D. M. Murdock a k a Acharya has come out with a new book:
Jesus Christ, Mason of God
I mean, one thing about all these Pagan divinities is that they actually did use some kind of labour division, some kind of specialisation. Beside them, Our Lord looks like a Renaissance Man. I think St Athanasius of Alexandria and I know CSL in a book citing him, whether in that context or just after or before it states that the miracles of Jesus are miracles that identify him as the reality behind all the Pagan myth gods.
Even if Our lord HAD been just a myth god rather than the one who outdo these many ones, it would not have proven him unhistorical. Some of the myth gods were persons before getting into godhead honours. Julius Caesar and Buddha are two generally admitted examples, one could add Odin who was probably an adept of Hermes Trismegistos or something equally foul before getting known in Upsala as someone a bit like Saturn (as an old guy) a bit like Jove (as ruler of gods and men, even as supposed creator) and, on top of that, Hermes or Mercurius. As a Christian I need not believe his relation to the wife of Niord who succeeded him and Frey who succeeded Niord was a demonic illusion, only that his way later appearances were.
But the point is, with all these Pagan parallels, D. M. Murdoch has very skillfully proven what she refuses to see: that Paganism is not a parallel for Christ.
Pagan artisan gods were typically Smith Gods and as such Ugly and Bad Tempered. She has an example where one such - a Celtic one - is also a Carpenter. Our Lord was Carpenter, Period. Pretty unique among Pagan Artisan Gods. OK, I think there was a Babylonian example of a Potter God (not named Harry to the best of my knowledge) but Our Lord seems to have used pottery clay on one or two occasions: 1) according to a childhood gospel he made clay birds and when an envious neighbour child wanted to destroy these he chased them away for their safety, and away they flew, quite alive; 2) he mingled clay from dust and his spittle to cure a pair of eyes. Otherwise, he was a carpenter and a fisherman (would that qualify as Poseidon or something?) but neither potter nor the much more typical smith.
And bad tempered? Well, he used to call a certain sect hypocrites, the same that is national religion among the nation now bearing the name of his, but it is not a question of envy against some more beautiful guy, as when Venus did it with Mars. Maybe just some kind of envy against some kind of intruder, but not a good romantic.
When Acharya S/D. M. Murdock is so good at finding parallels, it is surprising she does not find the obvious parallel. A knight in shining armour on a white horse and with a sword, a prince who saves his bride to be, now that is a parallel to Our Lord, according to Apocalypse Ch. 19 (Hey, if you deny the Gospels are anything like historical, why stick to them and avoid apocalypse?). Only, unlike Hephaistos and Ptah, unlike Jupiter Hospitalis (Zeus Xenios), unlike Aesculapius and Bacchus et c. myths and cults, Cinderella and Snow White are not pre-Christian but post-Christian. Not inspriing Christianity but inspired by it.
Hans-Georg Lundahl
Paris V
9 - II - 2011,
Saint appoline
Jesus Christ, Mason of God
I mean, one thing about all these Pagan divinities is that they actually did use some kind of labour division, some kind of specialisation. Beside them, Our Lord looks like a Renaissance Man. I think St Athanasius of Alexandria and I know CSL in a book citing him, whether in that context or just after or before it states that the miracles of Jesus are miracles that identify him as the reality behind all the Pagan myth gods.
Even if Our lord HAD been just a myth god rather than the one who outdo these many ones, it would not have proven him unhistorical. Some of the myth gods were persons before getting into godhead honours. Julius Caesar and Buddha are two generally admitted examples, one could add Odin who was probably an adept of Hermes Trismegistos or something equally foul before getting known in Upsala as someone a bit like Saturn (as an old guy) a bit like Jove (as ruler of gods and men, even as supposed creator) and, on top of that, Hermes or Mercurius. As a Christian I need not believe his relation to the wife of Niord who succeeded him and Frey who succeeded Niord was a demonic illusion, only that his way later appearances were.
But the point is, with all these Pagan parallels, D. M. Murdoch has very skillfully proven what she refuses to see: that Paganism is not a parallel for Christ.
Pagan artisan gods were typically Smith Gods and as such Ugly and Bad Tempered. She has an example where one such - a Celtic one - is also a Carpenter. Our Lord was Carpenter, Period. Pretty unique among Pagan Artisan Gods. OK, I think there was a Babylonian example of a Potter God (not named Harry to the best of my knowledge) but Our Lord seems to have used pottery clay on one or two occasions: 1) according to a childhood gospel he made clay birds and when an envious neighbour child wanted to destroy these he chased them away for their safety, and away they flew, quite alive; 2) he mingled clay from dust and his spittle to cure a pair of eyes. Otherwise, he was a carpenter and a fisherman (would that qualify as Poseidon or something?) but neither potter nor the much more typical smith.
And bad tempered? Well, he used to call a certain sect hypocrites, the same that is national religion among the nation now bearing the name of his, but it is not a question of envy against some more beautiful guy, as when Venus did it with Mars. Maybe just some kind of envy against some kind of intruder, but not a good romantic.
When Acharya S/D. M. Murdock is so good at finding parallels, it is surprising she does not find the obvious parallel. A knight in shining armour on a white horse and with a sword, a prince who saves his bride to be, now that is a parallel to Our Lord, according to Apocalypse Ch. 19 (Hey, if you deny the Gospels are anything like historical, why stick to them and avoid apocalypse?). Only, unlike Hephaistos and Ptah, unlike Jupiter Hospitalis (Zeus Xenios), unlike Aesculapius and Bacchus et c. myths and cults, Cinderella and Snow White are not pre-Christian but post-Christian. Not inspriing Christianity but inspired by it.
Hans-Georg Lundahl
Paris V
9 - II - 2011,
Saint appoline
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