Paul assembled his story from Egyptian legends and knowledge of his own religion. As a Roman citizen he was expected to also appear devoted to Mithras. Paul attributed to his storybook creation “Jesus” many of the characteristics of Mithras and Horus.****
Paul was a Jew and a Pharisee. And no Jew/Pharisee living between the Maccabean revolt and the destruction of the Temple in 70CE would have employed a pagan god for much of anything.
Plus, he may have been a Roman citizen, but he was brought up in Jerusalem and trained as a Pharisee under Gamaliel. He shows some knowledge of Greek philosophy and literature, but shows no trace of religious syncretism in any of his letters.
It’s important to focus on relevant similarities, not incidental ones. Incidental and vague similarities can be seen between almost anyone. One can use incidental similarities to “prove” that JFK was actually based on Lincoln. The critical, central Christian message about Jesus was focused on his Lordship over all creation, his voluntary sacrificial death, and his physical resurrection. Incidental elements include such things as the number of disciples, how long he stayed dead after the crucifixion, his date of birth.
So most of the comparisons you cite are merely incidental.
Just to take a few:
Mithras: Was God’s messenger of truth, traveled far and wide with 12 disciples, teacher and illuminator of men, buried in a tomb from which he arose again, priests in white garments celebrated the birth of the Son of God and boys burned incense on December 25th.
Any god or religious figure had disciples. And 12 disciples, just like Horus? And besides, there’s little or no evidence indicating that mithra was a travelling teacher. And besides what did he teach? Was it anything similar to what Jesus taught? If not this alleged parallel is bunk.
Mithras was born in a cave on December 25th of a virgin mother, came from heaven to be born as a man, to redeem men from their sin.
This is irrelevant to Jesus since the NT does not associate this date ( or any date for that matter) with Jesus’ birth. The comparison needs to be made with the original NT documents, not some tradition that arose centuries later
And Mithras wasn’t born of a virgin; he was born out of solid rock.
Here’s a quote from Mithraic Studies: Proceedings of the First International Congress of Mithraic Studies. Manchester U. Press, 1975:
[Mithra] "wearing his Phrygian cap, issues forth from the rocky mass. As yet only his bare torso is visible. In each hand he raises aloft a lighted torch and, as an unusual detail, red flames shoot out all around him from the petra genetrix." (p.173)
Also Mithra was born as a fully formed adult not as a baby (no comparison to Jesus here). According to Mithra expert David Ulansey (The Origins of the Mithraic Mysteries: Cosmology and Salvation in the Ancient World. New York: Oxford U. Press, 1989. P. 36.) the rock birth was probably a copy from the story of Perseus. So here, somebody copied somebody, but it wasn’t xianity copying Mithra.
And didn’t you say earlier that Horus was born on Dec. 25? So now Mithras was born on Dec. 25 as well? Were they twins separated at birth, or is this some sort of pagan-god tag team wresting match? Who else do you have up your sleeve? Krishna? Tammuz? Adonis? Osiris? Baal? Attis? Dionysus? If one fails just replace him with another?
Mithras was known as Savior, Son of God, Redeemer and Lamb of God.
This is supposed to prove what exactly, other than that different religions often use similar terminology. The important thing is what is meant by the terms. But there is also the tendency by some people to use xian terminology to describe pagan rituals. The terms are used imprecisely, and then somehow a parallel is drawn between xianity and the pagan religion. In either case, parallels are illegitimate.
His followers kept the Sabbath holy, eating sacramental meals in remembrance of Him. The sacred meal of bread and water, or bread and wine, was symbolic of the body and blood of the sacred bull. Baptism in the blood of the bull (taurobolum)―early Baptism “washed in the blood of the Lamb”―late Baptism by water [recorded by the Christian author Tertullian]. Mithraic rituals brought about the transformation and Salvation of His adherents―an ascent of the soul of the adherent into the realm of the divine. Inscribed on the wall of a Mithraic temple in Rome: “And thou hast saved us by shedding the eternal blood.” The great Mithraic festivals celebrated his birth (at the winter solstice) and his death and resurrection (at the spring solstice).
According to M.J. Vermaseren, (Mithras the Secret God. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1963., p.103) the part about the sacramental meal comes from a medieval text, far too late to be of any relevance here.
And regarding the tauroboleum, a mithraic priest would stand in a pit under a plank holding a bull. The animal was killed and the blood fell on the priest below (I’m still trying to find anything fitting that description in the New Testament). The earliest evidence for this ritual is around 150 years after the writing of the New Testament. So again, no relevance to the original documents that contain the core essential xian doctrines and beliefs.
Generally, this search for parallels is prone to subjectivism. You tend to find whatever similarities you’re looking for. This can be done for just about any person or subject matter. Why not, rather, look at the historical evidence for the NT and make an evaluation on the merits of the historical case, rather than looking for spurious parallels. If people want to disbelieve xianity, hey, be my guest. There’s nothing I can do about another’s decision. But at least disbelieve it for better reasons than this Christ-myth conspiracy theory.
