| Aren’t there some striking parallels between the Jesus and Iasion stories? |
| Hardly. Iasion (aka Iasius or Eetion) is a Greek god, the son of Zeus
and Electra, husband of Demeter (a fertility goddess), and father of Plutus.
He also, in some versions, later married Cybele and had a son called
Corybas. Most Greek mythology sites say little or nothing about him,
meaning he is not a major figure in Greek mythology, and was almost certainly
unknown to the early Christian church. I suspect that the reason some
critics latch onto this one is the similarity between the names Iasius and
Jesus. One critic gives a list of comparisons and over a dozen quotes
from ancient texts about Iasion. What's amusing is that not even one
of those dozen+ quotes really supports anything on his list! Anyways,
here's the list of supposed comparisons (with my responses):
1. He is the Son of God (the highest God) Yes, he is the son of Zeus, the primary god in Greek mythology. 2. His mother is a mortal virgin, known for her purity. His mother was Electra, the daughter of a Titan. Whether she was 'mortal' depends on the legend. In some versions, she's immortal. In others, she's not (in some, she even commits suicide). And, yes, Electra was a virgin...until Zeus impregnated her with Iasion (as well as his brother Dardanus and sister Harmonia). There is nothing in the mythology suggesting that the conception of Iasion was non-sexual. In fact, the legend specifically mentions (see bottom link below) that Zeus was overcome with lust for Electra, making a non-sexual union unlikely. 3. He is a healer That he is. So are Florence Nightingale, Marcus Welby and my lovely wife (an R.N.). Is this supposed to be significant? 4. He brought divine revelation to mankind. Yes, but not the same kinds of things Jesus taught. 5. He died tragically. He doesn't die in all versions of the story, but in those in which he does, his death is nothing like Jesus'. In these versions, Zeus disapproves of Iasion's relationship with Demeter. In some, he kills Iasion with a thunderbolt before Iasion can join with her. In others, he waits until after Iasion and Demeter have sex and conceive Plutus, and then sends the lightning bolt. 6. Yet he rose again, and ascended to be with God. In some versions, Zeus regrets having killed him when Demeter, in sorrow, withdraws fertility from the Earth. Zeus does resurrect Iasion and brings him to Olympus. Yes, some similarities here, but far more differences. And how likely is it that the Israelites would be familiar with a rare version of the story of a minor Greek god? 7. Key symbols include: Wedding, Wine, Mother, Grain, Holy Child. Actually, Iasion and Demeter don't have any wedding, but their sexual union is considered a 'sacred marriage'. I see no mention of wine in any version of the story. As for mother - yes, he has a mother. So does everyone since Adam and Eve. There is no direct mention of grain that I've seen, though his wife being a fertility goddess does relate to grain somewhat. And there is no mention of Iasion, or his son Plutus, being a 'Holy Child'. 8. Related themes include: Pine tree, Child Effigy, Breaking up and eating the divine body, Descent into Hell. I'm actually not seeing any of these in the story. One critic compares Iasion to Attis, and there is a palm tree involved in his story. But...so what? Where does the pine tree figure into the Jesus story? There's a fig tree. And perhaps Jesus' crucifixion happened on a tree (doesn't say what kind, but a pine tree is pretty unlikely). And branches from a palm tree are waved at him. But where's the pine tree, exactly?
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