Bock

Conversation Stoppers, More on Isis and Osiris – Sept 4

Why discuss things like the missing gospels and gods like Isis and Osiris?

Why discuss things like the missing gospels and gods like Isis and Osiris? The simple answer is because these topics have become "conversation stoppers" when discussing Jesus. You start talking about Jesus or the gospels with someone and they reply by asking, "What about all those other gospels?" Or they might query, "Did you know that Isis and Osiris, gods of the time, also had a belief in death and resurrection?" Now the question may not be true or very precise, but it can stop the conversation if you know very little about it. This is why I am taking the time to discuss these areas. For example, to equate Isis and Osiris with Christian death and resurrection is to ignore the fact that these gods and the stories tied to them are a part of the agricultural cycle. One of the reasons this story has become attractive more recently is because it points to the "divine mother" theme in many pagan myths, since this is the role Isis has. Plutrach’s Isis and Osiris gives us a good view of the story. I noted in the last blog that fourteen members of Osiris’s body were distributed across the earth and that Isis found each one to bring him back to life. Actually in Plutrach’s version, she finds all but one of the members (the missing one is euphemistically called "the male member"). This member she replicates and consecrates in order to complete the revivification. Another key detail is that whether she actually revived Osiris or created a great ruse of multiple tombs for Osiris (one for each part found) to deceive Typhon (or Seth) from ever finding the real remains. However, the nature of the full story does suggest a return to a spiritual life in the underworld was the belief. The very explicit and sexual nature of such stories is another feature that differentiates it from the supposed Christian parallels. Finally in one version, the resurrection simply means the body can grow hair an dmoveone finger, hardly a real resurrection. Let me know if you think such information is helpful. DLB

3 Comments

  • Dan Bunn

    Isis
    When first learning about Constantine last year, a relatiive commented drily that “he forbade Isis worship”. What I can find on it limits his actions to requiring the cult to practice their rites “in public, during the day”, meaning to stop secret rituals done in private homes, at night. Another source says that Constantine stopped “abuses of persons during secret rituals”. Most stop there, citing that, well, secret is SECRET and non-initiiates are not allowed to know the why and what.
    So what is recorded as being the objectionable abuses that drew the restrictions?

  • David

    Horus, not another Christ?
    Dr. Bock,

    I experienced the kind of conversation stopper you spoke of not too long ago. I looked up some of the information presented–much which was foreign to me. The details that I have found seem to be a little more far-reaching than your presentation. For instance, see http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jcpa5.htm.

    Would you be willing to comment on the chart presented and the veracity of its contents. It is poorly documented, even admitting speculative assertions of virgin birth and twelve disciples, but I would appreciate your feedback.

    Blessings!

    Dave
    <><

  • bock

    Horus dlb

    David:

    The issue here are the nature of differences and the fudging that is done on the chart, as well as to how the parallels are constructed. We are not given ancient text information to see if the details on Horus’s side are reconstructed by putting together a series of distinct documents over a long period of time constructing a unit out of disparate tradtions (I suspect this given some of the details about Horus).

    But let’s look at the chart. Look at the Joseph parallel. We are supposed to beleive that somehow Seb is parallel to Joseph. Another forced parallel is getting to Bethany further down. Other problems: cave = stable (a trough is an animal feeding place). Sirius = start in the East (Clearly not the morning start, as that had its own name). One of the biggest is a birth for Horus to a goddess but to a human for Jesus. The actual Birthday for Jesus is unknow (see a recent post for this). The Dec 25 date for Christmas is fourth century, so that column goes out. Age at baptism for Jesus is not 30 but around 30. Temptation: Jesus was not taken to the mountain by Satan. The claim to have raised Osirus is exaggerated. This "resurrection" involved his ability to grow hair on his body and move one finger! (Forced also is the work taken to get to Lazarus. This assumes the gospel writer knew Egyptian and Hebrew as one who lived in ancient Israel-not likely). So there are numerous problems in the column from a web page that looks like it promotes the book in question (Pagan Christ).

    dlb