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This idea of the divinity of Christ along with the idea of Christ as a messenger from the one God ('The Father') had long existed in various parts of the Roman empire. The divinity of Christ had also been widely endorsed by the Christian community in the otherwise pagan city of Rome.5 The council affirmed and defined what it believed to. Pagan Christ i-xviii.5th print 18/1/05 8:56 AM Page i The Pagan Christ Pagan Christ i-xviii.5th print 18/1/05 8:56 AM Page ii.
Books MenuBooks & Reviews
This is Harpur's most radical and groundbreaking work to date, in which he digs deep into the origins of Christianity and how the early Christian church covered up all attempts to reveal the Bible as myth.
What began as a universal belief system has become a ritualistic institution headed by ultraconservative literalists. As he reconsiders a lifetime of worship and study, Harpur reveals a cosmic faith built on these truths that the modern church has renounced. His message is clear: our blind faith in literalism is killing Christianity. Only with a return to an inclusive religion where Christ lives within each of us will we gain a true understanding of who we are and who we are intended to become.
Published:
in Toronto, Canada by Thomas Allen Publishersin Montreal, Canada by Boreal Press
in New York, USA by Walker Books
in Australia by Allen & Unwin Publishers
in the Netherlands by Ankh-Hermes bv
in Germany by Ansata Verlag, and in Japan
Praise for The Pagan Christ: Recovering the Lost Light
“…a truly revolutionary work, devout but subversive in the best sense, with a carefully constructed narrative that challenges believers and non-believers to fundamentally re-examine ‘the Greatest Story Ever Told.’” – Edmonton Journal, Alan Kellogg
“Read this book … to enrich your personal quest for truth in order to break through previously unchallenged boundaries of religious insularity and exclusivism. … it most certainly challenges complacency and opens new vistas of insight to the serious thinker.” – Toronto Star
“…those who cannot accept literal orthodoxy, and those whose spiritual quest is not yet at an end, will find renewed faith and hope in Harpur’s brave work.” – Calgary Herald
“…Harpur takes pains to argue that his discoveries are not a blow to Christianity … but rather that true Christianity emerges from these discoveries with new strength, new relevance and a new importance in the life and faith of the individual.” – Globe and Mail
“This startling work is sure to engender passionate controversy…. Of special interest to Christians, it provides nourishing food for thought for questing members of all religious faiths.” - The Hamilton Spectator
“…[Harpur] insists he hasn’t abandoned the essential meaning of Christianity. He says he’s adopted a more intellectual and dynamic faith.” - Vancouver Sun
“The facts in Harpur’s book, as he notes, have largely been known to some scholars since the end of the 18th century…. This makes The Pagan Christ a tour de force, all the more convincing.” – The Gazette (Montreal)
“…those who see the mythic/historic debate as crucial and compelling should add The Pagan Christ … to their reading lists. The material Harpur presents raises questions that need to be addressed, not repressed.” – Books in Canada
“Like it or not, what Harpur is telling us in this book is that we have chosen the limited security of the literal interpretations of sacred text over the sacred freedom of the mythical meanings of our quests for belief.” –Winnipeg Free Press, Karen Toole
“The message of The Pagan Christ, if we choose to hear it, is ultimately one of hope and liberation.” – FFWD
“This is a must read for theologians and theological students as well as true seekers.” – Glad Tidings (Women's Missionary Society, The Presbyterian Church in Canada)
“The Pagan Christ reminds us that beneath our political and economic systems, beneath both culture and character, lies the spiritual imagination.” – The Republic
By Wayne A. Holst for The Toronto Star
Tom Harpur would reject, outright, the philosophy behind the new Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of Christ.
Gibson, the conservative Catholic movie director, portrays the life of Christ literally from scripture and reads the Gospel narrative as actual history. Harpur would find that indefensible.
He would also differ from many modern theologians such as Jesus Seminar members John Spong and Marcus Borg, who believe there was an actual Jesus of history. Unlike Gibson-like word-for-word literalists, however, Spong and Borg try to locate and mine the core meanings of Jesus after all the accretions are stripped away.
For Harpur, both literalist and modern critical attempts to locate the Jesus of history are dead ends. Transcending both positions, he believes that the real Christ is a universal archetype; a classic, pre-existent myth, known essentially by all humanity. He believes we need to re-mythologize, not de-mythologize (or historicize) that Jesus.
Truths at the heart of Christianity flow from the deep well of the human unconscious whose core ideas were planted there by God, he says.
Harpur, formerly the religion editor of the Toronto Star and author of many books on faith subjects, believes that originally, there was one primal, central myth which emerged Undoubtedly in Egypt. All the other ancient sacred stories flow from there.
The big difference between the Jesus legacy and other mythological traditions like that of the Egyptian god Horus, was that devotees of the other religions never viewed their divinities as historical figures or their sacred stories as actual facts like Christians did.
The Pagan Christ is forthright in declaring that counter to precedent, Christianity launched a hostile takeover of the ancient salvation myths. Many early church fathers, in an attempt to declare exclusive rights to this mythological Jesus, made him an historical biblical person.
Once these ancient antecedents to Jesus were assimilated into what became Christianity, the pagans and their mythological sources were declared heretical. Since heretics and their books were determined to have no rights, they and their writings were viciously tracked down and eliminated by those who claimed to stand for the newly defined 'orthodox' Christianity.
Harpur claims as one of his formative influences for understanding this mythological Jesus the Canadian, Northrup Frye (1912-1991). In Frye's book The Double Vision the great literary critic who taught for decades at the University of Toronto, states that when the Bible is historically accurate, it is only accidentally so. Reporting was not of the slightest interest to its writers. They had a story to tell which only could be told by myth and metaphor. What they wrote became a source of vision, not doctrine.
Three virtually unknown authorities used in this book are Godfrey Higgins (1771-1834), an early English mythologist who, through groundbreaking studies of ancient writings, sought freedom from the exclusivism and dogmatism of Christianity; Gerald Massey (1828-1907) an American, who studied Egyptian mythology and there discovered antecedents to images and themes appearing in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament; and Alvin Boyd Kuhn (1880-1963) another American, who pursued extensive academic research into the origins of religious symbols and meanings. His work, though esoteric to untrained eyes, convinced Harpur of the validity of Egyptian sources for much of what appears in the Jewish and Christian scriptures.
Basing his ideas on these authorities, Harpur goes to great lengths to promote Horus (the son of Isis or Osiris) transforming him into Jesus, the central figure of Christianity. Horus, who receives but a paragraph of mention in the classic New Laurousse Encyclopedia of Mythology (1968), becomes, for Harpur, the metaphorical and allegorical truth behind the person of Jesus.
From his research into ancient myth, Harpur feels he has undergone a spiritual re-awakening that has revolutionized his Christian faith. Because of its links to the great archetypal themes of primal and classic spirituality, the Bible has assumed new potency and vitality for him. Harpur believes he now possesses an awareness of the cosmic Christ he has so long sought.
Ancient symbols and metaphors, existing yet hidden in biblical literature, have been clarified for him. He has come to appreciate, in a new way, the dangers of reading the Bible literally. He sees how humans must take responsibility for their own spiritual evolution and not leave it to other would-be authorities to define truth for them.
The Jesus story can become a profoundly spiritual allegory of the soul, he says. Classic festivals and rituals of our faith traditions can be infused with new meaning. Our understanding of life after death can be enhanced.
Harpur is on to something when he speaks of universal truth existing in primal myths. The collective human unconscious does influence the story of Jesus as found in the Gospels. The influential mythologist, Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) has opened the door for many to a rich inquiry into such matters. In our time of global culture, religious pluralism and the need for constructive inter-faith encounter, Harpur's insights are appealing.
But his serendipitous 'discovery' of virtually unknown authorities, now long dead and his extravagant use of terms like 'overwhelming and incontestable evidence' from them which is 'beyond rebuttal' and about which there is 'absolutely no question' seems rather overstated. They strike this reviewer, who has studied the mythologies of Canada's First Nations and comparative global mythology for many years, as excessive.
Harpur does not view this book as an attack upon Christianity or any other religion, for that matter. He goal is quite to opposite, actually. He wants to help people realize a richer, more spiritual faith as he has come to experience it.
Read this book, then, to enrich your quest for truth that breaks through boundaries of Christian insularity and exclusivism. Tap into the rich spiritual resources offered from the great cycles of classic metaphors and allegories. There is much potential here for approaching the Bible mythologically.
Mel Gibson's Passion, or Spong and Borg notwithstanding, Harpur offers a post-literal and a post-critical approach to the study of Jesus. It is one that takes myth seriously. Though it will not be the last or even the most precise word on the subject, it challenges thinking and opens new vistas to the serious religious thinker.
Wayne A. Holst is a parish educator at St. David's United Church, Calgary. He has taught religion and culture at the University of Calgary.
Defending the Spark: A Review of The Pagan Christ
The Republic - Vancouver
Michael Nenonen
August 5, 2004
Pagan Pdf Books
My grandfather once said that the story of Jesus was really a retelling of a far older tale, one told in many mythologies over many ages. He'd have felt vindicated had he lived long enough to read Tom Harpur's The Pagan Christ (Thomas Allen Publishers, 2004).
Harpur's one of Canada's most respected and well-known Christian thinkers. He's a former Anglican priest, and he was a professor of the New Testament at the University of Toronto from 1964 to 1971. A Rhodes Scholar, he's done post-graduate work in the early Fathers of the Church at Oxford under some of the world's foremost academics. He's covered ethical and spiritual matters for The Toronto Star for the past thirty years, he's regularly appeared on Canada's major radio and television networks, and he's written numerous best-selling religious books. When someone like this challenges the existence of the historical Jesus and champions Gnosticism, people take notice.
An old and esoteric religious tradition, Gnosticism proclaims that human souls are incarnate expressions of the Godhead. According to the Gnostic account, at birth each of us emerges from eternity to become a finite, embodied, and separate consciousness. In Harpur's words, 'The vitalizing item of ancient knowledge was the prime datum that man is himself, in his real being, a spark of divine fire struck off like the flint flash from the Eternal Rock of Being, and buried in the flesh of body to support its existence with an unquenchable radiant energy. On this indestructible fire the organism and its functions were 'suspended,' as the Greek Orphic theology phrased it, and all their modes and activities were the expression of this ultimate divine principle of spiritual intelligence, energizing in matter.' During our incarnation, we forget our cosmic origins and suffer within a state of existential amnesia that Gnosticism hopes to remedy. Valentinus, a second century Gnostic, expressed this best when he wrote, 'What liberates is the knowledge of who we were, what we became; where we were, whereinto we have been thrown; whereto we speed, wherefrom we are redeemed; what birth is, and what rebirth.' To the Gnostics, each of us is a slumbering Christ.
Gnostic Christianity was the first 'heresy' to be persecuted by the Church. Gnostic writings were destroyed, while Gnostic teachers were often killed. Despite this, Gnosticism has survived as the most powerful subterranean spiritual current in Western culture. It can be found among the troubadours in thirteenth-century France, and in the Renaissance hermeticism of John Dee and Giordano Bruno. It appears in the poetry of William Blake and the philosophies of Georg Hegel and Karl Marx. As a staple of Freemasonry it framed the thoughts of America's founding fathers. It informed Carl Jung and Aldous Huxley, as well as the 1960s counterculture and the makers of The Matrix trilogy. In his most recent book, Harpur not only taps into this widespread Gnostic current, he also demonstrates that it runs far deeper than we ever imagined.
The Pagan Christ draws upon the research of such scholars as Alvin Boyd Kuhn to argue that Christianity's central myths were formulated in Egypt many thousands of years before the Gospels were written. Harpur focuses on Horus, a mythical figure whose miraculous birth was heralded by a star in the east; who was baptized by someone who was later decapitated; who had twelve followers; who walked on water, cast out demons, and healed the sick; who was transfigured on a mountain; who was crucified between two thieves, buried in a tomb, and resurrected; and who was known as the KRST or 'anointed one', as well as the 'good shepherd,' 'the lamb of God,' 'the bread of life,' 'the son of man,' 'the Word,' and the 'fisher'. Harpur goes on to argue that this myth was never intended to be taken as a literal story about a supernatural person named Horus; instead, Horus symbolizes humanity itself. By representing both our divine and our human natures, Horus is Everyman and Everywoman; his story is the Gnostic story of human consciousness. The legend of Horus resurfaced in the myths of later saviors, like Tammuz, Adonis, Mithras, Dionysus, Krishna, and Buddha. By deconstructing the evidence for the historical Jesus, Harpur backs up his assertion that the Jesus narrative is simply one more variation on this archetypal theme.
The defining feature of traditional Christianity is its literal treatment of this allegorical pagan tradition. Harpur writes, 'Not only did the early Christians take over almost completely the myths and teachings of their Egyptian masters, mediated in many cases by the Mystery Religions and by Judaism in its many forms, but they did everything in their power, through forgery and other fraud, book burning, character assassination, and murder itself, to destroy the crucial evidence of what had happened. In the process, the Christian story itself, which most likely began as a kind of spiritual drama, together with a 'sayings' source based on the Egyptian material, was turned into a form of history in which the Christ of the myth became a flesh-and-blood person identified with Jesus (Yeshua or Joshua) of Nazareth. The power of the millennia-old Christ mythos to transform the whole of humanity was all but destroyed in the literalist adulation of 'a presumptive Galilean paragon'. Centuries of darkness were to follow. 'Harpur suggests that it's time the darkness gave way to the dawn, for religious literalism to be put aside in favor of the revelatory power of spiritual allegory.
A book like this is certain to incite controversy, and The Pagan Christ has had its share, much of which has been unfair. It takes courage for someone with Harpur's background to promote such views. He may well have opened himself up to devastating slander and professional marginalization. If so, he'll be in good company. Gnosticism is forever persecuted and forever precious.
The Pagan Christ reminds us that beneath our political and economic systems, beneath both culture and character, lies the spiritual imagination. This is the faculty that connects the mundane periphery of our existence to its sacred core, the faculty that informs our deepest yearnings and illuminates our ethical pathways. The American abolitionists knew this, as did Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Unfortunately, the social justice and environmental activists of the modern age have largely abandoned the spiritual imagination, allowing it to be captured by apocalyptic fundamentalists like Pat Robertson and Mel Gibson. If we want to challenge fundamentalism, it's not enough to point out its many hypocrisies and flaws; we have to take the battle straight to the heart of the spiritual imagination. On this terrain, visionary allegory of the kind Harpur recommends may be the only virtue powerful enough to triumph over dogmatic literalism.
Harpur isn't the only religious scholar to come to this conclusion. In Omens of Millennium (Riverhead Books, 1996), Harold Bloom wrote that the cruelties of neo-conservatism 'might well provoke a large-scale Gnosticism of the insulted and injured, rising up to affirm and defend the divine spark in themselves.' Given the increasing popularity of books like The Pagan Christ, perhaps the rebellion has finally begun.
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Pagan Origins of the Christ Myth
| Author | : John G. Jackson |
| Publsiher | : Unknown |
| Total Pages | : 29 |
| Release | : 1982 |
| ISBN 10 | : |
| ISBN 13 | : NWU:35556016927394 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
The Jesus Mysteries
| Author | : Timothy Freke,Peter Gandy |
| Publsiher | : Harmony |
| Total Pages | : 360 |
| Release | : 2001-12-18 |
| ISBN 10 | : 0676806570 |
| ISBN 13 | : 9780676806571 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
Drawing on the cutting edge of modern scholarship, this astonishing book completely undermines the traditional history of Christianity that has been perpetuated for centuries by the Church and presents overwhelming evidence that the Jesus of the New Testament is a mythical figure. “Whether you conclude that this book is the most alarming heresy of the millennium or the mother of all revelations, The Jesus Mysteries deserves to be read.” —Fort Worth Star-Telegram Far from being eyewitness accounts, as is traditionally held, the Gospels are actually Jewish adaptations of ancient Pagan myths of the dying and resurrecting godman Osiris-Dionysus. The supernatural story of Jesus is not the history of a miraculous Messiah but a carefully crafted spiritual allegory designed to guide initiates on a journey of mystical discovery. A little more than a century ago, most people believed that the strange story of Adam and Eve was history; today it is understood to be a myth. Within a few decades, authors Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy argue, we will likewise be amazed that the fabulous story of God incarnate—who was born of a virgin, who turned water into wine, and who rose from the dead—could have been interpreted as anything but a profound parable.
Christian Mythology
| Author | : Philippe Walter |
| Publsiher | : Simon and Schuster |
| Total Pages | : 224 |
| Release | : 2014-11-20 |
| ISBN 10 | : 1620553694 |
| ISBN 13 | : 9781620553695 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
Reveals how Christian mythology has more to do with long-standing pagan traditions than the Bible • Explains how the church fathers knowingly incorporated pagan elements into the Christian faith to ease the transition to the new religion • Identifies pagan deities that were incorporated into each of the saints • Shows how all the major holidays in the Christian calendar are modeled on pagan rituals and myths, including Easter and Christmas In this extensive study of the Christian mythology that animated Europe in the Middle Ages, author Philippe Walter reveals how these stories and the holiday traditions connected with them are based on long-standing pagan rituals and myths and have very little connection to the Bible. The author explains how the church fathers knowingly incorporated pagan elements into the Christian faith to ease the transition to the new religion. Rather than tear down the pagan temples in Britain, Pope Gregory the Great advised Saint Augustine of Canterbury to add the pagan rituals into the mix of Christian practices and transform the pagan temples into churches. Instead of religious conversion, it was simply a matter of convincing the populace to include Jesus in their current religious practices. Providing extensive documentation, Walter shows which major calendar days of the Christian year are founded on pagan rituals and myths, including the high holidays of Easter and Christmas. Examining hagiographic accounts of the saints, he reveals the origin of these symbolic figures in the deities worshipped in pagan Europe for centuries. He also explores how the identities of saints and pagan figures became so intermingled that some saints were transformed into pagan incarnations, such as Mary Magdalene’s conversion into one of the Celtic Ladies of the Lake. In revealing the pagan roots of many Christian figures, stories, and rituals, Walter provides a new understanding of the evolution of religious belief.
The Pagan Christ
| Author | : Tom Harpur |
| Publsiher | : Dundurn.com |
| Total Pages | : 296 |
| Release | : 2005-10-01 |
| ISBN 10 | : 088762829X |
| ISBN 13 | : 9780887628290 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
After more than 52 weeks on the Toronto Star’s bestseller list and 43 weeks on The Globe and Mail’s bestseller list, Tom Harpur’s groundbreaking book, The Pagan Christ, is now available in paperback. This new edition includes the twenty-page discussion guide, with more than 100 questions, to help facilitate a deeper, chapter-by-chapter analysis and more profound understanding of the findings and arguments found in the book. Subjects for discussion include: the ancient Egyptian roots of Christianity, the real meaning of the Bible, the key to whether Jesus really existed, the re-mythologizing of Christianity, the meaning of the Christ within all of us and the need to understand myth and allegory. With a new introduction by Tom Harpur, this paperback edition sheds further light on what has become one of the most talked about books of the new millennium.
Unmasking the Pagan Christ
| Author | : Stanley E. Porter,Stephen J. Bedard |
| Publsiher | : Clements Publishing Group |
| Total Pages | : 172 |
| Release | : 2006 |
| ISBN 10 | : 1894667719 |
| ISBN 13 | : 9781894667715 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
Rabbi or Messiah? Prophet or the Son of God? People have debated the identity of Jesus of Nazareth since the first century. But what if there was no Jesus? What if there was no Mary or Joseph, no twelve apostles? What if the story of Jesus was no more than a myth to convey spiritual truth? These claims have been around for hundreds of years and have become more prominent with well-known religion columnist Tom Harpur's recent book, The Pagan Christ. Harpur claims that Jesus was not a historical figure, but was one version of an ancient myth that can be traced from ancient Egyptian religion to the Roman mystery cults. Stanley Porter and Stephen Bedard tackle this radical claim by looking at the roots of the 'pagan Christ idea,' examining the supposed pagan parallels and presenting the evidence for the historical Jesus. The authors demonstrate that the suggestion of pagan origins for the Gospel story is not based on historical or textual evidence, but rather on a desire to create a universalistic spirituality revolving around a 'Cosmic Christ' within each person. A fair examination of both the mythological and biblical texts reveal that the traditional understanding of an actual historical figure known as Jesus of Nazareth appearing two thousand years ago is indeed the only logical conclusion. Stanley E. Porter is President and Dean, and Professor of New Testament at McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Porter has M.A. degrees from Claremont Graduate School and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and the Ph.D. from the University of Sheffield. He has written widely on issues of concern in study of the New Testament, such as Jesus, Paul, the book of Acts, and John. He has a passion for education in the church, and preaches and teaches regularly. Stephen J. Bedard is the pastor of Woodford Baptist Church and First Baptist Church, Meaford, Ontario, Canada. He holds the M.Div. and M.Th. degrees from McMaster Divinity College, and is actively engaged in further graduate study. Bedard is an advocate of informed preaching and teaching, and is devoted to the ministry of the local church.
The Darkening Age
| Author | : Catherine Nixey |
| Publsiher | : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
| Total Pages | : 384 |
| Release | : 2018-04-17 |
| ISBN 10 | : 0544800931 |
| ISBN 13 | : 9780544800939 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
A New York Times Notable Book of 2018 “Searingly passionate…Nixey writes up a storm. Each sentence is rich, textured, evocative, felt…[A] ballista-bolt of a book.” —New York Times Book Review In Harran, the locals refused to convert. They were dismembered, their limbs hung along the town’s main street. In Alexandria, zealots pulled the elderly philosopher-mathematician Hypatia from her chariot and flayed her to death with shards of broken pottery. Not long before, their fellow Christians had invaded the city’s greatest temple and razed it—smashing its world-famous statues and destroying all that was left of Alexandria’s Great Library. Today, we refer to Christianity’s conquest of the West as a “triumph.” But this victory entailed an orgy of destruction in which Jesus’s followers attacked and suppressed classical culture, helping to pitch Western civilization into a thousand-year-long decline. Just one percent of Latin literature would survive the purge; countless antiquities, artworks, and ancient traditions were lost forever. As Catherine Nixey reveals, evidence of early Christians’ campaign of terror has been hiding in plain sight: in the palimpsests and shattered statues proudly displayed in churches and museums the world over. In The Darkening Age, Nixey resurrects this lost history, offering a wrenching account of the rise of Christianity and its terrible cost.
Christianity Before Christ
| Author | : John Jackson |
| Publsiher | : Echo Point Books & Media, LLC |
| Total Pages | : 252 |
| Release | : 2020-12-22 |
| ISBN 10 | : 9781635619263 |
| ISBN 13 | : 1635619262 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
_b_016.jpg/290px-Die_Gartenlaube_(1887)_b_016.jpg "The Pagan Christ Pdf Download")
In Christianity Before Christ, comparative religion scholar John G Jackson explores ancient traditions from many societies, asserting that Christianity is the recasting of beliefs which are older and pervasive through many cultures.
The Truth About Jesus Is He a Myth
| Author | : M. M. Mangasarian |
| Publsiher | : e-artnow |
| Total Pages | : 126 |
| Release | : 2020-01-02 |
| ISBN 10 | : |
| ISBN 13 | : EAN:4064066051143 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
The following book offers a series of studies on the question of the historicity of Jesus, presented before the Independent Religious Society in Orchestra Hall. Contents: A Parable In Confidence Is Jesus a Myth? The Problem Stated The Christian Documents Virgin Births The Origin of the Cross The Silence of Profane Writers The Jesus Story a Religious Drama The Jesus of Paul Is Christianity Real? Is the World Indebted to Christianity? Christianity and Paganism Some Modern Opinions About Jesus. Another Rhetorical Jesus 'We Owe Everything to Jesus' A Liberal Jew on Jesus From the Sunday Programs
The World s Sixteen Crucified Saviors
| Author | : Kersey Graves |
| Publsiher | : Cosimo Classics |
| Total Pages | : 436 |
| Release | : 2016-03-10 |
| ISBN 10 | : 1616409916 |
| ISBN 13 | : 9781616409913 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
Khrisna of India. Thammuz of Syria. Esus of the Celtic Druids. Mithra of Persia. Quexalcoati of Mexico. All were crucified gods, and all met their fates hundreds of years before Jesus appeared on the scene. In this foundational work of modern atheism, American spiritualist KERSEY GRAVES (1813-1883) breaks the Christ myth down into its component parts and ably demonstrates how the story of Jesus has its roots in the depths of antiquity. Here you'll read about the surprising prevalence throughout global folklore of: . the miraculous and immaculate conception of the gods . stars that point out the time and place of a savior's birth . angels, shepherds, and magi visiting an infant savior . the 25th of December as the universal birth date of gods . saviors who descend into Hell . and much more. This is essential reading for students of comparative mythology and modern freethinkers. Also available from Cosimo: Graves's The Biography of Satan and The Bible of Bible.
The Origin of Satan
| Author | : Elaine H. Pagels |
| Publsiher | : Vintage |
| Total Pages | : 214 |
| Release | : 1996 |
| ISBN 10 | : 0679731180 |
| ISBN 13 | : 9780679731184 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
A study of the role of the devil in biblical and modern times theorizes that dissident social gorups that resisted Christianity, such as pagans and Jews, were typically portrayed as demons and therefore established as threats. Reprint. 60,000 first printing.
The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross
| Author | : John Allegro |
| Publsiher | : Unknown |
| Total Pages | : 329 |
| Release | : 2009-10-31 |
| ISBN 10 | : 9780982556269 |
| ISBN 13 | : 0982556268 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
Christian Mythology
| Author | : Philippe Walter |
| Publsiher | : Inner Traditions |
| Total Pages | : 224 |
| Release | : 2014-11-20 |
| ISBN 10 | : 9781620553688 |
| ISBN 13 | : 1620553686 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
Reveals how Christian mythology has more to do with long-standing pagan traditions than the Bible • Explains how the church fathers knowingly incorporated pagan elements into the Christian faith to ease the transition to the new religion • Identifies pagan deities that were incorporated into each of the saints • Shows how all the major holidays in the Christian calendar are modeled on pagan rituals and myths, including Easter and Christmas In this extensive study of the Christian mythology that animated Europe in the Middle Ages, author Philippe Walter reveals how these stories and the holiday traditions connected with them are based on long-standing pagan rituals and myths and have very little connection to the Bible. The author explains how the church fathers knowingly incorporated pagan elements into the Christian faith to ease the transition to the new religion. Rather than tear down the pagan temples in Britain, Pope Gregory the Great advised Saint Augustine of Canterbury to add the pagan rituals into the mix of Christian practices and transform the pagan temples into churches. Instead of religious conversion, it was simply a matter of convincing the populace to include Jesus in their current religious practices. Providing extensive documentation, Walter shows which major calendar days of the Christian year are founded on pagan rituals and myths, including the high holidays of Easter and Christmas. Examining hagiographic accounts of the saints, he reveals the origin of these symbolic figures in the deities worshipped in pagan Europe for centuries. He also explores how the identities of saints and pagan figures became so intermingled that some saints were transformed into pagan incarnations, such as Mary Magdalene’s conversion into one of the Celtic Ladies of the Lake. In revealing the pagan roots of many Christian figures, stories, and rituals, Walter provides a new understanding of the evolution of religious belief.
The Pagan Christ
| Author | : Tom Harpur |
| Publsiher | : Bloomsbury Publishing USA |
| Total Pages | : 256 |
| Release | : 2009-05-26 |
| ISBN 10 | : 9780802719386 |
| ISBN 13 | : 0802719384 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
A provocative argument for a mystical, rather than historical, understanding of Jesus, leading to a radical rebirth of Christianity in our time. For forty years, scholar and religious commentator Tom Harpur has challenged church orthodoxy and guided thousands of readers on subjects as controversial as the true nature of Christ and life after death. Now, in his most radical and groundbreaking work, Harpur digs deep into the origins of Christianity. At a time of religious extremism, Tom Harpur reveals the virtue of a cosmic faith based on ancient truths that the modern church has renounced. His message is clear: Our blind faith in literalism is killing Christianity. Only with a return to an inclusive religion where Christ lives within each of us will we gain a true understanding of who we are and who we are intended to become. The Pagan Christ is a book of rare insight and power that will reilluminate the Bible and change the way we think about religion.
Christ in Egypt
| Author | : D. M. Murdock,Acharya S |
| Publsiher | : Stellar House Publishing |
| Total Pages | : 574 |
| Release | : 2008-12 |
| ISBN 10 | : 0979963117 |
| ISBN 13 | : 9780979963117 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
This comparative religion book contains a startling perspective of the extraordinary history of the Egyptian religion and its profound influence upon the later Christian faith. The text demonstrates that the popular god Horus and Jesus possessed many characteristics and attributes in common.
From Jesus to Christ
| Author | : Paula Fredriksen |
| Publsiher | : Yale University Press |
| Total Pages | : 288 |
| Release | : 2008-10-01 |
| ISBN 10 | : 0300164106 |
| ISBN 13 | : 9780300164107 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
'Magisterial. . . . A learned, brilliant and enjoyable study.'—Géza Vermès, Times Literary Supplement In this exciting book, Paula Fredriksen explains the variety of New Testament images of Jesus by exploring the ways that the new Christian communities interpreted his mission and message in light of the delay of the Kingdom he had preached. This edition includes an introduction reviews the most recent scholarship on Jesus and its implications for both history and theology. 'Brilliant and lucidly written, full of original and fascinating insights.'—Reginald H. Fuller, Journal of the American Academy of Religion 'This is a first-rate work of a first-rate historian.'—James D. Tabor, Journal of Religion 'Fredriksen confronts her documents—principally the writings of the New Testament—as an archaeologist would an especially rich complex site. With great care she distinguishes the literary images from historical fact. As she does so, she explains the images of Jesus in terms of the strategies and purposes of the writers Paul, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.'—Thomas D’Evelyn, Christian Science Monitor
101 Myths of the Bible
| Author | : Gary Greenberg |
| Publsiher | : Sourcebooks, Inc. |
| Total Pages | : 352 |
| Release | : 2002-09-01 |
| ISBN 10 | : 1402230052 |
| ISBN 13 | : 9781402230059 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
In his startling book, Gary Greenberg exposes the reality behind the greatest story ever told. Learn about the Egyptian myths and ancient folklore that survive in one of history's most sacred texts, and discover how: -King David's bodyguard, not David, killed Goliath -Noah's Ark did not land on Mount Ararat -Samson did not pull down a Philistine temple -There are at least two versions of the Ten Commandments -The walls of Jericho were destroyed 300 years before Joshua arrived there -Sodom and Gomorrah were mythical cities that never existed -The story of Esther had nothing to do with the Jews of Persia -And much, much more 101 Myths of the Bible provides a new dimension of biblical studies for believers, historians and anyone who has ever wondered about the facts behind the legends. By looking deeper into history, Greenberg shows that the true story makes the Bible more interesting than ever imagined!
The Christ Myth
| Author | : Arthur Drews |
| Publsiher | : Litres |
| Total Pages | : 329 |
| Release | : 2018-07-11 |
| ISBN 10 | : 5040829744 |
| ISBN 13 | : 9785040829743 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
Bible Myths and Their Parallels in Other Religions
| Author | : Thomas William Doane |
| Publsiher | : Unknown |
| Total Pages | : 589 |
| Release | : 1882 |
| ISBN 10 | : |
| ISBN 13 | : HARVARD:32044052931698 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
Pagan Christmas
Pagan Origins Of Jesus Christ
| Author | : Christian Rätsch,Claudia Müller-Ebeling |
| Publsiher | : Simon and Schuster |
| Total Pages | : 224 |
| Release | : 2006-10-24 |
| ISBN 10 | : 1594776601 |
| ISBN 13 | : 9781594776601 |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
The Pagan Christ Pdf Download Version
An examination of the sacred botany and the pagan origins and rituals of Christmas • Analyzes the symbolism of the many plants associated with Christmas • Reveals the shamanic rituals that are at the heart of the Christmas celebration The day on which many commemorate the birth of Christ has its origins in pagan rituals that center on tree worship, agriculture, magic, and social exchange. But Christmas is no ordinary folk observance. It is an evolving feast that over the centuries has absorbed elements from cultures all over the world--practices that give plants and plant spirits pride of place. In fact, the symbolic use of plants at Christmas effectively transforms the modern-day living room into a place of shamanic ritual. Christian Rätsch and Claudia Müller-Ebeling show how the ancient meaning of the botanical elements of Christmas provides a unique view of the religion that existed in Europe before the introduction of Christianity. The fir tree was originally revered as the sacred World Tree in northern Europe. When the church was unable to drive the tree cult out of people’s consciousness, it incorporated the fir tree by dedicating it to the Christ child. Father Christmas in his red-and-white suit, who flies through the sky in a sleigh drawn by reindeer, has his mythological roots in the shamanic reindeer-herding tribes of arctic Europe and Siberia. These northern shamans used the hallucinogenic fly agaric mushroom, which is red and white, to make their soul flights to the other world. Apples, which figure heavily in Christmas baking, are symbols of the sun god Apollo, so they find a natural place at winter solstice celebrations of the return of the sun. In fact, the authors contend that the emphasis of Christmas on green plants and the promise of the return of life in the dead of winter is just an adaptation of the pagan winter solstice celebration.
40 Days with the Fathers
The Pagan Christ Pdf Download Free
| Author | : Luke J. Wilson |
| Publsiher | : Luke J. Wilson |
| Total Pages | : 630 |
| Release | : 2019-05-06 |
| ISBN 10 | : |
| ISBN 13 | : |
| Language | : EN, FR, DE, ES & NL |
Have you ever read the New Testament and came to the end wondering, “what happened next?”, or “what became of the churches Peter and Paul planted?”. Wonder no more, as this book will introduce you to the texts, disciples and companions of the Apostles and beyond: Didache, Diognetus, Polycarp, Ignatius, Justin Martyr, Cyprian, Athanasius, Cyril of Jerusalem, Ambrose of Milan, and Leo the Great. This book is the companion to 40 Days with the Fathers: A Daily Reading Plan, and includes twenty-three Early Church texts in full—including all additional footnotes from the original editors and translators so that you can get as close as possible to reading these ancient texts without needing to know ancient Greek or Latin. See for yourself and see how God continued to grow His Church through His faithful witnesses and martyrs, and be inspired! Also included are: maps and timelines of the New Testament and Apostolic era and an index of historical heresies.