Christian literature over the centuries has discussed the "mystery of the cross"-we know, therefore, that the cross was a mystery, at least during Christian times. The question is, was it also a mystery prior to the Christian era? In consideration of its religious significance and prominence, the cross could be deemed a "mystery" in the most ancient times as well. Regarding this subject, Massey remarks: We have evidence from the pyramid of Medum [Meidoun] that from 6,000 to 7,000 years ago the dead in Egypt were buried in a faith which was founded on the mystery of the cross, and rationally founded too, because that cross was a figure of the fourfold foundation on which heaven itself was built.[1777]

In fact, the image of Moses with outstretched arms, claimed by early Church fathers to be making the "sign of the cross," accordingly represents the "mystery of the cross" as well. As related by Dr. Cornelia B. Horn of St. Louis University's Theology Department: In early Christian texts it is not uncommon that elements from the life of Moses are seen as clear prefigurations of the mystery of the Cross of Christ. In John 3:14-15, the evangelist compared the Cross to the serpent made of brass. Early Christian catechesis associated the image of the Cross with the memory of Moses preaching with outstretched arms while Joshua was fighting (Exodus 17:8-13).[1778]

If Moses was a "clear prefiguration" of the mystery of the cross, then said mystery must have existed at a minimum by the purported time of Moses. And the Hebrew patriarch has a long relationship with Egypt, with some speculation that a "historical" Moses was an Egyptian priest, who would then have brought the mystery of the cross with him out of Egypt. As we know, Egypt very much possessed its own mystery of the cross with its life-giving ankh, resembling a man on a cross or crucifix, as well as with the Tat or djed pillar. Concerning the ankh, Major Edward Moor (1771-1848) remarks: It is well known that the supposed mystery of the Cross is not merely modern. Its frequent recurrence among the hieroglyphics of Egypt excited the early curiosity of Christians. Converted heathens explained...that it signified "the Life to come."[1779]

Indeed, we hear implication that the ancient mystery of the cross is a brotherhood secret: There seems even no doubt that the pre-Christian Rites had a Mystery of the Cross, and there is said to be an ancient painting in Egypt of a candidate laid upon a cruci-form bier.[1780]

In fact, the mystery of the cross is deemed one of the "greater mysteries."[1781] It is also the "axis mundi" or "axis of the world" according to Christian mystics, attributing an obvious astrotheological meaning to the cross.

Although some of the mysteries, such as the virgin-mother motif, appear to have enjoyed more or less wide dissemination and were thus known to the public at large, despite evidently not being written about extensively or openly, other ancient religious aspects such as "Horus the Cross" may have been true mysteries in the sense that they were not widely understood by the "vulgar masses." Yet, certainly the association of both Osiris and/or Horus with the cross/ankh and the djed/Tau symbolizing eternal life and resurrection was widely known.

In addition to pre-Christian texts depicting the "crucified man in space," we possess various ancient Egypto-Christian artifacts identifying Jesus with Horus and Osiris, including Gnostic gems. In Ancient Christian Mage: Coptic Texts of Ritual Power, by Dr. Marvin W. Meyer, a professor of Religious Studies at Chapman College, and Dr. Richard Smith, a professor at Claremont Graduate School, the authors report on a crucifix in the Coptic Museum in Old Cairo "with the crucified figure of Jesus together with a falcon (Horus)."[1782] This artifact demonstrates that identifying Horus with the crucified Jesus occurred even in antiquity.

While Osiris, Horus, Set or other Egyptian deities were not "crucified" in the sense of being "real people" thrown to the ground and nailed to a cross, if we go by the terms used in the New Testament to describe how Jesus was allegedly executed, either by being impaled on a stauros (Mt 27:40) or hung on a tree (Acts 5:30; 10:39; 13:29), it may be misleading to say that even Christ was "crucified" in the manner commonly believed. If, however, we may in fact depict Jesus as having been "crucified," we may likewise be accurate in portraying Osiris and Horus-who were essentially represented in the shape of a cross prior to the common era-as having been "crucified," particularly in light of the definition of "to crucify" as meaning "to fix upon a cross." In fact, as we can tell from the admissions by Church fathers Tertullian and Minucius Felix, there were depictions of other gods on the cross or in cruciform, while, again, Christ was never portrayed in Christian art on the cross until well into the fifth century at the earliest.

In our analysis of ancient mythology, including the Egyptian, we discover ancient depictions of a god in cruciform, with arms outstretched such that his body forms a cross, precisely as early Christians described the posture of Moses as making the "sign of the cross." Indeed, the fact that this motif of a god on a cross was important long prior to when Jesus Christ supposedly gave significance to the cross can be proved by the words of the Church fathers. In any event, in non-Christian eras and areas there existed a reverence for the image of a god or goddess in the form of a cross-and that is the main point of this discussion.

The images and descriptions of deities in cruciform we possess include Osiris, Isis and Horus, and the answer to the question of whether or not Horus was ever associated with the cross and ever depicted on a cross or in cruciform appears to be yes. We must therefore conclude that the figure of Christ on a cross or in the shape of a cross is a johnny-come-lately in the world of religious iconography, and the story of the crucifixion appears more likely a contrivance based on this important iconography, as well as on Jewish "messianic prophecies" or blueprints, rather than an implausible "historical" tale.

Burial for Three Days, Resurrection and Ascension.

"The myth of Osiris involves his own death and resurrection, a theme that echoes the daily cycle of the sun's death and its rebirth at dawn."

Dr. Edwin C. Krupp, Echoes of the Ancient Skies (16) "According to the faith of later times, Osiris was three days and three nights in the waters before he was restored to life again."

The American Journal of Theology (XX, 5) "The Isia, the solemn mourning for the god Osiris, 'the Lord of Tombs,' lasted for three days, and began at sunset..."

R.G. Halliburton, Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (14, 66) "...the image of Osiris was consigned to a sepulcher for three days; and...on the fourth, the priests opened it and brought forth a heifer to the people, as the deity restored to life."

The Classical Journal (XXIX, 92) "...Osiris rose to new life in his son, Horus..."

Dr. Tryggve N.D. Mettinger, The Riddle of the Resurrection (172) "Isis also discovered the elixir of immortality, and when her son Horus fell victim to the plots of the Titans and was found dead beneath the waves, she not only raised him from the dead and restored his soul, but also gave him eternal life."

Diodorus Siculus, The Antiquities of Egypt (31) "The Book of the Dead promised resurrection to all mankind, as a reward for righteous living, long before Judaism and Christianity embraced that concept."[1783]

Dr. Ogden Goelet, The Egyptian Book of the Dead (18) We have already seen that numerous aspects of the Christian ritual and mythos can be found in the earlier Egyptian religion. As may be evident from the constant focus on an afterlife and everlasting life, with extensive funerary or mortuary literature and rituals, including expensive burial procedures such as mummification and entombment, the Egyptians were very interested in the resurrection of the dead in one form or another, eons before Christianity was created. This important theme of resurrection in Egypt is emphasized in spells in the Pyramid Texts, including those specifically titled for this transition,[1784] while the entire Book of the Dead was concerned with this very premise, as were the Coffin Texts, of course. In addition to these are many other Egyptian texts that deal with the afterlife,[1785] while the massive structures throughout Egypt in the shape of pyramids have been deemed by Egyptologists to be "resurrection machines," likewise designed for the express purposed of restoring their royal builders to life.[1786] In reality, in the very prominent Egyptian resurrection, combined with the burial in the tomb for three days and the ascension-all of which can be found in the stories of gods besides Jesus Christ-we possess important archetypes upon which the Christ myth was evidently founded.

In addition to all the instances already provided, the salient subject of death and resurrection in the Egyptian religion is exemplified also in BD 3, in which the deceased is identified with the sun god, in a prayer to allow him to "live after death, like Ra daily."[1787] Moreover, the title of BD 2 can be translated as the "chapter of Coming forth as the Sun, and Living after Death," while BD 3 is "Another chapter like it."[1788] Thus, in very ancient times in Egypt the sun was associated with resurrection and the afterlife, as we have seen abundantly. Concerning Re and Osiris, along with death and resurrection, Dr. Herman te Velde, a chairman of the Department of Egyptology at the University of Groningen, states: As Re [Ra] who manifests himself in the sun goes to rest in the evening and awakes from the sleep of death in the morning, so do the death and resurrection of Osiris seem to be equally inevitable and natural.[1789]

Adding to the hundreds of Egyptian texts, the resurrection and immortality of the deceased are expressed on many Egyptian coffins, in images of the sky goddess, Nut, giving birth to the sun. Concerning the sun's role in resurrection, Dr. Goelet states: This theme of rebirth is one of the reasons for the frequent identification of the deceased with Re. Here lay the hope not for mere rebirth but for a daily rebirth in the manner of the sun.[1790]

As we can see, the resurrection of the deceased in the Egyptian funerary literature was tied into the rebirth of the sun out of the death of night, a point that needs to be emphasized because there is much debate, denial and ignorance of these simple and basic facts concerning the Egyptian religion.

The Resurrection Machine.

In Egyptian architecture as well we find the prominent theme of resurrection. The concept of pyramids as virtual "resurrection machines" is expressed in Egypt Uncovered by Drs. Davies and Friedman, in an entire chapter entitled, "Resurrection Machine": It was the hope of every Egyptian to be reborn after death, to attain an afterlife with the sun-god Ra and be resurrected with each sunrise, and to join with Osiris in the cyclical regeneration of nature and plant life with the receding Nile flood....

The three pyramids at Giza are the most visited attraction in Egypt, if not the world. The Great Pyramid of the Fourth Dynasty king Khufu, the ultimate "resurrection machine," is the largest pyramid ever built.[1791]

In this regard, Davies and Friedman also remark: The pyramid was essentially this mound of creation, a cocoon in which the king underwent the transformation or recreation into an eternal transfigured spirit called an akh. Journeying to the sky, he was united with the gods and resurrected each morning.[1792]

While discussing the Giza complex, Davies and Friedman also refer to the pyramids as "this new type of solar resurrection machine..."[1793]

Lord of Eternity.

With the conspicuousness of resurrection in the Egyptian funerary literature, the god Osiris has come under great scrutiny as to the precise nature of his revivification. Regarding Osiris, Bonwick remarks, "His birth, death, burial, resurrection and ascension embraced the leading points of Egyptian theology."[1794] Likewise, Frazer writes: And from the death and resurrection of their great god the Egyptians drew not only their support and sustenance in this life, but also their hope of a life eternal beyond the grave. This hope is indicated in the clearest manner by the very remarkable effigies of Osiris which have come to light in Egyptian cemeteries.[1795]

In reality and as we have seen, numerous of the spells in the Book of the Dead and various of the old Pyramid Texts upon which much of the BD is based, along with the 1000+ Coffin Texts, are specifically designed to allow the deceased to be resurrected not only along with Osiris, after the "dark night of the soul" or nightly journey, but also as Osiris himself. Frazer thus has accurately represented the Egyptian religion as it would have been perceived by the average Egyptian worshipper: To wit, the promise of eternal life after the death, based on the death and resurrection of Osiris. Indeed, the subject is that simple: Few truly wish to die, and most want to come back to life. This factor is what the Egyptian believer commonly found in his religion: Death followed by resurrection to life.

This desire is readily exemplified yet again in the important chapter 64 of the Book of the Dead, in which the deceased/Osiris states, "I am Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, for I am born again and again,"[1796] as well as referring to himself as the "Lord of Resurrections."[1797] Birch's translation is as follows: "I am the Yesterday, the Morning, the Light at its birth the second time; the Mystery of the Soul made by the Gods... Lord of mankind seen in all his rays, the Conductor coming forth from the darkness... I am the Lord of Life."[1798] Budge translates the pertinent passage in BD 64 as, "I am the Lord of those who are raised up from the dead, who cometh forth from out of the darkness."[1799] Faulkner's rendition of this sentence is: "I have risen as a possessor of life..."[1800] T. George Allen renders this scripture as: "Mine are yesterday and each morrow, (for I am) in charge of (its) successive births. (I am) the Hidden of Soul who made the gods..."[1801] In reality, BD 64-a chapter called by Renouf "one of the most important as it is one of the most ancient"[1802]-is full of spiritual concepts found in the later Judeo-Christian bible, Elsewhere, Osiris is called the "Lord of Eternity" and "Maker of Everlastingness,"[1803] and Budge deems Osiris's alter ego, Ptah-Sokar-Osiris, the "triune god of the resurrection."[1804]

Osiris was not only the night sun resurrected on a daily basis but also, as the light when the moon wanes, he died monthly, to be restored to life with the lunar waxing. Osiris likewise died and was resurrected annually in his role as the Nile, and he was reborn in the vegetation such as corn as well.[1805] We have already seen that the Egyptians celebrated the Festival of the Seeking of Osiris at various times in different eras. During this period when Isis was said to be in search of Osiris, the god was claimed to be dead and buried for three days-the same amount of time during which Christ was said to be dead-and, on the fourth, he is called out by his son, Horus. As Sir Rev. Dr. W. Robertson Nicoll relates, "The death and resurrection of Osiris embraced three days from Nov. 12-14."[1806] Concerning the festival of Osiris, Dr. G.A. Wells comments: ...according to Plutarch...the festival of Osiris was spread over three days, his death being mourned on the first and his resurrection celebrated on the night of the third with the joyful shout "Osiris has been found."[1807]

Regarding the death of Osiris, Plutarch (39, 366D-E) relates: Consequently they say that the disappearance of Osiris occurred in the month of Athyr, at the time when, owing to the complete cessation of the Etesian winds, the Nile recedes to its low level and the land becomes denuded. As the nights grow longer, the darkness increases, and the potency of the light is abated and subdued. Then among the gloomy rites which the priests perform, they shroud the gilded image of a cow with a black linen vestment, and display her as a sign of mourning for the goddess, inasmuch as they regard both the cow and the earth as the image of Isis; and this is kept up for four days consecutively, beginning with the seventeenth of the month. The things mourned for are four in number: first, the departure and recession of the Nile; second, the complete extinction of the north winds, as the south winds gain the upper hand; third, the day's growing shorter than the night; and, to crown all, the denudation of the earth together with the defoliation of the trees and shrubs at this time. On the nineteenth day they go down to the sea at night-time; and the keepers of the robes and the priests bring forth the sacred chest containing a small golden coffer, into which they pour some potable water which they have taken up, and a great shout arises from the company for joy that Osiris is found.[1808]

In his description of Osiris's death, while Plutarch claims four days for the "gloomy rites," he likewise gives a three-day period, the 17th, 18th and 19th of the month Athyr (Hathor), until "Osiris is found." In another reference, previously cited, Plutarch discusses the month of Athyr as occurring during the passing of the sun through Scorpio. Indeed, in the Alexandrian calendar, Athyr ran from October 28th to November 26th. Hence, using the Alexandrian calendar, Plutarch evidently places the three-day period around November 12-14. Moreover, part of the mourning for Osiris emanates from "the day's growing shorter than the night," confirming that the winter solstice represented a time of death for the god as well, as we would expect of a deity with solar attributes. Therefore, the winter solstice or "December 25th" would constitute the annual resurrection from death or rebirth of Osiris as the baby sun Horus, as demonstrated and as occurred every other day of the year as well.

The Passion Play of Osiris.

As seen throughout this present work, the god around whose death and resurrection the Egyptian mortuary literature came to revolve was the great soli-lunar Osiris, whose passion we have previously explored as being astrotheological. Osiris's death and resurrection were so important that the "seeking of Osiris" constituted a yearly festival. We have also already discussed the Koiak festival during the month of December, in which the raising of the djed pillar or Tat cross/Tau symbolized Osiris's resurrection, specifically named as such by Mettinger, for one.[1809] Concerning the yearly festival commemorating the Passion of Osiris, Mojsov recounts: Every year in the town of Abydos his death and resurrection after three days were celebrated in a publicly enacted passion play called the Mysteries of Osiris. In the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC), after the rise of the sun cult and the monotheistic religion introduced by King Akhenaton, the cult of Osiris clasped hands with the cult of Ra and Osiris became an enlightened savior-god, shepherd to immortality for ordinary people. By the Late Period (1069-332 BC), his cult had spread around the Mediterranean. As the redemptive figure of the Egyptian god loomed large over the ancient world, Isis came to be worshipped as the Primordial Virgin and their child as the Savior of the World.[1810]

Budge too depicts the ritual reenactment of the "Miracle Play" of Osiris at his cult's major center: ...The spread of their cult [Osiris and Isis] was largely caused by the annual performance of the great Miracle Play at Abydos, in which the principal events of the life, death, funeral ceremonies, and resurrection of Osiris were represented. The Play was based on Legends which had been current in Egypt for untold centuries...[1811]

Part of the mystery play was the "Great Coming Forth": This act was the greatest in the Osiris play, for it represented the "coming forth" of Osiris from the temple after his death, and the departure of his body to his tomb....[1812]

In this annual play, after a ritual in the temple, the body was carried away, surrounded by the wailing and mourning crowd. A reenactment of the fight with Seth and his followers ensued, and Osiris's body disappeared. After three days, he was found again.

Nan M. Holley of Bedford College, London, summarizes the Osirian Passion Play thus: The celebration of his death and resurrection took place, in historical times, in the fourth month of the inundation, just before the first ploughing. The ritual is known to us from documents of the Ptolemaic and Roman periods; but the celebration goes back to the Old Kingdom... The body of Osiris was "found" in the Nile and brought to the shrine.... Human actors probably carried out an equivalent rite. Elaborate ceremonies were then performed to revive the dead Osiris...[1813]

Rev. Dr. George Hodges, a dean of the Episcopal Theological School of Cambridge, also describes the passion of Osiris, giving a different date for its beginning, equivalent to the 1st of Athyr according to the Alexandrian calendar: On the 28th of October was enacted in a kind of passion play the death of Osiris, killed by Set the god of evil, with weeping and mourning. Three days after, the lamentation was changed to cries of joy: "We have found him, let us rejoice together!" Osiris had risen from the dead.[1814]

The passion play of Osiris is in fact very ancient, which would explain the roving date, as it passed through centuries of the Egyptian wandering calendar: Since the time of the twelfth dynasty, and probably much earlier, there had been held at Abydos and elsewhere a sacred performance similar to the mysteries of our Middle Ages, in which the events of Osiris's passion and resurrection were reproduced.[1815]

The 12th Dynasty ranged from around 1991 to 1802 BCE, demonstrating the great antiquity of the "sacred performance." Another such celebration involved the god Min, who was likewise identified with Osiris[1816] and who, Morenz relates, was "a god in mummy form, around whose death and resurrection the important festivals revolved."[1817] As we can see, the death and resurrection of Osiris were central to the Egyptian religion and were enacted in a Passion Play many ages before the common era. Therefore, the claim for uniqueness of Christ's passion, which has also been acted out as a play many times over the centuries, and which we aver is not "historical," becomes questionable.

Three Days in the Tomb.

In Christian tradition, Jesus's passion includes a three-day period of "death" in a "tomb" or "cave," essentially representing the "underworld." We have seen this theme of the three-day disappearance or "burial" abundantly in the Egyptian religion as well, as related by Plutarch, among others, and as in the ancient Egyptian texts. As we have also noted, in the case of Egyptian gods, this "tomb" is likewise a boat or ark, as in the "ark of Noah," which constitutes a motif found in the mythos and ritual of Osiris and Horus. Concerning the god of the underworld, Judge Thomas L. Strange comments, "Osiris was shut up in his ark for three days,"[1818] precisely in the same month, in fact, as the biblical Noah, another mythical character symbolizing astrotheological phenomena.[1819] Meanwhile, Horus, like other gods, including Sokar, was carried about ritually on a boat or ark, as in the "Ark of the Covenant."[1820] Like other sun gods as well, Horus ended up in the underworld, with the epithet in CT Sp. 74 of "Horus of the Netherworld,"[1821] a title of Osiris as well.[1822] Of course, Osiris resurrecting from his "sleep" and rising out of his "tomb" is thus a very common motif that occurs on a nightly basis and can likewise be found in the sacred scriptures. As Faulkner notes of CT Sp. 74, "The deceased, identified with Osiris, is summoned to wake from his sleep in the tomb."[1823] In CT Sp. 66, the speaker says "the earth has been removed for you," about which Faulkner also notes: "An allusion to the resurrection from the tomb."[1824] The resurrection could also be deemed a "daily rejuvenation," as rendered by Faulkner in CT Sp. 238.[1825] As we can see, resurrection out of the tomb was a common motif long before the common era.

The theme of resurrection from the dead and "raising up" in three days is present in the Old Testament as well, at Hosea 6:2: "After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him." (RSV) It should be noted that the verb "to raise up" in the Septuagint, anistemi (Strong's G450), is essentially the same as the noun used in the New Testament for "resurrection," anastasis (G386). Concerning the three-day period before resurrection, Mettinger remarks: The idea of a three-days span of time between death and return, a triduum, seems to be at hand in Hosea 6:2 in a context where the imagery ultimately draws upon Canaanite ideas of resurrection... Apart from Hosea 6:2 one should remember also Jonah 2:1...where Jonah is in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. I understand the belly of the fish as a metaphor for the Netherworld.[1826]

From this illuminating paragraph we discover a number of facts: 1. The three-day period is a motif recognized by scholars and given the Latin name of triduum; 2. There were "Canaanite ideas of resurrection," preceding the common era by centuries; and 3. Jonah's interment in the "whale" constitutes a triduum in the netherworld, the same place where Osiris was said to reside.[1827] Furthermore, reflecting his own three-day sojourn in the underworld in the gospel story, Jesus is made to raise the tale of Jonah, saying: "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Mt 12:40) The archetypal precedent of this triduum theme would also be demonstrated by an apparent pre-Christian ancient Hebrew tablet evidently discovered near the Dead Sea in Israel that purportedly relates this motif of a messiah dying and resurrecting after a three-day period.[1828] If this tablet is authentically from the period claimed and truly says what is alleged, it would provide proof that shortly before the creation of Christianity, this messianic theme of death and resurrection after three days was important in pre-Christian Jewish tradition, such that it could have been used as a blueprint in the creation of the Christ character.

The legends of Re, Osiris, Horus and others revolve largely around solar mythology, in which traditionally the three days in the tomb or cave constitute the period during the solstices and equinoxes required for the sun to change perceivably its direction and/or status. Thus, in the minds of the ancient mythographers and time-keepers, the three days during the solstices constituted the period when the sun was "battling" with the night, as did the time of the equinoxes, such that the vernal equinox began around March 21st-22nd and ended with the sun's triumph, resurrection or rebirth around March 24th-25th. In this regard, even within early Christianity Jesus was said to have been resurrected or "reborn" on March 24th or 25th, this date, of course, claimed to be "Easter." Indeed, Church father Tertullian (Adversus Iudaeos, 8.18) averred that Christ had been crucified on March 25th,[1829] while Lactantius (De Mortibus Persecutorum, ii) placed it on the 23rd.[1830]

As further evidence of its astrotheological meaning, mythologist Joseph Campbell also explores the identification of the three-day period and resurrection as a lunar phase as well: The Moon remains the high symbol of the dead and resurrecting god. Even the Christian image of the Resurrection has elements of this symbolism inherent in it: Christ spends three days in the tomb, just as the Moon is three days dark; and the dating of Easter is always made in relation to the full Moon.[1831]

In any event, the effect is the same: The soli-lunar hero lies in the "tomb" or "cave" for three days until he wins the battle over death/darkness and is "resurrected" to life and/or "adulthood."

The Descent into the Underworld.

Along with the "entombment" motif come stories of gods, goddesses, godmen and heroes who thus descend into the underworld, including Adonis, Aeneas, Empedocles, Hercules, Kore, Odysseus, Orpheus, Pythagoras and Tammuz. In the scholarly survey Resurrection, Dr. Stanley E. Porter, president and dean of MacMaster Divinity College, discusses the many myths of the descent into the underworld, some of which long predate Christianity, including that of the goddess Persephone or Kore, recorded in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter six to eight centuries before the common era, as well as that of Orpheus, who descended into the underworld (Hades) to bring back his wife, Eurydice.[1832] The descent or journey into the underworld is related in the Greek poet Homer's The Odyssey (11) as well, dating to at least eight centuries BCE.

Like these figures, Jesus too is depicted as descending into the underworld, a common Pagan motif that was evidently attached to the Christ myth in order to explain where the godman had gone during the three days when he was supposedly dead in the tomb. There are inferences of the descent at Matthew 12:40, in the reference to Jonah previously mentioned, and at Romans 10:7, along with a couple of oblique references in other epistles. The descent into "hell" is also part of the "Apostles' Creed," which in fact sounds much like an encapsulation of the mythological motifs found here.[1833] Certain apocryphal texts, including and especially the "Gospel of Nicodemus" (3rd-6th cents. AD/CE), contain this legend as well.[1834] The Christians added a new twist to the tale, however, by having the Greek god of the underworld, Hades, chatting it up with Satan! Christ himself is depicted as rescuing from Hades/Hell certain "righteous ones," including the biblical figures Adam and King David. The scenes portrayed in the Gospel of Nicodemus are patently fictional and mythological, seemingly straight out of Greek myth, for one. In this regard, Hornung is certain that these "Christian" underworld scenes are adapted from Egyptian mythology as well: There was also an association of the passion of Jesus with traditions regarding Osiris, especially in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, with its detailed description of a descent into Hades.[1835]

Hence, this respected Egyptologist recounts the evidently ancient tradition of associating Jesus's passion with that of Osiris, including the god's descent into the underworld or netherworld, as it is commonly rendered in the Egyptian religion. We ourselves are therefore not remiss in identifying the two gods and their adventures.

Moreover, the followers of the Greek demigod Orpheus were quite convinced of their godman's powers over Hades as well: The secrets of Hades were in his possession. He could tell his followers what the fate of their souls would be, and how they should behave to make it the best possible. He had shown himself capable of melting the hearts of the powers below, and might be expected to intercede again on their own behalf if they lived the pure life according to his precepts....[1836]

As does Christ, Orpheus descends into the underworld to rescue souls, such as his beloved wife, and, like Jesus, the Greek hero ascends once again out of the underworld. Interestingly, devout followers of Orpheus comprised proselytizers and missionaries who traveled around the Mediterranean to bring the "good news" of their godman in much the same way and in the same places where Paul and the later Christians preached.[1837]

Like the Gospel of Nicodemus, some of the Church fathers, such as Clement of Alexandria and Origen, likewise discussed the descent of Jesus into the underworld-the period later deemed the "Harrowing of Hell," Christ's arising from which is called the Anastasis or "standing up," the same word used to describe the resurrection of both Jesus and Horus, the latter at least one century before Christ's alleged revivification, as we shall see. This fact of Jesus's ascension out of the underworld being deemed his "resurrection" would suggest that, despite any theological bickering, the others in the same underworldly position could likewise be said to have been resurrected. It is significant that Clement of Alexandria-in the heart of Egypt and "infected with Gnosticism," per the Catholic Encyclopedia[1838]-would be interested in the descent into the underworld, in consideration of the fact that this theme was prominent also in Egyptian religion. It would be logical to assert that this motif in the Christ myth ranks as yet another rehash from the earlier Egyptian religion and others of the Roman Empire at the time.

Another instance of the descent theme in Egyptian mythology appears in the Book of the Dead: "The descent into the under-world is spoken of by Horus in the Ritual (ch. 38). He goes to visit the spirits in prison or in their cells and sepulchres."[1839] In BD 38, the deceased is to be given air in the "Other World" or "Netherworld,"[1840] as the Egyptian term Dewat, Duat or Tuat is often translated. "Horus"-the "heir of Ra and Tmu [Atum] in Chemmis"-is accompanied by "those who are in their cells" as his guides, and attempting to assist the breathless in the underworld.[1841] In Birch's translation of BD 38, the "chapter of Life and Breath in Hades," the deceased speaks as the "second of the Sun, Tum in the Lower Country." As the sun in the underworld, the deceased passes "those in their halls" and traverses "by those in their caves." Standing "in the course of the boat of the sun," the deceased proposes "his words to the living Souls." Indicating his nature as Horus, he says, "I have sought after my father at dawn."[1842]

Faulkner calls the place in BD 38 "God's Domain" and the beings there "spirits whose seats are hidden," as well as "those who are in their booths" and "those who are in their holes," the former of whom "serve me," while the latter "guide me." According to Faulkner, the speaker is "Atum" himself, who is "associated with Horus and Seth."[1843] The deceased's association also with Chemmis/Khemmis, the place where Isis gave birth to Horus, indicates identification with Horus as well, as does the fact that he is also "heir" to Atum, since, in the Pyramid Texts, for example, Horus is represented as the "son of Atum."[1844] Regarding Horus in the underworld rescuing souls from the dungeons, CT Sp. 491 refers to "you who watch over all souls and constrain the souls of all who are dead,"[1845] who in CT Sp. 494, are called "shades," and about whom Faulkner notes that one rendition appends they were "imprisoned in caverns."[1846] Thus, in Egyptian mythology as well we possess a discussion of souls imprisoned in caverns or caves in the underworld. The opening by "Horus" of caverns also appears in the Coffin Texts, as at CT Sp. 875: "I open the caverns,"[1847] while in CT Sp. 891, the speaker says, "Raise yourselves, O you who are in your caverns..."[1848]

Additionally, the sun hymns of the New Kingdom likewise address the sun "leading" its disk into the caves, where his "light irradiates the corpses,"[1849] in effect purifying them and restoring them to life. Hence, the sun and/or Horus is responsible for rescuing souls from the underworld, as was said of the much later Jesus.

In any event, the Egyptian sun god-and the deceased-appears in the underworld on a daily basis, to be resurrected in the morning, as stated in BD 38 as well: "I daily live after death... I live again after death like Re every day."[1850] To live again after death can only be identified as being raised from the dead, revivified or resurrected.

The emergence of Horus himself from the underworld-his own anastasis or resurrection-can likewise be found in the Book of the Dead, called Pert em Heru in the Egyptian, which is translated also as "The Day of Manifestation" or "The Coming Forth by Day," reflecting the coming forth from the dark underworld into the light.[1851] As Goelet states: The very title of the BD in Egyptian, "The Chapters of Going Forth by Day," evokes an image of the soul emerging into the restorative rays of the sun's light after revival during the nighttime in the underworld.[1852]

The resurrection of Horus/Re/Osiris in large part represents the return of the sun from both its nightly and its annual descent into darkness, as well as, in the case of Osiris, the light waxing in the moon and the restoration of the Nile to its height among other life-renewing aspects, previously discussed. As stated, the death and resurrection of Horus likewise demonstrates another astrotheological meaning: While in the funerary texts Horus is basically resurrected as the morning sun on a daily basis, in a later myth he is killed by the scorpion of Set, to be raised from the dead by his mother, Isis, as related by Diodorus in The Antiquities of Egypt (1.25.6), worthwhile reiterating here: Isis also discovered the elixir of immortality, and when her son Horus fell victim to the plots of the Titans and was found dead beneath the waves, she not only raised him from the dead and restored his soul, but also gave him eternal life.[1853]

The term used here by Diodorus for Isis raising Horus from the dead is from the verb , the noun for which is anastasis, the very word utilized in the description of the later Jesus's resurrection.[1854] Obviously, in this resurrection account of Horus we discover a pre-Christian dying and rising god strangely overlooked in the debate on the subject over the past decades.

In any event, Set as the "scorpion" likely symbolizes in part the constellation of Scorpio, the "backbiter," the time of the year when the sun begins to "die" at the winter solstice, to be "born again" on December 25th. It is also interesting to note that Plutarch (13, 356C) said Osiris was likewise dead and sought during the time when the sun passed into Scorpio.[1855] Osiris and Horus are thus interchangeable based once again on their solar roles.

"Easter"-The Resurrection of Spring.

Although it is believed to represent the time of Jesus Christ's resurrection, the festival of Easter existed in pre-Christian times and, according to the famous Christian saint Venerable Bede (672/672-735 AD/CE), was named for the Teutonic or German goddess Eostre, who was the "goddess of dawn" and who symbolized the fertility found abundantly during the springtime of the year.[1856] Regarding the ancient fertility goddess, in How the Easter Story Grew from Gospel to Gospel, Dr. Rolland E. Wolfe, a professor of Biblical Literature at Case Western Reserve University, relates: In the polytheistic pantheons of antiquity there usually was a king or chief of the gods, and also a female counterpart who was regarded as his wife. This mother goddess was one of the most important deities in the ancient Near East. She was called by the various names of Ishtar, Athtar [sic], Astarte, Ashtoreth, Antit, and Anat. This mother goddess always was associated with human fertility. In the course of time Mary was to become identified with this ancient mother goddess, or perhaps it should be said that Mary was about to supplant her in certain Christian circles.[1857]

The comparison between the Babylonian goddess Ishtar and the Jewish maiden Mary becomes even more evident when it is factored in that in an ancient Akkadian hymn Ishtar is called "Virgin."[1858] Yet, like Mary, Ishtar too was the "Mother of God," in this case Tammuz, the dying and rising god mourned by the Israelite women at Ezekiel 8:14.[1859] Indeed, Old Testament scholar Rev. Dr. W. Robertson Smith identifies Ishtar as the virgin-mother goddess worshipped at Petra who was mentioned by Church father Epiphanius. In a footnote, Smith remarks, "The identification of the mother of the gods with the heavenly virgin, in other words, the unmarried goddess, is confirmed if not absolutely demanded by Aug. Civ. Dei, ii. 4."[1860] The reference is to St. Augustine's The City of God (2.4), in which the Church father discusses with undisguised contempt the Pagan rites surrounding "the virgin Caelestis" and "Berecynthia the mother of them all."[1861] From these remarks and many others over the past centuries it is clear that the educated elite have been well aware of the unoriginality of the virgin-mother motif within Christianity. Yet, to this day the public remains uninformed and/or in fervent denial about such facts.

As may be evident, variants of the goddess's name from which the term "Easter" appears to be derived include Ishtar and Astarte, among others such as Ostara and Ostern. As Rev. Dr. William Howard Van Doren remarks: The festival called Easter from the heathen goddess Astarte, called in Nineveh, as read on the Assyrian monuments, Ishtar, and by our Saxon ancestors Easter, ster, or Oster, the same with the Latin Venus, whose festival was observed by the Pagans at the same time.[1862]

We have already seen that this springtime/ Easter resurrection myth occurred in Greek mythology with the tale of Kore/Persephone descending into the underworld to reside with Hades, leading to the death of winter. Her reemergence out of the underworld represented the springtime renewal of life on Earth-thus, Persephone's resurrection symbolized eternal life, precisely as did that of Jesus and Osiris.

Comprising the entombment for three days, the descent into the underworld, and the resurrection, the spring celebration of "Easter" represents the period of the vernal equinox, when the sun is "hung on a cross" composed of the days and nights of equal length. After a touch-and-go battle for supremacy with the night or darkness, the sun emerges triumphant, being "born again" or "resurrected" as a "man," moving towards "his" full strength at the summer solstice: Great are the storms and tribulations of winter, but the Sun-God survives them all, and His strength is steadily growing as the days lengthen towards the vernal equinox. At that equinox, as the name implies, day and night are exactly equal...; and after it the sun crosses the line, so that in the northern hemisphere the days grow steadily longer, and the victory of the Sun-God over night is assured. He rises triumphantly over the line and ascends in the heavens, ripening the corn and the grape, pouring His life into them to make their substance, and through them giving Himself to His worshippers.[1863]

It is noteworthy that even older scholarship reflects the knowledge of the strengthening of the sun at Easter, as exemplified by Rev. George W. Lemon, who in his English Etymology, published in 1783, gives the meaning of "Easter" as: ...at that time or on that day, the Sun of Righteousness arose with healing in his wings, like the sun all glorious in the east...

The "Sun of Righteousness" refers to Jesus Christ, as purportedly prophesied in the last book before the New Testament, Malachi (4:2). Christ's identification as the "Sun of Righteousness," the placement of his "resurrection" at Easter, and his association with the "sun all glorious in the east," all reflect his solar role, serving as earmarks of Jesus himself being a sun god. Indeed, "Easter" or the vernal equinox truly represents the resurrection of the "Light of the World"-the sun-bringing with it the fertility of spring.

That Easter constituted a pre-Christian festival concerning resurrection is apparent from the discussion in the New International Encyclopaedia regarding Easter customs: The use of eggs in this connection is of the highest antiquity, the egg having been considered in widely separated pre-Christian mythologies as a symbol of resurrection...[1864]

The NIE thus specifically states that the notion of resurrection existed in pre-Christian mythologies. The NIE also relates that in its use of Easter eggs the Church likely "adopted and consecrated an earlier custom," adding that this development is "almost certainly true of the Easter fires which formerly celebrated the triumph of spring over winter (See beltane)..." Beltane is the name of the Celtic celebration of the triumph of spring's life over the death of winter. In other words, Easter represents the "triumph of spring over winter," light over dark, or day over night, a point that cannot be emphasized enough.

In his extensive analysis of the "dying and rising gods," Frazer concluded that the story of Easter as a time of rebirth, renewal and resurrection of life in general could be found in the myths of non-Christian deities such as the Greco-Phrygian god Attis and the Greco-Syrian god Adonis, among others.[1865] While various of Frazer's contentions have come under fire, frequently from Christian apologists, Mettinger's research demonstrates the dying-and-rising theme overall to be sound.[1866] As concerns the correspondences between Christ and the god Attis, Dr. Gary Taylor, a professor at the University of Alabama, states: Similarities between Attis and Christ had become increasingly prominent in the ritual celebrations of Attis in Rome and elsewhere: The "Hilaria" turned his humiliated suffering into an occasion of joy, celebrants were "redeemed by the blood" of a sacrificial victim, and the promise of resurrection was held out to believers.[1867]

Discussing Attis along with his consort/mother Cybele (the "Metroac" cult/mysteries), Dr. Andrew T. Fear, a professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Manchester, remarks: The youthful Attis after his murder was miraculously brought to life again three days after his demise. The celebration of this cycle of death and renewal was one of the major festivals of the metroaccult. Attis therefore represented a promise of reborn life and as such it is not surprising that we find representations of the so-called mourning Attis as a common tomb motif in the ancient world.

The parallel, albeit at a superficial level, between this myth and the account of the resurrection of Christ is clear. Moreover Attis as a shepherd occupies a favourite Christian image of Christ as the good shepherd. Further parallels also seem to have existed: the pine tree of Attis, for example, was seen as a parallel to the cross of Christ.