Mary and mother of the gods.
Dionysus' mother
The Greek god Dionysus is the god of fertility, ritual dance, and mysticism. He is mysterious, contradictory and both gentle but terrifying. Euripedes, the ancient poet, called him "the gentlest yet fiercest". Euripides examines the god’s relationship with the JudeoChristian tradition in this play.
Dionysus' mother, according to the Odyssey is a woman. After Dionysus' conception, she gave him birth. Semele, his mother, was his father. Her husband found out about her pregnancy and threw her child into a sea. She was later found dead, and Dionysus was raised by Ino in Brasiae. Later, the garden of Dionysus was named the plain of Brasiae.
The resurrection of Dionysus
To a certain degree, the resurrection stories about Jesus and Dionysus look similar. Both deities were killed and buried and then resurrected within three days. While the myth of Dionysus's resurrection was likely to have been corrupted by some elements, the myth did contain certain aspects that were shared with the gods. Dionysus’ resurrection story is more likely based in an older myth. It involves Attis, a god that was born of Nana. He died three more days later, and was then reborn within the same body. This is similar to Christian beliefs.
The stories of Jesus’ resurrection are very similar. However, they differ from one another. Dionysus’ resurrection story was based on a myth from the first century AD. This was over two thousand years before Jesus' birth. The similar story also existed for Prometheus (mythological god of fire & light).