II Maccabees 6:7 records in its history that almost 200 years before the arrival of the “Jesus” figure of the first century, the Roman powers were already dead-set on forcing the captive Jewish people to participate in the worship of none other than Dionysus, the human-born demigod sent to take away the sins of the flesh and teach the path to eternal life. To the untrained eye, this may seem completely inconsequential as it relates to the development of the Christian faith in the first century; however, upon closer inspection, this might be the earliest proof of Rome’s attempt to introduce a new kind of “savior” to the Kingdom of Israel, one that was friendly towards Greco-Roman ideals, Jesus Christ.
Welcome to my site. I’m Justin Best with Bustin Jest and I’m very excited to share some pretty amazing information with you today that I believe could change your entire perception of Biblical reality. If you don’t know me, my background or why I’m doing this, I have to encourage you to go to my YouTube channel watch page to check out my intro video.
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Today we find ourselves discussing the central figure of the New Testament himself, Jesus Christ. Personally, I believe that when a full and fair viewing of the facts is accomplished by an open and honest mind, it can easily be concluded that there is an undeniable connection between the Cult of Dionysus and the Roman development of Christian beliefs about Jesus Christ. After I lay out some of the most important points in this matter, I’ll share with you my personal conclusions as well.
From the very beginning, I must state that there are many straw-man arguments on the internet concerning whether or not Jesus was an archetypal copy of the previously known demigod Dionysus. In false arguments, claims about the Jesus and Dionysus connection are made which are simply not true and easily defeat-able to make it appear that the argument is invalid from its inception. For example, writers defending Christianity and a literal Jesus often claim that there are some opposing Christianity who state that Dionysus was born on December 25th, However; my research has indicated that this is not a common opinion at all, nor is this considered one of the very many valid comparisons between the two figures that many scholars have pointed out. Nor was “Jesus” born on December 25th according to most New Testament scholars either.
These type of false statements about The Dionysian cult traditions are designed to distract researchers from true comparisons that should not be ignored. If you can be convinced to quickly and easily dismiss the first examples of comparison with false arguments, you’ll be unlikely to search the matter out to its end, believing that the claim is destroyed on its face. I advise you not to be so quick to fall for these diabolical debate traps, in which those who are desperate to defend their version of reality will intentionally misrepresent what’s being presented, removing your ability to make a simple and fair assessment.
It is my belief that the facts about this topic and shared in this study repeatedly demonstrate that Jesus Christ the character was built around Dionysian traditions dating back to the Greek bronze age at least 900 years before Christ’s arrival in Judea. Before I show you the clear examples of what I mean, let me provide a very quick terminology and history lesson on the Dionysian cult.
First, What is Orphism?
Dionysus has gone by a few names over the centuries such as Bacchus and Liber, and his original character is said to be traced all the way back to Osiris, the Egyptian equivalent of Dionysus. Dionysian cults also held many names. Orphism is the name given to a set of 5th and 6th century BCE religious beliefs and practices originating in the ancient Greek and Hellenistic world, as well as from the Thracians, associated with literature ascribed to the mythical poet Orpheus, who descended into the Greek underworld and returned. The Orphics revered Dionysus (who once descended into the Underworld and returned) and Persephone (who annually descended into the Underworld for a season and then returned).
Orphism has been described as a reform of the earlier Dionysian religion, involving a re-interpretation or re-reading of the myth of Dionysus and a re-ordering of Hesiod's Theogony, based in part on pre-Socratic philosophy. The cult of Dionysus; however, predated Orphism with evidence pointing back as far as 1300 BCE. The earliest written records of Dionysus worship come from Mycenaean Greece, specifically in and around the Palace of Nestor in Pylos, dated to around 1300 BC.
Orphism, which itself dates back to at least the 6th century BCE (600 years before Jesus), contained tenets of spiritual concepts which would later become deeply rooted in the foundations of the Christian faith. For example, the central focus of Orphism is a myth which describes humanity as having a dual nature: a body, inherited from the Titans, and a divine spark or soul, inherited from Dionysus. In order to achieve salvation from the Titanic, material existence, one had to be initiated into the Dionysian mysteries and undergo a ritual purification and reliving of the suffering and death of the god (similar to the annual Christian passion plays and communion rituals which will be discussed later). Orphics believed that they would, after death, spend eternity alongside Orpheus and other heroes. These Orphic concepts permeated the entire Greco-Roman cultures of their time, stemming primarily from their much older Dionysian cult practices.
Here’s a quote from Classical Mythology, 8th Edition (p. 384):
“In this way, the Orphic bible provided the divine authority for belief in an immortal soul; the necessity for keeping this soul pure despite the contamination and degradation of the body; the concept of a kind of original sin; the transmigration of the soul to an afterlife of reward or punishment; and finally, after various stages of purification, an apotheosis, a union with the divine spirit in the realms of the upper aether. The seeds of everything came from Phanes or Zeus; out of the One, all things come to be and into the One they are once again resolved.”
The Popularity of Dionysus
Dionysian cult beliefs were extremely popular, some scholars even contend that Dionysian beliefs were the most well-established rivals to Christian teachings in the early first and second century. Festivals of Dionysus included the performance of sacred dramas enacting his myths, which were the initial driving force behind the development of theater in Western culture. The stories of Dionysus were so influential in the development of theater, they even named them after him. Actually, a very important piece of evidence for this study is a play written by Euripides called “The Bacchae” which was first performed at The Theater of Dionysus in 405 BC (more on that to come). In fact, by the time the II Maccabees was written (around 120-150 BCE), the Romans (who held the Jewish kingdom captive) were so enthralled with Dionysian beliefs that they were forcing the Jewish people to participate in their festivals.
II Maccabees 6:7 says:
“Moreover, at the monthly celebration of the king’s birthday the Jews, from bitter necessity, had to partake of the sacrifices, and when the festival of Dionysus* was celebrated, they were compelled to march in his procession, wearing wreaths of ivy.”
So, the question of how prevalent Dionysian cult beliefs were in the earlier Greco-Roman world is simply answered by “very.” In his book Dionysos: Gods and Heros of the Ancient World Richard Seaford writes:
“When Christianity was establishing itself in the ancient Mediterranean world, the cult of Dionysus was its most geographically widespread and deeply rooted rival. And so the Christian church, while enclosing the revolutionary ethics of its gospels within the necessity of social control, was influenced by Dionysaic cult as well as opposing it” (Seaford, 4).
In other words, Dionysus and the Dionysian cults were extremely well known and would have especially been known by the Greek influenced Hellenistic Jews of the first century, who likely read various works on the deity, saw the grand festivities through the year and perhaps caught a glimpse of one of the many Orphic plays so common in that time and region.
Hellenization of Judea
Of course, a quick study of Hellenization or Hellenistic Judaism should help you understand that Hellenization was the influence of local regions, including the regions of Judea, in the practices, beliefs, works, music and philosophical rhetoric of the Greek and Roman world. In other words, Hellenized Jews were those who had one foot in Greece and the other in Jerusalem. The New Testament’s Paul, if considered a literal character, would be a perfect example of a Hellenized Jewish writer who brought nearly all of his “theology” directly from Greco-Roman and Stoic concepts.
Truly, most of Paul’s New Testament doctrines can be traced back to the earlier Greek concepts of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle, and were by no means novel ideas. In a recently published study titled “Plato or Paul? True Origins of New Testament Doctrine," I outline 20 clear proofs that Paul’s character directly plagiarized these earlier Greek writers word-for-word.
But I don’t want to get off track, since this study is about the comparisons between the first century Jesus Christ and the earlier Dionysus. Now that a bit of context has been provided, let’s jump straight into several clear examples of how the character of Jesus was directly inspired by the demigod cult of Dionysus.
Dying and Rising Gods
Like others before Him, Dionysus was one of the “Dying and Rising Gods” worshiped in antiquity. In fact, it has been argued for decades that this myth spans as far back as 4,000 BCE. The oldest known example of the "dying and rising god myth" is the Sumerian legend of Inanna and her descent to the underworld. In this myth, The Sumerian goddess Inanna travels to the Underworld to see her sister. While there, she is killed and hung from a hook on a wall. For three days and three nights, Inanna is dead, until she is resurrected with the help of her father, Enki (one of the three most powerful gods) who sends the two galla (gender-neutral ministers / priests / angels) to bring her back. The galla serves Inanna food and water and brings her back to life.
I hope I don’t have to point out the clear similarities to the stories of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ here, who was also “hung” on a cross, was dead for three days and three nights, then was resurrected with the help of his “Father” who sent two angels to minister to him and guard the tomb. The major point here; however, is simply the theme concept. This theme is debated as being a recurring motif throughout the span of history, but one thing can be known for sure, the legends of Dionysus certainly show a half-man, half-god who is killed, brought back from the dead and resides in the hearts of his followers. If that was the only comparison Dionysus had to Jesus I could see how some would dismiss it as inconsequential; however, it gets quite a bit more concerning the more you look. Actually, by the time you’re done here you might wonder if there was anything original about Jesus’ character at all.
Dionysus Birth and Wine Legends
Dionysus was also Born of a Human woman named Semele, while also being the Son of the “Most High God” Zeus. In fact, while Dionysus was in the womb of his mother Semele, Zeus was tricked into revealing his true form to her, which caused her to be burned up and destroyed by his fiery appearance (which reminds me of a concept echoed in Exodus 33:20). According to the myth, Zeus was able to save the baby in the womb by sewing Dionysus into his own thigh until his birth. Because of this, Dionysus was granted immortality. According to many legends Dionysus was considered to be a “God” disguised as a man and was also known as The God who revealed himself to mankind. Remember, this was far, far before the first century when “Jesus” supposedly arrived on the scene. Further, those who become initiates of the Dionysian Mysteries are said to be embodied and empowered by the Spirit of Dionysus which grants them additional insights and spiritual strengths. Did I mention that Dionysus was also considered the “intercessor” between the Gods and mankind?
These are just a few of the theological concepts that clearly mirror the ideas and doctrines of the 1st century Jesus Christ, but let’s get into even more specifics. Dionysus was primarily considered the “God of Wine” for many reasons. In fact, according to Dionysian customs and rituals, it was at the festival of ancient Elis that priests who honored Dionysus would lock three, large pitchers inside the temple and affix coverings over them to ensure they would not be tampered with. Then, according to ancient tradition, the priests would later open the temple doors, remove the seals and find the pitchers full of wine. It was a miracle of Dionysus.
Although no direct story of Dionysus shows he himself turning water into wine, It sure sounds like the first miracle of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of John was written to show readers familiar with the Dionysian practices that this new Jesus character possessed a familiar position of power and deity to that of Dionysus. In fact, Dionysus was said to be the inventor and discoverer of wine, the god of the grape-harvest, wine-making, orchards and fruit as well. In The Bacchae written in 405-410 BCE, Dionysus is called “He who makes the clustering vine to grow for man.” Later, John 15:5 would quote Jesus as saying:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
At the core, both of these teachings hold an eerily similar teaching concept.
In 570-580 BCE it was written that Dionysus, the god of wine, brought wine to the famous wedding of Peleus and Thetis. Is it any coincidence that Jesus would arrive on the scene almost 600 years later turning “water to wine” for his first miracle at a wedding at Cana? Is it also coincidental and surprising that Jesus was mocked for “revelry, eating and drinking” by his religious counterparts as well? It seems the more you look into Dionysus, the more you see the prebuilt character of Jesus Christ, who later called himself “the true vine," perhaps as a nod to Dionysus.
Not only was being “born again” and being “brought back from the dead” a well-known motif of the ancient Dionysus (who was killed by his enemies, just to be brought back to life and “born again” by his grandmother) but these were also concepts echoed by the 1st and 2nd century Jesus figure who also was said to be killed by his enemies, descend into the underworld and then be brought back to life as well. Additionally, the stories surrounding the capture of Dionysus and the Capture of Jesus are eerily similar in ways that I believe shouldn't be ignored.
The Arrest and Trial of Dionysus
For example, despite his divinity, Dionysus lived among humans “not as a god but in disguise as a man”(like Jesus) and was somehow closer to humanity than any other deity. Stories of his life on earth, notably The Bacchae by Euripides, make it clear that Dionysus’ true power was only recognized by his closest and truest followers. In an important event from this book (again, written 410-405 BCE), Dionysus freely allows himself to be captured and persecuted, before finally revealing himself in his true glory. The Bacchae’s description of Dionysus submitting to his captors is eerily similar to the events in the Christian tradition regarding Jesus. Reading the text, when the guard delivers Dionysus as a captive to Pentheus, he says:
“Pentheus, here we are, having hunted the quarry you sent us after, and our efforts have not been unsuccessful. But we found this wild beast tame -he did not attempt to flee, but gave me his hands willingly; he did not even turn pale, but kept the flush of wine in his cheeks. With a smile he bade me tie him up and led him away and waited for me, thus making my task easy. I was taken aback and said: “O stranger, I do not arrest you of my own free will but at the orders of Pentheus who has sent me.” (Bacchae 434-442)
I also want to quickly note here, that Jesus’ arrest would have occurred directly following wine-drinking with his disciples at the last supper event as well, meaning it could be concluded that he would have had wine in his blood when he was arrested. Similarly, Dionysus here is said to still have his cheeks ``flush with wine” as well. The bigger point; however, is more importantly that Dionysus, the half-man, half-god with powerful options, gives himself over to his captors willingly and without a fight, just as in the story of Jesus.
Immediately following, Dionysus goes through a trial of sorts, where he refuses to answer Pentheus’ questions directly, and instead antagonizes the ruler and is thus put in prison. Later that night, a great earthquake shakes the prison that held Dionysus, causing all the chains to fall off the prisoner, setting him free. Then Pentheus rushes in with his sword unsheathed looking for Dionysus who was found to have calmly remained behind. Pentheus falls to the floor in despair and thus Dionysus converts Pentheus into one of his followers.
Similarly, Acts 16:25-34 mentions an account that could have only been inspired by the Dionysian story in Euripides. While Paul and Silas are imprisoned during their ministry, it’s about midnight when a great earthquake shakes the prison doors open and shakes the chains loose from the prisoners, Paul and Silas. The prison guard also draws his sword, but in this story it’s to harm himself. Paul calmly assures the prison guard that they are still there, having calmly remained behind. The Prison guard falls to Paul and Silas’ feet and thus Paul converts him to the faith of Jesus Christ.
To myself and many others, these coincidences are too frequent to be discounted, and the list of the traditional similarities between Dionysian cult motifs and the themes of Jesus Christ is too long to be ignored. Far more damning examples of Paul’s New Testament writings clearly copying The Bacchae by Euripides, word-for-word is clearly demonstrated in another one of my recent studies, but let’s just say that Paul wasn’t the first person to “kick against the pricks” while being corrected by a demigod for his persecution of his followers.
The Eucharist of Dionysus
Another such example is of a possible mimetic or syncretic connection comes through the practice of eating the body and drinking the blood of Dionysus in a sort of communion / eucharist ritual that was occurring far before the first century. In one version of the texts, Dionysus changes his form multiple times to avoid being found and killed by the Titans, finally changing himself into a bull. Finally caught, it was written that “He was cut into pieces by the murderous knives of his enemies.” Additionally, we find that the ancient followers of Dionysus would practice the ritual of dividing up a bull and eating its raw flesh, and drinking wine in thanksgiving and remembrance of their god, and it is argued that they believed they were eating the body and blood of their savior in order to reach a spiritual communion.
In his 1890 published book “The Golden Bough” by Scottish Anthropologist Sir James George Frazer he states:
“When we consider the practice of portraying the god as a bull or with some of the features of the animal, the belief that he appeared in bull form to his worshipers at the sacred rites, and the legend that in bull form he had been torn to pieces, we cannot doubt that in rending and devouring a live bull at this festival the worshipers of Dionysus believed themselves to be killing the god, eating his flesh, and drinking his blood.” (The Golden Bough, Frazer, 470)
For those familiar with the implements of Christian tradition, it is well-known that Jesus Christ would be said to offer a very similar type of ceremony during his last supper. During this meal, Jesus would clearly state that the bread he was offering represented his very own “body which would be broken” and that the wine represented his own blood.
In Luke 22:19-20, Jesus says:
“And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”
Additionally, in 1 Corinthians 11:26, Jesus states plainly that:
“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew (proclaim) the Lord's death till he come.”
Simply, this form of communion or “eucharist” which seems to be first implemented by Jesus Christ before his death was actually a previously established rite of the mystery religions who were conducting the practice “in remembrance” of Dionysus death at the hands of the Titans. Again, Jesus seems to either be competing with Dionysian practices that came long before the first century, or the writers of Jesus' story were merely copying them to make Jesus a more palatable and a familiar savior. In fact, it could be argued that many of the motifs of Dionysian beliefs can be found scattered throughout the New Testament, such as the concept of “overcoming the sinful flesh to embrace the spiritual element of Dionysus" (also a common pre-Jesus stoic concept).
My Personal Conclusion & Hypothesis
Admittedly, the overall worship and practice of Dionysian cult mysteries was far different than the Christian customs and practices surrounding most Jesus worshipers of today. This comparative analysis in no way implies that the outcomes of each religious endeavor is the same by any means. Instead, this is merely evidence that many of the New Testament books were not written solely by the inspiration of God alone based on true events that literally took place in first century history. Instead, historic research demonstrates that the Messianic character of Jesus Christ was developed one, built over time as an archetypal hero figure with many political and social agendas in mind.
I believe that some of the reasons for this amalgamation of “demigod messiahs” was to:
Cause the worship of Dionysus (promote Roman thinking) as seen in II Maccabees.
Integrate Hebrew culture with Greek Culture (Hellenization of the Jewish people).
Provide explanation for the destruction of the Jewish temple and religion (for not obeying Jesus, a motif also identified with Dionysus and others).
If you’d like additional insight into the “bigger picture” I personally see developed here, I recommend you read Creating Christ by James Valiant & Warren Fahy as well as watch The Caesar's Messiah by Joseph Atwill on YouTube.
I believe that once all the data is taken into account, a very real hypothesis arises - that Jesus Christ’s total character was intentionally developed as a “Jewish messiah” in a mostly failed attempt to convince the Jewish people to cease their rebellious struggle to oust Rome and finally join the Greco-Roman traditions. Jesus was designed to reconcile two worlds, an attempt to make Greek doctrines palatable to the Hebrew people.
In closing, I’d like to summarize by saying that Dionysus and the Orphic traditions beat Jesus and the New Testament to the philosophical punch in far too many areas to cover in one study. But you can be sure that this study isn’t the only proof of this blending of cultures and religions through time. In another study coming soon, I’ll demonstrate very clear contextual evidence that the Gospel of Mark directly copied from Homer in a methodical and repetitive way that would only be possible by intentional mimicry.
I Hope this study gives you additional insight into my perspective on the Bible and helped to answer questions you may have about the connection between Dionysus and Jesus Christ. If you haven't already done so, don't forget to subscribe to the Bustin Jest YouTube channel for more.
Justin
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