Purely out of interest and the advancement of knowledge: Sumerian Text- Legend of Sargon: "... My changeling mother conceived me, in secret she bore me. She set me in a basket of rushes, with bitumen she sealed my lid. She cast me into the river, which rose not (over) me. The river bore me up and carried me to Akki, the drawer of water. Akki, the drawer of water lifted me out as he dipped his e[w]er. Akki the drawer of water, [took me] as his son (and) reared me." dated to 2,279 - 2,334 BCE Bible text- (Exodus 2:3): Story of Moses "... The woman conceived and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was good and she hid him for three months. She could not hide him any longer, so she took for him a wicker basket and smeared it with clay and pitch, she placed the child into it and placed it among the reeds at the bank of the river." Then Pharaoh's daughter saw the basket among the reeds. Later on the Bible says (Exodus 2:10), the boy grew up and she brought him to the daughter of Pharaoh and he was a son to her. She called his name Moses, as she said, " For I drew him from the water." dated to 1,250 - 1,350 BCE ------------------------------------- Genesis: "In the beginning of God's creating the heavens and the earth when the earth was astonishingly empty, with darkness upon the surface of the deep and the divine presence (Elohim meaning God) hovered upon the surface of the waters. God (Elohim) said, let there be light," and there was light. God (Elohim) said that the light was good." Genesis 1:26, Elohim said "Let us make man (Adam) in our image, after our likeness..." later on, "... so Elohim created the man (Adam) in his image, in the image of the Elohim, he created him, male and female, he created them." Gen 2:7, "And Yahweh Elohim formed the man (Adam) of dust from the ground, and he blew into his nostrils the soul of life and the man (Adam) became a living being." Gen 2:15, "Yahweh Elohim took the man (Adam) and placed him in the Garden of Eden, to work it and to watch it." The epic of creation: "When in the heights heaven was not named. And the Earth beneath did not yet bear a name, and the primeval Apsu, who begat them, and chaos, Tiamet, the mother of them both, Their waters were mingled together, and no field was formed no marsh was to be seen. When of the gods none had been called into being, and none bore a name, and no destinies were ordained. They were created the gods in the midst of heaven." More: "... Let me put blood together and bones too, let me set up primeval man: Man shall be his name...", "... The work of the gods shall be imposed on him..." In Atra Hasis, "... Nintu mixed clay, with her flesh and blood, they heard the drumbeat forever after, a ghost (soul) came into existence from the god's flesh and she (Nintu) proclaimed it a living sign." Later on "... I myself created (it), my hands have made (it)..." Just so you know, the Sumerian word for earth or dust is Adama, as seen in Genesis 2:7 where god forms adam from the dust of the ground. Nintu mixed her blood and flesh to create man. the Sumerian for red, as in red blood is adom. You see, not only is the majority of the bible mere rip offs of older work, changed many many times roughly 1,500 years after the original writing, it has been shown here how easily misinterpretations can occur. Adama to Adam... Is the bible trustworthy at all? Is the original Sumerian text trustworthy? If one is not, then neither are. If one is, both must be. If it is trustworthy as most of you would agree then surely we must accept the original work as the more truthful and relevant? We all know the effects of chinese whispers over a period expanding 1 and a half millennia. The Sumerians spoke of Gods, (plural), not God. Id put my trust more in the Sumerians than in a world full of christian religious folk any day of the week. It's just something for you to consider before preaching a reprint of classic writing.
One minor correction that actually furthers and strengthens your case. The Hebrew word Elohim does not mean God, it means Gods (plural).
More Support for your case... Where did the Jesus mtyh come from? (excerpt taken fom an article by Acharya S, author of "The Christ Conspiracy- The Greatest Story Ever Sold") I know it's kinda long, but there is a LOT more where this came from. I will post more if people are interested. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Adad of Assyria Adonis, Apollo, Heracles ("Hercules") and Zeus of Greece Alcides of Thebes Attis of Phrygia Baal of Phoenicia Bali of Afghanistan Beddru of Japan Buddha of India Crite of Chaldea Deva Tat of Siam Hesus of the Druids Horus, Osiris, and Serapis of Egypt, whose long-haired, bearded appearance was adopted for the Christ character Indra of Tibet/India Jao of Nepal Krishna of India Mikado of the Sintoos Mithra of Persia Odin of the Scandinavians Prometheus of Caucasus/Greece Quetzalcoatl of Mexico Salivahana of Bermuda Tammuz of Syria (who was, in a typical mythmaking move, later turned into the disciple Thomas) Thor of the Gauls Universal Monarch of the Sibyls Wittoba of the Bilingonese Xamolxis of Thrace Zarathustra/Zoroaster of Persia Zoar of the Bonzes The Major Players Buddha Buddha was born of the virgin Maya, who was considered the "Queen of Heaven." He was of royal descent. He crushed a serpent's head. Sakyamuni Buddha had 12 disciples. He performed miracles and wonders, healed the sick, fed 500 men from a "small basket of cakes," and walked on water. He abolished idolatry, was a "sower of the word," and preached "the establishment of a kingdom of righteousness." He taught chastity, temperance, tolerance, compassion, love, and the equality of all. He was transfigured on a mount. Sakya Buddha was crucified in a sin-atonement, suffered for three days in hell, and was resurrected. He ascended to Nirvana or "heaven." Buddha was considered the "Good Shepherd", the "Carpenter", the "Infinite and Everlasting." He was called the "Savior of the World" and the "Light of the World." Horus of Egypt The stories of Jesus and Horus are very similar, with Horus even contributing the name of Jesus Christ. Horus and his once-and-future Father, Osiris, are frequently interchangeable in the mythos ("I and my Father are one"). The legends of Horus go back thousands of years, and he shares the following in common with Jesus: Horus was born of the virgin Isis-Meri on December 25th in a cave/manger, with his birth being announced by a star in the East and attended by three wise men. He was a child teacher in the Temple and was baptized when he was 30 years old. Horus was also baptized by "Anup the Baptizer," who becomes "John the Baptist." He had 12 disciples. He performed miracles and raised one man, El-Azar-us, from the dead. He walked on water. Horus was transfigured on the Mount. He was crucified, buried in a tomb and resurrected. He was also the "Way, the Truth, the Light, the Messiah, God's Anointed Son, the Son of Man, the Good Shepherd, the Lamb of God, the Word" etc. He was "the Fisher," and was associated with the Lamb, Lion and Fish ("Ichthys"). Horus's personal epithet was "Iusa," the "ever-becoming son" of "Ptah," the "Father." Horus was called "the KRST," or "Anointed One," long before the Christians duplicated the story. In fact, in the catacombs at Rome are pictures of the baby Horus being held by the virgin mother Isis - the original "Madonna and Child" - and the Vatican itself is built upon the papacy of Mithra, who shares many qualities with Jesus and who existed as a deity long before the Jesus character was formalized. The Christian hierarchy is nearly identical to the Mithraic version it replaced. Virtually all of the elements of the Catholic ritual, from miter to wafer to water to altar to doxology, are directly taken from earlier pagan mystery religions. Mithra, Sungod of Persia The story of Mithra precedes the Christian fable by at least 600 years. According to Wheless, the cult of Mithra was, shortly before the Christian era, "the most popular and widely spread 'Pagan' religion of the times." Mithra has the following in common with the Christ character: Mithra was born on December 25th. He was considered a great traveling teacher and master. He had 12 companions or disciples. He performed miracles. He was buried in a tomb. After three days he rose again. His resurrection was celebrated every year. Mithra was called "the Good Shepherd." He was considered "the Way, the Truth and the Light, the Redeemer, the Savior, the Messiah." He was identified with both the Lion and the Lamb. His sacred day was Sunday, "the Lord's Day," hundreds of years before the appearance of Christ. Mithra had his principal festival on what was later to become Easter, at which time he was resurrected. His religion had a Eucharist or "Lord's Supper." Krishna of India The similarities between the Christian character and the Indian messiah are many. Indeed, Massey finds over 100 similarities between the Hindu and Christian saviors, and Graves, who includes the various noncanonical gospels in his analysis, lists over 300 likenesses. It should be noted that a common earlier English spelling of Krishna was "Christna," which reveals its relation to '"Christ." It should also be noted that, like the Jewish godman, many people have believed in a historical, carnalized Krishna. Krishna was born of the Virgin Devaki ("Divine One") His father was a carpenter. His birth was attended by angels, wise men and shepherds, and he was presented with gold, frankincense and myrrh. He was persecuted by a tyrant who ordered the slaughter of thousands of infants. He was of royal descent. He was baptized in the River Ganges. He worked miracles and wonders. He raised the dead and healed lepers, the deaf and the blind. Krishna used parables to teach the people about charity and love. "He lived poor and he loved the poor." He was transfigured in front of his disciples. In some traditions he died on a tree or was crucified between two thieves. He rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. Krishna is called the "Shepherd God" and "Lord of lords," and was considered "the Redeemer, Firstborn, Sin Bearer, Liberator, Universal Word." He is the second person of the Trinity, and proclaimed himself the "Resurrection" and the "way to the Father." He was considered the "Beginning, the Middle and the End," ("Alpha and Omega"), as well as being omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. His disciples bestowed upon him the title "Jezeus," meaning "pure essence." Krishna is to return to do battle with the "Prince of Evil," who will desolate the earth. Prometheus of Greece The Greek god Prometheus has been claimed to have come from Egypt, but his drama took place in the Caucasus mountains. Prometheus shares a number of striking similarities with the Christ character. Prometheus descended from heaven as God incarnate as man, to save mankind. He was crucified, suffered and rose from the dead. He was called the Logos or Word. Five centuries before the Christian era, esteemed Greek poet Aeschylus wrote Prometheus Bound, which, according to Taylor, was presented in the theater in Athens. Taylor claims that in the play Prometheus is crucified "on a fatal tree" and the sky goes dark: "The darkness which closed the scene on the suffering Prometheus, was easily exhibited on the stage, by putting out the lamps; but when the tragedy was to become history, and the fiction to be turned into fact, the lamp of day could not be so easily disposed of. Nor can it be denied that the miraculous darkness which the Evangelists so solemnly declare to have attended the crucifixion of Christ, labours under precisely the same fatality of an absolute and total want of evidence." Tradition holds that Prometheus was crucified on a rock, yet some sources have opined that legend also held he was crucified on a tree and that Christians muddled the story and/or mutilated the text, as they did with the works of so many ancient authors. In any case, the sun hiding in darkness parallels the Christian fable of the darkness descending when Jesus was crucified. This remarkable occurrence is not recorded in history but is only explainable within the Mythos and as part of a recurring play. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (edited to remove footnote markers)
More interesting stuff from that article: ------------------------------------------------------- The "Son" of God is the "Sun" of God The reason why all these narratives are so similar, with a godman who is crucified and resurrected, who does miracles and has 12 disciples, is that these stories were based on the movements of the sun through the heavens, an astrotheological development that can be found throughout the planet because the sun and the 12 zodiac signs can be observed around the globe. In other words, Jesus Christ and all the others upon whom this character is predicated are personifications of the sun, and the Gospel fable is merely a rehash of a mythological formula (the "Mythos," as mentioned above) revolving around the movements of the sun through the heavens. For instance, many of the world's crucified godmen have their traditional birthday on December 25th ("Christmas"). This is because the ancients recognized that (from an earthcentric perspective) the sun makes an annual descent southward until December 21st or 22nd, the winter solstice, when it stops moving southerly for three days and then starts to move northward again. During this time, the ancients declared that "God's sun" had "died" for three days and was "born again" on December 25th. The ancients realized quite abundantly that they needed the sun to return every day and that they would be in big trouble if the sun continued to move southward and did not stop and reverse its direction. Thus, these many different cultures celebrated the "sun of God's" birthday on December 25th. The following are the characteristics of the "sun of God": The sun "dies" for three days on December 22nd, the winter solstice, when it stops in its movement south, to be born again or resurrected on December 25th, when it resumes its movement north. In some areas, the calendar originally began in the constellation of Virgo, and the sun would therefore be "born of a Virgin." The sun is the "Light of the World." The sun "cometh on clouds, and every eye shall see him." The sun rising in the morning is the "Savior of mankind." The sun wears a corona, "crown of thorns" or halo. The sun "walks on water." The sun's "followers," "helpers" or "disciples" are the 12 months and the 12 signs of the zodiac or constellations, through which the sun must pass. The sun at 12 noon is in the house or temple of the "Most High"; thus, "he" begins "his Father's work" at "age" 12. The sun enters into each sign of the zodiac at 30°; hence, the "Sun of God" begins his ministry at "age" 30. The sun is hung on a cross or "crucified," which represents its passing through the equinoxes, the vernal equinox being Easter, at which time it is then resurrected. Contrary to popular belief, the ancients were not an ignorant and superstitious lot who actually believed their deities to be literal characters. Indeed, this slanderous propaganda has been part of the conspiracy to make the ancients appear as if they were truly the dark and dumb rabble that was in need of the "light of Jesus." The reality is that the ancients were no less advanced in their morals and spiritual practices, and in many cases were far more advanced, than the Christians in their own supposed morality and ideology, which, in its very attempt at historicity, is in actuality a degradation of the ancient Mythos. Indeed, unlike the "superior" Christians, the true intelligentsia amongst the ancients were well aware that their gods were astronomical and atmospheric in nature. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle surely knew that Zeus, the sky god father figure who migrated to Greece from India and/or Egypt, was never a real person, despite the fact that the Greeks have designated on Crete both a birth cave and a death cave of Zeus. In addition, all over the world are to be found sites where this god or that allegedly was born, walked, suffered, died, etc., a common and unremarkable occurrence that is not monopolized by, and did not originate with, Christianity.
re:"The Christ Conspiracy- The Greatest Story Ever Sold" by Acharya S A great book if you already have your mind made up about who Jesus wasn't or have a need to believe that he never existed. As far as all the pagans and atheists going gaga over her book, not a wonder, it's one of those "feel-good" books for them. While they slap each other on the back with adulations over the disinformation, they ignore the fact that almost all experts in the field of Biblical scholarship and criticism, regardless of their faith orientation or lack thereof, agree Jesus was a real historical figure. If you wish to take an honest and long look at history, particularly the history of Christianity, you'd do well to stay away from that book's wide use of secondary sources, those already filled with errors to begin with concerning the Bible, history, world religions and Jesus of Nazareth. PS: There also a number of websites that provide counterpoints to the lists you pasted (even though I thought that was something the mods specifically asked us not to do? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Must be okay with them as long as it bashes Christianity) I'd paste them but they'd likely be deleted.
I take no one's word as fact. Including hers. She has provided me with some insight. She has a very extensive bibliography that I plan on taking full advantage of. She has expounded on many things that I have personally questioned and looked for more information on. I see her book as an excellent reference. Her theories go too far at times, but I do not read her and consider it gospel, I read her and consider it food for thought.
