From The Zeitgeist Movement
Documented Sources for Zeitgeist: The Movie Part One: The Greatest Story Ever Told.
Zeitgeist Part I Sources and References Table
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| This is the sun. As far back as 10 thousand B.C.E., history is abundant with carvings [M] and writings reflecting people's respect and adoration for this object [S1]. And it is simple to understand why as every morning the sun would rise, bringing vision, warmth, and security, saving man from the cold, blind, predator-filled darkness of night. Without it, the cultures understood, the crops would not grow, and life on the planet would not survive. These realities made the sun the most adored object of all time.[M] |
 AKENATEN'S HYMN TO THE SUN When you set in the western horizon of the sky,
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| Likewise, they were also very aware of the stars.[M] The tracking of the stars allowed them to recognize and anticipate events which occurred over long periods of time, such as eclipses and full moons.[M] They in turn catalogued celestial groups into what we know today as constellations.[S2] |
"When the Pleiades, daughters of Atlas, are rising, begin your harvest, and your ploughing when they are going to set. Forty nights and days they are hidden and appear again as the year moves round, when first you sharpen your sickle. This is the law of the plains, and of those who live near the sea, and who inhabit rich country, the glens and hollows far from the tossing sea: strip to sow and strip to plough and strip to reap, if you wish to get in all Demeter's fruits in due season, and that each kind may grow in its season" — Hesiod (750 B.C.) "Works and Days". | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This is the cross of the Zodiac, one of the oldest conceptual images in human history. [M] It reflects the sun as it figuratively passes through the 12 major constellations over the course of a year. It also reflects the 12 months of the year, the 4 seasons, and the solstices and equinoxes [S3] . The term Zodiac relates to the fact that constellations were anthropomorphized, or personified, as figures, or animals.[S4] [M] |
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| In other words, the early civilizations did not just follow the sun and stars, they personified them with elaborate myths involving their movements and relationships. [S5] [M] The sun, with its life-giving and -saving qualities was personified as a representative of the unseen creator or god...[M]"God's Sun,"[M] the light of the world, the savior of human kind.[S6] Likewise, the 12 constellations represented places of travel for God's Sun and were identified by names, usually representing elements of nature that happened during that period of time. For example, Aquarius, the water bearer, who brings the Spring rains.[S7] [M] [D] | GANYMEDES & THE CONSTELLATION AQUARIUS "Zeus kidnapped Ganymedes by means of an eagle, and set him as cupbearer in the sky [i.e. as Aquarius]." - Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 141 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) "Mortals who were made immortal . . . Ganymede, son of Assaracus, into Aquarius of the twelve signs." - Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 224 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.)  "Pisces (Fishes). Diognetus Erythraeus says that once Venus [Aphrodite] and her son Cupid [Eros] came in Syria to the river Euphrates. There Typhon, of whom we have already spoken, suddenly appeared. Venus [Aphrodite] and her son threw themselves into the river and there changed their forms to fishes, and by so doing this escaped danger. So afterwards the Syrians, who are adjacent to these regions, stopped eating fish, fearing to catch them lest with like reason they seem either to oppose the protection of the gods, or to entrap the gods themselves." - Pseudo-Hyginus, Astronomica 2. 30 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) Source: http://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanKrios.html THE CONSTELLATION ARIES AS THE EGYPTIAN GOD AMON  "Ammon means, amongst other things, "a ram". The ram was held sacred in Egypt, and especially at Mendes. The figure of Amon, given in Kitto, has a ram's head and horns, holding in one hand the crozier, or what has inappropriately been called, the shepherd's or apostolic crook; and in the other hand the crux ansata, the emblem of the male and female organs. Sheep were held sacred by his followers, and ram was annually sacrificed in his honour, the hide being used as covering to his image. His colour was blue, or slatelike. There can be little doubt that he represented "The Sun in Aries." - Ancient Faiths Embodied in Ancient Names by Thomas Inman "Amon, a god to whom the ram was sacred, and whose name is believed to have meant hidden or that which cannot be seen, had been a minor deity whose influence begane to increase in Synasty XII (1991-1784 BC). The theory suggests that the corresponcence to the early centuries of Aries marking the vernal equinox, first by rising heliacally (just before sunrise) on this date, thus being an announcer star, and then by invisiblyy rising with the sun on this important morning, may have been a determining factor in this god increasing importance. By the Eighteenth Dynasty (the New Kingdom, 1554 BC), Amon-Re was called King of the Gods and Aries and the sun had risen togheter on the date of the vernal equinox for several centuries." - The Death of Gods in Ancient Egypt by Jane Sellers "If Schwaller de Lubicz's precessional explanation of Egyptian symbolism is correct, a drastic change of emphasis would be predicted around 2100 BC, when the equinox moved into Aries. That is precisely what the records reveal. Mentu the bull disappears and is superceded by the ram of Amon. The character of the architecture loses its monolotich simplicity. While still within its recognisable tradition, there is no mistaking a change of character. The pharaohs incorporate Amon in the names they assume: Amenhotep, Amenophis, Tutankhamen." - Serpent in the sky: the high wisdom of ancient Egypt by John Anthony West "The great temple to Amen-Ra at Thebes, approached, as has been stated above, through an avenue of ram-headed sphinxes, is oriented to the setting sun of the season so important to Egyptians, that of the summer solstice, and this fact strengthens the opinion that Amen was considered to be a god in some way presiding over the course of the year and its right measurement. It is true that this orientation of his temple precluded the possibility of the light from any star of the constellation Aries ever shining into the shrine of the god; but it is perhaps possible that the ceremony of "the great feast-day of Amon Father," described by Ebers, may have been devised by the votaries of Amen as a means whereby they could honour the god, as one presiding over the most propitious season of the year, and also recall the sidereal connexion of the god of the year with the, from times immeorial highly reverenced, constellation Aries. (...) Thus at the season of all year, when Aries specially dominated the ecliptic, the statue of the god Amen was, as we learn, brought out of his dark temple shrine and carried in procession to the Nekropolis, from whence the constellation Aries - not hidden by obstructing walls and columns - was fully visible; and there honour was done and sacrifice offered to "Amon Father." - Ancient Calendars and Constellations by Emmeline M. Plunket "When the Age of Aries (the Ram) arrived (about 2000 BCE), the Egyptian records revealed the new age. Mentu the bull disappeared, and was succeeded by the ram of Amen/Amon/Amun. Amen rose to eminence with his ram-headed symbol. Ram headed figures dominated the Egyptian buildings. Ram-headed sphinxes were aligned at the entrance of the Karnak Temple, dedicated to Amen. The Pharaohs incorporate Amen in the names they assumed: Amenhotep, Tutankhamen, etc. Additional confirmation of the ram-headed Amen and its symbolism during the age of Arie, is found in the Triple Shrine of Amen/Mut/Khonsu, at the karnak Temple. On the left wall, Amen/Amon/Amun is pictured as a ram, traveling across the heavens on his barge. This representation, togheter with the references in many texts to Amen as a ram in the sky, support the astronomical astrological significance. " - Egyptian Cosmology by Moustafa Gadalla "Sol is the Latin for the sun, and scholars are aware that Amon or Omon is the Egyptian name of the sign Aries. Jupiter the Sun in Amon or Aries, or Jupiter Amon, is but another name for the Sol in Omon or Solomon. "And Solomon made affinity with Pharoah king of Egypt, and took Pharoah's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem" (Bible, Kings III)." - Ignorant Learned: Researches after the long lost mysteries of Freemasonry by Henry Saxelby Melville Wintle "In many myths, the sun was identified with the hero par excellence. Hence, Alexander the Great is pictured on coins with the horns of Jupiter Ammon, that is, he is identified with the awakening sun of Spring under the sign of Aries." - A Dictionary of Symbols by Juan Eduardo Cirlot "Aries has also been associated with the story of the ram into which Zeus changed himself to escape the pursuit of the giants. He fled to Egypt, and there the constellation was called Jupiter Ammon." - Astronomy with the Naked Eye by Garrett Putman Serviss "Aries (latin: ram) In astronomy the constellation lying between Pisces and Taurus; [...] It is represented by a ram, which is sometimes identified with the Egyptian god Amon. In Greek mythology Aries was identified with the ram that carried the prince Phrixus out of Thessaly to Colchis. Phrixus sacrificed the ram to Zeus, who placed it in the heavens as a constellation. Its golden fleece was later recovered by Jason." - Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Encyclopedia by Merriam-Webster Inc. "As we come to the Age of Aries, bulls are out and rams are in. The heroes now are no longer of necessity gods or even semi-gods; more and more of them are human. And they become bull-slayers. But first, to review: Aries the Ram is a cardinal fire sign, ruled by Mars, and is the exaltation of the Sun. It is also the first sign in the zodiac.[...] In this Age, the number of names containing the sound of ram is astonishing: Ra, Ram, Rama, Brahman, Abram, Abraham, Amon Ra, etc." - The Heavens Declare by Alice O. Howell "The earliest period of which we have historical record is the Platonic month of Taurus, circa 4000-2000 BCE, when the cult of the bull flourished in Egypt. At this time, "The bull played a considerable role in the Old Kingdom, and in the Pyramid Texts the King is often called bull of the sky" What is more, around 3200 BCE, the Mastaba of the Serpent King was constructed at Saqqara, surrounded by 346 bull-heads made of clay, but containing real horns. As we saw in the previous chapter, the iconography of Mithras slaying the bull denotes the end of Taurus and ushers in the aeon of Aries. The Age of Aries the ram, circa 2000-1 BCE, corresponds with the reign of fiery Jehovah, who became angered by the Israelites worship of the golden calf, a throwback to the earlier Age of Taurus. This same period corresponds with the rise of Amen-Ra, the ram-headed solar god in Egypt, who was later identified by the Greek with Zeus. Since Alexander the Great saw himself as a son of Zeus, and visited the oracle of Ammon at the oasis of Siwah in the Libyan desert, Alexander is frequently shown on coins with ram's horns to symbolize his link with Zeus Ammon. Another relic of traditional symbolism relating to the Platonic Month of Aries is the voyage of Orpheus and the other Argonauts in quest of the Golden Fleece. Finally, the Era of Pisces, circa 1-2000 CE, corresponds with the birth of Christianity and its prevalent fish symbolism." - Jesus Christ, sun of God: Ancient Cosmology and Eearly Christian Symbolism by David R. Fideler "The Greeks and Latins agree in describing Amun as having the head of a ram. Herodotus says: "The Thebans and those who, like them, abstain from sheep, say they do it for this reason, that Jupiter (Amun), when Hercules desired to see him, at first refused; but, on his persisting, cut off the head of a ram which he had slayed, and held it before him, clothing himself in the skin, and showed himself to him in this form." - Ancient Egypt under the Pharaohs, Volume 2 by John Kenrick THE STARS OF THE TAURUS CONSTELLATION: HYADES (the Bull's Face) AND PLEIADES (Tail of the Bull)  "Atlas by Pleione or an Oceanid had twelve daughters, and a son, Hyas. The son was killed by a wild boar or a lion, and the sisters, grieving for him, died of this grief. The five of them first put among the stars have their place between the horns of the bull--Phaesyla, Ambrosia, Coronis, Eudora, Polyxo--and are called, from their brother’s name, Hyades. In Latin they are called Suculae. Some say that since they are arranged in the form of the letter Upsilon they are called Hyades; some, they are so called because they bring rain when they rise, for to rain is hyein in Greek. There are those who think they are among the stars because they were the nurses of Father Liber [Dionysos]." - Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 192 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) Source: http://www.theoi.com/Nymphe/NymphaiHyades.html "To Atlas and Okeanos’ daughter Pleione were born (on Arkadian Kyllene) seven daughters called the Pleiades, whose names are Alkyone, Merope, Kelaino, Elektra, Sterope, Taygete, and Maia. Of these, Oinomaus married Sterope, and Sisyphos married Merope. Poseidon slept with two of them : first with Kelaino, fathering Lykos, whom Poseidon settled in the Islands of the Blest; and then with Alkyone, who bore him a daughter Aithusa (the mother with Apollon of Eleuther), and sons Hyrieus and Lykos . . . Zeus also slept with the other Atlantides." - Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 110 - 111 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) "When Pleione once was travelling through Boeotia with her daughters [the Pleiades], Orion, who was accompanying her, tried to attack her. She escaped, but Orion sought her for seven years and couldn’t find her. Jove [Zeus], pitying the girls, appointed a way to the stars, and later, by some astronomers, they were called the Bull’s tail. And so up to this time Orion seems to be following them as they flee towards the west." - Pseudo-Hyginus, Astronomica 2. 21 "[Hephaistos decorates the shield of Akhilleus with a picture of the cosmos :] He made the earth upon it, and the sky, and the sea’s water, and the tireless sun, and the moon waxing into her fullness, and on it all the constellations that festoon the heavens, the Pleiades and the Hyades and the strength of Orion and the Bear, whom men give also the name of the Wagon, who turns about in a fixed place and looks at Orion and she alone is never plunged in the wash of Okeanos." - Homer, Iliad 18. 43 ff (trans. Lattimore) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) "But when the Pleiades and Hyades and strong Oarion begin to set [i.e. at the end of October], then remember to plough in season. But if desire for uncomfortable sea-faring seize you; when the Pleiades plunge into the misty sea [i.e. again towards the end of October] to escape Oarion's rude strength, then truly gales of all kinds rage." - Hesiod, Works and Days 618 ff Source: http://www.theoi.com/Nymphe/NymphaiPleiades.html DIOSKOUROI AS THE CONSTELLATION GEMINI  "[Constellation Gemini] Gemini (the Twins). These stars many astronomers have called Castor and Pollux [Polydeukes]. They say that of all brothers they were the most affectionate, not striving in rivalry for the leadership, nor acting without previous consultation. As a reward for their services of friendship, Jupiter [Zeus] is thought to have put them in the sky as well-known stars … Homer states that Pollux granted to his brother one half of his life, so that they shine on alternate days." - Hyginus, Astronomica 2.22 "Now [in the hunt for the Kalydonian Boar] the Gemini (the twins) [Kastor and Polydeukes], not stars of heaven as yet, came cantering up, both brothers striking, both on snow-white steeds; and both poised quivering spears with flashing points." - Ovid, Metamorphoses 8.370 "[Constellation Gemini] ‘Tell me the cause of this star sign.’ The god’s [Apollon’s] eloquent lips supplied the cause: ‘The Tyndarid brothers [the Dioskouroi], the horseman and the boxer, had raped and kidnapped Phoebe and her sister [the Leukippides]. Idas and his brother go to war for their women [and in the process Kastor is killed] ... The sublime heaven already opened for you, Pollux [Polydeukes], when you said: ‘Hear my words, father [Zeus]. Divide between two the heaven reserved for me. Half of the gift will exceed the whole.’ He spoke and ransomed his brother by rotating positions. Both stars assist troubled ships." - Ovid, Fasti 5.697 "[Hera complains:] `I must dwell on earth, for harlots hold the sky [in the form of constellations] ... [and Zeus' bastard sons] here Orion with threatening sword terrifies the gods, and golden Perseus has his stars; the bright constellation [Gemini] of the twin Tyndaridae shines yonder." - Seneca, Hercules Furens 4 Source: http://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/Dioskouroi.html [S5] - Carpenter, Edward: Pagan & Christian Creeds, 1920. Page 36-53 [Chaper III: "The Symbolism of the Zodiac"] [S6] - Acharya S.: Suns of God, Adventures Unlimited Press, 2004. Page 60-85 [Chaper III: "The Sun God"] [S7] - Hazelrigg, John.: The Sun Book, Health Research, 1971. Page 43 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This is Horus.[M] He is the Sun God of Egypt of around 3000 BC [S8] [D]. He is the sun, anthropomorphized, and his life is a series of allegorical myths involving the sun's movement in the sky. [S9] [S10] [M] From the ancient hieroglyphics in Egypt, we know much about this solar messiah. For instance, Horus, being the sun, or the light, had an enemy known as Set and Set [D] was the personification of the darkness or night .[M] [S11] And, metaphorically speaking, every morning Horus would win the battle against Set - while in the evening, Set would conquer Horus and send him into the underworld. [S12] [S13] It is important to note that "dark vs. light" or "good vs. evil" is one of the most ubiquitous mythological dualities ever known and is still expressed on many levels to this day. |
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| Broadly speaking, the story of Horus is as follows: Horus was born on December 25th [S14] [S15] of the virgin Isis-Meri.[S16] [S17] [S18] [D] [M] His birth was accompanied by a star in the east [S19], which in turn, three kings followed to locate and adorn the new-born savior [M] [S20] [S21] At the age of 12, he was a prodigal child teacher, and at the age of 30 [S22] [S23] he was baptized by a figure known as Anup [M] and thus began his ministry[S24] [M]. Horus had 12 disciples[S25] he traveled about with, performing miracles[S26] [S27]such as healing the sick[S28] and walking on water[S29]. Horus was known by many gestural names such as The Truth, The Light, God's Annointed Son, The Good Shepherd, The Lamb of God, and many others[S30] [S31]. After being betrayed by Typhon[S32], Horus was crucified[S33] [S34], buried for 3 days[S35], and thus, resurrected.[S36] [S37] [M]. |  "Isis is reported [..] to have been delivered of Harpocrates [Horus-the-Child] about the winter solstice, he being in the first shootings and sprouts very imperfect and tender. [...] They also observe the festival of her child-birth after the vernal equinox." - Plutarch (46-120 CE), On Isis and Osiris, 65 "…at the winter solstice the sun would seem to be a little child, like that which the Egyptians bring forth from a shrine on an appointed day, since the day is then at its shortest and the god is accordingly shown as a tiny infant." – Macrobius, Saturnalia (I, XVIII:10), ca. 400 CE, transl. Percival V. Davies. New York: Columbia University Press, 1969. "The double birth of Horus at the two times, or the birth of the babe in the winter solstice and the rebirth as the adult in the Easter equinox is acknowledged in the Egyptian Book of the Divine Birth. The celebration of the Nativity at the solstice is referred to in the calendar of Edfu, and it is said that "everything is performed which is ordained" in the "Book of the Divine Birth." - Gerald Massey, Ancient Egypt: The Light of the World, 1907 "As the winter solstice denotes the literal decline of solar light, festivals celebrated at this time are connected with the renewal of the life force. One of these festivals was the annual raising of the Djed pillar of Asar [Osiris] at his great temple at Busiris in Lower Egypt. This was a symbolic restoration of the Neter's [God's] life, an event which followed a ritual reenactment of an episode in the great Osirian mythos, The Contendings of Heru [Horus] and Set. It took place, according to ancient records, on the 30th of Choiach [Khoiak], a time coinciding with the end of the Nile's inundation over the land. In our calendar the festival begins on December 10 and culminates at the winter solstice (December 22)." - The Sacred Tradition in Ancient Egypt, by Rosemary Clark, 2000 "Furthermore, it was claimed that Osiris died during the feast of Sokar, in other words, around the winter solstice (Johnstone, 247). Regarding this feast, Wilkinson remarks: "At the festival of the god his bark was borne in solemn procession round the walls of the temple of Sokaris.... The festival was connected with the winter solstice, with the "little sun," as the Egyptian called it at the time. In the Ptolemaic period it fell on the morning of the 26th of Khoiak (22nd December), while in earlier times it would seem to have been held in the evening.." (Wilkinson, J., MCAE, III, 135.). In a papyrus fragment of a calendar from the Hibeh collection (27), evidently created at Sais and dating to circa 301-240 BCE, the 26th of Koiak is deemed the "Festival of Osiris." (Grenfell, 144). This "festival of Osiris" was said to last four days, beginning on the 26th of Koiak and ending on the 29th of Koiak (Canopus Inscr. 1. 51). This four-day period evidently constitutes the same span in Plutarch when Isis is mourning for Osiris. Concerning this festival, Egyptologist Dr. Bernard P. Grenfell (1869-1926), a professor of Papyrology at Oxford remarks, "At Esneh the feast of Sokar, the Memphite god of the dead, identified with Osiris in later times, also took place on Choiak 26." (Grenfell, 153). Brugsch likewise discusses the feast of Sokar, which was held on the 26th of Koiak, equivalent to December 22nd in the Julian calendar and December 25th in the calendar of Eudoxus (410/408-355/347 BCE). In the temple of Dendera, Brugsch relates, we find a description of the 26th of Koiak - December 22nd also in the Alexandrian calendar - as representing the day of the winter solstice and of the "Rising of Osiris as the sun and moon." (Brugsch, TIA, II, 426). Brugsch further states that the winter-solstice festival - along with the Sokar fest - on the 26th of Koiak was proved to have existed during the period of the Alexandrian calendar, i. e., just before the common era. This fact, of course, means that we possess mention of the winter-solstice celebrations in Egyptian records dating from at least 20 centuries before the common era, right up to the time of Christ's alleged advent and, in fact, well into the common era. In reality the winter-solstice celebration was so important that King Ptolemy VII Neos Dionysos (81-55 BCE) is depicted as pulling a ceremonial sled as part of a solemn procession on that date, Brugsch describes the sled drawn by Ptolemy VII as representing the "Exodus of Sokar," with an image on the sled - sitting on top of an ark, as in the "ark of the covenant" and as in the boat or bark of the "little sun" - resembling a baby hawk or falcon, with the sun disc on his head. [...] In consideration of the fact that both Sokar and Horus are sun gods, both are identified with Osiris, both are represented as hawks or falcons as well as the "little sun" or "baby sun," and that the Egyptians associated Horus with Sokar (Pyramid text T 196, PT 364:620b-c: "Horus has lifted you up in his identity of the Sokar-boat and will bear you in your identity of Sokar.." Allen J. AEPT, 81. At M 375, PT 610:1712a,c. "Horus says he will akhify his father.. as Sokar..", Allen, J. AEPT, 232.), it would seem again that Plutarch too is correct. Moreover, like Horus, one of Sokar's major roles is that of the resurrected Osiris; hence, the baby sun as hawk/falcon emerges at the winter solstice as the resurrected Osiris. Thus, we can state once more that the Egyptian sun god dies and is reborn at the winter solstice, precisely as we find in other cultures." - Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection by D. M. Murdock, 2009, Stellar House Publishing, LLC.    "The Pyramid Texts speak of "the great virgin" (hwn.t wr.t) three times (682c, 728a, 2002a, cf. 809c); she is anonymous, appears as the protectress of the king, and is explicitly called his mother once (809c). It is interesting that Isis is addressed as hwn.t in a sarcophagus oracle that deals with her mysterious pregnancy. In a text in the Abydos Temple of Seti I, Isis herself declares: "I am the great virgin." - Source: Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, Dr. Johannes Botterweck, Eerdmans Publishing Co., MI, 1974 "The assetion that Horus's mother was called "Mery" is sound and important, as is the claim that like her Christian counterpart, the Egyptian Mother of God was deemed an "immaculate virgin." As we have already seen, Church father Epiphanius related that the Egyptians did indeed celebrate a virgin mother, although in his account these were Greek followers of the goddess Kore at Alexandria. This information was evidently too threatening to the Church, however, such that it was expurgated from at least one edition of Epiphanius's work. Nevertheless, this virgin mother, says Campbell, is a "Hellenized transformation of Isis," and, during the first century BCE, Diodorus equated Isis with Demeter, Kore's virgin mother. Like Diodorus, the poet Apuleius likewise identified isis with Demeter in his famous work The Golden Ass (11.2). As we have also seen, Cosmas of jerusalem speaks of the same festival as Epiphanius, with "Hellenes" (Greeks) shouting that "the virgin has brought forth, the light grows." Combining these and other testimonies with the fact of various goddesses such as isis being called "virgin" in ancient Egyptian texts, and it is obvious that in Egypt existed pre-Christian precedents of the virgin mother. [...] According to Plutarch (9, 354C), "In Sais the statue of Athena, whom they believe to be Isis, bore the mysterious inscription: 'I am all that has been, and is, and shall be, and my robe no mortal has yet uncovered.' As indicated, this writing at Sais finished with the sentence, 'The fruit I have produced is the sun.' [...] Validating this contention, Dr. John D. Ray, a professor of Egyptology at Cambridge, comments: "In Sais in the Delta... there was a virgin goddess who gave birth to the sun at the beginning of time by some form of parhenogenesis." (Ray, 63). In addition, in the text of Esna/Esne appears a hymn to Neith, the "creator of all that exists," which "celebrates the goddess of Sais as an androgynous, primeval, and creator deity, the divine mother of Re..." (Zabkar, 113). As the androgynous and primeval creator the goddess reproduces parthenogenically. The fact of her ancient association with the famous goddess Athena - herself a chaste and pristine virgin, as indicated by the name of her temple at Athens, the Parthenon - confirms neith's esteemed virginal status. Nevertheless, Athena - the Parthenos - too is considered "the mother by Hephaistos of Apollo patroos" as well as the "mother of Erechtheus by Hephaistos but a virgin." (Price, T., 204). Moreover, as professor emeritus at the University of Clermont-ferrand Dr. Paul Faure asserts, "At Athens, on the Acropolis, the virgin Athena was the mother of Erichtonius," referring to the king of Athens. (Bonnefoy, REM, 33, 41, 90). The discussion of Athena as the mother of Apollo appears in "On The nature Of The Gods (III, 22, 23) by Cicero (106-43 BCE): Since Athena's main sanctuary was called parthenon, it is obvious that her virginity was highly prized; yet, in this pre-Christian source, she is also named as the mother of the sun god." - Source: Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection by D. M. Murdock, 2009, Stellar House Publishing, LLC. "The identification of Isis with the Virgin in fact, is further made in an ancient Greek text called "The Katasterismoi", or Catasterismi, allegedly written by the astronomer Eratosthenes (276-194 BCE), who was for some 50 years the head librarian of the massive Library of Alexandria.(Condos, 17). [...] In his essay on the zodiacal sign of Virgo (ch. 9), under the heading of "Parthenos," the author includes the goddes isis, among others, such as Demeter, Atagartis and Tyche, as identified with and as the constellation of the Virgin. (Eratosthenes, 244-245). [...] The fact that the Virgin Mary herself is associated with the constellation of Virgo becomes evident from the placement of her "ascension into heaven," called the "Assumption of the Virgin Mary," on August 15th, representing one of the four greatest religious festivals in France, for one (Levillain, 124). Christians believe that this date reflects the time when the mortal Mary ascended or was assumed into heaven. However, the fixation on this date of the supposedly mortal Mary's assumption is quite obviously a reflection of an ancient observance of the assumption of the constellation of Virgo during the time when the sun god "absorbs the celestial virgin in his fiery course, and she disappears in the midst of the luminous rays and the glory of her son." (Lloyd, II, 360). Concerning this event, Sir Rev. Jacob Youde William lloyd (1816-1887) relates: "The Roman Calendar of Columella (Col. lii, cap ii, p. 429) marks the death or disappearance of Virgo on the thirteenth day before the Kalends of September, that is, on the 15th of August; and on this day the ancient Greeks and Romans fix the Assumption of Astraea, who is the same as isis. At the end of three weeks or thereabouts, the Calendar notes the birth of the virgin Isis, or her release from the solar rays. On the third day before the Ides, that is the 8th of September, it says the middle of Virgo rises, so that the same constellation, which is born on the 8th of September, presides at midnight on the 25th of December over the birth of the sun..." (Lloyd, II, 360-361). The ancient Roman calendar of Columella dates to around 65 AD/CE and does indeed discuss the assumption of the constellation of Virgo, on the precise date centuries later ascribed to Mary's assumption in the Christian mythos. (Columella, XI, 58; Lundstrom edition, 1902-1917). The Greek goddess Astraea was a daughter of Zeus who, after her ascension into heaven, became Virgo." - Source: Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection by D. M. Murdock, 2009, Stellar House Publishing, LLC.   "Osiris's coming was announced by Three Wise Men: the three stars Mintaka, Anilam, and Alnitak in the belt of Orion, which point directly to osiris's star in the east, Sirius (Sothis), significator of his birth." - Source: Barbara Walker, The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets (1983) "The soul or sahou of Osiris was said to have dwelt in Orion. The Belt of three stars, the middle one being of especial interest, could not fail to win attention. But everything in the stellar field pales before the brilliancy of Sirius, the dog-star." - Source: James Bonwick, Egyptian Belief and Modern Thought "Sothis (spdt "Sharp"). The morning star, Sirius, seen by the Egyptians as a goddess. In Egypt the star disappears below the horizon once a year for a period of some seventy days; its reappearance in midsummer marked the beginning of the annual inundation and the Egyptian year. The star's rising was also seen as a harbinger of the sunrise and therefore associated with Horus in his solar aspect, occasionally specified as Horus in Sothis (hrw jmj spdt), Sothic Horus (hrw spdtj), or Sharp Horus (hrw spd)." - Source: James P. Allen, The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts, 2005 "Go out next Christmas Evening, and at midnight you will see the brightest of the fixed stars, Sirius blazing in the southern sky - not however due south from you, but somewhat to the left of the Meridian line. Some three thousand years ago (owing to the Precession of the Equinoxes) that star at the winter solstice did not stand at midnight where you now see it, but almost exactly on the meridian line. The coming of Sirius therefore to the meridian at midnight became the sign and assurance of the Sun having reached the very lowest point of his course, and therefore having arrived at the moment of his re-birth." - Source: Edward Carpenter, "Pagan and Christian Creeds: Their Origin and Meaning, Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1921 "Look, he is come as Orion," (they say). "Look, Osiris is come as Orion..." The sky shall conceive you with Orion, the morning-star shall give you birth with Orion. Live! Live, as the gods have commanded you live. With Orion in the eastern arm of the sky shall you go up, with Orion in the western arm of the sky shall you go down. Sothis, whose places are clean, is the third of you two: she is the one who will lead you.." - James P. Allen, The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts, 2005 "The Season of the Waters," in the ancient nomenclature, plainly shows that the Tropical Year to which that nomenclature was originally applied commenced at the winter solstice, and not at, nor near, either of the equinoxes, or the summer solstice. […] Thus we find that the true period of the commencement of "the Season of the Inundation" was one month before the autumnal equinox; and the end, at the winter solstice; and, consequently, that the Tropical Year anciently in use among the Egyptians commenced at the winter solstice, when all things in Egypt begin anew." - Source: Horae Aegyptiacae: Or, the Chronology of Ancient Egypt by Dr. Reginald Stuart Poole "An ancient Egypt source informs us that Egyptian year originally commenced around the winter solstice. According to the "adjustable calendar," the beginning of the First Dynasty should consequently be set at around 3518 BCE. Between 3518 and 3514 BCE, their New Year's Day - known to the Egyptians as I Achet 1 - fell on January 16th or 17th (Julian calendar), the day of the winter solstice [at that time]... During the reign of Thutmosis III [fl. 1479-1425 BCE], this winter solstice from times beyond recall was apparently still observed as a commemorative day on which festivities were held - and considered a cause for rejoicing. Even during Graeco-Roman period, this commemorative festival was still celebrated in the temples at Edfu and Esna." - Source: Willem Zitman, Egypt: "Image of Heaven", 2006 "The appearance of the three stars in a line with Sirius occurred in the night sky over Egypt thousands of years ago, pointing to the horizon as the new sun was born at the winter solstice. Thus, it could be asserted that the three kings trailing the bright star announced the birth of the savior at the winter solstice in Egypt, ages prior to the same event purportedly taking place in Judea. [...] In Plato's Second Letter/Epistle II (2.312E) - predating the common era by centuries, if genuine - we find a discussion of the "Three Kings," who are identified by latin writer Amelius (3rd cent.) with the Neoplatonic "Three intellects and Demiurges," as well as with "the three whom Orpheus celebrates under the names of Phanes, Ouranos, and Cronus." (see: Turner, 287; Wilkinson, SSMCAE, 190). Since Orion is speculated to be derived etymologically from the Akkadian Uru-Anna (see: Livo, 26), is it possible that Ouranos is also a cognate. In any event, in this Platonic example we possess "Three Kings" who are astrotheological, as in the orion mythos and possibly serving as a foreshadowing of the motif within Christianity. " - Source: Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection by D. M. Murdock, 2009, Stellar House Publishing, LLC. "Canis Major, the Greater Dog, lies south-east of Orion, on the western border of the Milky Way, and is remarkable because it contains Sirius, the blazing Dog Star, the brightest star in all the sky. It is not a large constellation, but has, in addition to its magnificent leader, three stars of the second magnitude, three of the third, and a number of the fourth, fifth, and sixth magnitudes. According to Greek fable, Canis Major was one of the hounds of Orion, which accompanied the great hunter when he was translated to the sky. Another legend asserts that it represents the dog given by Aurora to Cephalus, which surpassed all rivals in fleetness. To the Egyptians it was the representative of their deity Anubis, which had the figure of a man with the head of a dog. They regarded it, when appearing in the east just before sunrise, as the herald of the annual inundation of the Nile. Anubis was the guard and companion of Isis, wife of Osiris, the god of the Nile, and in Egyptian temples was represented as the guard of other gods." - Source: The Call of the Stars, by John R. Kippax "Are you not aware that the dog is the Anubis of Egypt, the Sirius of the skies; and in hell is the keeper Cerberus?" - Lucian of Samosata (A.D. 125-180), Sale of Creeds, The Works of Lucian of Samosata by H . W. Flowler "Like to the autumnal star, whose brilliant ray shines eminent amid the depth of night, whom men the dog-star of Orion call." - Source: The Iliad by Homer "In the pyramid text, Sopdet is described as having united with the king/Osiris to give birth to the morning star, Venus, and through her association with that netherworld god, she was naturally identified with Isis, who she was eventually synchronized with as Isis-Sothis. In the Lamentations of Isis and Nephthys, from a fourth century BC papyrus, Isis asserts that she is Sothis, who will unswervingly follow Osiris in his manifestation as Orion in heaven. Though at first an important deity of the inundation and as an afterlife guide to the deceased king through the Field of Rushes, by the Middle Kingdom she was identified as a "mother" and "nurse". The earliest known depictions of Sothis, known from a 1st Dynasty ivory tablet belonging to Djer and unearthed at Abydos, represent the goddess as a reclining cow with a plant-like emblem (perhaps representing the "year") between her horns. She is almost always shown as a woman wearing a tall crown similar to the White Crown of Upper Egypt but with tall, upswept horns at the sides and surmounted by a star with five points." - Source: touregypt.net "On the ceiling of the entrance to the hypostyle room at Denderah, we see the rectangular zodiac, on which the Horus-falcon on his standard (papyrus column, hieroglyph M13) is shown, which is placed between the heavenly cow Sirius and Orion." - Source: Willem Zitman, Egypt: "Image of Heaven", 2006, fig. 6 and Ch.4 "Sirius was the key calibrator of the Egyptian calendar. The earth's orbital motion eventually puts the sun in the same direction as Sirius, and even the night's brightest star is lost in the glare of day. After disappearing the the night sky, however, Sirius eventually reappears in the dawn, before the sun comes up. [..] Isis, as Sirius, was "the mistress of the year's beginning," for the Egyptian new year was set by this event. New Year's ceremony texts at Dendera say Isis coaxes out the Nile and causes it to swell. The metaphor is astronomical, hydraulical, and sexual, and it parallels the function of isis in the myth. Sirius revives the Nile just as isis revived Osiris. Her time in hiding from Set is when Sirius is gone from the night sky. She gives birth to her son Horus, as Sirius gives birth to the new year, and in texts Horus and the new year are equated. She is the vehicle for renewal of life and order. [..] The New life, in the form of a crop of grain, sprouts from the body of the dead Osiris and completes another cycle in the circuit of cosmic order. Orisis embodies the principle of rebirth and resurrection and is associated with everything that follows the pattern: the sun, the moon, the stars, the river, the plants, and the soul. He is the "lord of Everything." - Source: Edwin C. Krupp, Echoes of the Ancient Skies: The Astronomy of Lost Civilizations "Several hours before sunrise on December 25th, or about midnight, the sign of the Virgin rose above the horizon. This was the hour of the young god's birth. The sacrificial lamb (Aries) was in the west at this hour and sank below the horizon with the rising of the Virgin in the east. High in the western sky, in the sign of Taurus, stood orion, the star of Horus. The three bright stars in the Belt of Orion were the three magi or kings. Directly across the sky from Orion is the Scorpion, which, a myth says, followed him, as indeed it does, in the zodiac. In Taurus is the constellation of Columba, the dove, symbol of the virgin and the Holy Ghost. At the feet of the Virgin is the herdsman Boeotis. Within the sign of Taurus there is also a small group of stars called the Stable (Aurega). This is the same Stable of Augeas which Hercules mythically cleansed as his sixth Labor and Justin Martyr proudly boasted that Christ was born on the very day when the sun takes his birth in the Stable of Augeas in the sign of the Goat (Capricorn). It also agrees with the tradition that the sun god was born in a stable or cave (caves or niches carved in the rocks being sometimes used as stables)." - Source: Ernest Busenbark, "Symbols, Sex, and the Stars", 1997 "The scene of the baptism by John can be paralleled in the Ritual (97). Horus claims to be the master of all things, including the water of the Inundation. When he comes to be baptized, it is "said at the boat," called the "staff of Anup," "Look upon me, oh ye great and mighty Gods, who are foremost among the spirits of Annu; let me be exalted in your presence." The plea for baptism is very express. "Lo, I come, that I may purify this soul of mine in the most high degree: let not that impediment which cometh from your mouth be issued against me, let me be purified in the lake of propitiation and of equipoise: let me plunge into the divine pool beneath the two divine sycamores of heaven and after." After the baptism, he says,, "Now let my Fold be fitted for me as one victorious against all adversaries who would not that right should e done to me. I am the only one just and true upo the earth." - Source: Gerald Massey, Ancient Egypt: Light of The World, I & II, Kessinger, 2002  "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." - Source: Who Was Jesus? Fingerprints of The Christ by D.M. Murdock, 2007   "Osiris, the Egyptian Saviour, was crucified in the heavens. To the Egyptian the cross was the symbol of immortality, an emblem of the Sun, and the god himself was crucified to the tree, which denoted his fructifying power. [...] "Horus was also crucified in the heavens. He was represented, like...Christ Jesus, with outstretched arms in the vault of heaven." - Source: Thomas W. Doane, Bible Myths and Their Parallels in Other Religions "A figure entirely peculiar to Valentinian Gnosticism is that of Horos (the Limiter). The name is perhaps an echo of the Egyptian Horus. The peculiar task of Horos is to separate the fallen aeons from the upper world of aeons. At the same time he becomes...a kind of world-creative power.... He is also called, curiously enough, Stauros (cross), and we frequently meet with references to the figure of Stauros. But we must not be in too great a hurry to conjecture that this is a Christian figure. Speculations about the Stauros are older than Christianity, and a Platonic conception may have been at work here. Plato had already stated that the world-soul revealed itself in the form of the letter Chi (X); by which he meant that figure described in the heavens by the intersecting orbits of the sun and the planetary ecliptic. Since through this double orbit all the movements of the heavenly powers are determined, so all "becoming" and all life depend on it, and thus we can understand the statement that the world-soul appears in the form of an X, or a cross. The cross can also stand for the wondrous aeon on whom depends the ordering and life of the world, and thus Horos-Stauros appears here as the first redeemer of Sophia from her passions, and as the orderer of the creation of the world which now begins. This explanation of Horos, moreover, is not a mere conjecture, but one branch of the Valentinian school, the Marcosians, have expressedly so explained this figure.... Naturally, then, the figure of Horos-Stauros was often in later days assimilated to that of the Christian Redeemer." Source: Encyclopedia Britannica, on 'Valentinus', p. 854 "As a Platonic ideal, the cosmic cross/stauros precedes the Christian era by centuries; yet, the cross supposedly only gained significance with Jesus's alleged death upon it. In fact, the cross's purpose as bestower of salvation and eternal life already existed as a spiritual concept long before the common era, in Egypt for one. Indeed, Osiris's depiction on or as the djed pillar - surrounded by the two sisters or "the Merti" (Budge, 429), much like Christ on the cross with the three Marys at his feet (Jn 19:25) - served as "sin removal," as related in Christ in Egypt (351): "...the erection of the djed cross during the celebration also apparently took the place of human sacrifice, which was designed to propitiate the god or God in order to remove sins and bring about continuity of the community as a whole." The correlation between Osiris's pillar and the cross of Jesus was obvious enough to the Egyptian Christians or Copts for them to depict Archangel Michael, for example, holding a "djed cross" in his right hand. As further stated in CIE (365), in addition to pre-Christian texts depicting the "crucified man in space," we also possess various Egypto-Christian artifacts connecting Jesus with both Osiris and Horus, including Gnostic gems. As another example, in Ancient Christian Mage: Coptic Texts of Ritual Power, Drs. Marvin W. Meyer and Richard Smith report on a crucifix in the Coptic Museum in Old Cairo "with the crucified figure of Jesus together with a falcon (Horus)." This artifact demonstrates that identifying Horus with the crucified Jesus occurred even in antiquity." - Source: Was Horus "Crucified?" by D.M. Murdock "The myth of Osiris involves his own death and resurrection, a theme that echoes the daily cycle of sun's death and its rebirth at dawn" - Source: Edwin C. Krupp, Echoes of the Ancient Skies "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), quoted in Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection by D. M. Murdock, 2009, Stellar House Publishing, LLC. "The Isia, the solemn mourning for the god Osiris, 'the Lord of Tombs,' lasted for three days, and began at sunset..." - Source: R.G. Halliburton, Journal of the Astronomical society of Canada (14,16), quoted in Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection by D. M. Murdock, 2009, Stellar House Publishing, LLC. "...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), quoted in Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection by D. M. Murdock, 2009, Stellar House Publishing, LLC. "...Osiris rose to new life in his son, Horus..." - Source: Tryggve N.D. Mettinger, The Riddle of the Resurrection "Isis also discovered the elixir of imortality, 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." - Source: Diodorus Siculus (90 BC – 27 BC), The Antiquities of Egypt "The Book of the Dead promised resurrection to all mankind, as a reward for righteous living, long before Judaism and Christianity embraced the concept." - Dr. Ogden Goelet, The Egyptian Book of The Dead "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 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." - Source: Bojana Mojsov, Osiris: Death and Afterlife of a God "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 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 perfom, they shroud the gilded image of a cow with a black linen vestment, and display her as a sign of mourning of 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 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 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." - Source: Plutarch (46-120 CE), On Isis and Osiris [S14] - Massey, Gerald.: The Historical Jesus and the Mythical Christ, The Book Tree, . Page 39-40 [S15] - Septehenses, Clerk De.: Religions. of the Ancient. Greeks, p. 214. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| These attributes of Horus, whether original or not, seem to permeate in many cultures of the world, for many other gods are found to have the same general mythological structure. Attis, of Phyrigia, born of the virgin Nana on December 25th, crucified, placed in a tomb and after 3 days, was resurrected. [M] [D] [S38] [S39] [S40] [S41] [S42] [S43] | "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 metroac cult. 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 it 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. Beyond Attis himself, Cybele too offered a challenge to Christian divine nomenclature. Cybele was regarded as a virgin goddess and as such could be seen as a rival to the Virgin Mary… Cybele as the mother of the Gods, mater Deum, here again presented a starkly pagan parallel to the Christian Mother of God. There was rivalry too in ritual. The climax of the celebration of Attis' resurrection, the Hilaria, fell on the 25th of March, the date that the early church had settled on as the day of Christ's death." - Source: Cybele, Attis and related cults by Maarten Jozef Vermaseren, Eugene Lane "ANOTHER of those gods whose supposed death and resurrection struck such deep roots into the faith and ritual of Western Asia is Attis. He was to Phrygia what Adonis was to Syria. Like Adonis, he appears to have been a god of vegetation, and his death and resurrection were annually mourned and rejoiced over at a festival in spring. The legends and rites of the two gods were so much alike that the ancients themselves sometimes identified them. Attis was said to have been a fair young shepherd or herdsman beloved by Cybele, the Mother of the Gods, a great Asiatic goddess of fertility, who had her chief home in Phrygia. Some held that Attis was her son. His birth, like that of many other heroes, is said to have been miraculous. His mother, Nana, was a virgin, who conceived by putting a ripe almond or a pomegranate in her bosom. Indeed in the Phrygian cosmogony an almond figured as the father of all things, perhaps because its delicate lilac blossom is one of the first heralds of the spring, appearing on the bare boughs before the leaves have opened." - Source: The Golden Bough: a Study in Magic and Religion by James Frazer  [S38] - Acharya S.: The Christ Conspiracy, Adventures Unlimited Press, 1999. Page 107-108 [S39] - Frazer, James.: The Golden Bough, Touchstone, 1963. Page 403-409 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Krishna, of India, born of the virgin Devaki with a star in the east signaling his coming, performed miracles with his disciples, and upon his death was resurrected. [S44] [S45] [S46] [S47] [S48] [M] [M2] [D] | [S44] - Carpenter, Edward: Pagan and Christian Creeds, p 12 [S45] - Acharya S.: Suns of God , Adventures Unlimited Press, 2004. Chapter 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dionysus of Greece, born of a virgin on December 25th, was a traveling teacher who performed miracles such as turning water into wine, he was referred to as the "King of Kings," "God's Only Begotten Son," "The Alpha and Omega," and many others, and upon his death, he was resurrected. [S49] [S50] [S51] [S52] [S53] [M]. | [S49] - Freke & Gandy: The Jesus Mysteries, Three Rivers Press, p. 29, 33, 38, 48, 56 [S50] - Frazer, James.: The Golden Bough, Touchstone, 1963. Page 451-452, 543 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mithra, of Persia, born of a virgin on December 25th, he had 12 disciples and performed miracles, and upon his death was buried for 3 days and thus resurrected, he was also referred to as "The Truth," "The Light," and many others. Interestingly, the sacred day of worship of Mithra was Sunday. [S54] [S55] [S56] [S57] [S58] [M] | [S54] - Carpenter, Edward: Pagan and Christian Creeds, DODO Press, p10 [S55] - Freke & Gandy: The Jesus Mysteries, Three Rivers Press, p. 33, 42 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The fact of the matter is there are numerous saviors, from different periods, from all over the world, which subscribe to these general characteristics. The question remains: why these attributes, why the virgin birth on December 25th, why dead for three days and the inevitable resurrection, why 12 disciples or followers? [M] To find out, let's examine the most recent of the solar messiahs. Jesus Christ was born of the virgin Mary on December 25th [D] in Bethlehem, his birth was announced by a star in the east, which three kings or magi followed to locate and adorn the new savior.[D] He was a child teacher at 12, at the age of 30 he was baptized by John the Baptist, and thus began his ministry. Jesus had 12 disciples which he traveled about with performing miracles such as healing the sick, walking on water, raising the dead, he was also known as the "King of Kings," the "Son of God," the "Light of the World," the "Alpha and Omega," the "Lamb of God," and many others. After being betrayed by his disciple Judas and sold for 30 pieces of silver, he was crucified, placed in a tomb and after 3 days was resurrected and ascended into Heaven.[S59] | "The earliest rapprochement of the birth of Christ and the sun is in the writing of Church father Cyprian (200-258)..: "O, how wonderfully acted Providence that on that day on which that Sun was born...Christ should be born." [...] In the fourth century, Chrysostom.. says:..."But Our Lord, too, is born in the month of December...the eight before the calends of January [25 December]..., But they call it the "Birthday of the Unconquered'. Who indeed is so unconquered as Our Lord...? Or, if they say that it is the birthday of the Sun, He is the Sun of Justice." - Source: Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. III, p. 727 "Beyond its historical dimension, this mystery of salvation also has a cosmic dimension: Christ is the sun of grace who, with his life, "transfigures and enflames the expectant universe" (cf. Liturgy). The Christmas festivity is placed within and linked to the winter solstice when, in the northern hemisphere, the days begin once again to lengthen. In this regard perhaps not everyone knows that in St Peter's Square there is also a meridian; in fact, the great obelisk casts its shadow in a line that runs along the paving stones toward the fountain beneath this window and in these days, the shadow is at its longest of the year. This reminds us of the role of astronomy in setting the times of prayer. The Angelus, for example, is recited in the morning, at noon and in the evening, and clocks were regulated by the meridian which in ancient times made it possible to know the "exact midday." - Pope BENEDICT XVI, Official Speech for the International Year of Astronomy 2009, 21 December 2008
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| First of all, the birth sequence is completely astrological. The star in the east is Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, which, on December 24th, aligns with the 3 brightest stars in Orion's Belt. [S60] [M] These 3 bright stars are called today what they were called in ancient times: The Three Kings.[S61] [S62] The Three Kings and the brightest star, Sirius, all point to the place of the sunrise on December 25th.[S63] [M] This is why the Three Kings "follow" the star in the east, in order to locate the sunrise -- the birth of the sun.[S64] [M] |  [S60] - Carpenter, Edward: Pagan and Christian Creeds, DODO Press, p16-17 [S61] - Charles F. Dupuis : Origine de Tous les Cultes, Paris, 1822 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Virgin Mary is the constellation Virgo, [S65] also known as Virgo the Virgin. Virgo in Latin means virgin. The ancient glyph for Virgo is the altered "m". This is why Mary along with other virgin mothers, such as Adonis's mother Myrrha [S66], or Buddha's mother Maya [S67] begin with an M.[S68] [M] Virgo is also referred to as the House of Bread [S69] [S70], and the representation of Virgo is a virgin holding a sheaf of wheat. This House of Bread and its symbol of wheat represents August and September, the time of harvest. [D] In turn, Bethlehem, in fact, literally translates to "house of bread". [M] [S71] Bethlehem is thus a reference to the constellation Virgo , a place in the sky, not on Earth.[M] [S72] | [S65] - Carpenter, Edward: Pagan and Christian Creeds, DODO Press, p 17-18 [S66] - Frazer, James.: The Golden Bough, Touchstone, 1963. Page 391 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| There is another very interesting phenomenon that occurs around December 25th, or the winter solstice. From the summer solstice to the winter solstice, the days become shorter and colder. From the perspective of the northern hemisphere, the sun appears to move south and get smaller and more scarce. The shortening of the days and the expiration of the crops when approaching the winter solstice symbolized the process of death to the ancients. It was the death of the Sun. [S73] By December 22nd, the Sun's demise was fully realized, for the Sun, having moved south continually for 6 months, makes it to it's lowest point in the sky. Here a curious thing occurs: the Sun stops moving south, at least perceivably, for 3 days.[S74] [M] During this 3 day pause, the Sun resides in the vicinity of the Southern Cross, or Crux, constellation.[S75] [S76] [M] And after this time on December 25th, the Sun moves 1 degree, this time north, foreshadowing longer days, warmth, and Spring.[S77] And thus it was said: the Sun died on the cross, [D] was dead for 3 days, only to be resurrected or born again.[S78] [S79]This is why Jesus and numerous other Sun Gods share the crucifixion, 3-day death, and resurrection concept. [S80] [M] It is the Sun's transition period before it shifts its direction back into the Northern Hemisphere, bringing Spring, and thus salvation.[S81] [S82] [M] | Matthew 12:40 - "For just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
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| However, they did not celebrate the resurrection of the Sun until the spring equinox, or Easter. This is because at the spring equinox, the Sun officially overpowers the evil darkness, as daytime thereafter becomes longer in duration than night, and the revitalizing conditions of spring emerge.[M] [S83] | [S83] - Doane, Thomas: Bible Myths and Their Parallels in Other Religions, p. 496 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Now, probably the most obvious of all the astrological symbolism around Jesus regards the 12 disciples. They are simply the 12 constellations of the Zodiac, which Jesus, being the Sun, travels about with. [S84] [S85] [S86] [S87] [M] | [S84] - Acharya S.: The Christ Conspiracy, Adventures Unlimited Press, 1999. Pages 166-183 [S85] - Higgins, Godfrey: Anacalypsis, A&B Books. Pages 781-782 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In fact, the number 12 is replete throughout the Bible. [M] This text has more to do with astrology than anything else. | In Progress | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coming back to the cross of the Zodiac, the figurative life of the Sun, this was not just an artistic expression or tool to track the Sun's movements. It was also a Pagan spiritual symbol, [S88] the shorthand of which looked like this. [S89] This is not a symbol of Christianity. [M] It is a Pagan adaptation of the cross of the Zodiac. [S90] [S91] This is why Jesus in early occult art is always shown with his head on the cross, for Jesus is the Sun, the Sun of God, the Light of the World, [S92] the Risen Savior, [S93] who will "come again,"[S94] as it does every morning, the Glory of God [S95] who defends against the works of darkness,[S96] as he is "born again" [S97] every morning, and can be seen "coming in the clouds,"[S98] "up in Heaven,"[S99]with his "Crown of Thorns,"[S100] or, sun rays. | [S88] - Campbell, Jospeh: Creative Mytholigy- The Masks of God, Penguin, p 24-25
[S89] - Churchward, Albert: The Origin & Evolution of Religion, p 363 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Now, of the many astrological-astronomical metaphors in the Bible, one of the most important has to do with the ages. Throughout the scripture there are numerous references to the "Age." In order to understand this, we need to be familiar with the phenomenon known as the precession of the equinoxes. The ancient Egyptians along with cultures long before them recognized that approximately every 2150 [D] years the sunrise on the morning of the spring equinox would occur at a different sign of the Zodiac. [M] This has to do with a slow angular wobble that the Earth maintains as it rotates on it's axis.It is called a precession because the constellations go backwards, rather than through the normal yearly cycle. [S101] The amount of time that it takes for the precession to go through all 12 signs is roughly 25,765 years. [S102] This is also called the "Great Year," [S103] and ancient societies were very aware of this. They referred to each 2150 year period as an "age." From 4300 b.c. to 2150 b.c., it was the Age of Taurus, the Bull. From 2150 b.c. to 1 a.d., it was the Age of Aries, the Ram, and from 1 a.d. to 2150 a.d. it is the Age of Pisces, the age we are still in to this day, and in and around 2150, we will enter the new age: the Age of Aquarius. [S104] [S105] | [S101] - Hall, Manly P.: The Secret Teachings of All Ages, 1928. Page 53-54 [S102] - A.L. Berger; Obliquity & Precession for the last 5 million years; Astronomy & astrophysics (1976), p127 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Now, the Bible reflects, broadly speaking, a symbolic movement through 3 ages, while foreshadowing a 4th. In the Old Testament when Moses comes down Mount Sinai with the 10 Commandments, he is very upset to see his people worshiping a golden bull calf.[S106] In fact, he shattered the stone tablets and instructed his people to kill each other in order to purify themselves. [S107] Most Biblical scholars would attribute this anger to the fact that the Israelites were worshiping a false idol, [S108] or something to that effect. The reality is that the golden bull is Taurus the Bull, and Moses represents the new Age of Aries the Ram. [S109] [M] This is why Jews even today still blow the Ram's horn. [S110] [M] Moses represents the new Age of Aries, [S111] and upon the new age, everyone must shed the old age. Other deities mark these transitions as well, a pre-Christian god who kills the bull, in the same symbology. [S112] [S113] [M] | [S106] - King James Version, The Holy Bible, Holman, Exodus 32-34 [S107] - King James Version, The Holy Bible, Holman, Exodus 32:27 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Now Jesus is the figure who ushers in the age following Aries, the Age of Pisces the Two Fish.[S114] [S115] [M] Fish symbolism is very abundant in the New Testament. Jesus feeds 5000 people with bread and "2 fish." [S116] When he begins his ministry walking along Galilei, he befriends 2 fisherman, who follow him. [S117] [M] And I think we've all seen the Jesus-fish on the backs of people's cars. Little do they know what it actually means. It is a Pagan astrological symbolism for the Sun's Kingdom during the Age of Pisces.[S118] [M] Also, Jesus' assumed birth date is essentially the start of this age. | [S114] - Dowling, Eva S. A, Ph.D: Scribe to the Messenger, p 6 [S115] - Carpenter, Edward: Pagan and Christian Creeds, DODO Press, p 30 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| At Luke 22:10 when Jesus is asked by his disciples where the next passover will be, Jesus replied: "Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you bearing a pitcher of water... follow him into the house where he entereth in." This scripture is by far one of the most revealing of all the astrological references. The man bearing a pitcher of water is Aquarius, the water-bearer, who is always pictured as a man pouring out a pitcher of water. [S119] He represents the age after Pisces, and when the Sun (God's Sun) leaves the Age of Pisces (Jesus), it will go into the House of Aquarius, as Aquarius follows Pisces in the precession of the equinoxes. Also Jesus is saying is that after the Age of Pisces will come the Age of Aquarius. [S120] [M] | [S119] - Acharya S.: The Christ Conspiracy, Adventures Unlimited Press, 1999. p.146-147 [S120] - Leedom, Tim.: The Book your Church Doesnt Want You to Read, Truth Seeker,. p.25 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Now, we have all heard about the end times and the end of the world. Apart from the cartoonish depictions in the Book of Revelation, the main source of this idea comes from Matthew 28:20, where Jesus says "I will be with you even to the end of the world." [S121] However, in King James Version, "world" is a mistranslation, among many mistranslations. The actual word being used is "aeon", which means "age." "I will be with you even to the end of the age." Which is true, as Jesus' Solar Piscean personification will end when the Sun enters the Age of Aquarius. [S122] The entire concept of end times and the end of the world is a misinterpreted astrological allegory.[S123] [S124] [S125] [S126] [S127] [M] Let's tell that to the approximately 100 million people in America who believe the end of the world is coming. | [S121] - King James Version, The Holy Bible, Holman, Matthew 28:20 [S122] - Maxwell, Tice, Snow: That Old-Time Religion,The Book Tree, p44 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Furthermore, the character of Jesus, a literary and astrological hybrid, is most explicitly a plagiarization of the Egyptian Sun-god Horus.[S128] [S129] [S130] [S131]For example, inscribed about 3500 years, on the walls of the Temple of Luxor in Egypt are images of the enunciation, the immaculate conception, the birth, and the adoration of Horus. [S132] The images begin with Thaw announcing to the virgin Isis that she will conceive Horus, then Nef the holy ghost impregnating the virgin, and then the virgin birth and the adoration.[S133] [S134] [M] This is exactly the story of Jesus' miracle conception. In fact, the literary similarities between the Egyptian religion and the Christian religion are staggering. [M] [S135] | [S128] - Jackson, John: Christianity before Christ, AAP, p. 109-118 [S129] - Budge. Sir. E.A. Wallis: The Gods of the Egyptions Vol I, Methuen and Co. p566-599 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| And the plagiarism is continuous. The story of Noah and Noah's Ark is taken directly from tradition. The concept of a Great Flood is ubiquitous throughout the ancient world, with over 200 different cited claims in different periods and times. [S136] [S137] [M] However, one need look no further for a pre-Christian source than the Epic of Gilgamesh,[S138] [S139] written in 2600 b.c. This story talks of a Great Flood commanded by God, an Ark with saved animals upon it, and even the release and return of a dove, all held in common with the biblical story, among many other similarities.[S140] [M] | [S136] - Acharya S.: The Christ Conspiracy, Adventures Unlimited Press, 1999. p.237-239 [S137] -Walker, Barbara: Women's Encyplodia of Myths and Secrets, p. 315 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| And then there is the plagiarized story of Moses. Upon Moses' birth, it is said that he was placed in a reed basket and set adrift in a river in order to avoid infanticide. He was later rescued by a daughter of royalty and raised by her as a Prince.[S141] This baby in a basket story was lifted directly from the myth of Sargon of Akkad of around 2250 b.c. Sargon was born, placed in a reed basket in order to avoid infanticide, and set adrift in a river. He was in turn rescued and raised by Akki, a royal mid-wife.[S142] [S143] [M] | [S141] - King James Version, The Holy Bible, Holman, Exodus 2:1-10 [S142] - Blavatsky, H. P.: The Secret Doctrine Vol 1, p 319-320 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Furthermore, Moses is known as the Law Giver, the giver of the Ten Commandments,[S144] the Mosaic Law. However, the idea of a Law being passed from God to a prophet on a mountain is also a very old motif. Moses is just a law giver in a long line of law givers in mythological history. [S145] In India, Manou was the great law giver. [S146] In Crete, Minos ascended Mount Dicta, where Zeus gave him the sacred laws. [S147] While in Egypt there was Mises, [S148] who carried stone tablets and upon them the laws of god were written. | [S144] - King James Version, The Holy Bible, Holman, Exodus 20:2-17 [S145] - Doane, Thomas.: Bible Myths and Their Parallels in Other Religions, p. 55-61 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| And as far as the Ten Commandments, they are taken outright from Spell 125 of the Egyptian Book of the Dead. [S149] What the Book of the Dead phrased "I have not stolen" became "Thou shall not steal," "I have not killed" became "Thou shall not kill," "I have not told lies" became "Thou shall not bear false witness" and so forth. [S150] In fact, the Egyptian religion is likely the primary foundational basis for the Judeo-Christian theology. [M] Baptism, [S151] afterlife,[S152] final judgment, [S153] virgin birth [S154] and resurrection, [S155] crucifixion, [S156] the ark of the covenant, [S157]circumcision, [S158] [S159] saviors,[S160] holy communion, [S161] the great flood, [S162] Easter, [S163] Christmas [S164] [S165] , Passover, [S166] and many many more, are all attributes of Egyptian ideas, long predating Christianity and Judaism. | [S149] - Massey, Gerald. :Ancient Egypt The Light of The World ,Cosimo Classics, Pages 526-528 [S150] - Budge. Sir. E.A. Wallis: The Book of the Dead, Gramercy, Chapter CXXV | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Justin Martyr, one of the first Christian historians and defenders, wrote: "When we say that he, Jesus Christ, our teacher, was produced without sexual union, was crucified and died, and rose again, and ascended into Heaven, we propound nothing different from what you believe regarding those who you esteem Sons of Jupiter." [S167] In a different writing, Justin Martyr said "He was born of a virgin, accept this in common with what you believe of Perseus." [S168] It's obvious that Justin and other early Christians knew how similar Christianity was to the Pagan religions. However, Justin had a solution. As far as he was concerned, the Devil did it. The Devil had the foresight to come before Christ, and create these characteristics in the Pagan world. [S169] | [S167] - Martyr, Justin: First Apology / The Apostolic Fathers: Martyr and Irenaeus by Philip Schaff. Eerdmans Pub. [S168] - Martyr, Justin: I Apol., chs. xxi, xxii; ANF. i, 170; cf. Add. ad Grace. ch. lxix; Ib. 233. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Bible is nothing more than an astro-theological literary fold hybrid, just like nearly all religious myths before it. [S170] [S171] [S172] [S173] [S174]In fact, the aspect of transference, of one character's attributes to a new character, can be found within the book itself. In the Old Testament there's the story of Joseph. Joseph was a prototype for Jesus. Joseph was born of a miracle birth, [S175] Jesus was born of a miracle birth. [S176] Joseph was of 12 brothers, [S177] Jesus had 12 disciples. [S178] Joseph was sold for 20 pieces of silver, [S179]Jesus was sold for 30 pieces of silver. [S180] Brother "Judah" suggests the sale of Joseph, [S181] disciple "Judas" suggests the sale of Jesus. [S182] Joseph began his work at the age of 30, [S183]Jesus began his work at the age of 30. [S184] The parallels go on and on. | [S170] - Doane, Thomas.: Bible Myths and Their Parallels in Other Religions, p. 466-507 [S171] - Churchward, Albert: The Origin & Evolution of Religion, p 404-409 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Furthermore, is there any non-Biblical historical evidence of any person, living with the name Jesus, the Son of Mary, who traveled about with 12 followers, healing people and the like? There are numerous historians who lived in and around the Mediterranean either during or soon after the assumed life of Jesus.[S185] How many of these historians document this figure? Not one. [S186] However, to be fair, that doesn't mean defenders of the Historical Jesus haven't claimed the contrary. Four historians are typically referenced to justify Jesus's existence. Pliny the younger, Suetonius, Tacitus and the first three. [M] [S187] Each one of their entries consists of only a few sentences at best and only refer to the Christus or the Christ, which in fact is not name but a title. It means the "Anointed one" [S188] The fourth source is Josephus and this source has been proven to be a forgery for hundreds of years.[S189] Sadly, it is still cited as truth. | [S185] - Murdock, D.M. - Who was Jesus?, Stellar House Publishing, Chapter "Extrabiblical Testimony" [S186] - Remsburg, John E.: The Christ Myth, Nuvision Pub, p 17-30 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| You would think that a guy who rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven for all eyes to see and performed the wealth of miracles acclaimed to him would have made it into the historical record. It didn't because once the evidence is weighed, there are very high odds that the figure known as Jesus, did not even exist.[S190] [S191] [S192] [S193] | [S190] - Doherty, Earl: The Jesus Puzzle, A&R, Chapter 2 [S191] - Freke & Gandy: The Jesus Mysteries, Three Rivers Press, Chapter 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The reality is, Jesus was the Solar Deity of the Gnostic Christian sect, [S194] [S195] [S196] and like all other Pagan gods, he was a mythical figure. It was the political establishment that sought to historize the Jesus figure for social control. By 325 a.d. in Rome, emperor Constantine convened the Council of Nicea. [S197] It was during this meeting that the politically motivated Christian Doctrines were established and thus began a long history of Christian bloodshed and spiritual fraud. And for the next 1600 years, the Vatican maintained a political stranglehold on all of Europe, leading to such joyous periods as the Dark Ages, along with enlightening events such as the Crusades, and the Inquisition. | [S194] - Allegro, John - The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Myth, Prometheus Books, 190-203 [S195] - Massey, Gerald. : Lectures- Gnostic amd Historic Christianity,Cosimo Classics, p. 73-104 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Christianity, along with all other theistic belief systems, is the fraud of the age. It serves to detach the species from the natural world, and likewise, each other. It supports blind submission to authority. It reduces human responsibility to the effect that "God" controls everything, and in turn awful crimes can be justified in the name of Divine Pursuit. And most importantly, it empowers those who know the truth but use the myth to manipulate and control societies. The religious myth is the most powerful device ever created, and serves as the psychological soil upon which other myths can flourish | In Progress |
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Additional References
- Zeitgeist, The Movie - Transcript -
- "ZEITGEIST, Part 1" Debunked? Acharya Responds
- Article "Astrotheology of the Ancients" by Acharya
- The Karanovo Zodiac
- Astronomy of Babylon
- Kugel Celestial Globe on The Galactic Astrologer site
- Mainz Celestial Globe on The Galactic Astrologer site
- Article on Marsilio Ficino at Renaissance Astrology
- Astronomical Symbols on Ancient Coins
- Easter: Christian or Pagan?
- Who Was Jesus? Fingerprints of The Christ (Part 1 of 2)
- Who Was Jesus? Fingerprints of The Christ (Part 2 of 2)
- Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection
- List of online videos and interviews of Acharya (D.M. Murdock)
- List of Acharya online articles
- List of Acharya books on astrotheology at stellarhousepublishing.com
- List of articles and books by Earl Doherty on jesuspuzzle.humanists.net
- Article on the difference between the Evemerist position and the Mythicist position
- Star Names: Their Lore And Meaning by Richard Hinckley Allen
- Star Lore: Myths, Legends, and Facts by William Tyler Olcott
- Mazzaroth by Frances Rolleston
- Researches Into the Origin of the Primitive Constellations of the Greeks, Phoenicians and Babylonians, Part 2 by Robert Brown
- Remarks On The Euphratean Astronomical Names Of The Signs Of The Zodiac by Robert Brown
- Uranography, A description of the heavens by Ezra Otis Kendall
- The Dying God: The Hidden History of Western Civilization By David Livingstone
- Article on The Egyptian Roots of Catholicism, by Kenneth Humphreys, author of the book "Jesus Never Existed"
- Was Horus "Crucified?" by D.M. Murdock/Acharya S
- The Real ZEITGEIST Challenge