This week our group was tasked with discussing two components from the virgin birth of Christ and relating them the narratives from other religions and myths. An optional discussion was also given regarding what the agency of fantastical beings in religious narratives are according to us.
One of the similarities discussed by our group was the concept of the virgin birth itself. A child born without sexual intercourse. The group gave many examples of other births that did not involve an ordinary conception, although they almost all varied slightly from the story of Christ. One example given was the birth of Mithras, an Iranian god, who is depicted as being born from a rock. Although this is not the same as the birth of Christ, it shows a relation to having an extraordinary conception/birth.
The Birth of Mithras. [Online Image]. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mithras_petra_genetrix_Terme.jpg
Another recurring idea that was discussed was the supernatural precursors to the birth, and the supernatural nature of the birth itself. Before the birth of Jesus, the three wise men rode for days following the star of Bethlehem to arrive at the stable where the virgin, Mary, was. It illustrates the importance of the birth of Christ, and how supernatural it was, that the three wise men were given a sign from God. Many religions, especially Greco-Roman myths, allow for supernatural pre-birth events, or a overly supernatural upbringing of child of a deity, such as the demigods in Greek and Roman mythology.
The Three Wise Men. [Online Image]. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Magi_(1).jpg
.jpg){kind=link}
The miraculous conception of Christ is one of the most important events in the bible, and is a sort of epicenter of his own divinity, being born without sin, from the holy spirit and the virgin Mary. It has a lot of significance as it allows him to be born as a normal human would be, allowing Jesus to save the people from their sin, due to him having been born without.
Nativity of Jesus. [Online Image]. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Botticelli_Nativity.jpg
Other, finer, details of the birth were also discussed, such as the relation of the believed birth day of Christ and the celebration of the Roman Sun God, Sol Victorious having happened at similar times, around December 25th. The resurrection of Christ later on was also brought up and the significance of a resurrection in other religions and myths, with Mithras and many Greco-Roman heroes.
Even today, if a virgin birth were to occur, outside of the understanding of science, many would be hard-pressed to deny its significance and/or supernatural connotations. It is something that has long been widely regarded as a holy and mystical event only befitting those of equally holy and mystical natures, those who, in most myths and religious, become largely worshiped and/or feared.
Reference:
The Roman Cult of Mithras. http://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/mithras/display.php?page=main
The Three Wise Men. https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-stories/three-wise-men.html
The Virgin Birth of Jesus. https://www.christianity.com/wiki/jesus-christ/meaning-and-significance-of-the-virgin-birth-of-jesus.html
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.