18. The dying god which rises again traverses many cultures and ages
The crux of Christianity as described in the New Testament is that Jesus overcame eternal damnation and rose again after dying upon the cross, obtaining through his sacrifice the salvation of humanity. The Resurrection is the central miracle of the Christian faith. But gods which died only to rise again and move among the living were present in other cultures before that described in the Bible. Legends of the Norse; among the ancient Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas in Mesoamerica; in Polynesia and the Hawaiian Islands; within the ancient peoples of North America; and among the regions from which western civilization sprang forth, all included legends of deities which returned to life after experiencing death. A variant upon the theme is the departure from earth for one’s heavenly reward, presumably eternal, via bodily ascension.
The promise of eternal life dominated religious beliefs before the life of Jesus, and was presented in the resurrection of deities and other figures. Osiris, worshiped for centuries before Jesus, was believed to have risen after death. Jainists, Buddhists, and Hindus all had examples of resurrection in their beliefs. In multiple cultures the Phoenix, symbolic of the sun, rose from its own ashes every 500 years or so, reborn. For Christians the greatest of all the miracles related in the Bible is the resurrection of Jesus, for others it was an event which never occurred, and Jesus is relegated to the role of a prophet, as He is in both Judaism and Islam. At issue is whether the miracle of resurrection is to be believed, or whether it is to be relegated to the status of myth, which it would thus share with deities both before and after the life of Jesus of Nazareth and the tales of the Testaments of Judeo-Christian tradition.
Where do we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“The god who comes: Dionysian Mysteries Revisited”. Rosemarie Taylor-Perry. 2003
“The Myths of Rome”. T.P. Wiseman. 2004
“Jonah and the Whale is an Ancient Sun Myth”. Astrotheology.net. February 2013
“The Iliad”. Homer, translated by A. T. Murray. 1954. Online
“Elijah raises the widow’s son”. 1 Kings 17: 17-24. The Bible, KJV
“The Greek Myths”. Robert Graves. 1955
“Zoroaster’s Religion” (in German). Michael Stausberg. 2002
“An Introduction to Hinduism”. Gavin Flood. 1996
“Elisha feeds 100 people”. 2 Kings 4: 42-44. The Bible, KJV
“Apollonius of Tyana”. Entry, Livius: Articles on Ancient History. Livius.org. Online
“Heaven according to Paul”. 2 Corinthians 4: 11. Bible.org. Online
“The Historical Jesus: A Essential Guide”. James H. Charlesworth. 2008
“Job: A Peek Behind the Curtain”. Doctrine.org. Online
“Horus and Jesus: mythological plagiarism?” Will & Testament, BBC Online. May 1, 2009
“Thematic Guide to World Mythology”. Lorena Laura Stookey. 2004
