The Parallels between Jesus and Attis

There are various versions of the story of Attis who was a god of growth and fertility which was originally from Asia Minor and later spread to the Roman empire where he was later transformed into a solar deity in the second century AD. He was also the consort of Cybele, the mother of all god. (Click here) – The “Jesus Myth” crowd has asserted that Attis was an inspiration for Jesus by pointing out various parallels between the two.

The story pretty much begins with Agdistis, a hermaphroditic demon with male and female sex organs. — Pausanias, the second century Greek writer, says that the gods feared him and castrated him, throwing away his penis. From that, an almond tree grew,

There grew up from it an almond-tree with its fruit ripe, and a daughter of the river Sangarius  [Nana, Attis' mother], they say, took of the fruit andlaidit in her bosom, when it at once disappeared, but she was with child. A boy was born, and exposed, but was tended by a he-goat. As he grew up his beauty was more than human, and Agdistisfell in love with him. (Description of Greece 7, 17, 11)

According to the Phrygian Version, Nana’s father ordered the child exposed so that he would die. But he was saved by the goddess Cybele and is mothered by a she-goat. 

When Attis was sent to marry the daughter of the king of Pessinos, Agdistis drove Attis insane to the point of castrating himself so that nobody else could have him. In other versions, Cybele, who was jealous and refused to take Attis back, got sexually involved with women and this drove Attis insane and he mutilated himself under a pine tree where he died. — Pausanias points out one tradition in which Attis is killed by a boar. (Description of Greece 7, 17, 10)

When Agdistis saw Attis’ dead body he repented of driving him insane and made sure that his body didn’t decay. Attis was then reborn as an evergreen pine tree, as recounted by Strabo the historian. (Text link)

By reading this description of the Attis myth, it is difficult to tell why “Jesus Mythers” assert that this is a parallel to Jesus. — The website Pagan Origins of the Christ Myth (POCM) has repeated these claims and then retracted them. However, “Jesus Myther” Acharya S continually makes similar claims about them, this still deserves to be refuted. –  It is alleged that,

Attis was born of the Virgin Nana on December 25th. He was both the Father and the Divine Son.

In part two of my refutation of Zeitgeist, I allow for the possibility of Attis being born of a virgin because of the circumstances, however it is not specifically clear that Nana was in fact a virgin, just that her son’s birth was asexual.

There is also no reference to the date of Attis’ birth being on December 25th. But even if it was, it would be irrelevant as a parallel to Christianity because it’s not of any importance. (See “December 25th, A date of no significance“) — And as for being “both the Father and the Divine Son,” even if Attisdid bear these titles, it not a parallel withJesus. This is a misunderstanding of the Trinity because Jesus was not both the father and son. The Father and Son make up a single deity, but they are two separate individuals.

Attis’ worshipers at a sacramental meal of bread and wine. The wine represented the God’s blood; the bread became the body of the savior.

I can’t find any reference to substantiate this except for “Jesus Myther” websites.

They were baptized in this way: a bull was placed over a grating, the devotee stood under the grating. The bull was stabbed with a consecrated spear. “It’s hot reeking blood poured in torrents through the apertures and was received with devout eagerness by the worshiper…who had been born again to eternal life and had washed away his sins in the blood of the bull.”

It is true that there was a festival called the Taurobolium  practiced in the second and third centuries AD in which a bull was sacrificed, but this is not a parallel because Christians do not practice sacrifices. And even if we did, the Taurobolium came two centuries to late to affect Christianity. — Besides, it is inappropriate to call this a “baptism” like ”Jesus Mythers” would have us believe. The bull sacrifice was done on behalf of the emperor and communities to ward off disaster and had nothing to do with the washing away of sins. (Click here) — So this isn’t a parallel to Christianity at all.

Next, it is claimed that Attis was,

Called “the Good Sheppard,” the “Most High God,” the “Only Begotten Son” and “Savior.”

The only reason why Attis can be called a shepherd is because he wasa shepherd in the literal sence with a flute and a staff. Jesus is a shepherd in a figurativesence, so this “connection” is less than superficial. (Text link) — There is also no reference to Attis being refered to as “most high god,” “savior,” or as the “only begotten son.” — I don’t know how anyone came up with these claims unless they either just made them up or cited other “Jesus Mythers.”

As for for the death and “resurrection” of Attis, the ”Jesus Myth” crowd cites a festival that took place in the spring. The festival lasted from March 15th to the 27th with a day of rest. — On the 22nd, which was the eighth day of the festival, the tree representing Attis was cut down andthis was then followed by the three days of mourning of his death. On the tenth day, the 24th of March, Attis was then placed in his tomb and the Halaria (or the Day of Joy) followed on the 25th. — This seems like a convincing parallel, but wait.

Next, it is said that,

Before and during the years the Christian Gospels were written (from the reign of Claudius, 41 – 54 AD) the Festival of Joy, remembering Attis’ death and rebirth was celebrated yearly in Rome.

This is only a partial truth. – Though it is true that the first couple of days of the festival were instated by Emperor Claudius in the middle of the first century (early enough to possibly influence Christianity), the last and most important day was added much later.  The earliest time possible the Halaria, the so-called “resurrection” day, was instated was during the reign of Emperor Antonius Pius between 138 and161 AD. (text link) This is way to late to have affected Christianity.

Before it retracted its claims, POCM argued that since Attis existed before Jesus, that Jesus just had to have copied from the other. However, scholars do not agree. –  Professor A.T. Fear, who contributed a chapter to the book entitled Attis and Related Cults, points out in the chapter entitled “Cybele and Christ,” confirms that the “resurrection” of Attis is from a later time.

He points out that this very cult had gone through changes which could have been “a deliberate attempt to rival Christianity” to ensure the cult’s survival in the market. (Page 44) — As a matter of fact, about the resurrection of Attis he says,

Attis too with his strong emphasis on resurrection seems to be a late-comer to the cult, the stress on the Halaria as celebrating the resurrection of Attis also appears to increase at the beginning of the Fourth century AD. : the same time as in the taurobolium towards the rite of personal redemption.

While these changes could simply be a mutation of religion over time, and it is important to remember that here we are discussing a period of centuries not merely years, they do seem to have been provoked by a need to respond to the challenge of Christianity. (Attis and Related Cults, pages 41, 42)

Dr. Fear does question whether the process of changing the Attis cult was conscious. If anything, he says, the Attis cult either mutated or that it responded to Christianity.

The bottom line is even though there are some certain parallels between Attis and Jesus, they can be explained away as later second to fourth century developement on the part of the Attis cult which is to late to have influenced the origins of Christianity.