The Christ Myth

V THE BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH. THE BAPTISM

C. Delisle Burns translation

It may be fairly asked how it was that the sun came to be thus honoured by the people of Western Asia, with lament at its death and rejoicing at its new birth. For winter, the time of the sun’s “death,” in these southern countries offered scarcely any grounds at all for lament. It was precisely the best part of the year. The night, too, having regard to its coolness after the heat of the day, gave no occasion for desiring the new birth of the sun in the morning.

“I know that I hang on the wind-rocked tree

Throughout nine nights,

Wounded by the spear, dedicated to Odin,

At the same time the myth of the Sun God does not take us to the very basis and the real kernel of the stories of the divine child’s birth. The Persian religion was not so much a religion of Light and Sun as of Fire, the most important and remarkable manifestation of which was of course the sun. Dionysus too, like all Gods of the life-warmth, of the rising plant sap and of fruitfulness, was in his deepest nature a Fire God. In the Fire Religion, however, the birth of the God forms the centre of all religious ideas; and its form was more exactly fixed through the peculiar acts by means of which the priest rekindled the holy fire.

The myth of Krishna offers a characteristic example of the manner in which in India a sacrificial cult is changed into a myth. Like Astyages and Herod, in order to ward off the danger arising from his sister’s son, of which he had been warned by an oracle, King Kansa caused his sister and her husband Vasudewa to be cast into prison. Here, in the darkness of a dungeon, Krishna comes into the world as Jesus did in the stable at Bethlehem. The nearer the hour of birth approaches the more beautiful the mother becomes. Soon the whole dungeon is filled with light. Rejoicing choirs sound in the air, the waters of the rivers and brooks make sweet music. The Gods come down from heaven and blessed spirits dance and sing for joy. At midnight his mother Dewaki (i.e., the divine) brings the child into the world, at the commencement of a new epoch. The parents themselves fall down before him and pray, but a voice from heaven admonishes them to convey him from the machinations of the tyrant to Gokala, the land of the cow, and to exchange him for the daughter of the herdsman Nanda. Immediately the chains fall from the father’s hands, the dungeon doors are opened, and he passes out into freedom. Another Christopher, he bears the child upon his shoulders through the river Yamuna, the waters of which recede in reverence before the son of God, and he exchanges Krishna for the new-born daughter of Nanda. He then returns to the dungeon, where the chains again immediately fasten of their own accord upon his limbs. Kansa now makes his way into the dungeon. In vain Dewaki entreats her brother to leave her the child. He is on the point of tearing it forcibly from her hands when it disappears before his eyes, and Kansa gives the order that all newly-born children in his country under the age of two years shall be killed.

At Mathura in Gokala Krishna grew up unknown among poor herdsmen. While yet in his cradle he had betrayed his divine origin by strangling, like Hercules, a dreadful snake which crawled upon him. He causes astonishment to every one by his precosity and lofty wisdom. As he grows up he becomes the darling of the herdsmen and playmate of Gopias, the milkmaid; he performs the most astonishing miracles. When, however, the time had come he arose and slew Kansa. He then fought the frightful “Time Snake” Kaliyanaga, of the thousand heads (the Hydra in the myth of Hercules, the Python in that of Apollo), which poisoned the surrounding air with its pestilential breath; and he busied himself in word and deed as a protector of the poor and proclaimer of the most perfect teaching. His greatest act, however, was his descent into the Underworld. Here he overpowered Yama, the dark God of death, obtained from him a recognition of his divine power, and led back the dead with him to a new life. Thus he was a benefactor of mankind by his heroic strength and miraculous power, leading the purest life, healing the sick, bringing the dead back to life, disclosing the secrets of the world, and withal humbly condescending to wash the feet of the Brahmins. Krishna finally died of an arrow wound which he sustained accidentally and in an unforeseen manner on his heel—the only vulnerable part of his body (cf. Achilles, Balder, Adonis, and Osiris). While dying he delivered the prophecy that thirty-six years after his death the fourth Epoch of the World, Caliyuga, the Iron Age, would begin, in which men would be both unhappy and wicked. But according to Brahmin teaching Krishna will return at the end of all time, when bodily and moral need will have reached its highest pitch upon the earth. In the clouds of heaven he will appear upon his white steed. With a comet in his right hand as a sword of flame he will destroy the old earth by fire, founding a new earth and a new heaven, and establishing a golden age of purity and perfection in which there will be nothing but pure joy and blessedness.

This reminds us strongly of the Persian Eschatology, of Mithras and Saoshyant, and of the Jewish Apocalyptics. But following the ancient sacred poem, the Barta Chastram, the former conception as well as the doctrine of a Messiah rest upon a prophecy according to which Vishnu Jesudu (!) was to be born a Brahmin in the city of Skambelam. He was to hold intercourse with men as a God, to purify the earth from sin, making it the abode of justice and truth, and to offer a sacrifice (self-sacrifice?). But still more striking are the resemblances of the Krishna myth with the Gospels. Does any connection between the two exist? The question is hard to answer because, owing to the uncertainty in all Indian citation of dates, the age of the story of Krishna cannot be settled. In the oldest Indian literature, the Vedas, Krishna appears to be the name of a Dæmon. In the Mahâbbhârata, the great Indian heroic epic, he plays indeed a prominent part, and is here on the point of assuming the place of the God Indra. The age of the poem, however, is debatable, although it is probably of pre-Buddhist origin. The chief source of the Krishna myth is the Puranas, especially the Bhagavat Purana and Vishnu Parana. But since the antiquity of these also is uncertain, and their most modern portions presumably belong only to the eighth or ninth century of the Christian era, a decision as to the date of the appearance of the Krishna myth can only be arrived at from internal evidence.

“The world was swallowed up, veiled in darkness,

“Shining brightly, Agni flashes forth far and wide,

Notes in this chapter

Note 1 · Ch. xii. ↑Note 2 · “Zum religionsgesch. Verst. d. N.T.,” 54. ↑Note 3 · “L’origine de tous les cultes,” 1795, v. 133. ↑Note 4 · “Abraxas,” 117. ↑Note 5 · Cf. regarding the mythical nature of Moses, who is to be looked upon as an offshoot of Jahwe and Tammuz, Winckler, op. cit., 86–95. ↑Note 6 · Cf. also O. Pfleiderer, “Das Christusbild des urchristlichen Glaubens in religionsgesch. Beleuchtung,” 1903, 37. Also Jeremias, “Das A.T. im Note 7 · I. 107. ↑Note 8 · Cf. Plutarch, “Artaxerxes,” ch. i. ↑Note 9 · Movers, op. cit., 228. ↑Note 10 · II. 9, 2. ↑Note 11 · Bousset, “Das Judentum,” 220. ↑Note 12 · 1 Kings xi. 14 sq. ↑Note 13 · Schrader, “Die Keilinschriften u. d. A.T.,” 225. ↑Note 14 · Winckler, op. cit., 172 sqq., Jeremias, “Das A.T. im Lichte d. a. O.,” 2nd. ed., 488 sqq.; cf. also Baentsch, “David und sein Zeitalter. Wis Note 15 · Ep. viii. 3. ↑Note 16 · Id. xlii. 58. ↑Note 17 · Ch. v. 1. ↑Note 18 · Gen. xxxv. 11–19; Deut. xxxiii. 12; Gen. xliv. 26. ↑Note 19 · Cf. Nork, “Realwörterbuch,” i. 240 sq. ↑Note 20 · The other famous “prophecy” supposed to refer to the birth of the Messiah, viz., Isaiah vii. 14, is at present no longer regarded as such by Note 21 · Ch. lx. 1 sqq. ↑Note 22 · Psa. lxviii. 32 sq. ↑Note 23 · Dupuis, op. cit., 268. ↑Note 24 · Matt. i. 14 sq. ↑Note 25 · The feasts of the Gods in question also correspond to this in character. They fell upon the solstice (the birthday or day of death of the su Note 26 · One should compare the description given by Hommel of the climate of Babylonia (op. cit., 186) with the picture of the natural occurrences w Note 27 · Dupuis has already pointed this out, op. cit., 152. ↑Note 28 · Macrobius, “Saturnal.,” i. 18, i. 34–35. ↑Note 29 · “Adversus Nationes,” v. 6 and 13. ↑Note 30 · Cf. Simrock, “Handbuch der deutschen Mythologie,” 4th ed., 1874, 201 and 225. ↑Note 31 · Op. cit., 138. The transfixing of the victim with the holy lance, as we meet it in John xix. 34, appears to be a very old sacrificial custom Note 32 · Frazer, op. cit., 345 sq. F. Kauffmann, “Balder Mythus u. Sage nach ihren dichterischen u. religiösen Elementen untersucht,” 1902, 266 sq. ↑Note 33 · Rigv. v. 1, v. 2, iii. 1, vii. 12, i. 96, &c. ↑Note 34 · Hillebrand, “Vedische Mythologie,” 1891–1902, ii. 38 sq. ↑Note 35 · According to early Christian writers, such as Justin and Origen, Jesus also came into the world in a cave, and Jerome complains (Epist. lvii Note 36 · I. 72, 2; v. 11, 6; v. 2, 1; iii. 1, 14; i. 65, 1; x. 46, 2. ↑Note 37 · III. 1, 7; iii. 9, 7; v. 1, 1; v. 2, 1, and 2; iii. 7, 2; x. 4, 2, and 3. ↑Note 38 · Cf. Volney, “Die Ruinen,” 1791 (Reclam), note 83 to chap. xiii. This is the reason why the infant Christ was represented in early Christian Note 39 · Jeremias, “Babylonisches im Neuen Testament,” 35, note 1. Cf. Dupuis, op. cit., 111 sqq. ↑Note 40 · Dupuis, op. cit., 143 sq. ↑Note 41 · Cf. also Winckler, “Die babylonische Geisteskultur Wissenschaft u. Bildung,” 1907. Jeremias, “Babylonisches im N.T.,” 62 sqq. The astral ref Note 42 · “Le Lalita Vistara, traduit du sanscrit en français,” i. 76 sqq. ↑Note 43 · Further in R. Seydel, “Die Buddhalegende u. das Leben Jesu,” 2nd ed., 1897, and in his “Das Evangelium von Jesus in seinem Verhältnis zur Bu Note 44 · “Urchristentum,” i. 411 sq. ↑Note 45 · Robertson, “Christianity and Mythology,” 1900, 129–302. ↑Note 46 · Op. cit., 25 sqq., 239–244; cf., on the other hand, Paul W. Schmidt, “Die Geschichte Jesu erläutert,” 1904, 16. ↑Note 47 · Cf. also Seydel, “Evangelium von Jesus,” 305 sqq.; “Buddha-Legende,” 46 sqq. Also Émile Burnouf, “La Science des Religions,” 4th ed., 1885, Note 48 · R. Kessler, “Realenz. f. prot. Theol. u. Kirche,” xii. 163. ↑Note 49 · Foucaux, “Le Lalita Vistara,” i. 40. ↑Note 50 · Hippolytus, op. cit., 9, 10; Epiphanius, op. cit., 30, 53. ↑Note 51 · Cf. Pfleiderer, “Christusbild,” 14 sq. ↑Note 52 · Cf. also Max Müller, “Natural Religion”; Bergaigne, “La religion védique d’après les hymnes du Rigveda,” 1878–83; Holtzmann, “Agni nach den Note 53 · Rgv. iii. 1, 9, 10. ↑Note 54 · Id. ii. 23; i. 7; xcv. 2, 5; x. 2, 7; viii. 29, 3. ↑Note 55 · Id. iii. 5, 10; i. 148, 1. Cf. also Adalb. Kuhn, “Die Herabkunft des Feuers und des Göttertrankes,” 2nd ed., 1886–9. In Mazdeism also the li Note 56 · Il., xi. 20; cf. Movers, op. cit., 242 sq. ↑Note 57 · Cf. John x. 3, 7, 9. ↑Note 58 · O. Gruppe, “Griech. Mythologie,” 1900, ii. 1328, note 10. ↑Note 59 · Id., op. cit., 1307. According to the Arabian legend Father Abraham, also, who here plays the part of a saviour and redeemer, was under the Note 60 · “Praep. Evang.,” ix. 27. ↑Note 61 · 2 Cor. viii. 9. ↑Note 62 · Gruppe, op. cit., 1322, 1331. ↑Note 63 · Preller, “Griech. Mythol.,” 1894, 775 sq., 855. ↑Note 64 · Robertson, “Christianity and Mythology,” 322. ↑Note 65 · Matt. iii. 17; Mark i. 11; Luke iii. 22. ↑Note 66 · Phereda or Pheredet, the dove, is the Chaldaic root of the name Aphrodite, as the Goddess in the car drawn by two doves was called among the Note 67 · Irenæus, i. 28. ↑Note 68 · Hippolytus iv. 35. This brings to mind that, according to Persian ideas also, besides the Trinity of Heaven (Ahuramazda), Sun, Fire (Mithras Note 69 · “Dialog.,” 88. ↑Note 70 · One cannot therefore say, as is usual, that Mark, in whom the story of the birth given in Matthew and Luke is not found, knew nothing of a s Note 71 · Quoted in Usener, “Religionsgesch. Untersuchungen,” 1889, i. 64. ↑Note 72 · Thus Mithras also was said to have been born on the bank of a river, just as Jesus received baptism in or near the Jordan. On this account “Note 73 · Cf. Wobbermin, “Religionsgesch. Studien zur Frage der Beeinflussung des Urchristentums durch das antike Mysterienwesen,” 1896, 154 sqq. The Note 74 · Rgv. x. 88, 2. ↑Note 75 · Id. v. 2, 9. ↑Note 76 · “Antiq.,” xviii. 5, 2. ↑Note 77 · “Contra Celsum,” i. 47. ↑Note 78 · Graetz calls it “a shameless interpolation” (“Gesch. d. Juden,” 1888, iii. 278). Cf. J. Chr. K. v. Hofmann, “Die heiligen Schriften des N.T.Note 79 · Cf. Sepp., op. cit., i. 168 sqq. ↑Note 80 · Cf. Usener, op. cit., 62. ↑Note 81 · I. 8, 9, 10, 16; cf. Matt. iv. 16. ↑Note 82 · Luke i. 5 sqq. ↑Note 83 · Gen. xvii. 16 sqq. ↑Note 84 · Judges, xiii. 2 sqq. ↑Note 85 · John v. 35. ↑Note 86 · Id. iii. 30. ↑Note 87 · Luke i. 26. ↑Note 88 · Matt. iii. 4. ↑Note 89 · 2 Kings i. 8. ↑Note 90 · Matt. xi. 14. ↑Note 91 · Cf. Nork, “Realwörterbuch,” i. 451 sqq. The Baptist John in the Gospels also appears as the “forerunner,” announcer, herald, and preparer of Note 92 · Cf., Sepp, “Heidentum,” i. 170 sq., 190 sq.; Winckler, “Die babylonische Geisteskultur,” 89, 100 sq. By this reference of the Gospel story t Note 93 · Mark ix. 2–7. ↑Note 94 · The horns (crescent) which he also shares with Jahwe, as the Syrian Hadah shows (Winckler, “Gesch. Israels,” ii. 94), recalls to mind the Mo Note 95 · “Contra Tryph.,” xlvi. ↑Note 96 · Cf. above, 112. ↑Note 97 · Burnouf, op. cit., 195 sq. ↑Note 98 · That in the closer description of this occurrence Old Testament ideas have had their part has already been advanced by others. Thus in the t Note 99 · We are compelled to suppose that in the case of all the Gods of this nature the idea of the dying away of vegetation during the heat of the Note 100 · Now the Sun and Summer God Balder is only a form of Odin, the Father of Heaven, with summer attributes, and he too is said, like Attis, Adon Note 101 · I myself to myself.”31 Note 102 · By this self-sacrifice and the agonies which he endured, the northern God, too, obtained new strength and life. For on this occasion he not Note 103 · For the manner in which this occurred we have the oldest authentic testimony in the religious records of the Indian Aryans. Here Agni, as in Note 104 · Thus in ancient India the holy fire was kindled anew each morning, and honoured with ritualistic observances (Agnihotra). This took place, h Note 105 · There is no doubt that we have before us in the Vedic Agni Cult the original source of all the stories of the birth of the Fire-Gods and Sun Note 106 · It is a common fundamental feature of all Nature religions that they distinguish between the particular and the general, between earthly and Note 107 · It has been often maintained that Indian influences have worked upon the development of the story of the childhood of Jesus, and in this con Note 108 · Now the Pantanjalis Mahâbhashya, i.e., “Great Commentary,” of the second century before Christ, shows that the story of Kansa’s death at the Note 109 · For the rest the supposition of Indian influences in the Gospel story is not by any means an improbable one. It is pure theological prejudic Note 110 · As a matter of fact, the Mandaic religion contains much that is Indian. This is the less strange considering that the headquarters and centr Note 111 · Of all the Gods of the Rigveda Agni bears the closest relationship to the Perso-Jewish Messiah, and it is he also who stands closest to man’Note 112 · Agni’s father is, as has been said, the sky, or rather the light, the sun, the source of all warmth and life upon the earth. He bears the na Note 113 · As is well known, Jesus, too, had three fathers, namely, his heavenly father, Jahwe, the Holy Spirit, and also his earthly father, Joseph. T Note 114 · Now if Joseph, as we have already seen, was originally a God, Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a Goddess. Under the name of Maya she is the mo Note 115 · After all this it seems rather naïve to believe that the parents of the “historical” Jesus were called Joseph and Mary, and that his father Note 116 · Now it is a feature which recurs in all the religions of Nearer Asia that the “son” of the divine “virgin” mother is at the same time the “b Note 117 · Now in Hebrew the word “spirit” (ruach) is of feminine gender. As a consequence of this the Holy Ghost was looked upon by the Nassenes and t Note 118 · Just as John, who was closely related to the Essenes, baptized the penitents in the Jordan in the open air, so also the Mandæi, whose connec Note 119 · Light appeared, when Agni was born.”74 Note 120 · He makes everything plain in splendour.”75 Note 121 · A complete understanding of the baptism in the Jordan can only be attained if here, too, we take into consideration the translation of the b Note 122 · According to Babylonian ideas corresponding to the “baptism of water” at the commencement of the efficacious power of the sun, was the “bapt