As Dr. Traunecker also states, "Rare are deities who make do with having a single function, and many are those who declare themselves to have been the Sole One at the first moment of creation."[260] This contention for the multiplicity of function and interchangeability of roles will be understood more so for the Egyptian religion than for, say, the Greek or the Roman, with their distinct deities and well developed myths.

In Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt, Hornung discusses Egyptian syncretism, remarking: ...The natures of the individual gods are not clearly demarcated, so that aspects of one god can be identical with those of another. Here we encounter a phenomenon that is of the greatest importance for Egyptian religion and its deities: "syncretism."[261]

Hornung continues with a thorough attempt to establish a distinction between the Egyptian religion and syncretism, by delineating "identification" and "inhabitation" of gods, with a hybrid god such as Amun-Re indicating not that they are one but that Amun is "inhabiting" Re or vice versa: "the degree of intimacy and the duration of the combination vary from case to case."[262] For all the laborious distinctions, however, we are left with important instances of identification and syncretism to the point where disentanglement is futile, and undesirable. As Hornung further comments: ...in his daily descent into the realm of the dead the sun god Re must also become "Osiris," for he dies and appears in the underworld as a "corpse." But in this case the Egyptians imagine that there is a true union. Unlike the rest of the deceased, Re does not assume the title "Osiris"; instead he incorporates the ruler of the dead into his own being so profoundly that both have one body and can "speak with one mouth." Osiris does indeed seem to be absorbed into Re, and becomes the night sun, which awakens the underworld dwellers from the sleep of death.[263]

The remark concerning "the Egyptians" imagining a "true union" is salient, in that despite all the theological banter, what the average Egyptian perceived of his or her religion is significant in regard to what any creators of a new religion would wish to incorporate to gain adherents. In the long run, the simpler understanding would win out among the masses, as it does also with Hornung, as in his definition of "Sun god" previously provided. Thus, the average Egyptian would see true union and believe that Osiris was "absorbed" into Re and had become the night sun, to be born again or resurrected as his son, Horus, the morning sun. Moreover, in his definition of "Re," Hornung himself must fall back on syncretism to explain the sun god's pervasive and all-encompassing role by declaring that Re "is combined syncretistically with many other gods..."[264]

Thus, in discussing the myths and characteristics of Osiris or Horus, for example, we could reasonably ascribe to one qualities of the other. The same can be said of the attributes of other gods, as well as those of the Horus-king and Horus-priest, all of which could be attached to the god himself in a description of his mythical "life."

A Fluid Faith.

When analyzing Egyptian myths, in addition to knowing about the syncretism of deities, it is important to realize that, because they are myths, there will often be different versions of any particular story or motif. Such is the case with the myths surrounding Osiris, Isis and Horus, as well as many other Egyptian gods going back thousands of years, as is to be expected in consideration of all the interchangeability.

The lack of uniformity in myths is remarked upon by Dr. Robert A. Armour, a professor emeritus at Virginia Commonwealth University: We cannot expect to find unity in a mythology that spanned over three thousand years. Moreover, there were many cult-centers, each with its own gods, such as Heliopolis, Memphis, Elephantine, Thebes. As each of these centers enjoyed its period of political ascendancy, it assimilated its own theology with some of the others in order to achieve dominance. This process brought many of the myths into general accord but left others in a state of conflict which was never resolved.[265]

Concerning the fluid state of the Egyptian religion, G.D. Hornblower asserts: To clear the ground, it must be understood that Egyptian religion does not consist of one connected logical system but is composed of a series of cults which have been roughly synthesized to fit, more or less harmoniously, into a general national system; the synthesis was incomplete and led to endless contradictions and anomalies, some of them quite startlingly, as all Egyptologists know.[266]

Anthes concurs with this assessment: It is in accordance with the prominent feature of Egyptian religion that mythological concepts are very often contradictory.[267]

As one important example of how myths change over the centuries, regarding Plutarch's identification of Isis with the moon, Dr. Diana Delia White, a professor of History at Rhode Island College, remarks, "As Isis' associations in the pharaonic period were purely solar, her metamorphosis into a preeminent lunar deity among Greeks and Romans is quite extraordinary."[268] Indeed, in addition to her many other roles, including her later characterization as the moon, Isis was considered a sun goddess as well.[269] This example ranks as another of many demonstrating how myths change to incorporate cultural exchange as well as further observations of natural phenomena.

It can thus be stated that the Egyptian concepts of God and divinity were not set in stone but changed and mutated over the thousands of years. Even today our own concepts of God and religion are fractured into as many pieces as there are people, and the Egyptian faith over a period of thousands of years was also perceived and conceived by many millions of minds. It is a fact that there was a great deal of evolution and change in Egyptian religion, particularly as it came into contact with other cultures. It is equally true that Christianity has altered and transmuted as it has come under numerous influences from around the known world. Indeed, it can be asserted to a large degree of certainty that Christianity is a remake of earlier religions, mythologies and spiritual traditions, especially the Egyptian.

The Moon and Morning Star.

When studying Egyptian religion and mythology, it should be noted that its deities are not "simply" sun gods but symbolize a wide variety of elements, qualities or aspects of life as well. These various gods or epithets represent not only the physical sun but also its disk, light and heat, as well as the cosmic power behind it. Although Osiris, for example, is largely a sun god, the ancients also recognized that the sun's light is reflected in the moon, a symbol of Isis, who gives birth to Horus, the "reincarnation" of his father, as the "light of the world." As another example, regarding the lunar nature of the Egyptian god Thoth or Tehuti, as well as the soli-lunar characteristics of Egyptian myth in general, Renouf remarks: It must be sufficient here to say that Thoth is a personification of the moon, and that the relations of solar and lunar phenomena are the sources of a great deal of Egyptian mythology.[270]

Thoth's soli-lunar nature is also made clear in the Coffin Texts, as at CT Sp. 1092, in which the god is said to be "chosen as Lord of the Morning,"[271] along with CT Sp. 1096, which says, "This is Thoth who is the sky; the Eye of Horus is on his hands in the Mansion of the Moon,"[272] and in which a variant names the god "Moon-Thoth."[273]

In this regard, Osiris was both solar and lunar, as related by Anthes: "...later texts assure a close connection between Osiris and the moon..."[274] Osiris is also the god of the star Sirius, of the river Nile, of water in general, of fertility, and of the resurrection and afterlife, these latter two precisely as was said of the later, Jewish rendition, Jesus Christ. In addition, like Jesus, who is identified in the biblical book of Revelation (22:16) as the "morning star"-one of many astrotheological themes in Christianity-so too is the Osiris equated in the Coffin Texts with the Morning Star, as at CT Sp. 722: "...for N is the Morning Star, N is the beautiful waA-star of gold which went up alone from the horizon..."[275] Also, in the Pyramid Texts (PT 519:1207a) appears "Horus of the Duat" called the "morning star."[276] In the Book of the Dead (BD 109), the speaker says: "I know the Powers of the East: Horus of the Solar Mount, the Calf in presence of the God, and the Star of Dawn."[277] Here Renouf translates the hieroglyph for "Horakhty" as "Horus of the Solar Mount," who is the "sun-calf," as well as the "Star of Dawn" or morning star. These "powers of the east" constitute the "Souls of the Easterners."[278] The "morning star" identity of Horus is remarked upon by Egyptologist Dr. Laszlo Kakosy (d. 2003) in Egyptian Religion: The Last Thousand Years: The astral associations of Horus are of ancient origin. The composite celestial deity in the Pyramid Texts who is addressed as "god of the morning, Horus of the netherworld" and has "four contented faces" can perhaps be identified with Venus. The cosmic character of Horus was again emphasized in the New Kingdom and the Late Period, when he was associated with more planets.[279]

Regarding Horus's multifold nature, Anthes concludes, "The heavenly Horus was a star as well as the sun, and perhaps also the moon."[280]

Horus thus represents a multiplicity of gods and possesses a wide variety of attributes, including various astrotheological characteristics. Moreover, we may recognize here a seed for the strange imagery found elsewhere in the bizarre biblical book of Revelation, in which we find not only the morning star or Venus but also the four "beasts," who at one point all say, "Amen."[281] (Rev 5:14)

Horus is Osiris Reborn.

The "confounding" of deities so abundant within Egyptian religion constitutes not an error but may be deliberate since, as stated, the myths and characteristics of gods and goddesses frequently blend into and overlap each other. The interchangeability of Osiris and Horus, for example, becomes evident on a daily basis, as the night sun Osiris at dawn becomes Horus, as we have already seen. Regarding Osiris's transformation into Horus, James Allen states: Within Nut's womb, he embodied the force through which the Sun received the power of new life, to appear at dawn as Osiris reborn in his own son, the god Horus.[282]

Indeed, Horus is the living god, the earthly incarnation of the father, precisely as was said of Christ and God the Father. Adding to this understanding of Osiris's renewal as Horus, as well as their relationship to the king/pharaoh, Griffiths states: Horus as the living Pharaoh and his father Osiris as the dead Pharaoh: these are the basic elements in the royal funerary cult. Osiris per se is the king of the domain of the dead, so the dead Pharaoh is naturally regarded as aspiring to sovereignty in the afterworld in the form of Osiris. At the same time the royal burial rites adumbrate [foreshadow] the birth of a new Horus in the son who succeeds the deceased...[283]

Concerning this interchangeability, Anthes remarks: Since Horus was the living king and Osiris the deceased one, the slaying of Osiris was strictly speaking the slaying of Horus, who in consequence of his being slain, became Osiris.[284]

Once again, we have the king identified as both Osiris and Horus, as well as Horus and Osiris identified with each other, leading to a blending of personas and attributes. In such a climate, for the purpose of easily and quickly describing important aspects of the Egyptian religion-especially as they concern correspondences with Christianity-certain sources have therefore combined at times the various Horuses with each other and with Osiris, along with other appropriate entities, such as other deities, as well as kings/ pharaohs, priests and patients, relating the data in a composite and comprehensive narrative.

We further contend that this very same confounding was done by the creators of Christianity when they took over elements of the Egyptian religion and rolled them into one encompassing myth called the gospel story. In essence, when studying this situation, the scenario that reveals itself is that the creators of the gospel story in large part appear to have been scouring the vast Library of Alexandria in Egypt, as well as collections elsewhere, such as at Antioch and Rome, and picking out various aspects of pre-Christian religions to combine with Jewish scriptures in their creation of a cohesive Christian mythical tale that was set fallaciously into history and presented as a "true story."

As is abundantly clear, the sun in the Egyptian religion symbolized life, purification, salvation, resurrection and immortality, among many other important qualities, such as omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence. Indeed, in Egypt over a period of thousands of years, the sun in all its permutations constituted a symbol of the divine, and was beseeched as such in countless prayers and invocations, directed at not just the solar disk or orb itself but also as the unseen power behind it, as well as its heat, light and all its various aspects and movements through the heavens.

Many of the major and most beloved deities in the Egyptian pantheon symbolized aspects or epithets of the life-giving, sacred sun, including the very important god Horus, who represents the renewal of the nightly "solar life force," Osiris, as the solar orb passes through the treacherous darkness of the underworldly Duat. If the parallels between Horus and Jesus are real and accurate to a sufficient extent, meaning the claims are true that there is significant Egyptian influence on Christianity, it is reasonable and scientific to suggest that the story of Jesus Christ-which is highly implausible as "history"-ranks largely as a rehash of the mythos of the ancient, exceedingly revered sun god.

Horus versus Set.

"The Christian Trinity ousted the old triads of gods, Osiris and Horus were represented by our Lord Jesus Christ, Isis by the Virgin Mary, Set the god of evil by Diabolus [Satan]...and the various Companies of the Gods by the Archangels, and so on."

Sir Dr. E.A. Wallis Budge, Egyptian Tales and Romances (12) "The god Seth, called Typhon by the Greek writers, was the Satan of later Egyptian mythology. He was the personification of the evil in the world, just as Osiris was the personification of the good."

Dr. Philip Van Ness Myers, Ancient History (38) "Horus is presented in manifold aspects in Egyptian mythology. Mainly as the vindicator of the principle of Good; as the avenger of his father, Osiris, who succumbed temporarily in his struggle against Evil embodied in the god Set, who corresponds to our Satan. Set was represented as a beast with long pointed ears and erect tail, and may perhaps be the origin of the popular representations of Satan, the ears having come to be regarded as horns."

Rev. Henry Windsor Villiers Stuart, Egypt After the War (191) Despite the common misconception that the ancients as a whole were primitive, many cultures of old were in reality highly sophisticated, as evidenced not only by their impressive architectural accomplishments such as the massive ruins around the world, but also by other artifacts such as political organization, language development and philosophical achievement. One of these advanced cultures was that of Egypt, which created along with its magnificent edifices such as the Great Pyramid and the Temple complex at Luxor/Karnak both a sophisticated cosmology and an elegant writing system in which to express it. When we examine the religious and mythological beliefs of the Egyptians, in fact, we discover there is little theological they did not consider and incorporate into their faith that we possess in modern religions today. In other words, the Egyptians in particular not only were highly spiritual but also either originated or developed many of the cosmological and theological concepts found in current popular religions, such as the afterlife, immortality, heaven, deity, soul and so on. As has been seen, one of the main religions in which we find much Egyptian influence is Christianity, in both its myths and rituals. Like many other faiths, the Egyptian and Christian religions share a strong overall theme of good versus evil and light versus dark. In the case of the Egyptian religion, good and evil were manifested in several gods, including and especially Horus and Set, while their Christian counterparts are Jesus and Satan.

As we explore the original Egyptian mythos and ritual upon which much of Christianity was evidently founded, it needs to be kept in mind that the gods Osiris and Horus in particular were frequently interchangeable and combined, as in "I and the Father are one." (Jn 10:30) In fact, as part of the mythos, Osiris was "re-born under the form of Horus," as previously noted. This particular development exists in significant part because these figures are largely sun gods, and when one sun god "dies," as occurred with Osiris daily, monthly and annually, another replaces and becomes him, as happens with Horus taking the place of his father. Like Osiris's many followers, whose prayers included a request to become "the Osiris" in the afterlife, so too does Horus become his father after Osiris's demise, which is caused by the sun god's enemy, the serpent of the night and Prince of Darkness, Set. Concerning Horus battling Set, Dr. Badrya Serry, director of the Antiquities Museum at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt, says: It is known that the child Harpocrates struggled with his uncle Seth to revenge his father...and attain victory upon him. Since he overcame the powers of darkness (Seth) [he was] likened to the Greek hero Heracles who battled the powers of evilness.[285]

To reiterate, as is the case with myths around the world, the story of Osiris was not neatly laid out in an entry in an ancient encyclopedia, but, rather, appears in bits and pieces in primary sources such as the Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts and the Book of the Dead, which were compiled and altered over a period of centuries, beginning possibly up to 7,000 years ago. Nevertheless, nearly 2,000 years ago Plutarch did tell the myth of Osiris, Isis and Horus in some detail and in a fairly cohesive manner as a story, as we have seen.

In the commonly known depiction of his death, the good god Osiris is killed by his evil brother Set, who first encloses the god in a container or "ark" and later dismembers him into 14 pieces, scattering the parts around Egypt.[286] In the version by Plutarch, Osiris's wife-sister, Isis, finds most of the pieces, except the god's phallus, and eventually Osiris is resurrected and emerges from the "other world" to instruct his son Horus to battle and defeat "Typhon" (19, 358B), the Greek name for the god Set or Seth.[287]

Concerning the conflict between Osiris and Set, Budge remarks, "Details of the engagement are wanting, but the Pyramid Texts state that the body of Osiris was hurled to the ground by Set at a place called Netat, which seems to have been near Abydos."[288] The Pyramid Texts, in fact, contain another, older version of Osiris's death, in which he was said to have been drowned by Set.[289] According to a later magical papyrus, this drowning took place in the "water of the underworld."[290] This aspect of the myth is interesting in light of the fact that in Greek mythology the sun god Helios was said to have been drowned in the river Eridanus or "Jordan," in which Jesus was likewise said to have been baptized or dunked.[291]

The earliest versions of Osiris's passion[292] depict Set simply as slaying the god, without the ark and the dismemberment, while later sources attach 72 villainous helpers to assist in Set's murderous crime against Osiris.[293] The story of Osiris being entombed in a tree and found by Isis at the city of Byblos in Phoenicia, also related by Plutarch (15, 357A), is later than the one in which his parts are simply tossed around Egypt.[294] The Byblos tale may have been added by the Egyptians after 1500 BCE in order to explain the similar myth of the god Adonis-Tammuz in that part of the Near East.[295] In any event, the different versions of Osiris's death illustrate how myths vary and are not set in stone, an important point that needs to be kept in mind.

The Astrotheology of the Passion.

Although appearing bizarre and incomprehensible, the story of Osiris's death possesses, like so many other myths, underlying astrotheological meaning that makes sense and teaches some of the important workings of the natural world. As Plutarch (13, 356E-D) relates, Osiris was entombed in the ark on the 17th day of the month of Athyr, "when the sun passes through Scorpion [sic]," and in the 28th year of either his reign or his life.[296] Coincidentally, the 17th of Athyr is equivalent to the same day that the equally mythical biblical character Noah was said to have been shut up in his ark, the Hebrew patriarch too having been identified as a sun god or solar hero.[297] The notion that Osiris was 28 when he suffered his passion is also interesting, in light of the fact that Jesus was likewise said to have been around 28-30 when he began his ministry, depending on the source. Indeed, one early Christian tradition also places Christ's passion at when he was "only twenty eight, and one-quarter years of life,"[298] quite possibly in imitation of the Osiris myth.

In the solar myth, the enclosure in the ark during the zodiacal sign of Scorpio (October 24-November 22) symbolizes the weakening of the sun as it approaches the winter solstice. The number 28 is likewise astrotheological and represents the days of an average or mean monthly lunation, after which the soli-lunar god Osiris is torn into 14 pieces-the number 14 signifying the days of the moon's waning per month-and then resurrected, as the moon waxes again. As Plutarch (42, 367E) remarks, "The Egyptians have a legend that the end of Osiris's life came on the seventeenth of the month, on which day it is quite evident to the eye that the period of the full moon is over."[299]

Again in chapter 42 (368A), Plutarch further explains the astrotheological meaning of the Osiris myth: Some say that the years of Osiris's life, others that the years of his reign, were twenty-eight; for that is the number of the moon's illuminations, and in that number of days does she complete her cycle. The wood which they cut on the occasions called the "burials of Osiris" they fashion into a crescent-shaped coffer because of the fact that the moon, when it comes near the sun, becomes crescent-shaped and disappears from our sight. The dismemberment of Osiris into fourteen parts they refer allegorically to the days of the waning of that satellite from the time of the full moon to the new moon....[300]

Regarding this tale, astronomer Dr. Edwin C. Krupp, the director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, remarks: The numbers are significant. Although the moon completes its phases in 29 days, the number 28 was used symbolically for this interval....

The 14 pieces of the body of Osiris sound like the 14 days of the waning, or "dying" moon, and on the main ceiling of the Dendera temple are inscriptions and pictorial reliefs that leave no doubt. In one panel, an eye, installed in a disk, is transported in a boat. The eye, we know, was a symbol of the sun or moon. Thoth, the ibis-headed scribe god of wisdom and knowledge, pilots the barge. Thoth was closely associated with the moon and counted the days and seasons. The text for this panel refers to the period after the full moon, and 14 gods accompany the eye in the disk.[301]

The "age" when Osiris dies thus symbolizes the "lunar mansions," as "celebrated" in the Book of the Dead as "twenty-eight."[302]

In addition, the 72 "co-conspirators" in the later version of the Osiris myth likewise possess astrotheological meaning, representing the 72 dodecans, or divisions of the circle of the zodiac into 5 degrees each. Interestingly, in the gospel story (Lk 10:1) Jesus is depicted with either 70 or 72 "disciples," the number 70 often symbolizing the dodecans as well. Modern translations of Luke 10:1 such as the NLT, NIV and ESV prefer the number as 72, as do modern apologists, referring to them as "the Seventy Two."

Furthermore, the drowning of Osiris in the "river" Eridanus evidently signifies the god's passage through the well-known constellation of the same name. The subsequent avenging of Osiris's murder by his son(s) Horus also constitutes an astrotheological motif. In the myth as presented by Plutarch (18, 358A), Horus the first son of Osiris and Isis is already alive before Typhon/Set tears Osiris's body into 14 pieces.[303] Indeed, Osiris is depicted by Plutarch as later coming from "the other world" to train this Horus to battle Set. At a certain point, the other, newborn Horus becomes the avenger of his father's death by killing Set, the god of catastrophe, pestilence and darkness.

The battle between Horus and Set is mentioned in many places in Egyptian texts, in which the dynamic duo is called, among other things, the "Two Combatants" or "Two Contestants," as well as the "Divine Pair."[304] The story of this conflict includes various details such as Horus's association with Re, his sometime father, in attempting to destroy Set, as well as numerous other characters such as the blacksmiths on Horus's side and the vast army of "bad guys" with Set. Some of these particulars signify astrotheological elements added as the science of astronomy became more sophisticated. In addition to the example of the 72 dodecans, Horus's battle with Set as depicted in the inscriptions at the relatively late site of Edfu includes him slaying Set's monsters, the crocodile and hippopotamus, which symbolize two of the "circumpolar stars" that are "washed out" or removed from sight when the sun's rays appear on the horizon.[305] With or without the details, of course, the contention between Horus and Set ultimately represents the battle of good versus evil and light versus dark, once more displaying astrotheological meaning.

Who is Set?

One of the five children of Geb or Seb, the earth-god, and Nut, the sky-goddess, the notorious Egyptian god Set is described in BD 17 as "that god who steals souls, who laps up corruption, who lives on what is putrid, who is in charge of darkness, who is immersed in gloom, of whom those who are among the languid ones are afraid."[306] As the one "who is in charge of darkness," Set "comes to carry off the light."[307] In this regard, the life-destroying adversary in the Coffin Texts (CT Sp. 49), for example, is named as the "Evil One who is in darkness."[308]

Regarding Set's role, James Lewis Spence (1874-1955) remarks, "As the days began to shorten and the nights to lengthen it was thought that he stole the light from the sun-god."[309] Hence, Set is a thief in the night who robs Osiris/Horus of his strength and life. As the monster that prevents the sun from shining, Set also symbolizes storm clouds: This battle may likewise be found in the sky by day when storm-clouds darken the face of the sun, so that the myth of the serpent and the solar deity Re merges into the old story of the conflict between Horus and Seth. Thus the serpent becomes more and more identical with Seth, as being an additional manifestation of the wicked god who later is said to have fought against Horus in the form of other water monsters as well, such as the hippopotamus and the crocodile. This confusion of 'Apop and Seth, however, does not take place until after the Eighteenth Dynasty.[310]

In the papyrus of the scribe Nesi-Amsu (c. 305 BCE) from Thebes, in a section entitled "The Book of Overthrowing of Apepi" appear the "enemies of Ra" called Sebau, Qettu and Sheta, written with some variant of...and translated also as "devils," "enemies," "fiends," "foes," "rebels" and "sinners."[311] About these characters, Renouf remarks: "The sebau are the enemies of the sun, either as Ra or Osiris. I believe that under this mythological name the dark clouds are personified."[312] Thus, we discover yet more personified entities with astrotheological meaning. These Sebau are also equivalent to the conspirators or "Sami" of the Set myth, which, we have seen, represent the 72 dodecans. The sebau/sami, et al., are equatable with "sinners" in the Christian mythos.[313]

Set/Seth's identification with Re/Ra's enemy Apepi/Apophis can be further seen in the depiction of the Judgment Hall in the tomb of Ramesses VI, in which Osiris's adversary is portrayed as a pig, representing "both Seth and Apophis."[314] Prior to his identification with the monster Apophis, enemy of the sun god Re, Set was not always considered "evil" but was worshipped as a divine being, evidenced by the pharaonic choice of the name "Seti" or "Sety." In this regard, Griffiths remarks: Only in the Greco-Roman period does [Seth] achieve in Seth-Typhon a kind of satanic persona in the Greek papyri; and even then it is not Satanism in the full Iranian sense of a creator of evil beings.[315]

At a certain point, Set or Seth thus became demonized and was abandoned as a king-name: The last king bearing Seth's name belongs to the Twentieth Dynasty, about 1200 B.C. The interesting evolution of this god into a Satan is due to the influence of the Babylonian myth of Tiamat.[316]

It has also been claimed that, like the mythical Babylonian monster Tiamat, Set himself was originally a Semitic god imported into Egypt,[317] an interesting assertion in light of the contention that Set is equivalent to Satan, the word "Satan" being related to the Hebrew or Semitic term shaytan, meaning "adversary" and later adopted into Christianity. Regarding Set/Seth, James Bonwick, a member of Dr. Birch's prestigious Society of Biblical Archaeology ("SBA"), states: [French Egyptologist and SBA member] Pleyte has no doubt about Set being the El or Elohim of the East, and the same as Baal. Finding that curious passage in the book of Numbers about the destruction of the sons of Seth, he says, "It is probable that the Septuagint meant by the 'Sons of Seth,' the people who rendered homage to the god Seth (Set), the same divinity who was adored in Egypt by the Palestino-Asiatic tribes."[318]

Concerning the "children of Seth" at Numbers 24:17, Dr. Samuel Sharpe (1799-1881), an Egyptologist and translator of the Bible, relates, "Seth is an Egyptian name for Satan, and by the children of Seth, the Samaritans seem meant."[319] Moreover, mythologist Dr. Louis Herbert Gray (18751955), a professor at the University of Nebraska, calls Seth "the general patron of Asiatics and of warriors,"[320] and Rev. Dr. Sayce writes: Set or Sut became for the later Egyptians the impersonation of evil. He was identified with Apophis, the serpent of wickedness, against whom the sun-god wages perpetual war; and his name was erased from the monuments on which it was engraved. But all this was because Set was the god and the representative of the Asiatic invaders who had conquered Egypt, and aroused in the Egyptian mind a feeling of bitter animosity towards themselves.[321]

Therefore, it would appear that the Egyptian god Set was originally one of the Semitic Elohim, the plural gods worshipped by the Israelites.[322]

Set as Satan.

As we have seen, the villain in the myth revolving around the sun god Re is named Apophis, Apop, Apap, Apep or Apepi, all variants of the same word. Like the myth of Horus versus Set, Re battles on a daily basis the "great serpent" of the night sky, Apophis, defeating him at dawn. Indeed, Apophis is the "devourer" and the "fiend of darkness."[323] Regarding the serpent motif, SBA member Rev. Henry Windsor Villiers Stuart states: ...It is remarkable that Satan-our evil principle-is spoken of also as the Great Serpent, and like Apop is represented as chained in the bottomless pit.[324]

Another transliterated Egyptian title for the destructive and fiendish serpent is "Sata," as found in Budge's translation of the Papyrus of Nu, which reads: I am the serpent Sata whose years are many. I die and I am born again each day. I am the serpent Sata which dwelleth in the uttermost parts of the earth. I die, and I am born again, and I renew myself, and I grow young each day.[325]

Thus, even Set/Sata dies and is resurrected on a regular basis.

In his Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, using the same transliteration Budge calls Sata the "serpent-fiend in the Tuat."[326] The Tuat or Duat is defined as "a very ancient name for the land of the dead, and of the Other World."[327] The "land of the dead" and "other world" also signify the "cave," "tomb" or "underworld" of the nightly terrain through which Osiris (or Re) must pass daily, to be born again at sunrise as his son, Horus.[328] This journey is described in the ancient Egyptian book "Amduat" or "Am Tuat," as summarized by Budge: When the Sun-god set in the west in the evening he was obliged to travel through the Tuat to the eastern sky, in order to rise again on this earth the following day.[329]

Thus, Apophis/Sata is the same as the monster Typhon/Set battled every day by Horus. In other words, all of these names-Apap, Apep, Apepi, Apop, Apophis, Seth, Set, Sut, Sutu, Sata-represent epithets for the same god or phenomenon: Both "the Arch-Enemy of Osiris, and the personification of Evil,"[330] as well as "the Arch-fiend and great Enemy of Ra."[331] Hence, it can be truthfully stated that Set is Satan, and the battle between Jesus and Satan-Light versus Darkness-represents a formulaic rehash of the far more ancient contention between Horus and Set. Indeed, if Set is Satan, then Osiris/Horus is Jesus, as has been maintained for centuries for this and many other reasons.

Naturally, this identification of Set/Seth with Satan was made by early Christians, including and especially the Egyptians or Copts. In a similar vein, Dr. Claas Jouco Bleeker (1898-1983), a professor of Religious History at the University of Amsterdam, states: "It can be proved that a number of Gnostic conceptions go back to ancient Egyptian religious thoughts...."[332]

Adding to this assertion, Dr. Wilson B. Bishai (d. 2008), a professor emeritus of Arabic for the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University, remarks: A very plausible story of ancient Egypt that fitted very well into the Biblical record of creation was the legend of the rebellion of Seth against Horus. Seth, a synonym of hatred and disobedience in Egyptian mythology, caused all sorts of troubles to befall man in revenge for his banishment by Horus and the rest of the Egyptian Ennead. In the minds of the early Egyptian Christians, Satan, as a parallel to Seth, became the rebel and the enemy of man, who began to lurk in ambush in order to drag him (man) into disobedience.[333]

In discussing the perception of Seth in Egyptian texts, Dr. Bleeker further relates: It is true that Seth is condemned and punished, but his evil power is not broken forever. That is the theme of another number of well-known texts which paint Seth as a sort of Satan figure.[334]

We also learn from Griffiths that eventually Set/Seth is "treated as a kind of Satan, especially in the Greek magical papyri."[335] So close is this correlation that the editors of Mythology: Myths, Legends and Fantasies comment, "The Egyptian name for Seth, Sutekh, may have evolved into the word Satan."[336]

Like Satan, Set rebels against his divine birth. Also like Satan, who in the Old Testament/Tanakh is merely "the Adversary," rather than the personification of Absolute Evil that he became in the New Testament, Set/Seth was not always considered absolutely evil. Like Yahweh, God of the Old Testament, who was the orchestrator of both good and evil, Set is represented as the "twin" of Horus, half of the dual god who is a single being: Horus-Set.[337] Yet, Set is also a separate entity who becomes locked in an eternal struggle with his alter ego and enemy, Horus, and, again, at a certain point the "old thunder-god" Set became "the representative of all evil" and "a real Satan."[338]

Like Satan, Set/Seth too had his devoted followers, possibly equivalent to the "sons of Seth" recorded in the Old Testament and generally thought to refer to the descendants of Adam's third son Seth. Like Adam's other son Cain, who kills his brother Abel, Seth/Set is depicted as murdering his brother Osiris. And like other characters in the Old Testament, such as Abraham and Moses, in the "patriarch" Seth we seem to have yet another instance of an ancient tribal god demoted to human status.[339]

In addition, as does Satan with Jesus (Rev 12:1-5), Set attempts to kill Horus,[340] with Set representing the "god of the desert," while Jesus is tempted in the desert by Satan. Furthermore, like Satan, who has a forked tail, Set too is depicted with a forked tail. In fact, Set's portrayal with bizarre ears and an anteater-like snout makes him appear creepy and demonic: Seth was identified with an animal that had the body of an elongated jackal or greyhound; a long neck; a thin, curved snout; rectangular, upraised ears; and a stiff, forked tale. Seth was often portrayed with a human body and the head of this beast.[341]

Set is the serpent of the night, the Prince of Darkness and other qualities in line with Satan, while Horus is the "sun of righteousness" and the Prince of Light, much like Christ. As we have seen and will continue to see, there are many such correspondences between the myth of Osiris/Horus and that of Jesus. In the end, the tale of Jesus versus Satan, we contend, is equally astrotheological and mythical as the prototypical epic drama of Osiris/Horus versus Set. This readily discerned Egyptian precedent for a "Christian" concept is noteworthy, as it easily demonstrates the apparent influence of Egyptian religion upon Christianity.

Born on December 25th.

"As the annual rebirth of the sun's light, the winter solstice was important in most parts of the world. In fact, the Romans already had an ancient winter festival whose seven days bracketed the solstice.... Choosing the birth of Christ as December 25 successfully integrated long-standing popular traditions with the imagery of a new religion, and the theme of renewal is still part of Christmas."

Dr. Edwin C. Krupp, Echoes of the Ancient Skies (81) "The well-known solar feast...of Natalis Invicti, celebrated on 25 December, has a strong claim on the responsibility for our December date [for Christ's Nativity]."

"Christmas," Catholic Encyclopedia (III, 727) "...every year the temples of Horus presented to worshipers, in mid-winter (or about December 25th), a scenic model of the birth of Horus. He was represented as a babe born in a stable, his mother Isis standing by. Just in the same way is the birth of Christ dramatized today in every Roman Catholic church in the world on December 25th. The Roman writer Macrobius makes the same statement about the representation of the birth of Horus in the temples...and adds that the young god was a symbol of the rebirth of the sun at that date. The fact is, at all events, beyond question. We are brought to the very threshold of Christianity. The whole world by the year 1 A.D. was familiar with the Egyptian statues or pictures of Isis with the divine babe Horus in her arms."[342]

Joseph McCabe, The Story of Religious Controversy (169) "The symbol of the savior-child was the eye of the sun newly born every year at the winter solstice."

Dr. Bojana Mojsov, Osiris: Death and Afterlife of a God (13) Although many people remain unaware of the real meaning behind "Christmas," one of the better-known correspondences between pre-Christian religion and Christianity has been the celebration of the god's birth on the 25th of December.[343] Nevertheless, it has been argued that this comparison is erroneous because Jesus Christ was not born on December 25th, an assertion in itself that would come as a surprise to many, since up until just a few years ago only a miniscule percentage of people knew such a fact. Indeed, over the many centuries since the holiday was implemented by Christian authorities, hundreds of millions of people have celebrated Jesus's birthday on December 25th, or Christmas, so named after Christ. Moreover, hundreds of millions continue to celebrate the 25th of December as the birth of Jesus Christ, completely oblivious to the notion that this date does not represent the "real" birthday of the Jewish son of God.[344] Lest "Christmas" eventually end up being acknowledged widely as the birthday not of the Jewish messiah but of the sun, it needs to be immortalized that for hundreds of years that day was celebrated as the birthday of Jesus Christ. In this regard, a century ago Dr. K.A. Heinrich Kellner, a professor of Catholic Theology at the University of Bonn stated concerning "Christmas, or the feast of our Lord's birth," that the "whole Church, and all the sects, agree in observing the 25th December as this date."[345] This type of proclamation came in America only after a hard-fought battle for nearly a century in which certain fundamentalist Christian groups strenuously objected to December 25th for Christ's birthday, specifically because the date was too Pagan, before "Christmas" became an official federal holiday in 1870.[346] Although it took a long time for "Christmas" to catch on, it was not particularly long before the real significance of the date-i.e., the winter solstice-had been completely severed to the point where very few people were aware of its existence. So it was for the bulk of humanity up until recently, largely because of the efforts to educate about the true meaning of "Christmas" as the winter solstice.

In actuality, it would be highly refreshing for the facts regarding the true meaning of Christmas to be known around the world: To wit, "Christmas"-or the winter solstice-represents the birth of the sun god dating back thousands of years. In other words, as Christian apologists who claim Christ was not born on December 25th must agree, Jesus is not the "reason for the season," which is precisely the point of this discussion. In addition, since it is our contention that the character in the gospels called "Jesus Christ" is mythical, it is quite futile to argue that December 25th is not the "real" date of his birthday, since myths do not have "real birthdays." The truth is that, as is typical of myths, Christ's birthday from the earliest times of his conception has been variously placed, on a myriad of dates such as: January 5th, January 6th, March 25th, March 28th, April 19th, April 20th, May 20th, August 21st, November 17th and November 19th.[347] Many if not all of these dates are, like December 25th, mythological and astrotheological, representing milestones in the cycles of the sun, moon, planets and so on.