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Copycat theories refuted charges that the Biblical stories were "borrowed" from other sources and are therefore fictional.
tektonics.org ^ | 2025 | J.P. Holding, etc.

Posted on 01/23/2025 2:44:18 PM PST by daniel1212


General Essays

Analysis of general principles used by the "borrowing" thesis.

Some notes on alleged parallels between Christianity and pagan religions -- an introductory commentary by a classical scholar writing for us as "Justin Martyr"

On Napoleon as Myth translated by "Justin Martyr"

Glenn Miller's general essay refuting the pagan-copycat thesis

Creation Ministries International on Indian creation myths


Old Testament "Borrowing"

Figures claimed to be sources for the Old Testament. Named entities in alphabetical order.

Akhenaten -- Did the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten influence Jewish monotheism?

Sargon -- Did the story of this Assyrian king influence the story of Moses?

Sinuhe -- Did the story of this Egyptian hero influence the Exodus account?

Was the creation account "stolen" from the Babylonian creation account?

Is the Biblical Flood story borrowed from pagan accounts? -- from Glenn Miller's Christian Thinktank.

Did NT Biblical writers "rip off" stories from the Old Testament? -- from Glenn Miller's Christian Thinktank. Also see our article on Randel Helms (right column).


Related Issues

Is the Christian fish symbol derived from pagan symbols?

Is Easter a pagan holiday?

Is Christmas pagan?

Abraham Lincoln Didn't Exist!

Abraham Lincoln was a copy of John F. Kennedy!

Copycat Savior Figures

Figures claimed to be sources for the life of Jesus. Named entities in alphabetical order.

Adonis -- The Greek deity: A source for the life of Jesus?

Alcides (Or Hercules) --The Greek strongman/demigod.

Alexander of Abonuteichos -- A charismatic figure who started a quasi-religious movement; this is more of a claim of a social parallel.

Apollonius of Tyana -- Pagan performer of miracles and traveller.

Attis -- Phrygian and later Greco-Roman demigod. Also discusses the ritual of the "tauribolium".

Baal -- Ancient Near Eastern deity.

Balder -- Norse deity. Also discusses Frey.

Beddru of Japan -- As it happens -- a non-existent entity.

Buddha -- Two entries on this figure; one here and another here.

Chu Chulainn -- Celtic hero.

Crite -- As far as I can find, another non-existent figure.

Dazhdbog -- Russian heroic figure.

Deva Tat -- Heroic figure from Siam.

Dionysus -- Greek god of wine.

Hesus -- Deity associated with druids.

Horus -- Egyptian deity. Also covers Osiris.

Krishna -- Hindu deity. Two essays, one here on moral teachings and one here on life story.

Mithra -- Persian deity.

Osiris -- Egyptian deity.

Prometheus -- Greek demigod.

Quetzalcoatl -- Mesoamerican deity.

Salivahana -- Indian teacher.

Serapis -- Mediterranean deity.

Tammuz -- Sumerian shepherd-god.

Zamloxis -- Thracian hero.

Zoar -- Unknown figure.

Zoroaster -- Religious founder.

Critical Reviews

Essays and book reviews on persons who promote "copycat" theories.

Acharya S -- Preserves the work of 19th century freethinkers.

Atwill, Joseph -- author of Caesar's Messiah.

ben-Jochanon, Yosef -- from the school that says it was all borrowed from Africa.

Campbell, Joseph -- General proponent of copying of ideas via Jungian archaetypes.

Freke, Timothy and Peter Gandy -- review of The Jesus Mysteries

Graham, Lloyd M. -- author of Deceptions and Myths of the Bible

Greenberg, Gary -- author of 101 Myths of the Bible

Harpur, Tom -- author of The Pagan Christ

Helms, Randel --Author of Gospel Fictions, which proposes that the NT borrowed content from the OT.

Higgins, Godfrey -- early proponent of the copycat thesis.

Kalopoulus, Michael -- review of Biblical Religion: The Great Lie

Kuhn, Alvin Boyd -- a proponent early last century. Sample items commenting on his works Mary Magdalene and Her Seven Devils and Who Is This King of Glory?

MacDonald, Dennis -- Author of The Homeric Epics and the Gospel of Mark

Massey, Gerald -- another early proponent.

Price, Robert -- Review of Deconstructing Jesus.

Lord Raglan by "Justin Martyr" -- Raglan was an early proponent of the "copycat" thesis.

Thompson, Thomas -- review of The Messiah Myth


Teaching Resources

Shattering the Christ Myth -- my own book, with several chapters on the subject; hub page for the book here and see new website here featuring updated versions

Recommended Books -- a bibliography of books on the historical Jesus

Deeper Waters interview with Joe Mulvilhill


TOPICS: Books/Literature; Education; Reference; Religion
KEYWORDS: anthropicprinciple; atheismfaith; belongsinreligion; creator; dna; finetuning
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To: metmom

Scripture is Not to be Trifled with!
.
Jonah is a Favorite!


21 posted on 01/23/2025 4:45:42 PM PST by Big Red Badger (ALL Things Will be Revealed !)
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To: Tell It Right
On a related note: centuries before the ancient Greeks said that everything is made of 4 elements, Genesis said that God made Adam from the dust of the ground. Sounds to me like the Greeks were the copycats. LOL

You are so right. Those words, even if borrowed, describe the evolution of our being, universe, planet, and life. And those words were recorded by the Jews and inspired by our God almost three thousand years ago. They wrote those words in a book that became the Bible and that has survived to this very day!

And yes, they may be stories and even in a few cases a myth. But we live in a world of stories and myths. Did Georgie Washington actually chop down that cherry tree? I really don't know, but it does not make him a lesser figure to be admired -- along with most of the founders of our nation.

God's word is the truth. It's a science that's catching up - not the other way around.

22 posted on 01/23/2025 6:42:31 PM PST by icclearly
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To: daniel1212

The Qu’ran was originally Aramaic and all about Jesus!

Reverend Al Fadi and Dr. Jay Smith discuss the new research being done on the Qur'an in Germany, but not spoken about much in the English-speaking world, because the Germans (and also the French) have kept their research to themselves. Some of the most damaging research is being carried out on the Qur'an itself, and mostly by German scholars such as Gunther Luling and Christoph Luxenberg, who have found that there is an enormous Aramaic influence on the Qur'anic text we have today. In the last 50 years (since 1970), they have found that the original Qur'an, the proto-Qur'an, was in fact derived from Christian lectionaries, hymns, and homilies, written in Aramaic, by preachers in the church in the centuries leading up to the 7th century. It was then taken from Aramaic, and translated into Arabic sometime in the 7th century itself, mostly in Syria and Iraq. These Arabic texts were then embellished with dots and vowels in the 8th - 9th centuries, so that the average Arabic speaking people could read and understand them, but because those who were writing the Qur'an in Arabic didn't know Aramaic, they chose to put their dots and vowels anywhere they wanted, creating 30 official Qira'at versions of the Qur'an by the 15th century. This became such a dilemma for the Muslim authorities that in 1924 they had to choose just one version among the 30, and so went with the Hafs Qur'an, which is the official Qur'an we use today in most parts of the Muslim world...but it all began with Aramaic. What's more, if we were to go back to the proto-Aramaic Qur'an, we would find that the lectionaries, hymns and homilies from which it was all borrowed were all about Jesus. So, we need to get back to that original Qur'anic material, all written in Aramaic, and all about Jesus.

23 posted on 01/23/2025 6:48:58 PM PST by Species8472 (Don't celebrate sin!)
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To: daniel1212

Just recently found the camp where the Angels killed 185,000 Syrian soldiers.


24 posted on 01/23/2025 7:44:11 PM PST by roving (Deplorable MAGA Garbage )
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To: Jonty30
Copycat theories refuted charges that the Biblical stories were "borrowed" from other sources and are therefore fictional.

Is THIS what passes for LOGIC these days?

If someone steals my wallet, it doesn't make the money in it counterfeit!

25 posted on 01/23/2025 7:57:21 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Jonty30
Noah was not a Jew.

Judging from the images and statues of the Catholic Mary, neither was she!

26 posted on 01/23/2025 7:59:41 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: tired&retired
There is absolutely no question that many of the Old Testament Bible stories were borrowed from previous sources.

Then there are the UN'borrowed' ones...

27 posted on 01/23/2025 8:03:47 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Forward the Light Brigade
Many religions have a Noah and flood story.

When yer language gets messed up at Babel, the stories that were stored in your head - gets retold to the younger folks a bit differently.

28 posted on 01/23/2025 8:08:18 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Big Red Badger
Hitler's minions tried to undermine the Bible in the same way. Saying the Bible stories were borrowed from other sources, and pointed at the Aryan's, who, Surprise surprise, the predecessors of Nazi Germany.

But the problem for these claims is that Archology is proving the Scriptures correct for earlier and earlier events.

For instance, Tell Jericho, is one of the strongest proofs, where pots of burnt new grain, large burns, Stones falling outward, fit the Biblical account.

Recently, It is cliamed that Joshua's Altar was found. Steps to a pit were found under a pile of rocks containing Kosher Bones. A lead tablet was found with Israeli-Canaanite letters.

Abraham's first Alter including holes in the rock from the Oaks of Mamre, a spring, and a V cut stone (altar) are plainly visible for all to see out in the open.

In Egypt, a Tablet with Hieroglyphs mentions Isreal, which has no King, was defeated, strongly points to the time of the Judges.

A burried alter was found in Jerusalem, with the same accortaments stroghly indicate that it is Melchizadek's altar which Abraham would have tithed at. Indications that it was still in use, but burried shortly after the first temple was in use.

More and more, folks who make claims that the Bible was stories borrowed from other religions, have to ignore the onslaught of Old Testament evidence to the contrary being uncovered in Israel these days.

As for the New Testament, The pool of Siloam, which looks to be about the size of 2 Olympic swimming pools, for ritual cleansing before visiting the temple have been uncovered, allong with the road, Pontius Pilate built out of expensive flagstones, leading to the temple, was uncovered LARGELY INTACT. Bodies were found in the roads sewers and coins dated to 70AD, confirmed the Roman destruction of Jerusalem as recorded by Josephus.

On the Western wall, steps to a gate sealed with a huge stone, A stone path under gate along with a Roman Mosiacs and evidence of flogging pillars, evidence of Roman Barracks, and of the Palace, strongly indicates the cite of Jesus's judgement, and flogging by Pontius Pilate.

29 posted on 01/23/2025 11:22:54 PM PST by CptnObvious
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To: CptnObvious

The Stones Cry out !
.
Try as they might to Disprove Scripture Not One Archeological discovery has been successful in diminishing The Bible.


30 posted on 01/24/2025 1:38:07 AM PST by Big Red Badger (ALL Things Will be Revealed !)
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To: daniel1212

Our Lord said that Moses wrote of Him. If Jesus accepts the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch, then that’s good enough for me.


31 posted on 01/24/2025 1:46:14 AM PST by Trump_Triumphant (f“They recognized Him in the breaking of the Bread.”)
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To: Trump_Triumphant

Telling the “End from The Beginning “which the Bible does Reaptedly as in the curse of the serpent witnessed by Adam and Eve.
The Coin in the fishes mouth;Matt 17:27 always Fascinated me.
.


32 posted on 01/24/2025 9:49:42 AM PST by Big Red Badger (ALL Things Will be Revealed !)
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To: roving
Just recently found the camp where the Angels killed 185,000 Syrian soldiers.

1) Details, please?

2) Has anyone told SunkenCiv about this? (Not *pinging* him because not enough info yet to be worth his while.)

33 posted on 01/24/2025 4:03:12 PM PST by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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