Jesus’ Story Isn’t Just a Copy of Pagan Myths — Synchronicity Explains Why He’s Unique

Jesus is a well-known figure in the Christian world, most commonly recognized for dying and rising from the dead. However, Jesus’ story is not the only narrative of its kind. In fact, Encyclopedia.com summarizes these stories in the category "Dying and Rising Gods," describing them as:

“…A major topic of scholarly investigation, [which] must now be understood to have been largely a misnomer based on imaginative reconstructions and exceedingly late or highly ambiguous texts.” (Link)

Encyclopedia.com goes on to illustrate several deities that have been associated with dying and rising. A few of these include:

Adonis

The mythology of Adonis is often described in two ways. The first involves a quarrel between two goddesses—Aphrodite and Persephone—who vied for the affection of Adonis. As a compromise, Adonis was to spend a period in both the upperworld and the underworld. His descent to the underworld can be seen as a form of death, and his resurrection is marked by his ascent to the upperworld. The second account describes the death of Adonis by a boar, and the commemoration of his memory by a flower. Both descriptions, however, lack a physical representation of death and a supernatural resurrection.

Marduk

Marduk, the Babylonian king-god, according to the cuneiform text The Death and Resurrection of Bel-Marduk, describes the imprisonment of the king-god and his later release, representing his death and resurrection. Similar to that of Adonis, the use of imprisonment to describe Marduk’s death is metaphorical. Additionally, the origin of the cuneiform text is questionable at best.

Osiris

The story of Osiris can be found as early as the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties and describes his murder and dismemberment. The pieces of his body were found and rejoined. However, the narrative portrays Osiris as living in the realm of the dead and lacks the full meaning of the term "resurrected."

Although these are just a few of the deities mentioned in the article, other examples, such as Mithra—who dates back to the early cave-worshiping Christians and was later adapted by the early Catholic faith—illustrate similar themes. However, these unclear texts raise questions about the authenticity of the narratives. As Encyclopedia.com puts it, these stories are based on “imaginative reconstructions and exceedingly late or ambiguous texts.” But let’s take this a step further.

In the 19th century, Swiss psychologist Carl Jung furthered Plato’s notion of a dual world—the world of being and the world of becoming—ultimately giving birth to the idea of synchronicity. Jane Piirto, professor at Ashland University, defined synchronicity as:

“…The occurrence of meaningful coincidences that seem to have no cause; that is, the coincidences are acausal. The underlying idea is that there is unity in diversity.” – J. Piirto, Encyclopedia of Creativity (2nd Edition, 2011, p. 409-413)

In other words, synchronicity refers to a meaningful and often symbolic alignment of the physical and spiritual worlds, or the narrative world—the world that tells us what should be—and the objective world—our current reality. This simple yet profound idea forms the basis that distinguishes the story of Jesus from all other mythological gods. Unlike the previous descriptions of mythological gods, Jesus was an actual historical figure. In fact, he is the only historical figure to unite the narrative and objective worlds.

While there is evidence to show the historical accuracy of the scriptures that formed the Bible, there is also unbiased evidence for the existence of Jesus. This is crucial when comparing the historical reality of Jesus to the mythological accounts of gods who allegedly died and were resurrected.

Historical Evidence for Jesus

The historical record offers compelling evidence for the existence of Jesus and His death by crucifixion. Multiple sources, including those outside the Christian texts, confirm the key events in Jesus’ life.

Cornelius Tacitus, a Roman senator and historian who wrote The Annals of Imperial Rome around 116 AD, offers a valuable non-Christian source. In his work, Tacitus writes:

“The persons commonly called Christians, who were hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius.”

As a Roman historian, Tacitus had no personal investment in defending or promoting Christianity. His account provides an unbiased historical record of the events surrounding Jesus' death. Tacitus is an example of a historian writing in the first and second centuries who would not have included these details if they were not corroborated by reliable sources. Furthermore, Tacitus’ use of the term Christus (Christ) establishes that Jesus’ followers firmly believed He was the Messiah and treated His death as a significant historical event.

Another historian, Pliny the Younger, a Roman governor, also provides evidence for the early Christian belief in the resurrection. In a letter to Emperor Trajan, Pliny mentions the practice of early Christians:

“They were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing a hymn to Christ as to a god…” 

This statement is important because it illustrates that Christians not only believed Jesus died but were also actively worshiping Him as divine, something that would have been considered an extraordinary belief for the time.

Additionally, Suetonius, another Roman historian, refers to Jesus indirectly by mentioning a disturbance in Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius, attributing it to a figure named Chrestus, widely understood to be a reference to Christ. This further strengthens the case that Jesus was a historical figure whose followers caused notable unrest. (Link)

As we’ve seen, sources outside the Bible corroborate the existence of Jesus as a historical figure, with stories of his death and resurrection. While we can examine the mythological narratives of Adonis, Marduk, Osiris, and Mithra, we cannot view them beyond the narrative world. These myths remain symbolic and allegorical without direct historical evidence or corroboration from contemporary sources. However, the story of Jesus is one that unites the narrative and objective worlds. His death and resurrection are not just a religious story—they are events recorded by historians and acknowledged by non-Christian sources.

But if Jesus was real, and if the Biblical narrative telling us he truly died and was risen from the dead happened, what does this mean for us? The implications are monumental because, unlike mythological figures whose resurrection remains confined to myth, the resurrection of Jesus unites the objective world with the narrative world. His resurrection would mark an historical event that shapes not only religious belief but also the course of human history.

To find out more about this topic, please watch our telecast, “Jesus Christ DID Exist – and Still Does.”