A Christian Response by Stephen J. Bedard
Among the many gods of ancient Egypt, few were as important or as beloved as Osiris. For more than two thousand years, Egyptians looked to Osiris as the ruler of the underworld, the judge of the dead, and the promise of life after death. His story of murder, resurrection, and triumph over death became one … Read More “What Do We Know About Osiris? The Development of Egypt’s God of the Dead” »
The idea that Jesus of Nazareth never existed as a historical person is often associated with twentieth-century writers and modern internet debates. However, the roots of what is now called the Jesus Myth Theory or Christ Myth Theory reach back to the nineteenth century. One of the lesser-known but significant figures in this movement was the English writer and … Read More “Edwin Johnson: An Early Pioneer of the Jesus Myth Theory” »
We are living in historic times. For the first time in decades, astronauts have orbited the moon and have been able to capture spectacular photographs of parts of the moon we have never seen. Among the photographs taken is a beautiful image of our own planet, Earth. Curiously, it is NOT flat. You may or … Read More “Artemis II, Flat Earthers, and the Jesus Myth” »
The “Jesus Myth Theory” (also called the “Christ Myth Theory”) is the view that Jesus of Nazareth was not a historical person but a mythological or literary construct. While skepticism about aspects of the Gospel narratives dates back to the Enlightenment, the fully developed claim that Jesus never existed emerged most clearly in the 19th … Read More “The Development of the Jesus Myth Theory in the 19th Century” »
I was watching this interview with mythicists Robert Price on the MythVision Podcast. There is much I could comment on in this video. I could talk about the problems with the “Dying and Rising” gods or claims about the New Testament teaching an angelic Christ. But what actually stood out for me was the comments … Read More “What It Would Take to Convince Some Jesus Mythicists” »
The question of whether Jesus of Nazareth existed as a historical person may seem like a modern provocation, often associated today with internet debates or popular skepticism. In reality, doubts about Jesus’ historicity emerged relatively late and within specific philosophical and ideological contexts. For most of Christian history—and even among early critics of Christianity—the existence of Jesus himself … Read More “When Was the Historical Existence of Jesus First Questioned?” »
Few terms in early Christian history are as complex—or as misunderstood—as Gnosticism. Often treated as a single heresy opposed by the early church, Gnosticism was in fact a diverse religious movement that flourished from the late first century through the fifth century. It drew on multiple intellectual and religious streams and offered alternative interpretations of Christian faith, Scripture, … Read More “Gnosticism in the First Five Centuries of the Church” »
I came across an interesting comment about the comparison between Buddhist and Christian tradition by Edward Conze, editor of Buddhist Scriptures (Amazon affiliate link). Please note that this is not an attack on Buddhist tradition or a defence of Christian tradition. Buddhist tradition differs fundamentally from that of Christianity. In Christianity we can distinguish an … Read More “The Difference Between Buddhist and Christian Tradition” »
Among the gods of the ancient Mediterranean, Serapis stands out as one of the clearest examples of a deliberately promoted syncretic deity. Unlike most ancient gods who emerged organically through long mythic development, Serapis was elevated—if not consciously constructed—during the early Hellenistic period to serve specific political, cultural, and religious needs. Understanding Serapis requires attention not only to … Read More “Serapis: The Invention of a God in the Hellenistic World” »
Origins, Parallels, and the Question of Influence Among the many dying-and-rising gods of the ancient Mediterranean world, Attis and Adonis stand out for their striking similarities and for the scholarly debate surrounding their relationship. Both figures are associated with vegetation cycles, ritual mourning, and renewal. Yet they emerge from different cultural contexts, serve distinct theological purposes, and develop along separate mythic trajectories before … Read More “Attis and Adonis” »
