The Life and Times of Hercules (500 BC) Sound Awfully Familiar!

First of all, I'm familiar with how isolated stories from both the Old and New Testament incorporate many older "pagan" stories already, but I've never seen it so plainly as in the oral tradition of the Greeks' Hercules.

Watching the Sci Fi mini-series adaptation this week I was forced to think it was just some clever writing making Hercules into this Neo character (ala the Matrix) that just happened to resemble the reformer role of Jesus as pertained to "the old ways" which basically serves as the entire point of Christianity.

So I started reading the actual Greek stories and timelines.

Nope. As the stories go, Hercules was the son of God first by at least 500 years. He was the hero of the people that came to represent them to the Gods and reform the old rules and blood rituals to a new path of redemption under a united philosophy. Of course, it's not all the same. Hercules had 12 labors, not apostles, his virgin mother was raped on her wedding night by God out of spite, not exactly a gift to mankind, though he was in just as much danger from Kings and followers of degenerate Gods as Jesus and similarly didn't learn of his divinity until adolescence, but used his status for the benefit of man and glory of God in spite of both anyway. At least until Zeus looking down on his son being burned alive in a funeral pyre decided he had suffered enough for his cause and cheated death whisking him alive to Olympus on a chariot. Uh huh. The whole Hera versus Zeus thing is interesting too, with Hera and her follower's ways easily castable in numerous "biblical" roles from Satan to the Jews. (No offense to any Hera followers.)

Now, another thing. I'm not entirely an idiot. And I've known shades of Hercules tales all my life, but just shades. Most notably from some very dismissive coverage of greek mythology in grade school. But they sure don't cover this. Why didn't I see this before? Or rather, why is this demonstrably comparison not taught as a given? I'd imagine a third reading this will say oh it's obvious, I always knew that, another third clucking the Greek myths have nothing to do with the stories of Jesus and only a follower of Hera would say so and another third harping Rant you make me so mad with your stupid irresponsible posts I read all of just to complain about them, gah! gah! I'm gouging my eyes out. Make it stop. I have no self control whatsoever so I'm reporting you until you stop writing things! Gah, gah!

Or something like that.

But I'm telling ya. Kevin Sorbo is Jesus.

[edit on 18-10-2005 by RANT]

To be honest, I think you're just looking for any excuse to discredit Christianity.

BTW - I'm Greek and I had to learn pretty much ALL Greek mythology from Jason and the argonauts to Perseus and the gorgones.

How can you compare the 12 trials/labors of Herakles to the 12 apostles?

It doesn't make any sense, yes there were 12 trials, but that's irrelevant. You might as well say Herakles had 10 toes and so did Jesus - wow.

The two legends (for want of a better word) do bear striking similarities
Son of A god with "powers"
Had a following of people
Had to prove themselves
Died and went to "heaven"

oh yeah and
Rant you make me so mad with your stupid irresponsible posts I read all of just to complain about them, gah! gah! I'm gouging my eyes out. Make it stop. I have no self control whatsoever so I'm reporting you until you stop writing things! Gah, gah!



[edit on 18/10/05 by obiwan15]

What about Thor?

Originally posted by Simon_the_byron
How can you compare the 12 trials/labors of Herakles to the 12 apostles?

It doesn't make any sense, yes there were 12 trials, but that's irrelevant.

That's the part I'm saying is different, not the same.