Believe it or not, the story of Jesus Christ has a lot of similarities with mythological figures that predate him. Common elements can be traced back as far as ancient Egypt and their gods. The books of the New Testament were written sometime between 50 and 100 CE, and many of the mythological figures in this gallery were around long before. That's not to say that one invalidates the other, however. Indeed, it is truly fascinating that there are so many common elements in these ancient narratives.

Click through the following gallery and discover the mythological figures similar to Jesus.

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Osiris -

The myth of the Egyptian god Osiris resembles the story of Jesus in many ways.

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Osiris -

Like Jesus, Osiris also died and resurrected. He became the judge of the dead. The Bible confirms that Jesus also had this role, as he will "judge the living and the dead," as described in 2 Timothy 4:1-2.

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Osiris -

But there's more. Osiris was also betrayed by someone really close—a brother. Just like Jesus was betrayed by Judas.

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Asclepius -

The Greek deity Asclepius (also known as Aesculapius in Roman mythology) had healing powers. Just like Jesus, he too was capable of performing miracles.

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Asclepius -

Asclepius also healed the sick, although his methods resembled more the ones used by Jesus' disciples. Asclepius would, for instance, use plasters of herbs and spices, instead of healing through faith, like Jesus did many times.

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Asclepius -

But Asclepius was not just a healer. He could actually raise the dead, too!

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Attis -

There are quite a few things in common between the Greek deity and Jesus Christ. To begin with, just like Jesus, Attis was also born of divine conception.

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Attis -

Attis' story is pretty complex, but in a nutshell, he ended up castrating himself and died. And then, just like Jesus, Attis returned to life three days later.

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Attis -

Attis is viewed as a shepherd of men, followed by numerous people. Can you see the resemblance with Jesus' story?

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Adonis -

The commonalities between the Greek god and Jesus go as far as having a shared worship space. The site of the Church of the Nativity (Jesus' birthplace in Bethlehem) was also used as a temple to Adonis.

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Adonis -

Bethlehem comes from the Hebrew words for "bread" and "house," and essentially means "house of bread." Adonis has been linked to fertility and renewal, which are closely related to the nature of harvest.

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Adonis -

And like Jesus, Adonis' followers believed he had risen after death and ascended to heaven.

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Dionysus -

You might be wondering what the Greek god of wine (also known as Bacchus in Roman mythology) had to do with Jesus. The answer lays in a common religious practice: the Catholic eucharist.

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Dionysus -

Feeding the blood and body of Christ during mass is one of the sacraments and a well-known ritual in the Catholic Church.

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Dionysus -

Dionysus shared his blood (i.e. wine) with his followers during his parties as a symbolic way to share his essence.

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Horus -

The ancient Egyptian deity Horus is linked to healing, well-being, and protection. Horus has many similarities to Jesus. In fact, their stories are actually very similar indeed...

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Horus -

Just like Jesus, Horus was also born of a virgin mother: Isis. Just like Joseph was to flee to Egypt with baby Jesus, Isis (and her son, Horus) was also told to hide to escape a threat.

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Horus -

But there's more, a lot more! As per the BBC, Horus was "born of a virgin, had twelve disciples, walked on water, delivered a 'sermon on the mount,' performed miracles, was executed beside two thieves, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven." Sound familiar?

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Heracles -

Just like Jesus, Heracles is also the son of God (Zeus).

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Heracles -

Both Heracles and Jesus suffer death threats as children, and both survive them (Hera sends two serpents to kill Heracles, and King Herod puts a hit on every infant in an attempt to kill baby Jesus).

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Heracles -

Heracles is also believed to have died and joined the company of the gods, just like Jesus ascended into heaven.

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Romulus -

Romulus was the original founder of Rome. You probably heard of the legend of Romulus and his brother, Remus, being fed by a she-wolf.

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Romulus -

But Romulus' birth mother was just like Jesus' mother: a virgin. And they both had royals trying to kill them as infants (King Amulius and King Herod, respectively).

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Romulus -

Romulus and Jesus were both sons of a god, and both their fathers on earth shared the same occupation: they were both carpenters.

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Odysseus -

Odysseus (aka Ulysses) is better known as the hero of Homer's epic poem 'The Odyssey.' He too shares elements with Jesus.

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Odysseus -

He struggled with his travel companions at sea, who end up committing numerous errors, just like when Jesus' followers didn't believe him at first.

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Odysseus -

Like Jesus, Odysseus' background was also carpentry. He ended up revealing himself as a leader who suffered throughout his life, like Christ did.

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Glycon -

This ancient deity was the son of the god Apollo in Roman mythology. You're probably wondering how a snake can have anything to do with Jesus, right? Well, it does.

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Glycon -

Just like Jesus, Glycon was born miraculously and came to earth as the embodiment of the divine. Glycon also performed miracles such as healing the sick and raising the dead.

Sources: (Grunge) (Listverse)

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Mythological figures similar to Jesus -

Click through the following gallery and discover the mythological figures similar to Jesus.

Getty Images/Shutterstock

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Osiris -

The myth of the Egyptian god Osiris resembles the story of Jesus in many ways.

Getty Images

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Osiris -

Getty Images

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Osiris -

But there's more. Osiris was also betrayed by someone really close—a brother. Just like Jesus was betrayed by Judas.

Getty Images

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Asclepius -

The Greek deity Asclepius (also known as Aesculapius in Roman mythology) had healing powers. Just like Jesus, he too was capable of performing miracles.

Getty Images

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Asclepius -

Getty Images

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Asclepius -

But Asclepius was not just a healer. He could actually raise the dead, too!

Getty Images

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Attis -

There are quite a few things in common between the Greek deity and Jesus Christ. To begin with, just like Jesus, Attis was also born of divine conception.

Getty Images

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Attis -

Attis' story is pretty complex, but in a nutshell, he ended up castrating himself and died. And then, just like Jesus, Attis returned to life three days later.

Getty Images

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Attis -

Attis is viewed as a shepherd of men, followed by numerous people. Can you see the resemblance with Jesus' story?

Public Domain

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Adonis -

Getty Images

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Adonis -

Shutterstock

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Adonis -

And like Jesus, Adonis' followers believed he had risen after death and ascended to heaven.

Getty Images

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Dionysus -

You might be wondering what the Greek god of wine (also known as Bacchus in Roman mythology) had to do with Jesus. The answer lays in a common religious practice: the Catholic eucharist.

Getty Images

13 / 30 Fotos

Dionysus -

Feeding the blood and body of Christ during mass is one of the sacraments and a well-known ritual in the Catholic Church.

Getty Images

14 / 30 Fotos

Dionysus -

Dionysus shared his blood (i.e. wine) with his followers during his parties as a symbolic way to share his essence.

Shutterstock

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Horus -

The ancient Egyptian deity Horus is linked to healing, well-being, and protection. Horus has many similarities to Jesus. In fact, their stories are actually very similar indeed...

Getty Images

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Horus -

Just like Jesus, Horus was also born of a virgin mother: Isis. Just like Joseph was to flee to Egypt with baby Jesus, Isis (and her son, Horus) was also told to hide to escape a threat.

Getty Images

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Horus -

Getty Images

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Heracles -

Just like Jesus, Heracles is also the son of God (Zeus).

Getty Images

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Heracles -

Both Heracles and Jesus suffer death threats as children, and both survive them (Hera sends two serpents to kill Heracles, and King Herod puts a hit on every infant in an attempt to kill baby Jesus).

Getty Images

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Heracles -

Heracles is also believed to have died and joined the company of the gods, just like Jesus ascended into heaven.

Getty Images

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Romulus -

Romulus was the original founder of Rome. You probably heard of the legend of Romulus and his brother, Remus, being fed by a she-wolf.

Getty Images

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Romulus -

But Romulus' birth mother was just like Jesus' mother: a virgin. And they both had royals trying to kill them as infants (King Amulius and King Herod, respectively).

Getty Images

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Romulus -

Romulus and Jesus were both sons of a god, and both their fathers on earth shared the same occupation: they were both carpenters.

Getty Images

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Odysseus -

Odysseus (aka Ulysses) is better known as the hero of Homer's epic poem 'The Odyssey.' He too shares elements with Jesus.

Getty Images

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Odysseus -

He struggled with his travel companions at sea, who end up committing numerous errors, just like when Jesus' followers didn't believe him at first.

Getty Images

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Odysseus -

Like Jesus, Odysseus' background was also carpentry. He ended up revealing himself as a leader who suffered throughout his life, like Christ did.

Getty Images

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Glycon -

This ancient deity was the son of the god Apollo in Roman mythology. You're probably wondering how a snake can have anything to do with Jesus, right? Well, it does.

Getty Images

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Glycon -

Just like Jesus, Glycon was born miraculously and came to earth as the embodiment of the divine. Glycon also performed miracles such as healing the sick and raising the dead.

Sources: (Grunge) (Listverse)

Getty Images

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