There are several sources on Horus (see list).1 One of the best ways to evaluate whether one deity is a copy of another is to evaluate a sketch of their life, which helps mitigate against cherry-picking, misleading language, and the ignoring of differences. What follows is a standard sketch from perhaps the most standard source. Interesting parallels to Jesus seems non-existent:
Encyclopedia of Religions (16 vols): “In ancient Egypt there were originally several gods known by the name Horus, but the best known and most important from the beginning of the historic period was the son of Osiris and Isis who was identified with the king of Egypt. According to myth, Osiris, who assumed the rulership of the earth shortly after its creation, was slain by his jealous brother, Seth. The sister- wife of Osiris, Isis, who collected the pieces of her dismembered husband and revived him, also conceived his son and avenger, Horus. Horus fought with Seth, and, despite the loss of one eye in the contest, was successful in avenging the death of his father and in becoming his legitimate successor. Osiris then became king of the dead and Horus king of the living, this transfer being renewed at every change of earthly rule. The myth of divine kingship probably elevated the position of the god as much as it did that of the king. In the fourth dynasty, the king, the living god, may have been one of the greatest gods as well, but by the fifth dynasty the supremacy of the cult of Re, the sun god, was accepted even by the kings. The Horus-king was now also ‘son of Re.’ This was made possible mythologically by personifying the entire older genealogy of Horus (the Heliopolitan ennead) as the goddess Hathor, ‘house of Horus,’ who was also the spouse of Re and mother of Horus. ‘Horus was usually represented as a falcon, and one view of him was as a great sky god whose outstretched wings filled the heavens; his sound eye was the sun and his injured eye the moon. Another portrayal of him particularly popular in the Late Period, was as a human child suckling at the breast of his mother, Isis. The two principal cult centers for the worship of Horus were at Bekhdet in the north, where very little survives, and at Idfu in the south, which has a very large and well-preserved temple dating from the Ptolemaic period. The earlier myths involving Horus, as well as the ritual performed there, are recorded at Idfu.” [Mircea Eliade (ed) (MacMillan, 1993), 486.]
A relatively comprehensive list of Horus’s popular titles/epithets are entirely different than titles of Jesus.1 (There are several forms/iterations/aspects of Horus, which evolved over time and place.2 Some titles overlap, but as seen below, none match up with Jesus in any interesting way.)3
Horus was called Christ, the Lamb etc..1, 2 For example, Horus was called…
• …the “good shepherd”
• …holy child
• …Iusa
• …Lamb of God
• …the Fish
• …Son of Man
In response however…
•…Horus was not given any of these titles.3 [Click the links above for details]
Horus was called “KRST” (“Christ”, “Anointed one?”). This is relevant because KRST is the Egyptian word for “Christ,” or “Anointed one” (as in, Jesus CHRIST [Grk. Christos]).1
In response however,…
• …It wouldn’t be improbable: anointing religious figures was a common motif in the ancient Near Eastern culture, and Horus had 40+ titles to stumble by chance upon “anointed one.”
• …Even if Horus were called “anointed one”, Egyptian anointing of the dead during the embalming process was entirely different from the kingly anointing referred to in the case of Jesus.2
• …Horus was not called “anointed one.”
◦ …Horus was never anointed in the Egyptian-burial or Jewish-king sense.
◦ …KRST is not a title at all; it is the Egyptian word for “burial.”3
• Gerald Massey (d. 1907): “The karast is literally the god or person who has been mummified, embalmed, and anointed or christified. [218.] … there is no other origin for Christ the anointed than ‘Horus the Karast’ or ‘anointed son of god the father’. There is no other origin for a Messiah as the anointed than for the Masu or anointed.” [Ancient Egypt (1907), 219.]
• Tom Harpur: “Significantly, Horus was called the KRST, or “anointed one”, from a word that was inscribed or painted on the lid of a mummy’s coffin millennia before Christianity duplicated the story.” [84.] “There is so much more to explore and share—how the letters KRST appear on Egyptian mummy coffins many centuries B.C.E.” …“the letters KRST appear on Egyptian mummy coffins many centuries B.C.E., …this word when vowels are filled in (they were frequently omitted in ancient languages) is really Karast or Krist, signifying Christ.” [6.] “I remind the reader again that the coffin bore the letters KRST, meaning Karast or Christ (i.e., the anointed one).” [The Pagan Christ (Thomas Allen Publishers, 2007), 101.]
Horus was called a “Good Sheperd.”1 This is relevant because this title and idea would not apply to Jesus Christ unless there was an uncoincidental similarity (suggestive of borrowing).
In response, however…
• …Even if he was called a “good shepherd,” that's a common way to say someone is a good leader.
• …Horus was not called a “good shepherd.” The claim has been forever undocumented.2
Horus was called the “Holy Child.” This is relevant because this title and idea would not apply to Jesus Christ unless there was an uncoincidental similarity (suggestive of borrowing).
In response however…
• …This would be unsurprising: any child deity could/would be called this.
• …Horus was not called “holy child.” The claim has been forever undocumented.
• …Jesus was not called “holy child” by the first Christians. It was not a title.1
Horus was called “Iusa.”1 This is relevant because it is a way of saying “Jesus,” and Horus and Jesus would not share this name unless there was an uncoincidental similarity (suggestive of borrowing)
In response however…
• …Horus was not called Iusa.1
• …Jesus was not called Iusa.2
Kuhn is making stuff up again: >• Glenn Miller: “I have looked at probably 50 epithets of the various Horus deities, and most major indices of the standard Egyptology reference works and come up virtually empty-handed. I can find a city named “Iusaas” [Gods of Egypt:1.85], a pre-Islamic Arab deity by the name of “Iusaas”, thought by some to be the same as the Egyptian god Tehuti/Thoth [Ibid:2.289], and a female counterpart to Tem, named “Iusaaset” [Ibid:1.354]. But no reference to Horus as being “Iusa”...] [christianthink-tank.com]
Horus was called “Lamb of God.” (An alleged picture of a lamb in a catacomb is interpreted by Massey to be Horus.)1
In response…
• …Massey’s picture remains undocumented. (see p. 343 of his book)
• …Massey’s interpretation is entirely unique and unsupported. (E.g. why “of God”?)
• …Massey’s picture is not an epithet; there is no documentation of Horus being called “Lamb of God”.2
• …Jesus's role as the lamb is already sacrificial and thoroughly entrenched in Judaism (the Passover lamb).3
Horus was called “Son of Man.”1 This is relevant because Jesus reportedly also called himself Son of Man (this is reported 88 times in the New Testament [e.g. Mk 14:61-62]).
In response however…
• …Horus was not called “Son of Man.”1
• …Jesus usage of “Son of Man” demonstrably comes from Jewish tradition alone.2
Horus's birth was associated with the following features.
• …born of a virgin
• …born on December 25
• …born in a stable
• …born with an announcement and 3 kings
[Click links for details and responses]
Horus was incarnated into human flesh.1 This is relevant because Jesus was also incarnated into human flesh.2
In response however…
• …Horus was not incarnated.3
Horus was virgin-born.1 This is relevant because Jesus was also virgin-born (Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-38).
Horus was born on December 25. 1 This is relevant because Jesus too was born on December 25.
In response however…
• …Horus was not born on December 25.2
• …Jesus was not born on December 25.3
• …Horus is too late to influence Jesus (at least, the Horus that Murdock is getting from Plutarch)
Murdock later mentions this in a different context, but not in relation to December 25 (since that conflicts with her conclusion): >• D. M. Murdock (Acharya S.): “As part of the changing Egyptian calendar, five epagomenal days were eventually added to the old calendar of 360 days, the first of these five constituting Osiris’s birthday, while his brother Horus (“the Elder”) was born the next day. This period came to represent the beginning of the “Egyptian sacred year”. Therefore, it could be said that, with Sirius preceding the inundation and new year, the star in the east announced the births of both Osiris and Horus.” [Christ in Egypt, 200.]
Horus was born in a cave/stable.1 This is relevant because Jesus too was born in a cave (or manger).
In response however…
• …Horus was not born in a cave/stable.2
• …Jesus was not born in a cave/stable.3
Horus was announced by a star in the east, with 3 kings.1 This is relevant because Jesus too was announced by a star in the east, being visited by three kings.2
In response however…
• …Horus's birth was not accompanied by 3 wise men.3
• …Jesus's birth was not accompanied by 3 kings.
◦ …The text does not say Jesus was being born at this time. (He could be crawling-walking.)
◦ …The text does not say "kings" visited. (It was wise men.)4
◦ …The text does not say it was "three" visitors.5
• …The text does not have in mind a star.6
Horus was considered a deity. This is relevant because Jesus is also considered to be a deity.1
In response however…
• …Jesus historically claimed to be divine; there's no room for mythical influence here. [Forthcoming]
Horus was identified as (or associated with) a fish.1 This is relevant because Jesus was similarly associated with a fish.
In response however…
• …Horus's being associated with a fish has been forever undocumented in pre-Christian sources.
• …Even if Horus was a fish (as D. M. Murdock claims), there was no symbolic Christ-fish idea until the 2nd century.2
• …Jesus was not associated with a fish in even remotely the same way Horus was.
Horus was baptized by Anup [Anubis] the Baptizer. After all,… >• …they both “cry in the wilderness.”1 >Crying in the wilderness is something “those animals notoriously do”; similarly, “[John the Baptist] said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'make straight the way of the Lord.” [Jn 1:23]1[See footnote for details and response] • …they were both beheaded. >John was beheaded (see cf. Matthew 14; Mark 6:14-29), and Murdock give two evidences to suggest Anubis was beheaded.2 [See footnote for details and response] This is relevant because Jesus too was baptized by [John/Anubis] the Baptist (Mt 3:13-17).
In response however…
• …Anubis never baptized anyone (and certainly wasn't called “the baptizer”).3
• …There is no individual in all Egyptian history known as “Anup the Baptiser” (or “Anpu” or any other variation).4
• …John the Baptist is a real confirmed historical figure.
• …Anubis was not John (Murdock's case for associating them is terrible).
Horus had 12 disciples/followers.1. After all, mythicist D.M. Murdock argues…
• …the number of “the 12” is based on the Zodiac's 12 signs.2
• ……Egypt has a theme of “the 12.”3
• …Horus has “12 'star gods' in front of him” in the Book of Amduat.4
• …Horus has 12 helper gods in the tomb of Sethos I.5
• …Horus is with 11 humanoids in the Book of Gates.6
[Note: see footnotes for details and responses.]
This is relevant because Jesus also had 12 disciples/followers. (See Mark 3:13-19, Matthew 10:1-4, Luke 6:12-16, and Acts 1:13.)
• Temple of sun god (Horus?): A 3,000-year-old temple honoring Horus “houses a dozen rooms.” On this Murdock shares an excerpt from a 1999 Yahoo News article that is now off the internet.
• Ptolemaic-era Edfu temple with 12 columns.
Horus was raised backed to life from the dead.1
• …as Osiris reborn.
• …as the Pharoah.
In response however, none of these resemble the Jewish notion of resurrection.
Horus as a child was raised back to life.1 This is relevant because Jesus too was raised back to life.
In response however,…
• …this was the quick death and raising of Horus as a child. (This is very different from Jesus, who was raised as an adult, and as the central culmination of his ministry.)
• …this was a magical raising that had to obey built-in secret laws of nature. (This is very different from Jesus, who was raised not through secret magical laws built into nature, but freely and miraculously without regard for natural laws.).
• …it was not sacrificial or substitutionary (very different from Jesus: cf. 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Cor 5:21; Rom 4:25.)
• …it was not voluntary (unlike Jesus: cf. John 10:18: John 3:16)
• …it was not connected to the Jewish general resurrection (unlike Jesus's: cf. 1 Cor 15:20-23.)
• …it was not done by Horus himself; Horus was only raised by his mother with the teaching of Thoth, god of magic. (By contrast, along with the Father and Spirit, Jesus raised himself [John 2:19].)
Horus is raised as the god of death, Osiris.1
The Egyptian king (Pharoah) was regarded as Horus in death and life (being resurrected with each successive Pharoah). This is relevant because Jesus too was resurrected.
In response however,…
• …Pharoah was only regarded as Horus in life before the fifth dynasty. (So this similarity cherry-picks.)1
• …even during the relevant time, Pharoah was only seen as the god Osiris in death; he was Horus only in life.
• …the Horus as Pharoah was reborn regularly as different persons--Amenhotep was not Rameses II. (This is nothing like Jesus's one-time resurrection.)