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claiming he was killed by a hunter while sitting under a tree, the arrow penetrating his foot, much<br />
like Christ having a nail driven through his feet. In this regard, there have been found in India<br />
strange images of figures in cruciform with nail holes in their hands and feet, one of which was<br />
identified by an Indian priest as possibly the god Wittoba, who is an incarnation of Krishna. 155<br />
The impression of a resurrection is evident from the depiction of Krishna comforting his killer just after<br />
death, before he has ascended into heaven. The point is that the god was once dead, but now he is alive<br />
again, whether in this world or the afterlife. This type of detail does not suffice to undermine the fact of the<br />
resurrection or raising up from death being a mythical motif in the first place, applicable both to Christ as<br />
well as many other gods and legendary figures. 156<br />
21. Dionysus of Greece, born of a virgin on December 25 th , was a traveling teacher<br />
who performed miracles such as turning water into wine, he was referred to as the<br />
“King of Kings,” “God’s Only Begotten Son,” “The Alpha and Omega,” and many<br />
others, and upon his death, he was resurrected.<br />
It is wise at this point to recall that in the ancient world many gods were confounded and compounded,<br />
deliberately or otherwise. Some were even considered interchangeable, such as Osiris, Horus and Ra. In<br />
this regard, Plutarch (35, 364E) states, ―Osiris is identical with Dionysus.‖ 157 Thus, Zeus‘s son Dionysus<br />
or Bacchus was considered the Greek rendition of Osiris:<br />
Dionysus became the universal savior-god of the ancient world. And there has never been<br />
another like unto him: the first to whom his attributes were accredited, we call Osiris: with the<br />
death of paganism, his central characteristics were assumed by Jesus Christ. 158<br />
Dionysus is likewise identified with the god Aion and also referred to as ―Zeus Sabazius‖ in other<br />
traditions. 159 Hence, we would expect him to share in at least some of all these gods‘ attributes.<br />
Dionysus returns from India<br />
Mosaic pavement, 3 rd cent. AD/CE<br />
Sousse, Tunisia<br />
(Patrick Hunt)<br />
December 25 th (Winter Solstice): As with Jesus, December 25 th and January 6 th are both traditional birth<br />
dates related to Dionysus and simply represent the period of the winter solstice. Concerning these dates,<br />
Murdock remarks:<br />
155 Murdock, RZC, 17.<br />
156 For more information on the mythical motif of the resurrection, see Murdock, CIE, 402-420.<br />
157 Plutarch/Babbitt, 85.<br />
158 Larson, 82.<br />
159 Graves, R., WG, 335.