Did the Christians and Jews borrow their theology from pagan mythology? No, they did not. There are certain integral aspects of Christianity and Judaism that make “borrowing” from mythology out of the question. Most religious scholars find that biblical monotheistic Judaism did spring up organically and spontaneously in the middle of pagan cultures. Likewise, Christianity appears in the first century on the heels of one man, Jesus Christ. This belief system is not based on a long process of mixing and blending pagan stories over centuries. The Good News of Jesus Christ is based wholly on the foundation of Judaism and its predicted completion in the New Covenant. The Bible is a final culmination of God’s first and final agreement between Jews and the Gentiles (non-Jews) as predicted by the prophets of the Old Testament.
What is the source of Judaism?
Many scholars have speculated on the origin of the Jewish faith, the first monotheistic world religion. Where did the Jewish faith come from? Secular historians Ian Shaw and Paul Nicholson say the cultural and ethnic origin of the Israelites are difficult because the archaeological and biblical evidence have not been reconciled. They say about the accounts, “The story of the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt and the Exodus to Canaan described in Genesis and Exodus of the Jewish scriptures has no relationship with any known history. Biblical ‘scholars’ cannot bring themselves to accept this simple fact,” (Ian Shaw and Paul Nicholson, in The British Museum Dictionary of Ancient Egypt).
But this remains to be answered by the scholars, “Where did the Jews come from?” and “Who created this unique race, religion, and language of Jews?”
Jews From Canaanites?
Currently, most secular scholars have rejected the Bible and have adopted the idea that Jews evolved from the Canaanite civilization.
“Unfortunately for the historical confirmation of the stylized chronology of the Exodus tale, the Pharaohs in about 1440 BC, when it was supposed to have happened, were strong monarchs, Thutmoses III and Amenhotep, who we know were not letting Canaanites go back to Canaan from Egypt but were subjugating the whole territory in a phase of colonial expansion. They were actually enslaving Canaanites rather than allowing them to escape slavery.” (Dr. MD Magee, Moses and the Exodus from Egypt, 1999)
Could monotheistic Jews come from Canaanites, who are polytheistic pagans? Not likely. Jews from pagans would be a very radical transition. It might happen on a small scale. Could a race of millions of people start from a pagan culture? Could a monotheistic religion start from a polytheistic pagan cult?
Secular and religious scholars agree that the Canaanites were one of the most sexual and perverted cultures the world has ever known. Think about this. Can you imagine a few perverted pagans getting together to create a moral religion? Can you imagine a few pagans coming up with the idea for circumcision as the ritual to gain membership! How many Canaanites would be standing in line to join this new religion? All male adults and children eight days and older had to be circumcised. This new-found religion would need to become a race of people, and they would establish their own particular language in only a few centuries! The idea that Judaism springs from paganism appears insane, but this is exactly what secular scholars postulate and want people to believe. Ultimately, the Bible explains where the Jews came from and how they got to the promised land.
