Jesus Mythicists claim that the resurrection of Jesus was “borrowed” from other myths that describe the raising of various gods. How seriously should we take these claims?
The question is not as simple as: Is Jesus described as coming back to life and are there other stories describing others gods/heroes coming back to life?
The real question is: Are there any other stories that use resurrection in a similar way that the resurrection of Jesus is used?
The resurrection of Jesus is not just that Jesus came back to life. It is much more complicated than that.
Here are some things that make the resurrection of Jesus unique:
- The resurrection of Jesus took place in a historically identifiable time and not just a generic mythic past.
- While Jesus would eventually ascend to heaven, his initial resurrection was such that he was able to interact directly with other people on earth in a bodily form, even being able to eat with them.
- Named witnesses of the resurrected Jesus are given.
- There was no tie to agricultural seasons.
- The resurrection of Jesus was understood to be the first part of a general resurrection that all of his followers would one day would experience.
There is nothing like this in the myths. Yes, Osiris was vindicated after his death and was made lord of the underworld. Yes, Horus was brought back to life through the prayers of Isis after being stung by a scorpion. Yes, Dionysus was ripped apart as a baby and then put back together.
But none of those myths portray a resurrection anything like Jesus. Most of the “dying and rising” gods are agricultural myths to explain why nature seems alive during part of the year and dead for the rest. None of that appears in the story of Jesus.
I challenge any Jesus Mythicist to give just one example of a mythical resurrection that even comes close to fulfilling the same role as it does for Jesus.
