Plagiarism In The Bible

First and foremost, I believe in a higher power...whether it be a form of a universal higher consciousness, I'm unsure. I'm a person of science and facts.

***Note***: Anyone participating in this thread, I ask you please don't turn this into a flame fest. I am genuinely interested in an individuals faith towards Church and Religion.

Through research over the course of a decade still can't fathom as to aside from "faith", what drives individuals to defend the Church and Christianity. Given the insurmountable evidence proving the Bible stole a majority of it's information from sources 1000's of years prior to the supposed birth of Christ. This has been covered here before in a manner of speaking, but I'm curious as to the justification standpoint of it. I won't interact very much, I'm just curious as to see how individuals will counter in support of their belief. ***And please attempt to refrain from the "It's Satan's work"*** I find this excuse incredibly futile as the teachings are still the same along with a majority of the info. I find it alarming that Satan would know more than god and convince individuals to right books against killing ect.

Below you'll find several characters that predate Jesus:

Buddah - Both went to their temples at the age of twelve, where they are said to have astonished all with their wisdom. Both supposedly fasted in solitude for a long time: Buddha for forty–seven days and Jesus for forty. Both wandered to a fig tree at the conclusion of their fasts. Both were about the same age when they began their public ministry:

“When he [Buddha] went again to the garden he saw a monk who was calm, tranquil, self–possessed, serene, and dignified. The prince, determined to become such a monk, was led to make the great renunciation. At the time he was twenty–nine years of age… “Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age.” (Luke 3:23). Both were tempted by the “devil” at the beginning of their ministry: To Buddha, he said: “Go not forth to adopt a religious life but return to your kingdom, and in seven days you shall become emperor of the world, riding over the four continents.” To Jesus, he said: “All these [kingdoms of the world] I will give you, if you fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:9). Buddha answered the “devil”: “Get you away from me.”

Jesus responded: “…begone, Satan!” (Matthew 4:10). Both strove to establish a kingdom of heaven on earth. According to the Somadeva (a Buddhist holy book), a Buddhist ascetic’s eye once offended him, so he plucked it out and cast it away. Jesus said: “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out, and throw it away;.” (Matthew 5:29).

Krishna - According to Bhagavata Purana some believe that Krishna was born without a sexual union, by “mental transmission” from the mind of Vasudeva into the womb of Devaki, his mother. Christ and Krishna were called both God and the Son of God. Both were sent from heaven to earth in the form of a man. Both were called Savior, and the second person of the Trinity. Krishna’s adoptive human father was also a carpenter. A spirit or ghost was their actual father. Krishna and Jesus were of royal descent. Both were visited at birth by wise men and shepherds, guided by a star. Angels in both cases issued a warning that the local dictator planned to kill the baby and had issued a decree for his assassination. The parents fled. Mary and Joseph stayed in Muturea; Krishna’s parents stayed in Mathura. Both Christ and Krishna withdrew to the wilderness as adults, and fasted. Both were identified as “the seed of the woman bruising the serpent’s head.” Jesus was called “the lion of the tribe of Judah.” Krishna was called “the lion of the tribe of Saki.” Both claimed: “I am the Resurrection.” Both were “without sin.” Both were god-men: being considered both human and divine. Both performed many miracles, including the healing of disease. One of the first miracles that both performed was to make a leper whole. Each cured “all manner of diseases.” Both cast out indwelling demons, and raised the dead. Both selected disciples to spread his teachings. Both were meek, and merciful. Both were criticized for associating with sinners. Both celebrated a last supper. Both forgave his enemies. Both were crucified and both were resurrected.

Dionysus - Dionysus was born of a virgin on December 25 and, as the Holy Child, was placed in a manger. He was a traveling teacher who performed miracles. He “rode in a triumphal procession on an ass.” He was a sacred king killed and eaten in an eucharistic ritual for fecundity and purification. Dionysus rose from the dead on March 25. He was the God of the Vine, and turned water into wine. He was called “King of Kings” and “God of Gods.” He was considered the “Only Begotten Son,” Savior,” “Redeemer,” “Sin Bearer,” Anointed One,” and the “Alpha and Omega.” He was identified with the Ram or Lamb. His sacrificial title of “Dendrites” or “Young Man of the Tree” intimates he was hung on a tree or crucified.

Can find more here

Also, here's a very small list of some of the sources the Bible has stolen from. Almost all exceeding the bible and JC by over 1k years.

The Story of Joseph and Potipher's wife; Genesis Chapter 39. STOLEN from The Story of Anubis and Bata [Egyptian in origin].


PARALLELS TO THE MOSES STORY:
The birth of Sargon
The birth of Horus

1. The secrecy factor surrounding the birth
2. The placing in a reed basket, covered with bitumen
3. The setting in a river
4. The recovery and adoption Much of the biblical book of PSALMS was stolen from:
The Hymn to the Aton
The Hymn to the Aton can be found in the Tomb of Eye. 1365- 1348 BCE.

The Stories of Ba'al and Anat
Inscribed upon six clay tablets, in the Ugaritic Language; cuneiform script. Circa 1400 BCE.

The Lament for Ur

Many of the writings in the biblical book of Joshua were stolen from:

The El Amarna Letters
The Stele of Merneptah

More stolen writings in the biblical book of Judges:

The Story of Aqhat
The Diary of Wen-Amon
The Gezer Almanac

The biblical books of Samuel and Kings also contain much stolen material from:

The Mari Prophecies
The Stele of Mesha
The Karatepe Inscription
The Annals of Shalmaneser III
The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III
The Annals of Tiglath-Pileser III
The Annals of Sargon II
The Siloam Inscription
The Yavne-Yam Inscription
The Lachlish Letters
The Arad Ostraca
The Annals of Sennacherib
The Annals of Nebuchadnezzar II

More stolen material in the biblical books of Ezra and Nehemiah from:

The Cylinder of Cyrus

More stolen stories and writings in the biblical books of Job and Ecclesiastes:

The Story of Keret
Here is the original story of Job, written in the Ugaritic language, composed circa 1400 BCE by "Ilimilku The Scribe."

This epic involves "Keret" and the God "El." NOT Job and jehova. Keret's family tradgedies and illness are comparable with the story of Job. In the original tale, "Satan" never even entered into the picture.

The Sufferer and the Soul
The Farmer and the Courts
The Sufferer and the Friend

From time (human) it would seem that we have a message that can be extracted . It similar to the scientific method that tries to extrapolate from data a signal that would tell us that the earth was warmer in certain areas then it is today . We find ourselves examining cave paintings that depict such things as Dinosaurs or what some might interpret as such and interacting with humans . One only has to look at the time frame we are given to understand these things cant be so .

We see a phenom where different groups using modern day text can create different interpretations from said text . Could it be that the message has always been the same and different groups at different times decided to put their own interpretation on the message ? We notice a common cultural recording a a great flood but because they use different names we suggest that they are not the same .

Plagiarism has a technical as well as a legal term in our day and age . You OP need to establish what the differences might have been back in the day and separated by differing cultures and language .

"All of these similarities are superficial."

"Satan created these stories knowing Jesus' life would eventually mirror the same events."

"Christianity is unique and just because these other stories are similar doesn't mean anything, they aren't exactly alike so I'll ignore them."

I think that covers the basics on Christian apologetics. To ignore these overwhelming similarities is ignorance, I think it's pretty obvious that the bible and Christianity aren't "unique" in any way.

a reply to: the2ofusr1

Agreed. The flood, for example, is an important piece in the Epic of Gilgamesh. I've often thought they were regurgitation of older stories being passed along by oral traditions.

I used the term "Plagiarism" as the Church in many ways is now a large financial institution and has been for centuries. Every time they preach from the bible prior to handing out the donation basket, it's just another case of it.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

You forgot... "Its not God word so it doesn't count"

a reply to: Akragon

DOH! How could I forget that one!?

"The bible is true because the bible says so."

Forgot that one too.

Although the evidence is not 100% accurate, still, the similarities between those beings are outstanding.
Let me add a few more:

Horus:
Born of a virgin, Isis. Only begotten son of the God Osiris. Birth heralded by the star Sirius, the morning star. Ancient Egyptians paraded a manger and child representing Horus through the streets at the time of the winter solstice (about DEC-21). In reality, he had no birth date; he was not a human. Death threat during infancy: Herut tried to have Horus murdered. Handling the threat: The God That tells Horus’ mother “Come, thou goddess Isis, hide thyself with thy child.” An angel tells Jesus’ father to: “Arise and take the young child and his mother and flee into Egypt.” Break in life history: No data between ages of 12 & 30. Age at baptism: 30. Subsequent fate of the baptizer: Beheaded. Walked on water, cast out demons, healed the sick, restored sight to the blind. Was crucified, descended into Hell; resurrected after three days.

Attis of Phrygia:
Attis was born on December 25 of the Virgin Nana. He was considered the savior who was slain for the salvation of mankind. His body as bread was eaten by his worshippers. He was both the Divine Son and the Father. On “Black Friday,” he was crucified on a tree, from which his holy blood ran down to redeem the earth. He descended into the underworld. After three days, Attis was resurrected.

Zoroaster:
Zoroaster was born of a virgin and “immaculate conception by a ray of divine reason.” He was baptized in a river. In his youth he astounded wise men with his wisdom. He was tempted in the wilderness by the devil. He began his ministry at age 30. Zoroaster baptized with water, fire and “holy wind.” He cast out demons and restored the sight to a blind man. He taught about heaven and hell, and revealed mysteries, including resurrection, judgment, salvation and the apocalypse. He had a sacred cup or grail. He was slain. His religion had a eucharist. He was the “Word made flesh.” Zoroaster’s followers expected a “second coming” in the virgin-born Saoshynt or Savior, who is to come in 2341 AD and begin his ministry at age 30, ushering in a golden age.

And this one I myself consider it the most intriguing, due to the fact that at the time was impossible any kind of influence (that I know, need to look for more detail on the subject):

Quetzalcoatl:
1. Both Christ and Quetzalcoatl were recognized as creator of all things.
2. Both Christ and Quetzalcoatl were born of virgins.
3. Both Christ and Quetzalcoatl are described as being white or as wearing a white robe.
4. Both Christ and Quetzalcoatl performed miracles.
5. Both Christ and Quetzalcoatl taught the ordinance of baptism.
6. Both Christ and Quetzalcoatl prophesied of future events.
7. Both Christ and Quetzalcoatl were universal as opposed to just being recognized as local gods.
8. The cross was a symbol to both Christ and Quetzalcoatl.
9. Both Christ and Quetzalcoatl sent out disciples to preach their word.
10. Both Christ and Quetzalcoatl promised they would come a second time.

Like I said above the information is not 100% accurate and subject to any interpretation. I just adding to the debate.

Sounds like all the Bible haters are having a group hug here. Carry on then

a reply to: jjkenobi

I don't hate the bible...

Group hugs are all good though

much luv from deh kitteh

a reply to: jjkenobi

All the bible lovers have group hugs every Sunday, I think it's only fair we get our time too.

a reply to: Jenisiz

You bring up some very good points about the authorship of the bible. But regardless of original source, what baffles me the most is why someone would put SOOO much trust in a book of testimonials written thousands of years ago, predating quality control by centuries. Maybe if modern science showed that some of the claims in the bible are true, but time and again, science is saying that the events of the bible are fiction.

This results in bible apologists saying that the bible is full of metaphors for what it is really saying (a cop out). This is again baffles me, since I can't understand why someone would put trust in a description of reality that is full of metaphors; making the content very vague and basically able to say anything. I mean I know why a preacher would believe it (he can get people to listen and follow him, power reasons), but for the basic Christian, I don't know.

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
a reply to: Akragon

DOH! How could I forget that one!?

"The bible is true because the bible says so."

Forgot that one too.

In reality it's "The bible is true because my preacher said so."

a reply to: Jenisiz

Genesis 3 foretells the advent of two characters: the Christ from the line of Eve, and the anti-christ (apollyon) from the line of the serpent. Apollyon is the first of 7 Kings who dies and is revived as the 8th. The story behind the Osiris/Isis/Horus trinity is the story of Apollyon's first advent. Since Satan usurped dominion over the earth from Adam, Satan's son was given dibbs on appearing first. While the two characters share similarities, they are very different. One is Messiah, the other is trying to usurp the title of Messiah. The latter legends (Baal, Mithras, Dionysus, Krishna, etc) are simply a re-telling of the Osirian trinity. The story of Jesus, however rivals the story of Osiris.

So, these similarities are to be expected per Genesis 3.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Most of the time it's because they were raised to believe it and to reject it would mean:

A. Eternal hellfire

B. Exclusion from the group they grew up with.

Other times it's when someone has fallen on hard times and want some kind of hope, so they turn to Christianity.

But the Church is not a financial institution according to the bible . What you see today are more in line with what the apostate church might be but it is not what the Biblical Church is . a reply to: Jenisiz

a reply to: Jenisiz

This is an old argument (not saying its wrong, or correct either, just that its been around for a while). There is are a few books out there on it too.

You also have to remember plagiarism is a modern no no. It was expected in the past.

But saying all that, I do not believe that Christianity is as unique as it thinks it is. Other cultures had their "dying gods", Jesus was perhaps just the ultimate distillation of those ideas. It makes it impossible to tell who the real Jesus was (if there was one) because he's under a lot of layers of paint

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

So the line of the serpent provided us with dozens of the same miracles and preached peace? This is my issue, the son of Satan is supposed to bring about the apocalypse...he's already been around according to what you've said thousands of years before Jesus then with really no ill affects.

a reply to: the2ofusr1

All the more issues I have with people defending it. It's very apparent they've lost their original roots...which were "borrowed" in the first place. So what grounds do they have to stand on?

Well as much quality control that scientist seem to put into their work ,we find them revisiting past assumptions and putting forth new calculations and methods in order to only be more accurate . Notice that I said nothing about the truth of the matter but to be MORE accurate . So science is a discovery that brings them closer to the truth . a reply to: Krazysh0t

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

Wait wait wait...

Since Christianity came after Osiris/Dionysus/Krishna/etc., wouldn't that mean Christianity usurped their throne?

How can you usurp something that doesn't exist/hasn't been written yet? That's like saying Greek mythology usurped Roman mythology.