Horus comes to king, parts his bandages, and casts off his bonds...[PT 703:2202a/N 615][1428]

This description of Osiris the mummy being summoned from the tomb amid his two siblings sounds very much like the episode or pericope in the New Testament of Jesus calling forth the "mummy" Lazarus from the tomb in front of his two sisters: When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out." The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." (Jn 11:43-44) Like Jesus, at PT 268:372a-d/W 175 Horus also purifies the dead and removes evil: Horus...purifies...him in the jackal-lake, cleanses his ka in the Dewat-lake, and purifies...the flesh of his bodily ka...[1429]

After the purification, it is said (PT 419:746b/T 225) that "Horus has dispelled the evil which was on you for four days."[1430] Coincidentally, the time of Lazarus's period in the tomb is also four days: "Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days." (Jn 11:17; 11:38) As can be seen, there is good reason to assert that the raising of Lazarus represents a rehash of the resurrection of Osiris-and the parallels continue.

In Monumental Christianity, devout Christian antiquities expert and presbyter Rev. Dr. John P. Lundy (1823-1892) provides an image of Horus holding an ankh with "the Osiris" reclining on a couch, along with the caption, "Horus, with his Cross, Raising the Dead."[1431] Lundy also comments: In all the representations of the resurrection of Lazarus on early Christian monuments, some of which are scattered through this volume, Lazarus is seen standing at the door of his tomb, like an Egyptian mummy; and Christ is touching him with a wand... This same wand is also seen in the hand of Christ when he turns the water into wine, and multiplies the bread in the wilderness. It must, therefore, have some significance, especially when applied to the mummy figure of Lazarus. That significance is nothing more or less than that of life-giving power, otherwise symbolized by the cross, which early Christianity did not use on her monuments...[1432]

The contention that the cross was not represented in early Christianity may come as a surprise, but the fact remains that the cross held great significance in Pagan religion-including the Egyptian-long before Christ was purportedly crucified upon it. This pre-crucifixion significance of the cross is indicated by the peculiar remarks by Jesus in the gospel story itself: "...and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." (Mt 10:38) The Greek word here for cross is or stauros, the same term used to describe both Horos the Cross and Christ's cross.

Again Dr. Lundy remarks upon the comparisons between the two scenes of Jesus and Horus raising the dead: In Denon's plate above, the dead man is the King, as appears from the pointed cap, crooks, and flagellum; and Horus is raising him up from death by his wand or cross, just as we see Christ doing the same thing in the same way to Lazarus, in our Christian monuments.[1433]

As the "dead man" is also the Osiris, even in imagery we find the Christian myth reproducing the Egyptian one, with art depicting Christ raising Lazarus from the dead in the same manner as Horus resurrecting Osiris. The connection between the two could scarcely be clearer, and it would be reasonable and logical to conclude that the entire episode of Lazarus comes straight out of Egyptian mythology, with little change.

Lundy concludes his analysis with more important observations: Horus is thus represented as a cross-like, young, mummy figure, because he is the life-giving power of the sun, using his cross to produce life and joy; and he is thus a type of Christ, in His greater conflict with sin, Satan, and death, and His triumph through the Cross.[1434]

In this pithy paragraph, Lundy has described Horus in cruciform, or in the shape of a cross, in other words, "hung on the cross," validating the Horos-as-Cross connection of the Gnostics previously discussed. The Egyptian god is the "life giver," and Lundy further acknowledges that Horus is the sun-"using his cross to produce life and joy!" Lundy has no problem identifying Horus as a "type of Christ," in an act seemingly designed to maintain his faith by assuring that, while these obvious parallels are very real and significant, Jesus ranked as "the real thing," fulfilling a sort of "prophecy" in the appearance of Horus in Egyptian mythology. Fortunately, Lundy-an admirable and erudite scholar whose work remains worthy of studying-did not deny the blatant correspondences between Christianity and the religion and mythology of other cultures, including Egypt. Nor did he argue that Paganism borrowed these substantially alike motifs from Christianity.

Adding to the obvious correlations between the raising of Osiris by Horus and that of Lazarus by Jesus, at the scene of the Egyptian god's resurrection appear his two sisters, deemed Merta in the Book of the Dead,[1435] precisely as Lazarus's sisters, Mary and Martha, were present at his resurrection. In BD 37, these two sister goddesses are expressed by the hieroglyphs for Isis and Nephthys, with the word "Merta" meaning "two eyes,"[1436] as in eyewitnesses. As Renouf says, "Merta...is the name given to the goddess pair Isis and Nephthys."[1437] In the Pyramid Texts (PT 619:1750c/M 399), the two sisters are depicted thus: "Isis weeps for thee; Nephthys calls thee,"[1438] referring to their dead brother Osiris, much like Mary and Martha mourning for their brother, Lazarus. At CT Sp. 345, the Horus-priest says to the deceased, "Those who wept for Osiris will weep for you on that day of the fourth-day festival,"[1439] reflecting the sisters' role is an ongoing ritual that must have been fairly commonly known.

In PT 357:584a-c/T 146, Osiris's sisters, Isis and Nephthys protect the king, as Osiris, and give him to Horus to resurrect.[1440] In the gospel story, Mary and Martha throw themselves upon Jesus, begging him to raise their brother. After Osiris is risen his two sisters say, "Our brother comes to us" (PT 606:1696a-c/M 336).[1441] Of course, Mary and Martha likewise rejoice in their brother coming back to them as well.

In PT 676:2008a-2009d/N 411, a "resurrection" text, we find again the deceased/Osiris being called forth by his two sisters: Collect thy bones; arrange thy limbs; shake off thy dust; untie thy bandages. The tomb is open for thee; the double doors of the coffin are undone for thee; the double doors of heaven are open for thee. "Hail," says Isis; "(come) in peace," says Nephthys, when they see their brother at the feast of Atum.[1442]

While Isis and Nephthys thus partake in a feast associated with the resurrection of Osiris, after Lazarus's resurrection, Jesus goes to the house of Lazarus, Mary and Martha for a feast. (Jn 12:2) Furthermore, while Lazarus's sister Mary is depicted as wiping Jesus's feet with her hair (Jn 11:2; 12:3; Lk 7:38), in BD 17, the deceased/Osiris is portrayed as "found with [sister Isis's] hair spread over him."[1443] BD 164 refers to "the Goddess joined unto life with flowing hair,"[1444] while the very bandages with which the deceased is wrapped, the ties binding the deceased to Earth, are termed the "tresses of Nephthys" or "locks of Nephthys" (P 526/PT 553:1363c).[1445] The tresses, locks or hair of both Isis and Nephthys are referred to repeatedly in the Coffin Texts, such as in CT Sp. 168.[1446] Indeed, in CT Sp. 317, the Osiris mentions "my women with braided hair,"[1447] presumably a reference to Isis and Nephthys. We also find reference in CT Sp. 405 to the "Braided tress of Isis."[1448] In CT Sp. 562 mention is made of the "hair of Isis" being "knotted to the hair of Nephthys..."[1449] Moreover, the goddess Hathor is said to be "the lady of good things, whose tresses are anointed with fragrant myrrh,"[1450] while in a hymn at Esne, Neith is depicted with hair that "exudes the fragrance of fresh myrrh."[1451] Myrrh is in fact a special substance revered for its mummification properties; it is also a gift traditionally given to the sun. Interestingly, also in the gospel story (Mt 26:7; Lk 7:37-8) we find a woman with an "alabaster box" containing an ointment washing Jesus's feet with her tears and wiping them with her hair. Concerning the gospel story, professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University Dr. Lawrence H. Schiffman comments that such behavior would have been viewed as "bizarre" in the Jewish world of the time. This oddity may thus be explained not as a "historical event" but as a mythical motif based on Egyptian religion.

In addition, like Jesus, Osiris is also depicted as having his feet washed with water, with foot-washing considered a sacred rite in Egypt as well as in Israel, including when done to the disciples by Jesus himself.[1452] (Jn 13:4-14) The fact that this pericope appears only in John constitutes cause, once again, for us to consider that the foot-wiping and washing was an important part of the Egyptian ritual that passed into Christianity.

Moreover, the raising of Lazarus with his sister Mary and Martha as two witnesses or "two eyes" takes place in Beth-any-Bethania () in the Greek and Beit-Anyah in the Aramaic, meaning "house of dates" or "house of misery"[1453]-which appears to be equivalent to the Egyptian "House of Anu." The Book of the Dead discusses the "house of the great god in Heliopolis" or Annu, as that city was called in Egyptian.[1454] Annu is the "celestial On or Heliopolis," the city of the sun, as well as "the capital of the mythological world."[1455] In BD 89, Annu is "the land wherein are thousands of reunions,"[1456] referring to the souls in the afterlife reuniting with their kas. In BD 57, the Osiris says, "I rest in Annu,"[1457] where he goes to be resurrected: "Every good Egyptian that died was believed to be assimilated to Osiris, to go the dark journey, and have his resurrection in Annu in like manner."[1458] In addition to this reunion in the afterlife comes another with the deceased's loved ones, as typically perceived within Christianity but which existed within the Egyptian religion beginning with the introduction of the Coffin Texts during the third millennium BCE.[1459]

In addition, the "great sanctuary" at Annu is called Het-Saru-"House of the Prince."[1460] Concerning this motif, Massey remarks: The house of Osiris in Annu was called Hat-Saru, the house of the Prince-that is, the abode of Horus when he came to raise Osiris from the tomb. It was the sanctuary of Osiris who was attended by the two Mertae or Merti, the pair of divine sisters better known by the names of Isis and Nephthys.[1461]

Hence, while Lazarus is raised at Bethany, the "house of Anyah," Osiris is resurrected in the "House of Annu."

The correspondences continue, with Lazarus and Osiris even sharing the same name, as explained in my book Who Was Jesus? Fingerprints of The Christ: The Greek name "Lazarus" or "Lazaros" equals "Eleazar" in Hebrew and, per Strong's [Concordance] (G2976), means "whom God helps." It is a strange coincidence firstly that the person whom Jesus resurrects happens to be named "whom God helps," and secondly that "Eleazar"-or, breaking down its original components in Hebrew, El-Azar-closely resembles a combination of the Semitic word for God, "El," with the Egyptian name for Osiris, "Ausar." Interestingly, there exists an ancient Phoenician inscription called "the Carpentras" that does indeed identify Osiris with the Semitic god "El" or "Elohim," calling him "Osiris-Eloh."[1462]

Regarding "El Osiris," Albert Ross Parsons remarks: ...El Osiris in another form is L'Azarus, an account of whose death and resurrection occur in the gospel of John, where the Lord Jesus personates the central sun which restored to life El Osiris...[1463]

In addition, the word el or al in Arabic means "the"; hence, "El-Azar-us" would be equivalent to "the Osiris," which is in fact the frequent name of the deceased yearning to be resurrected. Verifying this fact, the village in Judea where the Lazarus miracle supposedly took place, Bethany, today is called in Arabic "El Azarieh."[1464]

Nor are the funerary texts the only place where we find correspondences between Osiris and Lazarus, as there were other characters by these names in both Egyptian and Christian legend. For example, referring to one of the "magical tales" found in the British Museum Papyrus DCIV, containing "the story of the birth and childhood of Se-Osiris (son of Osiris) the son of Kha-m-muas,"[1465] Boscawen comments: The part which describes the visit of Se-Osiris and his father to Amenti contains a curious parable resembling that of the "Rich man and Lazarus," again in touch with St. Luke, and also teaching as to the judgment and future life quite different from the ordinary eschatology of the Egyptians.[1466]

This comparison refers to the story of the poor man Lazarus in the gospel of Luke (16:20-25), a pericope apparently also taken from Egyptian legend. Concerning this Lukan pericope, Egyptologist Dr. Maspero states: We remember in the Gospel according to St. Luke the rich man, clothed in purple and fine linen, who feasted sumptuously every day, while at his gate lay Lazarus full of sores and desiring in vain to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. "And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom, and the rich man also died and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom." In the second romance of Satni-Khamois, we read an Egyptian version of this parable of the Evangelist, but there it is dramatised and amalgamated with another popular conception, that of the descent of a living man into hell.[1467]

As can be seen, the Egyptian influence in the gospels appears to be solid, although Maspero-a sincere Christian-wishes to place the "borrowing" at the foot of the Pagans, falling in with his religious devotion but not the scientific evidence.

Upon scientific scrutiny, it appears that some of the ancient Egyptian texts were directly influential on biblical passages, particularly in John's gospel, such as the following.

Egyptian Texts.

Gospel of John (KJV).

[The Osiris]...was born in Heliopolis [Annu]...[1468] (PT 307:483a/W 212) [The Osiris is] anointed with the best ointment... [1469] (PT 576:1511a/P 518) Behold this King, his feet are kissed by the pure waters...[1470] (PT 685: 2065a/N 519) Now a certain [man] was sick, [named] Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. (It was [that] Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair... (Jn 11:2) Two sisters, Isis and Nephthys, come to thee; they hasten to the place in which thou art.[1471] (PT 593:1630a-b/M 206) Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. (Jn 11:3) "O Osiris the King, you have gone, but you will return, you have slept, [but you will awake], you have died, but you will live."[1472] (PT 670:1975a-b/N 348) These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.... Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. (Jn 11:11-14) I am...the Lord of Resurrections, who cometh forth from the dusk and whose birth from the House of Death.[1473] (BD 64) Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live... (Jn 11:25) ...as the mourning-women of Osiris call for thee.[1474] (PT 667a:1947b/Nt 243) Isis weeps for thee; Nephthys calls thee....[1475] (PT 619:1750c-1751a/M 399) And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee....

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping... (Jn 11:28, 33) The tomb is open for thee; the double doors of the coffin are undone for thee...[1476] (PT 676:2009a/N 411) Flesh of [the Osiris], rot not, decay not, let not thy smell be bad.[1477] (PT 412:722a-b/T 228) Horus has exterminated the evil which was in [the Osiris] in his four day (term)...[1478] (PT 419:746b/T 225) Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been [dead] four days. (Jn 11:38-39) I am Horus, Osiris N., I will not let thee sicken. Come forth, awake, I will avenge thee.[1479] (PT 620:1753a-b/N 11) Let them who are in their graves, arise; let them undo their bandages.[1480] (PT 662:1878a/N 388) O N., live, thou shalt not die. Horus comes to thee; he separates thy bandages; he casts off thy bonds.[1481] (PT 703:2201c-2202a/N 615) And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. (Jn 11:43-44) In the story of Osiris, Isis and Horus we find a plethora of miracles, including the standard fare as in the New Testament regarding Jesus Christ. These Egyptian miracles include commanding water, healing the sick and raising the dead. The raising of Osiris by Horus, in fact, so resembles the tale of Lazarus's resurrection by Jesus that we may logically conclude that the latter was derived from the former. Indeed, the very language of the story of Lazarus appears to have been taken directly from ancient Egyptian writings such as the Pyramid Texts and Book of the Dead.

In the end, there is little unique about Christ's miracles that, even if they could be demonstrated to have happened and did not reside in the realm of myth, would serve to prove Christianity any more "real" than the many other religions both ancient and modern that likewise insist upon multitudes of miracles that "truly happened."

"The Truth, The Light and The Good Shepherd"

"While we have various representations of Osiris, he mainly comes before us in a celestial and a terrestrial form. He is in heaven, and yet he was on earth.

"In heaven-or, rather, in the spiritual existence-he is the Absolute, the All. He is styled on monuments, 'Lord of life'; 'Lord of ages'; 'Light of the world'; 'Dispenser of nourishment'; 'King of gods'; 'Creator of gods'; 'Nameless One'; 'Opener of truth'; 'Full of goodness and trust'; 'Eternal One'; 'Supreme Being'; 'Glorified One'; 'Lord of Heaven'; 'Rule of eternity'; 'Beholder of good,' etc."

James Bonwick, Egyptian Belief and Modern Thought (153) "The very first of the chief epithets applied to Horus in...his third great office has a startlingly Christian sound; it is the 'Sole begotten Son of the Father,' to which, in other texts, is added, 'Horus the Holy Child,' the 'Beloved son of his father.' The Lord of Life, the Giver of Life [are also] both very usual epithets...the 'Justifier of the Righteous,' the 'Eternal King' and the 'Word of the Father Osiris.' There were other names which we are expressly told in the sacred texts no man knew but himself, no ear had ever heard, no tongue had ever spoken-names so awful an import that if pronounced they would arrest the sun in his career, control the powers of hell, and threaten the duration of the universe itself....

"The publication of more recently translated texts in the volumes of the 'Records of the Past,' and some yet unpublished texts, which by the courtesy of the editors I am permitted to cite, have proven that very many of the essential names and attributes of Horus were attributed to Ra, Tum, and the other deities also, they were alike 'self-created,' 'born of a Virgin,' 'deliverers of mankind,' 'only begotten sons...'"

W.R. Cooper, The Horus Myth in Its Relation to Christianity (22, 76-77) As is the case with so much of Christian ideology, many sacred epithets attached to Jesus were previously associated with the highly revered Egyptian deities Re, Osiris, Isis and Horus, among others. Since the Egyptian gods and goddesses are frequently interchangeable, a number of writers have taken the liberty to incorporate the epithets as applied to Osiris or Re, for example, into their comparative analysis of Horus with Jesus. Although, again, this type of synopsis may not be not found in this exact manner previously, the bottom line is that these many characteristics were in existence for centuries to millennia before the purported advent of Christ. Hence, Jesus Christ is simply not the unique "son of God" and "one true God" whom he is alleged to be. The point of this edification is that many people remain unaware of these facts regarding the worship and religiosity of prior, so-called Pagan cultures, which ignorance creates a needless amount of disparagement and divisiveness. Contrary to what is regularly taught in the name of Jesus Christ, the ancients possessed many of the germane and significant concepts within Christianity, and the derision of the cultures and religions of other places and eras is unnecessary and unwarranted. Indeed, such an attitude has allowed for the massive and tragic destruction of cultures around the world for centuries. Regardless of this disparagement, however, the profound reverence of the Egyptian religion extended to various sacred epithets, some of which we have already seen, such as Isis being called "Healer" and "Savior" centuries before the common era. Other epithets of Isis are recounted by Dr. M. Eugene Boring, a professor of New Testament at Texas Christian University: The "Hymn to Isis" had a long list of self-affirmations by the goddess: "I am the eldest daughter of Time.... I am wife and sister of King Osiris.... I am she that riseth in the dog star.... I am the Queen of War.... I am the Queen of the Thunderbolt.... I am the Lord of rainstorms." People are aware that there is a mysterious power in the storm and everywhere in nature; Isis says, "I am," "That's me."[1482]

Isis is not only "savior" but also essentially the "alpha and omega," among many other roles and epithets previously mentioned such as "Mother of God," "Queen of Heaven," "Star of the Sea," etc. Naturally, many other gods and goddesses of Egypt were revered in like manner, including and especially Osiris and his son, Horus.

Lord of Truth and Good Shepherd.

As we have previously seen, according to the hymns some 1,400 years before the purported advent of Christ, the sun is the "unique shepherd, who protects his flock,"[1483] also serving as a "savior." In the Coffin Texts appears another mention of the Egyptian god as "savior," as in CT Sp. 155, in which the speaker specifically defines himself as a god and also says, "Open to me, for I am a saviour..."[1484] In CT Sp. 847, the deceased-who at times is Osiris and/or Horus-is the "Saviour-god."[1485] As a protector like both Re and Isis, Osiris too may be deemed "Savior of mankind," per his role as outlined by Plutarch (13, 356B): One of the first acts related of Osiris in his reign was to deliver the Egyptians from their destitute and brutish manner of living. This he did by showing them the fruits of cultivation, by giving them laws, and by teaching them to honour the gods. Later he travelled over the whole earth civilizing it without the slightest need of arms, but most of the peoples he won over to his way by the charm of his persuasive discourse combined with song and all manner of music. Hence the Greeks came to identify him with Dionysus.[1486]

Concerning Osiris's savior role, Morenz remarks that the god is "the ideal of salvation, first of the king and then of all the dead..."[1487]

Plutarch (54, 373A) also relates that the Egyptians "have a legend that the soul of Osiris is everlasting and imperishable."[1488] As noted, Osiris is called the "Lord of Resurrections," among many other divine and kingly epithets, including "Lord of life."[1489] BD 17-which Budge labels "one of the most valuable and important Chapters of the Book of the Dead"[1490]-opens with "the Osiris" making the statement: "I am He who closeth, and He who openeth, and I am but One. I am Ra at his first appearance."[1491] Faulkner translates the same quote by "the Lord of All" as, "I was Atum when I was alone in the Primordial Waters; I was Re in his glorious appearings when he began to rule what he had made."[1492] Renouf compares these statements with Revelation 1:8: "I am the Alpha and the Omega."[1493] Another noteworthy scripture appears in CT Sp. 98, in which the speaker announces, "I am tomorrow and the Lord of yesterday."[1494] Concerning this beginning-end correlation, Anthes raises a certain Pyramid Text: "The mother of NN [the deceased] was pregnant with him who was in the Naunet. NN was given birth by his father Atum before heaven came into being, before earth came into being, before mankind (rmv) came into being, before the gods were born, before death came into being."[1495]

This passage is reminiscent of Christ's purported eternal pre-existence.

Also, in the famous chapter 125 of the Book of the Dead the deceased addresses Osiris as the "Lord of Truth," "Lord of the Two Truths," "Great God, the Lord of Right and Truth."[1496] Moreover, in hieroglyphs at Thebes, as well as in ancient Greek texts, the father god Ptah, the "demiurgos, or creative power of the Deity," likewise is called "Lord of Truth,"[1497] while in some instances, the Lord of Truth is the god Thoth,[1498] as well as Ra/Re, the "lord of maat."[1499]

In BD 142 appears a long "List of the Forms and Shrines of Osiris," with over 140 epithets for the god, including the "Protector" or "Shepherd"-Asar-Saa.[1500] The sun god Re too was the "good shepherd,"[1501] and Horus's "Good Shepherd" role is made clear in the Pyramid Texts as well, for example, at PT 690:2106a-b/N 524: "O King, stand up for Horus, that he may make you a spirit and guide you when you ascend to the sky."[1502]

"Horus," in other words, the king, is called "the good shepherd" also in the third inscription at the Temple of "Redesiyeh" or El-Radesia at Wady Abad, near Edfu in Upper Egypt.[1503] As Lundy says, " "The royal Good Shepherd is the antitype of Horus..."[1504] The idea of the Horus-king as the "good shepherd," in fact, was so important that it constituted a major shift in perception and public policy, representing the general mentality of the 11th and 12th Dynasties (c. 2050-1800 BCE). As remarked upon by Egyptologist Dr. John A. Wilson, a director of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago, "The concept of the good shepherd rather than the distant and lordly owner of the flocks shifted the idea of kingship from possession as a right to responsibility as a duty."[1505]

Sin Bearer and Redeemer.

Another title that could be applied to Osiris is "sin bearer," because upon his death he "adopted the burden of the sins of the dead."[1506] As McClintock and Strong say: Osiris seems to have been finally revived, and to have become the judge of...Hades, presiding at the final judgment of souls in the hall of the two Truths, with the forty-two demons who presided over the capital sins, and awarding to the soul its final destiny.[1507]

As also revealed in BD 125, the deceased is to be judged in the Hall of the Two Truths, by declaring he has avoided various sins. Regarding BD 125 and the notion of sin in the Egyptian religion, Morenz remarks: The statements of innocence in Chapter 125 of the Book of the Dead, which at first sight seem to show that Egyptians had no sense of sin, in fact demonstrate the opposite, if one interprets them correctly.[1508]

As we have seen, much else in the Book of the Dead exists in order to purify the Osiris, such as is expressed at BD 30B, which essentially opens the sacred text: "The vindicated Osiris Ani is straightforward, he has no sin, there is no accusation against him before us..."[1509] If the deceased were found unworthy, he could be sent back to earth as a pig, whereas those whose sins were redeemable would take part in the Resurrection. Indeed, in the Coffin Texts appears a suggestion of the miracle of Jesus driving the demons into the swine and killing them (Mt 8:32; Mk 5:13; Lk 8:33), in a spell (CT Sp. 440) entitled, "Spell for Driving off Pigs."[1510]

These various concepts are not overt in the Jewish religion, but they do thus rank as salient within the Egyptian religion, and it is likely from there that Christianity got them, rather than from Judaism. In the sense that the deceased counted on Osiris's resurrection to produce his own immortality, it could be said that Osiris died for the sins of mankind.

Moreover, it is Horus who introduces the deceased to Osiris in the Judgment Hall or Hall of the Two Truths and who pleads on the Osiris's behalf for atonement of his sins: "Horus further transferred to the benefit of the deceased the various good offices which he had himself performed in behalf of his father, and more especially those ceremonial rites which were called the 'Assistances of Osiris.'"[1511] Horus could thus be called "the Redeemer."

Osiris the Christ?

Not only is Osiris the "Lord of Truth," the "good shepherd" and "sin-bearer," but, as the "lord of the tomb," he was essentially also called "Christ," since one Egyptian term for "tomb," "funeral," "dead body" or "mummy" is qrst, likewise transliterated as krst, karast, qeres-t, qrs.t and qrst. Concerning this term, Massey comments: We now proceed to show that Christ the anointed is none other than the Osiris-karast, and that the karast mummy risen to its feet as Osiris-sahu was the prototypal Christ. Unhappily these demonstrations cannot be made without a wearisome mass of detail.... Dr. Budge, in his book on the mummy, tells his readers that the Egyptian word for mummy is ges, which signifies to wrap up in bandages.... [The word] ges or kes, to embalm the corpse or make the mummy, is a reduced or abraded form of an earlier word, karas (whence krst for the mummy). The original word written in hieroglyphics is KQV krst, whence kas, to embalm, to bandage, to knot, to make the mummy or karast (Birch, Dictionary of the Hieroglyphics, pp. 415-416; Champollion, Gram. Egyptienne, 86). The word krs denotes the embalmment of the mummy, and the krst, as the mummy, was made in the process of preparation by purifying, anointing, and embalming. To karas the dead body was to embalm it, to bandage it, to make the mummy. The mummy was the Osirian Corpus Christi, prepared for burial as the laid-out dead, the karast by name. When raised to its feet, it was the risen mummy, or sahu. The place of embalmment was likewise the krs. Thus the process of making the mummy was to karas, the place in which it was laid is the karas, and the product was the krst, whose image is the upright mummy=the risen Christ. Hence, the name of the Christ, Christos in Greek, Chrestus in Latin, for the anointed, was derived...from the Egyptian word krst....

Say what you will or believe what you may, there is no other origin for Christ the anointed than for Horus the karast or anointed son of god the father. There is no other origin for a Messiah as the anointed than for the Masu or anointed....[1512]

Massey goes on to explain that the "anointed mummy" represents one of the Osirian mysteries, as we may have expected, and as we have also seen asserted by Cooper, for one, to incorporate a number of sacred epithets and "awful names." Massey further supplies two quotes from funereal texts provided by Birch, both of which contain the word krast in reference to Anubis, the embalmer: We read in the funeral texts of Anup being "Suten tu hetep, Anup, neb tser khent neter to krast-ef em set." (Birch, Funereal Text, 4th Dynasty). "Suten hept tu Anup tep-tuf khen neter ha am ut neb tser krast ef em as-ef en kar neter em set Amenta" (Birch, Funereal Stele of Ra-Khepr-Ka, 12th Dynasty). Anup gives embalmment, krast; he is the lord over the place of embalmment, the kras; the lord of embalming (krast), who, so to say, makes the "krast."[1513]

Indeed, in the Coffin Texts, Anubis is called nb qrs.t or "lord of the tomb."[1514]

Digging into Massey's references for his assertion that Osiris too was essentially deemed "Christ" centuries prior to the purported existence of Jesus, we first find the pertinent karast hieroglyph in Champollion's Grammaire egyptienne (IV, A, 80). The first four letters in this hieroglyph spell out KQV (N29, D21, O34, X1) or krst-the transliteration also used by Drs. Collier and Manley[1515]-with the last figure, the "determinatif," representing the standing mummy (A53). Champollion identifies this determinative hieroglyph as "Une momie" and gives the meaning of the hieroglyph as "Embaumement, action d'envelopper de bandelettes."[1516] In other words, the qrst hieroglyph, with the mummy determinative-a sign indicating the "general idea of the word"[1517]-stands for embalmment and the action of wrapping in strips or bandages.

In exploring the works of Birch to find Massey's other reference, we discover an intriguing tale that sheds light on the development of Egyptology vis-a-vis the history of the hieroglyphic decipherment. In the "Introduction" to his Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, which he dedicated to Birch, Budge includes a long and complicated recounting of why Birch's very valuable Dictionary of Hieroglyphics was virtually impossible to find in Budge's time, just a couple of decades after it was published with great difficulty.

After the publication of Champollion's Dictionnaire egyptien in 1841, Birch determined to organize and publish in a hieroglyphic dictionary every inscription in the British Museum, which he had previously faithfully recorded. Budge describes the atmosphere of the time: In those days no fount [font] of hieroglyphic type existed, and lithography was expensive, and publishers were not eager to spend their money on a dictionary of a language of which scarcely a dozen people in the whole world had any real knowledge. At length Messrs. William Allen & Co., of Leadenhall Street, London, were induced to consider the publication of a hieroglyphic dictionary, but they decided to issue first of all a few specimen pages, with a short Preface by Birch, with the view of finding out how far the work would be supported by the learned and the general public.[1518]

The result was Birch's "Sketch of a Hieroglyphical Dictionary, Part I," which was very short and not the work to which Massey refers as a source for his remarks about krst/karast/krast.

As of 1847, when Birch informed Budge of his progress in publishing the dictionary, there remained no font for the hieroglyphs. Birch's Dictionary of Hieroglyphics was finally published in 1867, buried in the fifth volume of the English translation of Bunsen's Egyptian chronology called Aegyptens Stelle in der Weltgeschichte, titled in English, Egypt's Place in Universal History. Unfortunately, Bunsen had died seven years earlier, and the interest in his work had waned, to the point where the fifth volume of the English translation garnered little interest, and Birch's Dictionary, published within this volume of Bunsen, basically failed with it. In fact, Budge implies that he never saw a copy of the print edition, and states that the publishers "'disposed' of the sheets of a large number of copies."[1519]

Since no one republished Birch's hieroglyphic dictionary, for a long time it survived only in bits and pieces that were copied by other scholars. Although the book became extremely scarce to the point where it was all but lost outside of major collections, we are fortunate that it is available today as a computer file. Having the electronic book now in my possession, I can verify that, once again, Gerald Massey cited his material properly. This text is very important, because it proves that Massey is correct in his contentions and did not innovate his transliteration and definition of the Egyptian words karas, kras and karas-t, kars.t or krst, etc., the latter group meaning, "embalmment" and, importantly, "mummy," as found on pp. 415-416 of Birch's dictionary, precisely as Massey stated.

Verifying these assertions, in The Mummy, regarding the word qes, meaning "to wrap up in bandages," Budge says, "But qes may be a shortened form of qeres, SKPc, which generally means the mummy and coffin and all the funerary equipment."[1520] According to Budge's Book of the Dead, qeres may also be translated as "buried,"[1521] while in his Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, the British scholar defines qeres as "to wrap a dead body in cloth and make it ready for burial"[1522] or "to wrap up in bandages," in other words, to mummify.[1523] Budge transliterates karast as qeres-t, meaning "funeral, burial, sepulture, funeral bier, a happy burial."[1524] Anything that is buried, such as the "funerary equipment" and the mummy, could thus be qeres-t. In his book Middle Egyptian, James Allen prefers qrs as the transliteration of the Egyptian term for "to bury," while the burial or buried object is qrst.[1525] In the Beinlich Wordlist it is qrs.t, while Faulkner chooses krst, also defining it as "burial."[1526]

As we have seen, the hieroglyph in question, karast/qeres.t/ qrs.t/qrst, is composed of the signs KQV, qualified by different signs as "determinatives," including a coffin c (Q6)[1527] and a standing mummy , the latter of which, as James Allen relates, indicates a mummy.[1528]

Obviously, this situation is complicated, as there are a number of hieroglyphs that represent the same sound and meaning, as well as those that sound alike and seem to be related but that have a slightly to somewhat different meaning. It is also possible that the identification of the qrst specifically as a mummy/embalmment represented a mystery, as indicated by Massey. The fact that the sign (N29)-the "k," "q" or "q"-is pronounced like a Greek "chi" (), which is the first letter in "Christos," lends credence to Massey's thesis of Qrst serving as the origin of Christ.

In BD 17, we find the combination qeres Ausar meaning the "sarcophagus of Osiris" or "tomb of Osiris,"[1529] also transliterated as qrs.t Wsir.[1530] Also verifying Massey, who says that Osiris is called neb-karast, Budge informs us of the phrase neb qeres-"the lord of the sarcophagus."[1531] In the mortuary literature, including the Coffin Texts, we find reference to nb qrs.t, or "lord of the tomb"[1532] and, specifically as concerns Osiris, "lord of the funeral."[1533] In Lexikon der agyptischen Gotter und Gotterbezeichnungen, Dr. Christian Leitz of the University of Tubingen also lists several instances of nb qrst.[1534] Qrst or qrs.t is therefore an epithet or title of Osiris-a highly important point that cannot be overemphasized.

Adding to this significant development, the qrst/qrst is that which is buried and, in the case of the dead body/mummy, embalmed. What does it mean to embalm a body? In the ancient Egyptian process of embalming, several different materials were used, including natron, a salt that desiccated the flesh. Other substances such as spices, oils and ointments were also utilized, as we find in the New Testament concerning the burial of Jesus: Just like the Osiris, Jesus's body was wrapped in linen, after which "Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him."[1535] (Mk 15:46, 16:1) To cover someone with these substances is thus "to anoint." Hence, it could be said that a human qeres.t/karast/qrs.t/qrst, i.e., a mummy, would be "anointed," as related in the article "Egyptian Mummification": Mummification may have included anointing the body with fragrant gum-resins (frankincense and myrrh) and various oils and fats (cedar oil, ox fat and ointments) as a religious ceremony between the end of embalming and the beginning of wrapping. This process is mentioned in several late Egyptian papyri.

This paragraph is noteworthy not only for the anointing as part of the mummification process, but also for the use of frankincense and myrrh as the anointing spices, both of which are named as two of the three gifts presented to the baby Jesus in the gospel of Matthew (2:11). The other gift, gold, is a well-known symbol of the sun. In the rubric to BD 125, the deceased-as Osiris-is anointed with myrrh as part of the preparation for his resurrection.[1536] Concerning myrrh and other material, abkar remarks: The role that myrrh, incense, unguents, and various aromatic substances played in the cult and ritual was of great significance. Much more than just creating a pleasant atmosphere for gods and men, such substances had the effect of propitiating the deities, of purifying them, of repelling evil influences from them, and of bestowing new vitality upon them...[1537]

Furthermore, even the process of mummification itself possessed astrotheological meaning, in that the 70 days typically set aside for the procedure represent, per Hornung, "a period not determined by technical necessity, but rather chosen for its cosmic suitability."[1538] Hornung explains that the cosmic significance of the 70 "correspond to the period during which each of the decans remains invisible before reappearing above the horizon to be observed again." As concerns the age of Egyptian observation of the decans, Hornung remarks, "They are already mentioned in the Pyramid Texts, but the system of thirty-six decans with which we are familiar was not developed until the First Intermediate Period [2181-2041 BCE] and the Middle Kingdom [2040-1782 BCE]..."[1539] Thus, days typically dedicated to royal mummification in the amount of "70" represent the 72 dodecans, which, as we have seen, are also symbolized by the 72 sami of Seth, as well as the amount of Jesus's immediate disciples.

In any event, in the case of the mummy previously noted, the qrst/qrst was also "the anointed," leading to the suggestion that the Greek and Latin terms Christos and Christus indeed may be related to the Egyptian QRST-and that the concept for the anointed and resurrected god called "Christ," so to speak, could be discovered originally in Egypt. Although it is widely perceived as something unique to Jesus, the title "Christos" could be found abundantly prior to the Jewish savior's alleged advent, particularly within the Greek Old Testament, as applied to various heroes, such as Samuel, David and Solomon, used some 40 times in fact in the Septuagint. For example, Leviticus 4:16 says: "And the priest that is anointed shall bring of the bullock's blood to the tabernacle of the congregation..." In the Greek, the priest who is anointed is -"the Christ." The word Christos also appears in several other pre-Christian and non-Jewish Greek texts, such as Euripides (Hippolytus, line 516) and Aeschylus (Prometheus vinctus, line 480).[1540] Any Greek text describing someone or something as "anointed" would likewise use the word "Christos," including those concerning Osiris.

Horus the Anointed and Beloved Son of the Father.

As we have seen, in the Pyramid Texts (e.g., PT 576:1511a/P 518), the Osiris is anointed with oil,[1541] essentially making him a "messiah" or "christ," as those two words both mean "anointed one."[1542] We have also seen that in BD 145 it is Horus who is anointed, thus rendering him likewise a Christ. As the deceased who is Horus becomes anointed on his passage through the gates of heaven, he is thus Christed, as in Pyramid text W 51/PT 77:52a-b: "Ointment, ointment, where should you be? You on Horus's forehead, where should you be? You were on Horus's forehead, but I will put you on this Unis's forehead."[1543] The anointing is specifically designed to "akhify" the deceased, which means to unite his ka (double/life force) with his ba (soul). The Christing of "Horus" thus makes him immortal.

In addition to gs, as in the Beinlich Wordlist, the Egyptian word for "to anoint" is urh or wrh, meaning "to rub with oil or salve, to anoint, to smear," while, per Budge's transliteration, urhu means "anointed ones."[1544] Yet another term is merh, meaning "to anoint, to rub with oil or fat," with merh-t, merhet or mrht, referring to ointment, "oil, unguent, grease, suet, fat of any kind."[1545] Per James Allen's transliteration, "to anoint with oil" is wrh m mrht.[1546]

While in Greek "anointed" is , in Hebrew the word is transliterated as mashiyach, i.e., messiah. Adding to the previous Egyptian terms for "anointed" and "messiah," The University Magazine asserts, like Massey, that the Egyptian terms mas or masu also connote "anoint" and are linked etymologically to "messiah": In Egyptian hieroglyphs may be found mas, anoint; masu, anoint, dip. In Zend mashya is clarified butter. In Hebrew and Syrian messiah, meshihha, in Arabic masih, signify anointed.[1547]

Indeed, in Birch's Dictionary of Hieroglyphics appears the word masu, which is defined as "Anoint, dip."[1548] In Budge's Egyptian Book of the Dead, his transliteration of the same hieroglyph is mesu, the meaning of which he gives as "anointed."[1549]

Thus, as anointed ones, it could truly be said that both Osiris and Horus were Christs and Messiahs, titles that ranked, in fact, as not uncommon in the pre-Christian world, as we have already seen by the presence of the term "anointed" in the Old Testament.[1550] In this regard, if the Egyptian kings were anointed, as were the Israelite kings, they would have been called "Christos" in Greek, especially during the Ptolemaic/Greco-Roman period. If the king of Egypt was called "the Christos," it is possible that thousands of people were quite aware of this term long before the common era-and that, since the pharaoh was considered Horus on Earth, they may have been aware of the concept of "Horus the Christ" as well, especially since Horus is called "anointed" in the Book of the Dead centuries before the common era.

In addition to being "the Christ," as we have seen repeatedly Horus is also called "beloved Son" of the father, Osiris,[1551] among other epithets reproduced later to describe the Lord Jesus. Concerning Horus, Cooper remarks: Such...was the character, the office, and the filiation of the great benevolent deity of the Egyptians-of Horus, Only-begotten son of his Father, the God of God, the Anointed and the Deliverer. All the Egyptian literature bore testimony to him, all Egyptian life and art was moulded by his influence.[1552]

In the Pyramid texts appear the following epithets of Horus, among others: God, Great God, Great one, Son of a Great One, Heir of the father, Hereditary Prince, First-born god, King of the gods, Lord of the sky, Lord of men, Lord of men and gods, Presider over spirits, Presider of the living, Presider over the imperishable ones, Presider over the mighty, Morning star, God of dawnings, the Gleaming One, Lord of the two lands, Lord of the horizon, Master of the sustenance of truth, Master of his people, Mighty over gods.[1553]

Horus is also named as "Ruler of rulers" or "King of kings."[1554] In the Coffin Texts, he is "Lord of Justice" (CT Sp. 16/17),[1555] "Lord of Life" (CT Sp. 60)[1556] and "Lord of the Netherworld" (CT Sp. 458),[1557] among many other epithets as already seen applied not only to Horus but also to other Egyptian divinities. As can be determined from his epithets, Horus represents no less a towering theological figure than Jesus, long prior to the common era. In addition, Horus is confounded with the Egyptian god "Shed," who is "the savior," representing the "helper of mankind in times of need."[1558] The concept of a "savior god," in fact, was quite common in Egyptian religion, as related by Morenz: ...apparently during the Eighteenth Dynasty, the ancient idea that every deity provided help in distress gave rise to an independent "savior" god...[1559]

Morenz also states that the "youthful saviour" is "intimately connected with Horus..."[1560]

Not only is this Savior god "close to Horus in character," as Hornung states, but he is also part of the composite god "Shed-Horus" or "Horus-Shed," who is represented on the Metternich stela, as well as on an ancient amulet.[1561] As Hornung further relates, "Here, as Shed ('savior'), the youthful Horus becomes the vanquisher of all dangerous animals..."[1562] Thus, like Jesus, Horus is the Savior. Indeed, in his savior role, Horus-Shed was further identified by early Christians with Jesus, as related by Hornung: "On another amulet, one side depicts the head of Christ and scenes from the New Testament, and the other a winged, youthful god (Horus-Shed) as tamer of crocodiles and scorpions..."[1563]

Horus the Word/"Iusa," the Coming Son and Savior.

Other epithets for Horus that essentially also emerge in the Christian effort include "the Word" and apparently the term "Iusa," which may be related to "Jesus." In addition to the previous discussion of the Logos, Plutarch equates not only Osiris (49, 371A; 64, 377A) but also Horus with the Word, in discussing Harpocrates (68, 378C), as well as when he says that Horus's defeat of Set was a "victory of reason over disorder and evil" (55, 373D-E).[1564] As we have seen, the Valentinian Gnostics likewise identified Horus with the Logos, and, indeed, in Egyptian writings, such as the "Funeral Text of Hertu," Horus, like Thoth, is deemed "the Word."[1565] Of course, the equation of Horus with the Logos makes sense considering the solar nature of the Word, previously demonstrated.