Pagan Origins of the Christ Myth

by John G. Jackson

An Unabridged Edition to Include All Four Parts with Footnotes -

Genres: Religion, History, Nonfiction, Mythology, Philosophy, Spirituality, Christianity

32 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1989

About the author

John Glover Jackson (April 1, 1907 – October 13, 1993) was an educator, lecturer, author, and man of principle. He was born on April 1, 1907, into a family of Methodists. In old age, he averred he had been an atheist since he became old enough to think. The family minister once asked him when he was small, "Who made you?" After some thought he replied from his own realization, "I don't know."

He lived for nearly fifty years in New York City, lecturing at the "Ingersoll Forum" of the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism (1930–1955). During a parallel period he wrote articles for the Truth Seeker magazine. From 1932 to 1972 he was a writer and associate of the Rationalist Press Association in London, England. A pioneer in the field of African and Afro-American studies, he taught such courses from 1971 to 1980 at Rutgers University, New York University, and in Illinois.

Reviews

[Lady Makaveli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful piece of work for pagans and for anyone seeking truth when it comes to paganism and the founding of Christianity. Full of tangible fact from start to finish, the author is direct and to the point in the Pagan origins of Christianity. Very well researched and documented, he shares his work not only by giving his word, but also giving references and clear citations for any whom may doubt his research. As a Kemetic Pagan I found this book to be particularly interesting, as Christianity has stole so much from Pagans. Within this book are facts and historical evidence relating to the origins of Christianity, and it's similarities in words, stories and the like to that of many other Pagan groups from around the world. Going back to Egypt prior the birth of Jesus we see many beliefs and stories of others born to a virgin mother, to others who were crucified, all of whom have backgrounds strikingly similar to the stories the bible holds, yet these stories are far, far older and of pagan origins.
Wonderful read and I can't imagine how any Christian can deny the presented facts, other than by their own denial or ignorance. Anything -including Christianity- which suggests to just use faith and not to ask questions, is a cause for concern; and Christianity is no different. Highly recommended.

[Shila Iris · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Comparative religion is a fascinating study, and all students of human history should be well grounded in the fundamental principles of this important branch of social anthropology.”

I read this essay over the course of a few months because it lead me to explore and research different subjects before completing it. The majority of it, I read in one day, but I re-read several parts until my mind grasped the concepts. This little book (essay turned into a book) packed a punch in 36 pages. It documents and briefly discusses the many inaccuracies and contradictions in the Christ Myth and in several translations of the Bible. Nothing really adds up when trying to discover who Christ is and where he came from. There is no evidence that he existed in the form in which he is worshipped. The thing that can be proven is that modern religion had its origins in stories and myths that had been around thousands and thousands of years before its formation. This is evidential. No ifs, ands or maybes, it just is. Peace.

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy to follow history of religions throughout the world! Spoiler alert: They all started in Africa.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, I have a good and bad to share about this book.

The good, is that the author references a lot of older texts, from the 1800's and early 1900's. Unfortunately, it's all too often that writers will limit themselves to books written within the last ten or fifteen years, instead of reaching through the history of human thought as well as drawing from the present.

Unfortunately, the good ends there.

I won't bother to do a full refutation of the majority of the points in the book, but I will present 2 key points for you to think about when reading the book:

1) The author presents few if any reference to the actual texts of other religions to justify his claims about their beliefs. While he should also have presented reference to the Bible when making claims about Jesus, the Bible is ubiquitous enough that such references could seemingly be considered common knowledge. Osiris and Horus legends are by no means as common, nor are Mithraic traditions or Buddhist history.

2) Many of the claims about those other beliefs are completely wrong. Again, I'll only list one now for simplicity sake: Horus was not born on December 25. Horus is not claimed to have been born on December 25. Horus' birthday was celebrated during the "Epagomenal Days" in August.

I will let atheist historian Tim O'Neill offer his thoughts on the subject as well:

https://www.quora.com/Was-the-Egyptia...

[Jason Scoggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Whether Jesus lived or not, we may conclude with certainty that Christianity is of pagan origin."

Plain and simple, it was all stolen.

[Sarah Morgan Sandquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

This thin volumes packs in all facts with no hand-holding narrative. It discusses concisely religious traditions which likely influenced, and which certainly paralleled and predated the archetype of Christ.

[Dave Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another incredibly important part of anyone's collection.

[Sandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

When this book arrived, I was a bit baffled by it is short length. It is only 29 pages long and I was afraid I would be disappointed. Alas, while it is a short book - it is packed with information. Is it exhaustive? Probably not, but it provides an excellent jumping off point in the study of comparative religion and how the origin and bones of Christianity compare to much older religions and spiritual practices - going all the way back to the hunter/gatherer phase of humanity. Given that is a short book, I was incredibly pleased that it offered sources within the text.

Don't mistake its short length for a quick read. Yes, it can be read in one sitting but I took breaks throughout the day so I could sit and think about what I had just read. This allowed me to absorb and process the information.

A couple of things didn't work for me. The print is on the small side. It is bold, which should have made it easier to read but the ink appeared to have "bled". You know, sometimes when you see a tattoo of words, the filler color crosses the outline and the word looks a bit blurry. That is how the print edition looks to me. My older eyes could read it, but it wasn't pleasant.

Would I recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject matter? YES.

Would I suggest it to my friends who are Christian? Definitely not. I have no interest in yucking someone's yum, shattering anyone's faith, or entering into a theological debate.

Would I bring up what I have learned at a family dinner with my bigot relatives? Heck yeah!

[Mike Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

More of an essay than a 'book', there aren't many pages here, but it's a very well researched essay and I tend to agree with the conclusions drawn. Creationist religion is an attempt to give a reasoning to things which otherwise are beyond our comprehension. Don't confuse this with spirituality, I don't think the two go hand in hand. If you don't understand why trees shed their leaves you might feel better if you believe there is a tree god who wishes that to happen. Once you know the scientific process you don't need the tree god anymore. Magnify that by a million permutations and you basically have all the big organised religions: all very similar in many ways and almost all traceable back to the cycle of the sun, it's equinoxes and solstices.

If you agree with what I've said here, read this essay and it will enlighten you further as it did me. If you don't agree then skip this altogether - it will only annoy you and life's too short for that.

[Beth Hallman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Information packed essay. I found it incredibly useful for research and personally enlightening.

[Ermioni Trebil · Rating 2 out of 5]

It definitely provides insight into some aspects of Christianity, the Bible and other pagan religions.

The Bible descrepancies mentioned are truly prevalent. Some pagan traditions involving Roman versions of the Persian god Mithra existed as well. And certain correlations between the Egyptian god Horus and Christian traditions are also believable.

However, there are also stories within this book that have insufficient or non-existent evidence supporting them.

Examples:

The book claims that there's a story about the ancient greek god Pan leading Zeus up a mountain. And it tries to correlate this event to the astrological ascension of the Sun after it moves from the zodiac sign of Capricorn to Aries.

But the story about Pan doesn't exist anywhere.

The book also says Babylonians related the zodiac sign of Cancer to the donkey or horse.

But I couldn't find any information anywhere on that either.

Another example is in the segment of Quetzalcoatl. We read that he fasted for 40 days like Jesus.

But there is not a single mention in any source that Quetzalcoatl fasted specifically for 40 days. He fasted for an indefinite amount of time while in exile. We also never see him being resurrected from the dead. His figure was only generally representative of resurrection and rebirth.

We hear that Adonis of Babylonia was born of a virgin. But there is no evidence of that in Sumerian mythology.

There is also no evidence that Mithraists considered the day of Sabbath Holy either.

The 12 companions of Mithra are not backed up by anything.

I also could not find any source that proves Buddha's birthday is celebrated on December 25.

Many stories about India's god Krishna were false. There are no mainstream sources proving he was born of a virgin. His mother and father were Devaki and Vasudeva. He was also not born in a cave, but in the prison of a palace. Additionally, he was not visited on the night of his birth by 3 wise men. Krishna was not crucified like the book mentions, but he was killed by an arrow on his foot. No mainstream Hindu sources support any of these claims.

There is also no evidence whatsoever that the monogram Chi-Ro is inspired by the symbol of Horus. They are both simply special in their respective religions.

Many of the sources in the book are not even sources. A little number at the end of the paragraph refers you to the bibliography. But I found myself tracking the source, only to find a brief re-cap of the contents of the paragraph.


Many sources are completely unrelated to what's being mentioned.

Example:

We hear that Adonis was born from a virgin, but the source sited tells us that he was simply a favourite of Aphrodite. The source isn't supposed to give us lore, it's supposed to provide documentation supporting the claims made in the book. So, where's the source claiming his mother was a virgin? Nowhere.

Overall, it feels like an unfortunate attempt to connect Jesus to random mythological figures. The last 2/3 of the book were utterly frustrating to research.


There are other books out there diving into the relationship between Osiris, Horus and Christ. This one barely scratches the surface. It was very frustrating to find that most of the stories mentioned are not true or completely deprived of evidence. Disappointing.

2/5 ⭐

[Steven H · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE FAMOUS 1941 BOOKLET SUMMARIZING PAGAN/CHRISTIAN PARALLELS
John Glover Jackson (1907-1993) was a Pan-Africanist historian, lecturer, teacher and writer (e.g., 'Introduction To African Civilizations,' 'The Golden Ages of Africa,' 'Christianity Before Christ,' etc.) This brief booklet was first published in 1941.

He wrote, "There are liberal Christian apologists who no longer subscribe to a literal belief in the Fall of Man. They have relegated Adam and Eve to the realm of mythology. These liberals are opposed by the orthodox apologists, who declare that belief in the Atonement implies belief in the Fall of Man. Logic seems to be on the orthodox side." (Pg. 1) "Anyone who is familiar with the elements of the higher [biblical] criticism knows that there are two stories of the Creation and Fall of Man in the Book of Genesis... Orthodox Christians claim that both of these stories must be believed, even though they contradict each other at numerous points." (Pg. 1-2) He adds, "The myths of the Fall are based on man's yearning for immortality." (Pg. 4)

He states, "After surrendering the theological Christ, the liberal Christian apologist finds out, much to his chagrin, that practically nothing is known about the historical Jesus... There are... the alleged references to Jesus by Jewish and Pagan writers, but most of these are of extremely doubtful authenticity." (Pg. 6)

He contends, "A consideration of Pagan parallels will put the Gospel records in a clearer light... The Egyptian analogies to the Christian Epic are so close as to suggest an Egyptian origin for certain Christian doctrines and rites." (Pg. 10-11) He adds, "The close parallels between the life-stories of Buddha and Christ are just as remarkable as those between Krishna and Christ." (Pg. 15) He asserts, "Whether Jesus lived or not, we may conclude with certainty, that Christianity is of Pagan origin. December the 25th is celebrated as the birthday of Jesus Christ. This date is an approximation of the Winter Solstice, and the birthday of several Pagan sun-gods. Its pagan derivation is beyond all dispute." (Pg. 22)

He observes in conclusion, "As the stories of slain and risen gods are traced backward into the dim and distant past, we finally come to Africa... Limitations of both time and space prevent a more extended survey of this subject. The author hopes that some of the readers of this essay will find the time to make a critical study of Christian origins." (Pg. 28-29)

Comparatively well-documented in comparison to publications of similar length, this booklet remains of continuing interest to those studying Freethought, Rationalism, Skepticism, etc.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Easter is likewise of heathen origin. It is an approximation of the Vernal Equinox. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox (the twenty-first of March), or as late as the twenty-fifth of April. The very name of the festival betrays its pagan source, for Easter is a variant of Eostre or Ostara…”

I wish this little book had been more fleshed out, but I still learned a lot of interesting tidbits about the origins of many Christian myths that I look forward to exploring further.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pagan Origins of the Christ Myth presented some interesting ideas but was lacking in sustenance. Otherwise, this piece would have been more groundbreaking. Much of the material is quite dated, so perhaps the publisher should look into doing a revised up-to-0date edition. Especially with how so much further information has risen in the past three decades.

[Jim Ecock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some Good Points

It's a brief book. If the thesis is to be believed every religion starts with the same myths. I have read more than once that December 25th was selected as Christian Christmas to make it an easier transition from the Pagan holidays. Not to rock the boat so to speak.

[Nicole Hunt · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author uses heathen and pagan interchangeably, when they are not the same thing in the pagan community.

The author also has an obvious slant, speaking of how people who have certain beliefs are “superstitious.” I did not appreciate the slant and tone of this book.

[Delynn Copley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

I was aware of a few of the pagan origins of the Christ myth before I read this, but I learned a lot. I did expect it to be much longer. It’s really an essay rather than a book. Highly recommend.

[Adrian L. Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid Foundational Knowledge

If anyone wants to learn the origin of Christianity, this is a great place to start! Especially if one is a considering a career as a Christian cleric of African descent, this text will lead and guide into more scholaly truth.

[Jens Opsomer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This essay serves best as a source of inspiration to study the subject of (religious) myths and their cross-cultural influences than an actual scholarly work on the subject due to the lack of consistent citations. It makes many claims while refering to many sources without actually giving any.

[Greg Wilson]

First published in 1941 - fascinating

[Paul E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Searching for TRUTH...

Faith is good. Truth is better. Now I have information to balance what I have taken at face value. Enlightening!

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 chapters , 42 pages. I will read again.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read about religion and where things came from.

[Kiera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick & informative

I enjoyed the structure of the book and the historical context. Easy, quick, informative read that will leave you wanting to do more research.

[James Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Stuff

There were some strong arguments but there
were also some weak arguments with much speculation. Overall, however the author was able to support his thesis.

[Stephen L Kent]

Thought provoking! I am fascinated by the author's insights and sense of history. I recommend that every true believer read this book.

[Migdalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brief and to the point

This is a quick read at about 30 pages, but in those pages the author was able to get his point across. Certainly some food for thought for anyone interested in the Pagan origins of Christianity.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting

Reading about the origins of Catholicism is an eye opener for anyone whose wants to know more about the prevailing religion

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

John G. Jackson's study in comparative religion lays it out plain and simple: Christianity is a synthesis of pre-existing religions. You don't need to be Da Vinci or Dan Brown to figure that one out. Jackson packs it in to this tight little book that's simply a joy to read, turning academic research into veritable prose and making connections between people's ancient stories—stories that once explained the whys and hows of nature and human nature and have since spun out of whack. The Torah, Bible, Quran, Popul Vuh, Communist Manifesto, Little Red Book, Dianetics, DSM and any other tomes taken to be The Law could all use a dose of Jackson on the exalted shelves on which they sit, but anyone who uses GoodReads probably knows that there's more than one book in the library that offers some truth.

To read an online version of this book, click here.

[Kaboni Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Gives you background about the pagan religious structure into now, and also compares and contrast dieties in a respectful light. Also, the truth was stated, and I'm glad that it was, that the baby of the Virgin was black.