The Story of the Virgin Birth Comes From
Pagan/Mythical Religions
return to letter

A claim is made by some that numerous religions, that were based on myth, included a virgin birth story--and Christianity just copied the virgin birth from these earlier myths. Most frequently mentioned are the births of Dionysius, Perseus, Horus and Mithra.

The historical record shows that this is not true. In fact, there are no virgin births in myth-based religions. It does seem, however, that the mythical gods frequently enjoyed the intimate company of mortal women.

Dionysius: His father was Zeus who seduced a mortal woman (something Zeus did frequently) named Semele. Dionysius resulted from the physical relations between Zeus and Semele.

We need to clarify that (in Christianity) God the Father did not have sex with Mary. Jesus' conception was miraculous, no male was involved.

It is interesting to note that Zeus' wife, Hera, was not happy about what had happened and she killed Semele. However, the god Hermes saved unborn Dionysius and, while Zeus was sleeping, placed the immature infant inside Zeus’s inner thigh. Three months later Dionysius was born from Zeus' leg.

Does this sound like Christianity? Not at all.

Perseus: His father was Zeus. This time Zeus took a fancy to a mortal woman named Danae. He visited her in a shower of gold and declared his love for her. We don't have all the intimate details, but within a year Perseus was born.

A virgin birth? No. Zeus was the father.

Horus: Is the son of the gods Isis and Atum. Horus was born as a falcon. His first act was to fligh higher than even the "old" gods could reach and proclaim to the gods below that he would avenge his father's death.

Horus did not come from a virgin birth.

Mithra: You could say that Mithra was born from a virgin, if a rock can be a virgin. Mithra did not have either a father or a mother. He was born from a rock, fully grown and wearing his Phrygian cap and carrying a lighted torch in each hand.

When you look at the complete historical record, it is clear that Christianity did not copy the virgin birth from older mythical religions. I would also like to note that there are no respected scholars who even claim this as a possibility.