The most popular story of resurrection in all of current history comes from the Bible and tells us of the harrowing account of Jesus. But did you know that tales of death and rebirth were common amongst certain cultures, religions and civilizations thousands of years before Jesus was ever born?
The ancient Egyptian god Osiris was essentially the ultimate god for the ancient Egyptians. Throughout the course of all time periods in the past Osiris was believed to be a derivation of the divine. The ancient story tells us that Osiris was killed by his vengeful brother and that his wife, Isis, used a spell that revived Osiris’ fallen body.
In ancient Greek religion Zeus is said to have slain a man who was ultimately brought back to life and became a deity. Achilles and Memnon of the Trojan War are said to have met the same fate; after their deaths they were resurrected as gods. And Herodotus tells us of the 7th century BCE sage, Aristeas, who died in a work-shop and whose body was kept in a locked room from whence it vanished. Sometime later friends ran into him while travelling abroad and found that not only had he been resurrected but he was also immortal.
In Buddhism lore there are tales of alleged resurrections. One written story tells us of a man who willingly put himself into a coffin and had someone close it by nailing it shut. Later, when the coffin was opened, the man’s body was gone but those who had gathered to witness the sight could hear tell-tale signs of the man coming from the sky.
As a mortal boy the Phoenician god of healing, Eshmun (also known as Asclepius), is said to have been so distraught over a goddesses infatuation with him and her subsequent persistent pursuit of him that he finally castrated himself and, in doing so, died. Using the warmth of her body it is said the goddess resurrected Eshmun and turned him into a god.
And in ancient Sumerian texts Dumuzi, their god of food and vegetation, dies and then is resurrected by his wife.
There are those who think the resurrection of Jesus was a spin-off of those death and rebirth stories mentioned above. And there are those who believe Jesus truly died and ultimately was raised from death for humanities sins. Whatever the belief, or truth, it is still interesting to note the many similarities in all tales regarding resurrection.
Please visit these sites for more information:
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/resurrection