The mixing of religious and non-religious beliefs in an individual.

Jesus & Pythagoras: The Parallel Birth’s Stories

This is the story as it has been given to us.

The Birth of Jesus – According to Matthew (1: 18 – 25)

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.

The Birth of Pythagoras – According to Iamblichus

Mnesarchus and Pythais, the parents of Pythagoras, descended from the family of Ancaeus, he who was ordered by the Pythian oracle to colonize the Island of Sarnos, taking people from Arcadia and Thessaly as well as from Athens, Epidourus and Chalcis.
Pythagoras was also called the Son of Apollo, which seems to have originated from a prediction made by the Pythian oracle to Mnesarchus that he would have a son surpassing in beauty and wisdom all that had ever lived and who would be of the greatest advantage to the human race, in everything pertaining to the life of man. When the child was born at Sidon, in Phoenicia, he was named Pythagoras, signifying that such an offspring had been predicted by the Pythian Apollo.

Similarity:

As in Matthew and Luke, statements about Pythagoras’s ancestry are combined with affirmations of a supernatural birth.

Differences:

1) In the Gospels neither the genealogy nor the miraculous birth are the basis of Jesus’ abilities and deeds. Iamblichus, however, gives the genealogy to account for the hero’s amazing ability.

2) For Pythagoras, the progenitor of the family line was himself begotten by Zeus. According to the Nicene Creed, adopted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325, Jesus himself was begotten by God,

“Born of the Father before all ages; God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.” (Catholic Church’s Creed)

3) The “dualism” of Iamblichus ( a human body born in the natural manner but a divine soul that came from heaven) is also in contrast to the Gospels’ lack of interest in the nature of Jesus, as is Iamblichus’ attempt to combine a kind of “preexistence” with a human birth.

Iamblichus said:

“According to the ancient theology, between those perpetual attendants of a divine nature called essential heroes, who are impassive and pure, and the bulks of human souls who descend to earth with passivity and impurity, it is necessary that it should be an order of human souls who descend with impassivity and purity, for as there is no vacuum, either in incorporeal or corporeal natures, it is necessary that the last link of a superior order, should coalesce with the summit of one proximately inferior. These souls were called by the ancients, terrestrial heroes, on account of their high degree of proximity and alliance to such as are essentially heroes. Souls of this kind descend into mortality both to benefit other souls and in compliance with that necessity by which all natures inferior to the perpetual attendants of the gods are obliged to descend. Hercules, Plato, Theseus, and Pythagoras were of this order of souls.”

Tags: Gospel, Jesus, Matthew, Pythagoras, dualism, philosophy, religion, theology

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Comment by Robert DeFord on June 26, 2012 at 9:01am: the chief difference between Pythagoras and Jesus (and Zeus, Apollo, Hermes Trismagistus, and any pother wannabe Saviopr is that Jesus went to the cross and was crucified in a slow agonizing horrific death as a voluntary sacrifice for all the imperfections of the human race...then three days later He was revived and restored to life by His Father, God All Mighty and nhow sits enthroned at the right hand of God, and will soon judge the world and its inhabitants, so we can get on with an eternal life and a clean, secure, and beautiful planet again, as it was before the fall from Paradise many aeons ago,

Comment by Kernel John on July 16, 2012 at 11:05pm: If we assume that the earliest followers of Jesus, like many today, believed that Jesus was God, then why would anyone be surprised that Jesus was crucified. Alternatively, if his early followers did not claim Jesus to be God, how could he be expected to be remembered. Decades after his crucifixion, some early church fathers understood that God must - Jesus if his life and teachings were to have lasting significance.

In fact, the notion of Jesus as God, definitely seems to have arose decades after his crucifixion. During the past century or 2, scholars have slowly and quietly, provided realistic (evidence based) context to our otherwise limited knowledge and understanding of the life and times of Jesus. . . as well as the first 400 years of Christianity and the subsequent formation of the bible through a process of "holy" scripture selection and elimination.

In her book, The Bible - a Biography, Karen Armstrong points out that any interpretation that spread hatred or denigrated other sages is illegitimate. Today' these 'other sages' must include Mohammed, Buddha, and the rishis of the Rig Veda. In the spirit of Micha's coda, Christians must cease regarding the Tanakh as a mere prelude to Christianity and learn to value the insights of the rabbis; Jews should acknowledge the Jewishness of Jesus and Paul and learn to appreciate the fathers of the Church - R. Meir.

For anyone interested in another scholarly POV, Bart. D. Ehrman's book, "Forged" provideds additional insight into the formation of the Bible - both Old and New Testaments.

People have used the bible as evidence to prove and Justify all kinds of ideas of ideas for hundreds and hundreds of years. . . and this was fine for hundreds and hundreds of years. However, what many westerners are coming to understand is that those who make these claims have little evidence about their evidence. Faith is a wonderful thing but should not not be confused for evidence (research, reason and 'common' sense).

People are welcomed to believe whatever they want on a site like this, however, in the absence of research and reason, people are limited to a view that cannot develop regardless of how tenuous the belief has become.

Claudia, yes, there are few if any claims (made by the followers of Jesus) that had not be previously attributed to others. Two thousand years ago, if you could not claim to be the son of god - like many others, then how could you possibly claim to be The Messiah.

Comment by Khem the Is Real-ite on July 28, 2012 at 9:42am: The chief difference is that "Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham (or Pythagoras, Zeus, Ahura Mazda, Osiris, Vishnu, Dagon, Hermes, Hercules, Arjuna, Gautama, Odin or Thor) was, I am".

There have been many messiahs ("anointed ones"), but only one "King of kings".

Comment by Kernel John on July 30, 2012 at 11:11am: Hi Khem,

The King of kings is the one who masters the Self. . . the one who becomes self-sovereign. Who is this king of kings of whom you refer and where is he/she today. Surely you are not referring to Jesus of Nazareth. He has not been heard of for 2000 years and although many worship this deity-soul today there is no substantial evidence of his existence outside the accounts made decades after he walked this earth and today found in Christian New Testament Scripture. Believe is a powerful phenomenon as see by the faithful in all the world religions. However some people doubt the accuracy of stories told about Vishnu, Jesus, Osiris, etc . . .

Should we assume that that Jesus is your personal King of kings and savior of mankind. Right? For me, Jesus was a very great prophet but after 2000 years has not warranted many of the titles that Christians have bestowed on him.

Yes Khem, there have been many god-like saviors over the past 2500 years and I have no doubt there will be more.