"The Indian incarnate God Chrishna, the Hindoos believe, had a virgin
mother of the royal race, who was sought to be destroyed in his infancy
about nine hundred years before Christ. It appears that he passed his
life in working miracles, and preaching, and was so humble as to wash
his friends' feet; at length, dying, but rising from the dead, he
ascended into heaven in the presence of a multitude." The Cingalese
relate nearly the same things of their "Budha." And several authors of
Egyptian history refer to a story perpetuated in the Egyptian legends
concerning the God Osiris, who was threatened with destruction by the
tyrant Amulius, to save whom his parents fled and concealed him in an
arm of the River Nile, as Christ was concealed in the same country, and,
for aught that appears to the contrary, in the same locality. The
mother of another and older Savior of Egypt fled by a timely warning to
Epidamis before the birth of the divine child, and was there delivered
of "our Lord and Savior," Horus. And the earthly or adopted father
of the Grecian Savior, and God, Alcides, had to flee with him and his
mother to Galem for protection from threatening danger.
In the ninth and tenth volumes of the "Asiatic Researches," we find the
story of the "only begotten" or "first begotten son of God," Salvahana,
of Cape Comorin, son of a virgin mother (as were all the other Saviors
referred to), and a carpenter by the name of Taishnea. (It will be
remembered that Joseph, "foster-father of Jesus," was a carpenter.) The
story of this "Son of God" presents several features very similar to
that relating to Jesus. Sir William Jones, Colonel Wilford, and the Rev.
Mr. Maurice all confess to the antiquity of this story, as originating
before the birth of Christ. Speaking of Zoroaster of Persia (another
case), 600 B. C., an author remarks, "Tradition reports that his mother
had alarming dreams of evil spirits seeking to destroy the child to whom
she was about to give birth. But a good spirit came to rescue him, and
consoled her by saying, 'Fear not; God Ormuzd will protect the infant,
who has sent him as a prophet to the people and the world who are
waiting for him."
China, too, presents us with a case of the threatened destruction of
a Savior in infancy, evidently recorded more than two thousand five
hundred years ago. It is the case of the God Yu, who was concealed in a
manner similar to that of Moses--a commemoration of the story of which
is perpetuated by an image or picture of the virgin mother with a babe
upon her knee--sometimes in her arms. Now, let it be noted that these
virgin-born Gods, who, we are told, came "to save the world," could not
save themselves, but had to be protected and saved by other Gods.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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