Since many people still bring up this old argument, it is wise for Christians to be prepared to face it. So what kind of evidence to the proponents of this view use? For the most part: parallels. The seek to emphasize the similarities between Jesus and ancient figures such as Horus, Mithras, Dionysus, Adonis, Krishna, Attis, etc. which include:
-"Virgin" Births (on December 25th)
-"Infant Massacres" in the land at the time of their births
-Visited by "3 Kings"
-Attended by "Shepherds"
-Became a prodigy child teacher at age 12
-Had 12 disciples
-"Died" (some even crucified)
-"Resurrected" 3 days later
The claim, then, is that the New Testament writers must have borrowed from these other accounts since there are so many similarities between them. So they say. But does this idea hold up if we look at what the Bible says about Jesus and compare it to what the other ancients said about their own deities?
People who hold to the "Copy Cat Jesus" theory tend to focus on the supposed parallels (many of which are stretched or simply made up) between Christianity and the surrounding pagan religions, but neglect the vast differences. When we look at the New Testament (which is easy to do, since Christians actually wrote down their beliefs in an organized manner) we find that the Christian faith is drastically different from pagan mythologies in many respects, particularly in its exclusive nature and commitment to history.
Christianity is Exclusive
Monotheism (belief in only one divine being) is a unique aspect of Christianity. The only other religions which come close to resembling Christianity in this way are Judaism (which DOES serve as a foundation for Christianity) and Islam. All three of these religions are based in the Old Testament where we find verses stating that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4) and that there are no other gods besides Him (Isaiah 43:10-11; 44:6-8). This view of God differed significantly from Israel's pagan neighbors who were marked by their religious syncretism (merging religions together). We see this in 1 Samuel 4 & 5 when the Philistines capture the Ark of God and try to add it to the other gods in their own temple. Conversely, God commands the Israelites to make a distinction; He does not allow them to worship BOTH Him and other gods (1 Kings 18:21). Ultimately, God brings judgment against Israel for adopting the inclusive view of the other nations and worshiping their gods (Jeremiah 1:16).
The New Testament continues this theme of worshiping God to the exclusion of everything else. In fact, it is repeated over and over that there is only one God and only one way to God: through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (Mark 1:15; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5-6). Furthermore, the insistence upon the singular and precise nature of God is a key motivating factor for Paul's missionary journeys. He believes that he is right and all of the other religions are wrong. Therefore, they must be corrected. In Acts 17 when Paul is in Athens, we again see Paul's monotheism contrasted with the syncretism of Greeks who have altars and shrines erected to as many gods as they can think of. And just in case they might have missed one, they have an altar set up to "an unknown god." Paul uses this opportunity to proclaim to them the truth about the One True God and admonishes the Greeks for believing that God could be like a created thing (v. 29). Notice that the Greeks don't start mocking Paul until after he references Jesus and the RESURRECTION (v. 31-32). If the idea of "dying and rising gods" was so prevalent in the ancient world then this reaction from the Athenians doesn't make any sense, especially since they were very religious and would have been familiar with most of the beliefs and practices around the known world.
Christianity is Historical
The Christian faith is also unique in that it is inescapably linked to historical events that took place in real time. The Apostle Paul does not hesitate to admit that if Jesus has not, in fact, risen from the dead, then Christians are believing in vain and are to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:12-15). Thus we see an unparalleled commitment by the New Testament writers to accurately record and affirm the historical details of Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Luke's stated intentions in his gospel is to write an orderly account based on the testimony of eyewitnesses so his reader may be certain that what he is reporting is true (Luke 1:1-4). In his second epistle, Peter purposefully distinguishes the message of the Apostles from "cleverly devised myths" by pointing to his own eyewitness account of seeing Jesus transfigured on the mountain and by explaining how prophecy is from God, not the invention of man (2 Peter 1:16-21).
Pagan myths, on the other hand, are disinterested in history. In his book*, John N. Oswalt explains that myths aim to represent broad concepts like natural forces and cycles in an attempt to mirror the ideal world where the gods live, which is separate from the physical world where humans live. The stories of heroes are not meant to be taken as particular individuals who lived at a particular time. Rather, a mythic hero is a symbol, removed from the constraints of time and space to represent an ethnic group. The story is timeless. It's not about what happened in the past; it is the story of what happens every year (cyclical). The purpose of retelling or reenacting that story is to connect with the ideal world so that the events of the story will play out in the physical world. Pagan myths were not valued in terms of their historical merit, but by their perceived ability to represent the ideal world of the divine. Too many specifics limit the scope of the myth and don't leave enough open to interpretation.
However, the story of Jesus is significant for Christians because it IS particular.
He’s the one and only Son of God who came at a certain time
and place to fulfill prophecy. He came to do what only He could do: live a
perfect life, die for the sins of humans, rise again from the dead to break the
power of death, all to save His people from sin and death and
restore them to Himself. He died once for all, never to be repeated again (Hebrews 9:27-28). While Christians benefit from what Jesus did, they do not participate in the story; it has already occurred. It is finished! (John 19:30)
We don’t
tell His story to manipulate events in our world (i.e. agriculture or fertility).
We proclaim the Gospel, to tell people about what God has
actually done in history. We call people to repent from real sins and put their
faith in the real Jesus Christ who is a real man (though fully God) who died a real
death on a real, Roman cross to save real humans from real sin and real hell so that
they can be with the real God forever. We tell the story because people need to know who Jesus really was and what He really did so that they can properly respond. Telling or reenacting the story doesn’t
make it more “true” for us. It’s true because it actually happened.
These two distinctions of Christianity, its exclusivity and historicity, are essential to understanding the difference between the worldview of the New Testament writers and the pagan religions of the first century. However, there is much more ground to cover in order to fully address the "Copy Cat Jesus Myth. If you are interested in a more detailed analysis of how Jesus Christ actually looks nothing like these pagan deities, you can refer to the resources below:
YouTube videos:
Articles:
-Easter: Myth, Hallucination, or History? by Dr. Edwin Yamauchi
-Defending the New Testament Jesus by Lee Strobel
Books:
-Pre-Christian Gnosticism: A Survey of the Proposed Evidences by Dr. Edwin Yamauchi
-*The Bible among the Myths: Unique Revelation or Just Ancient Literature? by John N. Oswalt
-The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel
As you can see, there is a wealth of information to refute this particular myth.
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