Even secular scholars have rejected the idea of Christianity borrowing from the ancient mysteries. Respected Sir Edward Evans-Pritchard writes in Theories of Primitive Religion that “The evidence for this theory … is negligible.” “The first real parallel of a dying and rising god does not appear until the year 150, over one hundred years after the origin of Christianity. So if there is any influence of one over the other, was the influence of historical events New Testament [resurrection] on mythology, not the reverse. The only known account of a god surviving death that predates Christianity is the Egyptian cult god Osiris.
In this myth, Osiris is cut into fourteen pieces, scattered around Egypt, then reassembled and brought back to life by the goddess Isis. However, Osiris does not really go back to physical life but becomes a member of a dark underworld … This is very different to the account of the resurrection of Jesus, where he was the Prince of life gloriously risen, which was seen by others on earth before his ascension to heaven. “-Dr. Norman Geisler.
