Remember that semi-boring ancient mythology class in school? Most of you all have probably forgotten about it by now, but in popular culture there has been a revival in people’s interest in these ancient stories. Many of them contain these otherworldly stories of the realm of the gods that seem very strange to us, however, they were ways that ancient people explained the world they lived in. Recently, there has been a growing number of people who say that the story of Jesus in the Gospels is just like one of these ancient myths. Often, people will reference the stories of Mithras, Horus, Dionysius, and other gods from the Greek and Egyptian religions and try to highlight similarities to Jesus, thus leading to the conclusion that Jesus must also be a mythological character and not historical. Is this true? After all, this stands in stark contrast to the claims of the New Testament authors, which very clearly see Jesus and his life, death, resurrection, and ascension as real history. Paul even claims that if Jesus did not rise from the dead then the Christian faith is meaningless (1 Cor 15:12-19)! We will examine a few reasons that we believe demonstrate that there are only surface level parallels between some of the stories of ancient mythology and the Gospel accounts of Jesus. Ultimately, the Gospels are very different in their literary genre and in their content from any myth.
- Examining literary genre
One of the most important things we should do when someone makes this claim is to read the story of Jesus and the myth side by side. When individuals do this, what they will find is that the Gospel accounts are very different from any mythological story in their genre. For example, let’s look at the Gospel of Luke’s introduction:
Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught (Lk 1:1-4).
What is strikingly different from any mythological account is how the story of Jesus is recorded. Luke is attempting to be historical by referencing eyewitness testimony and real people and locations throughout the story. Luke makes mention of historically verifiable people such as Tiberias Caesar, Herod the Tetrarch, and Pontius Pilate. He also mentions Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, and many other real geographical locations. It is almost as if the author is saying, “Don’t believe me? Go ask the eyewitnesses and check the records.” In contrast, ancient myths do not reference any real people, locations, or historically verifiable events. Ancient mythology does not claim to be historical, whereas the biblical authors are claiming that Jesus existed and what he did happened in history.
- Similarities in content
Another major point that needs emphasis is the supposed parallels in content that other myths have with the story of Jesus. Some people point out that other gods have stories of virgin birth, death, and resurrection. The important question is, are these myths meant to be understood the same as the Jesus’s resurrection? A closer look at these stories will reveal they are not trying to communicate the same thing as the Biblical account. For example, in the virgin birth story of the god Adonis, he is born out of a myrrh tree; Mithras is born out of a rock! The stories of their death cannot rightfully be described as sacrificial as Dionysius is killed why he is admiring himself in the mirror. Finally, there are 5 different accounts of the god Dionysius’s resurrection story, but examples of this are his body pieced together again or his heart swallowed by Zeus. Clearly, the Bible presents a portrayal of the virgin birth, death, and resurrection that means something entirely foreign to mythology. The Biblical authors affirm that Jesus was born of a real female, died a sacrificial death on behalf of all humanity, and was raised to life again bodily and that this reality is historically verifiable to the original audience (1 Cor 15:3-4).
Lastly, it is evident that what the Apostle Paul was teaching to the Athenians about Jesus’s resurrection was a foreign concept. They knew the stories of the Greek myths, and yet did not think that Paul was saying anything they had ever heard before (Acts 17:24-34). The story of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection were new to them. There is no evidence to point to the fact that Paul just believed in another myth. This should give us confidence that the claims that Jesus is just another mythological character are false and we can trust as the apostles did in the historical reality of Jesus.
2 Peter 1:16 says, “For we did not follow cleverly contrived myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; instead, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”
Written by Grant Gobezie
Works Cited: In Defense of the Bible: A Comprehensive Apologetic for the Authority of Scripture