Did Christianity Borrow from Pagan Myths?

Ancient religions did influence one another, and Christians later adopted some customs from surrounding cultures. But a narrower claim needs testing: did the apostles invent Jesus' death and resurrection by copying myths about pagan gods? The evidence does not establish that.

Do Horus and Mithras really have the same story as Jesus?

Popular comparison charts claim that pagan gods were born of virgins, gathered twelve disciples, were crucified and rose three days later. Those lists often rely on inaccurate details, or on sources written after Christianity began.

Mithras is often said to have been born of a virgin. Surviving Roman images instead depict him emerging from a rock. There is no well-attested earlier narrative of Mithras being crucified and rising bodily three days later.

The Egyptian god Horus was not crucified or raised from the dead like Jesus. His story involves Isis, Osiris and royal conflict within Egyptian mythology. Osiris is restored in a mythic account and becomes ruler of the dead. That differs sharply from the Christian claim about a named man executed under Roman rule and later seen alive by followers.

Why do dates and original sources matter?

A comparison is only as good as its evidence. We should ask whether the pagan text actually contains the alleged detail and whether that version predates the earliest Christian testimony. Later similarities cannot, by themselves, establish earlier borrowing.

Christian resurrection preaching appears early. In 1 Corinthians 15:3–8, Paul passes on a tradition that Jesus died, was buried, rose and appeared to witnesses. Scholars debate exactly when this wording took shape, but it clearly predates Paul's letter and is far earlier than many of the texts invoked in popular comparisons.

Were the first Christians influenced by pagan religion?

They lived amid a wide range of cultures, yet their key theological framework came from Israel's Scriptures. The confession that the Lord is one in Deuteronomy 6:4 and the critique of idols in Isaiah 44 shaped the Jewish world in which the earliest Christians proclaimed Jesus.

Acts 2:22–36 presents Jesus' death and resurrection through Israel's Psalms. Luke 24:25–27 connects Jesus' suffering and glory to Moses and the prophets. Those are the explanations the earliest Christian sources themselves offer.

It is still fair to study shared themes about death, life and divine rescue. Yet a shared theme is not evidence that one account copied another. The origins of Christmas customs, for example, are a different question from the origins of the Gospel's resurrection claim.

What would prove that Christianity borrowed a pagan myth?

A strong argument would identify an earlier source with substantial matching details, show that the Gospel writers could have encountered it and explain why literary dependence is more likely than shared motifs or independent traditions.

In my view, the best approach is to test one alleged parallel at a time. It is too easy to dismiss every comparison without checking, but just as easy to treat a colourful internet chart as established history.

Our article on whether Christianity changed Jesus' original message explores the separate charge that later Christians altered an earlier faith.

Does refuting a pagan comparison prove Jesus rose?

No. Showing that a particular borrowing theory fails does not prove the resurrection. That historical claim still needs positive evidence. See our discussions of extraordinary claims and evidence and differences between the Gospel resurrection accounts.

For more on source dating and historical parallels, see the Gospel Coalition's comparison of ancient sources and Catholic Answers' examination of common pagan-god claims. These are arguments to assess, not substitutes for reading the primary sources.

How to say it gently

You could say: “Some older religions contain themes that resemble Christianity. But that does not show the apostles copied them. Which earlier text contains the claimed details, and what connects it to the Gospel writers? We can compare the evidence without dismissing your question.”

What not to say

Do not say that cultural influence never happened, that every pagan story is false or that rejecting a borrowing theory establishes the resurrection. Do not mock someone who has seen persuasive-looking lists online. Ask for the sources and examine their dates and content.