{"id":6303,"date":"2015-09-04T09:26:20","date_gmt":"2015-09-04T09:26:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/?p=6303"},"modified":"2015-09-04T09:39:18","modified_gmt":"2015-09-04T09:39:18","slug":"jesus-a-myth-borrowed-from-ancient-religions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/demolition-squad\/jesus-a-myth-borrowed-from-ancient-religions\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesus&#8217; Resurrection: A Myth Borrowed from Ancient Religions?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pI4m4tj_A3E?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-GB&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Challenge: The stories about Jesus&#8217; resurrection are borrowed from earlier myths in various ancient religions<\/h2>\n<p>I don&#8217;t know about you, but I seem to bump into this objection from time to time, particularly online. The basic thrust of this objection levelled at the Christian faith is that the story of a god&#8217;s resurrection is nothing new. That, in fact, it is a popular feature of ancient religious beliefs. Therefore, because we can reject the many other &#8216;resurrection accounts&#8217; it should follow that we ought to reject Christianity.<\/p>\n<p>That in a nutshell is the logic behind this objection. So to answer the objection we need to tackle the logic. We need to ask questions to pry open assumptions. Questions like, &#8220;Should Christianity be placed in to the same bracket\u00a0as other ancient religions?&#8221; &#8220;What cultural framework should we interpret these ancient stories by?&#8221; &#8220;Does the historical accounts of the resurrection of Jesus Christ place that episode into a unique category?&#8221; etc.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.focus.org.uk\">Focus.org.uk<\/a>\u00a0have produced an <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/pI4m4tj_A3E\">8-minute video on the objection that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was borrowed from pagan myths<\/a> (embedded above). In the clip Focus interview four top scholars on this subject, who take this challenge and begin to respond with some helpful critiques of the question posed.<\/p>\n<p>Each one of the four scholars has contributed to\u00a0the subject in hand, some at considerable length (see below for further reading). Whilst the answers could fill hours of video, the scholars have cut to the heart of the question to give us a snapshot of the beginning of a response.<\/p>\n<p><em>Ed: Have you come across this objection? Why not share your thoughts and experiences in dealing with this objection in the comments below?<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Further Reading<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Michael Licona\u00a0<\/b>has written the mightily impressive\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/gp\/product\/184474485X\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1634&amp;creative=19450&amp;creativeASIN=184474485X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=apologetics-21\">The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach<\/a>\u00a0although the co-authored &#8211; and very good &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/gp\/product\/0825427886\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1634&amp;creative=19450&amp;creativeASIN=0825427886&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=apologetics-21\">The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus<\/a> is a lighter introduction.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tom Wright<\/strong>\u00a0has written 860 exhaustive pages on this subject in his <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/gp\/product\/0281055505\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1634&amp;creative=19450&amp;creativeASIN=0281055505&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=apologetics-21\">The Resurrection of the Son of God<\/a>. Leaving no stone unturned, Wright comprehensively covers all the angles to this and surrounding objections on the Resurrection.<\/li>\n<li><strong>William Lane Craig\u00a0<\/strong>offers a great introduction to the reliability of the case for the Resurrection in a chapter in his foundational work of apologetics,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/gp\/product\/1433501155\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1634&amp;creative=19450&amp;creativeASIN=1433501155&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=apologetics-21\">Reasonable Faith<\/a>. Craig expands this in his book <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/gp\/product\/1579104649\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1634&amp;creative=19450&amp;creativeASIN=1579104649&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=apologetics-21\">The Son Rises<\/a>\u00a0and a published write-up of a debate Craig\u00a0took part in entitle <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/gp\/product\/0830815694\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1634&amp;creative=19450&amp;creativeASIN=0830815694&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=apologetics-21\">Jesus&#8217; Resurrection: Fact or Figment?<\/a> is also available.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In addition, it&#8217;s worth noting that we have covered the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/demolition-squad\/the-facts-of-the-resurrection-part-i\/\">4 Minimal\u00a0Facts of the Resurrection<\/a> on this blog. These 4 facts underline the unique historical grounding for the the Resurrection of Jesus. In this way the evidence sets apart this resurrection narrative from the others found in ancient religions.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Part 1: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/demolition-squad\/the-facts-of-the-resurrection-part-i\/\">Jesus Died<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Part 2: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/demolition-squad\/the-facts-of-the-resurrection-part-ii\/\">The Tomb was Empty<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Part 3: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/demolition-squad\/the-facts-of-the-resurrection-part-iii\/\">The Post-Resurrection Appearances of Jesus<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Part 4: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/demolition-squad\/the-facts-of-the-resurrection-part-iv\/\">The Transformation of the Disciples<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>More Short Answers to Common Objections to Christianity from Focus<\/h2>\n<p>Focus have produced many short video responses to common objections raised against Christianity. You can find them online on their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCGv3PlvFEXTCNeKW98JNDHg\">YouTube Channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"linkwithin_hook\" id=\"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/demolition-squad\/jesus-a-myth-borrowed-from-ancient-religions\/\"><\/div><script>\n<!-- \/\/LinkWithinCodeStart\nvar linkwithin_site_id = 897245;\nvar linkwithin_div_class = \"linkwithin_hook\";\n\/\/LinkWithinCodeEnd -->\n<\/script>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/widget.js\"><\/script>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.linkwithin.com\/pixel.png?w=750\" alt=\"Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...\" style=\"border: 0\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Challenge: The stories about Jesus&#8217; resurrection are borrowed from earlier myths in various ancient religions I don&#8217;t know about you, but I seem to bump into this objection from time to time, particularly online. The basic thrust of this objection levelled at the Christian faith is that the story of a god&#8217;s resurrection is nothing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<script>\n<!-- \/\/LinkWithinCodeStart\nvar linkwithin_site_id = 897245;\nvar linkwithin_div_class = \"linkwithin_hook\";\n\/\/LinkWithinCodeEnd -->\n<\/script>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/widget.js\"><\/script>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/\"><img src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/pixel.png\" alt=\"Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...\" style=\"border: 0\" \/><\/a>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6306,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[396],"tags":[1119,453,1116,499,110,1120,1114,1115,155,1117,1118,521],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/jesus-a-myth-borrowed-from-ancie.jpg?fit=480%2C360&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7PoLK-1DF","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6026,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/demolition-squad\/the-facts-of-the-resurrection-part-i\/","url_meta":{"origin":6303,"position":0},"title":"The Facts of The Resurrection (Part I)","date":"31 March 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the focal point of the Christian faith. The whole of Christianity hinges upon it. What happened 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem is incredibly important to us today precisely because something did happen. The Christian faith is built on historical events that present themselves to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Demolition Squad&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/resurrection-part1.jpg?fit=1200%2C523&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6044,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/demolition-squad\/the-facts-of-the-resurrection-part-iii\/","url_meta":{"origin":6303,"position":1},"title":"The Facts of The Resurrection (Part III)","date":"2 April 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"What is the simplest explanation for the historical accounts of the Easter weekend? That is what we\u2019re asking in this series. In parts 1 and 2 we looked at two basic facts of the Resurrection story: that Jesus died, and that on the Sunday the tomb that he was placed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Demolition Squad&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/resurrection-part3.jpg?fit=1200%2C523&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6041,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/demolition-squad\/the-facts-of-the-resurrection-part-ii\/","url_meta":{"origin":6303,"position":2},"title":"The Facts of The Resurrection (Part II)","date":"1 April 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The \u201cminimal facts\u201d of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ are there to be investigated. In the first part of this series we looked at Fact 1: Jesus Died, and asked whether the \u2018swoon theory\u2019 held any weight. Today we move on to the second fact. (Skip ahead to Fact 3:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Demolition Squad&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/resurrection-part2.jpg?fit=1200%2C523&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6048,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/demolition-squad\/the-facts-of-the-resurrection-part-iv\/","url_meta":{"origin":6303,"position":3},"title":"The Facts of The Resurrection (Part IV)","date":"3 April 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the\u00a0fourth post in our series on\u00a0\u00a0The Resurrection. We\u2019ve seen so far that: Jesus died The tomb was found empty Many people reported seeing the resurrected Jesus Fact 4: The Transformation of the Disciples The night before the crucifixion of Jesus, Simon Peter \u2013 one of Jesus\u2019 closest friends\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Demolition Squad&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/resurrection-part4.jpg?fit=1200%2C523&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3994,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/demolition-squad\/the-heart-of-the-matter-the-resurrection\/","url_meta":{"origin":6303,"position":4},"title":"The Heart of the Matter: The Resurrection","date":"29 March 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The Easter\u00a0weekend is massive. It represents the crux of the Christian faith. It is a request to us to hit pause on our lives. Where we spend most of our time gazing forwards, Easter turns our vision back to the single focal point of history. A couple of millenia ago,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Demolition Squad&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8455,"url":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/thoughts-from-the-cvm-team\/he-is-alive\/","url_meta":{"origin":6303,"position":5},"title":"HE IS ALIVE!","date":"21 April 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"We ended the blog on Good Friday by saying; \u2018This is my burial. This is my death. This is my Jesus.\u2019 Here\u2019s the thing, this lady we read about on Good Friday in Luke 7:37-38, in using her own burial perfume seems to be saying this is my death! What\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Team CVM&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/mariam-soliman-690003-unsplash-e1570782201487.jpg?fit=1000%2C665&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6303"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6303"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6308,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6303\/revisions\/6308"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}