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BIBLE MYTHS
AND THEIR
PARALLELS IN OTHER RELIGIONS
BEING A COMPARISON OF THE
Old and New Testament Myths and Miracles
WITH
THOSE OF HEATHEN NATIONS OF ANTIQUITY
CONSIDERING ALSO
THEIR ORIGIN AND MEANING
BY T. W. DOANE
_WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS_
SEVENTH EDITION
"_He who knows only one religion knows none._"--PROF. MAX
MULLER.
"The same thing which is now called CHRISTIAN RELIGION existed
among the Ancients. They have begun to call Christian the true
religion which existed before."--ST. AUGUSTINE.
"Our love for what is old, our reverence for what our fathers
used, makes us keep still in the church, and on the very altar
cloths, symbols which would excite the smile of an _Oriental_,
and lead him to wonder why we send missionaries to his land,
while cherishing his faith in ours."--JAMES BONWICK.
COPYRIGHT,
1882.
COPYRIGHT RENEWED,
1910
Printed in U.S.A.
INTRODUCTION.
The idea of publishing the work here presented did not suggest itself
until a large portion of the material it contains had been accumulated
for the private use and personal gratification of the author. In
pursuing the study of the Bible Myths, facts pertaining thereto, in a
condensed form, seemed to be greatly needed, and nowhere to be found.
Widely scattered through hundreds of ancient and modern volumes, most of
the contents of this book may indeed be found; but any previous attempt
to trace exclusively the myths and legends of the Old and New Testament
to their origin, published as a separate work, is not known to the
writer of this. Many able writers have shown our so-called Sacred
Scriptures to be unhistorical, and have pronounced them largely
legendary, but have there left the matter, evidently aware of the great
extent of the subject lying beyond. As Thomas Scott remarks, in his
_English Life of Jesus_: "_How_ these narratives (_i. e._, the New
Testament narratives), unhistorical as they have been shown to be, came
into existence, _it is not our business to explain_; and once again, at
the end of the task, as at the beginning and throughout, we must
emphatically disclaim the obligation." To pursue the subject from the
point at which it is abandoned by this and many other distinguished
writers, has been the labor of the author of this volume for a number of
years. The result of this labor is herewith submitted to the reader,
but not without a painful consciousness of its many imperfections.
The work naturally begins with the Eden myth, and is followed by a
consideration of the principal Old Testament legends, showing their
universality, origin and meaning. Next will be found the account of the
birth of Christ Jesus, with his history until the close of his life upon
earth, showing, in connection therewith, the universality of the myth of
the Virgin-born, Crucified and Resurrected Saviour.
Before showing the _origin_ and _meaning_ of the myth (which is done in
Chapter XXXIX.), we have considered the _Miracles of Christ Jesus_, the
_Eucharist_, _Baptism_, the _Worship of the Virgin_, _Christian
Symbols_, the _Birthday of Christ Jesus_, the _Doctrine of the Trinity_,
_Why Christianity Prospered_, and the _Antiquity of Pagan Religions_,
besides making a comparison of the legendary histories of _Crishna and
Jesus_, and _Buddha and Jesus_. The concluding chapter relates to the
question, What do we really know about Jesus?
In the words of Prof. Max Müller (_The Science of Religion_, p. 11): "A
comparison of all the religions of the world, in which none can claim a
privileged position, will no doubt seem to many dangerous and
reprehensible, because ignoring that peculiar reverence which everybody,
down to the mere fetish worshiper, feels for his own religion, and for
his own god. Let me say, then, at once, that I myself have shared these
misgivings, but that I have tried to overcome them, because I would not
and could not allow myself to surrender either what I hold to be the
truth, or what I hold still dearer than truth, the right of testing
truth. Nor do I regret it. I do not say that the _Science of Religion_
is all gain. No, it entails losses, and losses of many things which we
hold dear. But this I will say, that, as far as my humble judgment goes,
it does not entail the loss of anything that is essential to _true
religion_, and that, if we strike the balance honestly, _the gain is
immeasurably greater than the loss_."
"All truth is safe, and nothing else is safe; and he who keeps back the
truth, or withholds it from men, from motives of expediency, is either a
coward or a criminal, or both."
But little beyond the arrangement of this work is claimed as original.
Ideas, phrases, and even whole paragraphs have been taken from the
writings of others, and in most, if not in all cases, acknowledged; but
with the thought in mind of the many hours of research this book may
save the student in this particular line of study; with the
consciousness of having done for others that which I would have been
thankful to have found done for myself; and more than all, with the hope
that it may in some way help to hasten the day when the mist of
superstition shall be dispelled by the light of reason; with all its
defects, it is most cheerfully committed to its fate by the author.
BOSTON, MASS., _November, 1882_.
CONTENTS.
PART I.
PAGE
INTRODUCTION iii
LIST OF AUTHORITIES, AND BOOKS QUOTED FROM xi
CHAPTER I.
THE CREATION AND FALL OF MAN 1
CHAPTER II.
THE DELUGE 19
CHAPTER III.
THE TOWER OF BABEL 33
CHAPTER IV.
THE TRIAL OF ABRAHAM'S FAITH 36
CHAPTER V.
JACOB'S VISION OF THE LADDER 42
CHAPTER VI.
THE EXODUS FROM EGYPT 48
CHAPTER VII.
RECEIVING THE TEN COMMANDMENTS 58
CHAPTER VIII.
SAMSON AND HIS EXPLOITS 62
CHAPTER IX.
JONAH SWALLOWED BY A BIG FISH 77
CHAPTER X.
CIRCUMCISION 85
CHAPTER XI.
CONCLUSION OF PART FIRST 88
PART II.