A. Ben-Shema
Active Member
The myth of the virgin-birth of Jesus came from a desire by early Christians to have him fulfill what they saw as every possible Messianic prophesy from the OT.
Perhaps the most well known of these Messianic passages is from Isaiah. However, this passage is not exactly as it was once perceived by early Greek speaking (i.e. Gentile) Christians. The rendering virgin (in Isaiah 7:14) in some translations of the OT (e.g. the Greek LXX and many English / Christian versions) is incorrect; for this, the Hebrew bethulah would have been used! The actual word employed here almah simply means a young woman. This error, originally made in the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament (c. 3rd Century BC), which was used by early Greek speaking (Gentile) Christians, was the source of the myth of Jesus being born of a virgin (i.e. in order, as they thought, to make Him fulfill scripture)! It is important to note that the authors of the earliest extant New Testament books (i.e. the genuine Epistles of Paul and the Gospel of Mark) know nothing of a virgin birth, neither is it mentioned in the Gospel of John!
I don't remember reading any instance of a virgin birth in the OT. However, amongst the Gentiles there are many such accounts. Zoroaster, the Persian prophet and patriarch who lived and preached in ancient Babylon, was said to have been God-begotten and virgin born. The Zoroastrian cosmology told of the world lasting for twelve thousand years in four, three-thousand year blocks of time. The last block of time began with the divine birth of the prophet and would end by ushering in the apocalyptic end of the world and the restoration of good over evil. Zoraster's birth and teaching in the world marked the opening of the final three thousand of the world span of twelve thousand years -- at the end of which term his spritual son Saoshyant, "the Coming Savior," the World Messiah, would appear, to culminate the victory of Truth over the Lie and establish forever the restoration of the pristine creation of God. As the legend tells, the birthplace of Zoroaster ... was beside the river Daiti, in the central land of the seven lands of the earth, Eran Vej ... Angra Mainyu [Demon of the Lie] rushed from the regions of the north, crying to his horde, "Annihilate him!" But the holy babe chanted aloud ... and the demons were dispersed.
In the Hellenic empire carved out by Alexander the Great during the third century BCE, these eastern beliefs and myths mingled with those of the Greeks, Egyptians, and Semitic peoples. Alexander was anxious to connect the Mediterranean world with the strange ways and customs of the Orient, and sought to connect his two empires culturally as well as politically. The Greeks had already devised well-developed concepts of divine impregnation. The savior-god Dionysus was said to have been born after Zeus visited Persephone in the form of a serpent. The Persian contribution to these Hellenic myths was to bring the fascinating idea of the virgin (parthenioi) birth to the old Dionysus and Herakles stories. Eventually the pagan mysteries had fully incorporated the virgin-birth ceremonies of the Ishtar priestesses into their own beliefs and religions as each savior-god took on the divine attribute themselves.
The Greeks related that Persephone was hidden in a cave by her mother, the goddess Demeter. While there, Persephone began weaving a great tapestry of the universe out of a web of wool. Zeus learned of her presence and approached Persephone in the guise of a serpent. She conceived a son for Zeus and named him Dionysus, whom she cared for and nurtured in the cave to protect the young child from other jealous wives of Zeus. Eventually Herakles, whom the Romans would rename Hercules, was said to have been born of a god as well. In due time Perseus, Minos, Asclepius, Miletus, and many others, were all reputably born of a specially selected mortal woman and a god in the manner of the Ishtar virgin priestesses. Often the god would impregnate the woman as a spirit in special ceremonies. Zeus was said to have impregnated Danae by visiting her as a ray of sunlight, and the dove, sacred to Ishtar, manifests itself as a Holy Ghost to impregnate Mary and announce Jesus as the son of God.
One result of the Persian-Hellenic blend of myths was Mithras. Mithras was a Persian deity, but other than his name used "to give itself an exotic oriental flavor," Hellenic Mithraism was distinctly pagan. Mithraism began and flourished at the same time as did Christianity. The cult gained enormous popularity and by the third century hundreds of mithraeum -- underground temples where Mithras was worshipped -- were spread out across Asia Minor, Africa, Italy, Greece, and the German and Scottish frontiers where Roman soldiers were stationed. Mithras is the most recognizable of the Mediterranean gods that was said to have been physically virgin-born; a flattering imitation of the Ishtar priestesses of Babylon.
Also, many stories about Jesus have close parallels with previous stories of Moses: as a new-born, Moses was hidden by his mother because of Pharaohs command that all male Hebrew infants were to be killed (EXOD.1:15-22; cf. MATT.2:16); Moses communed with God for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness (EXOD.24:18 & 34:28; cf. MATT.4:1-2); he chose twelve helpers (NUM.1:4-15; cf. MARK 3:14); he rode into Egypt on a mule; his face shone brightly after communing with God (EXOD.34:29-30; cf. MATT.17:2); he also performed many miracles, as many other prophets (see e.g. 1KINGS 17:17-24, where Elijah revives a dead boy; and 2KINGS 4:42-44, Elisha feeds a multitude). In fact, there is hardly a detail in the recorded life of Jesus that does not have an exact parallel in one or more older stories of other Divine men. Mithraism was similar to Christianity in many respects, e.g. baptism, the rite of communion, the use of holy water, the adoration by shepherds at Mithra's birth, the adoption of Sundays and of December 25 (Mithra's birthday) as holy days, and the belief in the immortality of the soul, the last judgment, and the resurrection. Jesus resurrection is also prefigured in many other ancient religions, e.g. the Babylonian account of the death and resurrection of the god Tammuz; the Egyptian belief that Osiris came back to life after being killed; the Greek story of the death and return to life of Dionysus; and the Phrygian tale of the death and resurrection of Attis.
Perhaps the most well known of these Messianic passages is from Isaiah. However, this passage is not exactly as it was once perceived by early Greek speaking (i.e. Gentile) Christians. The rendering virgin (in Isaiah 7:14) in some translations of the OT (e.g. the Greek LXX and many English / Christian versions) is incorrect; for this, the Hebrew bethulah would have been used! The actual word employed here almah simply means a young woman. This error, originally made in the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament (c. 3rd Century BC), which was used by early Greek speaking (Gentile) Christians, was the source of the myth of Jesus being born of a virgin (i.e. in order, as they thought, to make Him fulfill scripture)! It is important to note that the authors of the earliest extant New Testament books (i.e. the genuine Epistles of Paul and the Gospel of Mark) know nothing of a virgin birth, neither is it mentioned in the Gospel of John!
I don't remember reading any instance of a virgin birth in the OT. However, amongst the Gentiles there are many such accounts. Zoroaster, the Persian prophet and patriarch who lived and preached in ancient Babylon, was said to have been God-begotten and virgin born. The Zoroastrian cosmology told of the world lasting for twelve thousand years in four, three-thousand year blocks of time. The last block of time began with the divine birth of the prophet and would end by ushering in the apocalyptic end of the world and the restoration of good over evil. Zoraster's birth and teaching in the world marked the opening of the final three thousand of the world span of twelve thousand years -- at the end of which term his spritual son Saoshyant, "the Coming Savior," the World Messiah, would appear, to culminate the victory of Truth over the Lie and establish forever the restoration of the pristine creation of God. As the legend tells, the birthplace of Zoroaster ... was beside the river Daiti, in the central land of the seven lands of the earth, Eran Vej ... Angra Mainyu [Demon of the Lie] rushed from the regions of the north, crying to his horde, "Annihilate him!" But the holy babe chanted aloud ... and the demons were dispersed.
In the Hellenic empire carved out by Alexander the Great during the third century BCE, these eastern beliefs and myths mingled with those of the Greeks, Egyptians, and Semitic peoples. Alexander was anxious to connect the Mediterranean world with the strange ways and customs of the Orient, and sought to connect his two empires culturally as well as politically. The Greeks had already devised well-developed concepts of divine impregnation. The savior-god Dionysus was said to have been born after Zeus visited Persephone in the form of a serpent. The Persian contribution to these Hellenic myths was to bring the fascinating idea of the virgin (parthenioi) birth to the old Dionysus and Herakles stories. Eventually the pagan mysteries had fully incorporated the virgin-birth ceremonies of the Ishtar priestesses into their own beliefs and religions as each savior-god took on the divine attribute themselves.
The Greeks related that Persephone was hidden in a cave by her mother, the goddess Demeter. While there, Persephone began weaving a great tapestry of the universe out of a web of wool. Zeus learned of her presence and approached Persephone in the guise of a serpent. She conceived a son for Zeus and named him Dionysus, whom she cared for and nurtured in the cave to protect the young child from other jealous wives of Zeus. Eventually Herakles, whom the Romans would rename Hercules, was said to have been born of a god as well. In due time Perseus, Minos, Asclepius, Miletus, and many others, were all reputably born of a specially selected mortal woman and a god in the manner of the Ishtar virgin priestesses. Often the god would impregnate the woman as a spirit in special ceremonies. Zeus was said to have impregnated Danae by visiting her as a ray of sunlight, and the dove, sacred to Ishtar, manifests itself as a Holy Ghost to impregnate Mary and announce Jesus as the son of God.
One result of the Persian-Hellenic blend of myths was Mithras. Mithras was a Persian deity, but other than his name used "to give itself an exotic oriental flavor," Hellenic Mithraism was distinctly pagan. Mithraism began and flourished at the same time as did Christianity. The cult gained enormous popularity and by the third century hundreds of mithraeum -- underground temples where Mithras was worshipped -- were spread out across Asia Minor, Africa, Italy, Greece, and the German and Scottish frontiers where Roman soldiers were stationed. Mithras is the most recognizable of the Mediterranean gods that was said to have been physically virgin-born; a flattering imitation of the Ishtar priestesses of Babylon.
Also, many stories about Jesus have close parallels with previous stories of Moses: as a new-born, Moses was hidden by his mother because of Pharaohs command that all male Hebrew infants were to be killed (EXOD.1:15-22; cf. MATT.2:16); Moses communed with God for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness (EXOD.24:18 & 34:28; cf. MATT.4:1-2); he chose twelve helpers (NUM.1:4-15; cf. MARK 3:14); he rode into Egypt on a mule; his face shone brightly after communing with God (EXOD.34:29-30; cf. MATT.17:2); he also performed many miracles, as many other prophets (see e.g. 1KINGS 17:17-24, where Elijah revives a dead boy; and 2KINGS 4:42-44, Elisha feeds a multitude). In fact, there is hardly a detail in the recorded life of Jesus that does not have an exact parallel in one or more older stories of other Divine men. Mithraism was similar to Christianity in many respects, e.g. baptism, the rite of communion, the use of holy water, the adoration by shepherds at Mithra's birth, the adoption of Sundays and of December 25 (Mithra's birthday) as holy days, and the belief in the immortality of the soul, the last judgment, and the resurrection. Jesus resurrection is also prefigured in many other ancient religions, e.g. the Babylonian account of the death and resurrection of the god Tammuz; the Egyptian belief that Osiris came back to life after being killed; the Greek story of the death and return to life of Dionysus; and the Phrygian tale of the death and resurrection of Attis.
