Claimed Parallels Between Horus and Jesus
One of the more sensational aspects of Massey's writings were the parallels he drew between the Christian god Jesus of Nazareth and the Egyptian god Horus. These comparisons are primarily contained in his book The Natural Genesis. Massey's writings on this subject have influenced various later authors such as Alvin Boyd Kuhn, Tom Harpur, and Acharya S.
Some of the similarities that Massey claimed existed are that they both
- Were born of virgins on December 25
- Taught in a temple as a child at age 12
- Were teachers who had 12 Disciples
- Were baptized in a river
- Gave a sermon on the mount
- Healed the sick
- Raised men from the dead (El-Asar-Us for Horus, Lazarus for Jesus)
- Died by crucifixion
- Were resurrected three days later.
W. Ward Gasque conducted a world-wide poll of twenty Egyptologists - including Professor Kenneth Kitchen of the University of Liverpool and Ron Leprohan, Professor of Egyptology at the University of Toronto - in Canada, US, UK, Australia, Germany, and Austria to verify if there was any academic support for these claims. The scholars were unanimous in dismissing them.
Read more about this topic: Gerald Massey
Famous quotes containing the words claimed, parallels and/or jesus:
“I fear it is the effect of this ordinance to clothe Jesus with an authority which he never claimed and which distracts the mind of the worshipper.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“If, while watching the sun set on a used-car lot in Los Angeles, you are struck by the parallels between this image and the inevitable fate of humanity, do not, under any circumstances, write it down.”
—Fran Lebowitz (b. 1950)
“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
—Bible: New Testament Matthew, 27:46.
The words of Jesus were anticipated in Psalms 22:1.