| Aren’t there some striking parallels between the Jesus and Serapis stories? |
| Serapis was an Egyptian deity also known as Asar-Hapi and was worshipped
by the Greeks as Zaparrus.
1. He was called the "Good Shepherd" No, he wasn't. 2. He was considered a healer Serapis was said to "give life, strength, health, to thy nostrils for ever" (and everyone knows the importance of having healthy nostrils). But there is no indication here of his truly healing the sick as Jesus did. What Serapis is claimed to have done is kept the healthy healthy. 3. From Barbara Walker, it is said that Christianity adapted the Serapian practices of using lights, bells, vestments, processions, music, etc. Yes, she does claim this. Is she right? Perhaps. But what does this have to do with the question of whether the Biblical Jesus story borrowed from the Serapis story? There's nothing in the Bible about using lights, bells, etc in the worship of Jesus. 4. Serapis was a sacrificial bull (as Christ was a sacrificial lamb) This is half true. Hapi was originally the name of a famous bull in Memphis (Egypt, not Tennessee). Serapis' original name was Asar(Osiris)-Hapi, a mix of the names of another Egyptian diety and this bull. Kind of weak, but even giving Serapis the benefit of the doubt here, we know that the Jewish custom of sacrificing animals did not begin with Jesus, but went back at least a thousand years before his time. So to say that Jesus was sacrificed because Hapi or Serapis was sacrificed is a bit ridiculous. 5. Serapis was annually sacrificed for the sins of Egypt. I haven't found any mention of this. Besides, how does this compare to Jesus? Jesus' sacrifice happened once, not annually. |