Roman religion was divided into two categories, religio and superstitio. While religio

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1 Colleen Melone Judaism and Christianity in the Greco-Roman World Final Paper April 24, 2014 Two Peas in a Pod: An Analysis of the Similarities between Bacchus and the Canonical Jesus Roman religion was divided into two categories, religio and superstitio. While religio was official worship endorsed by the Roman senate, superstitio was private worship performed by citizens and non-citizens. One major area of superstitio was the worship of mystery cults, such as cults to Bacchus, Isis, and Mithras. These cults were classified by deep religious worship, the cultivation and practice of giving gods their due, and initiation rites. Many mystery cults also offered a better image of the afterlife to its followers, which especially appealed to the lower classes. Some scholars argue that Romans would have classified Christianity as one of these mystery cults. In fact, there are many similarities between the cult of Bacchus and Christianity. The Olympian gods and the god of the Christian bible spend the majority of their time in heaven, occasionally making visits to the humans on earth in an alternate form. However, the myths surrounding Jesus and Bacchus, also known as Dionysus in Greek, focus heavily on their time on earth and their interactions with humans. The historian Barry Powell considers this the largest indicator of how different and unique Bacchus was in relation to other the Olympian gods. 1 There are, however, many commonalities between the cult of Bacchus and Christianity. Bacchus and the canonical Jesus share many connections in their creation myths. Both are divine figures born of a mortal mother and a heavenly father. Bacchus and Jesus also 1 Barry B. Powell, A Short Introduction to Classical Myth (Madison: Longman, 2001),

2 Melone 2 have remarkable birth narratives. Furthermore, a death and rebirth cycle exists in each of the two traditions. This essay will examine these resemblances and others between the cult of Bacchus and Christianity in order to argue that they shared more commonalities than simply both being mystery cults. The abundance of similarities between Bacchus and Jesus is the result of cultural exchange between two highly popular religions who utilized myths which would appeal to and attract more followers. Both Bacchus and Jesus are the children of a mortal mother and a heavenly father. Bacchus is the son of Zeus, ruler of Olympus, and Semele, the human daughter of Cadmus, a Phoenician prince. 2 The gospels of the bible teach that Jesus is the son of the Christian god and Mary, the virgin wife of Joseph. 3 The concept of dual divine and mortal parentage would have appealed to and attracted followers. Rather than being distant gods, these half-divine, halfmortal gods spent their time on earth and interacted with humans. The divine aspect of their ancestry gave credibility to their right to lead and to be worshipped, while the mortal aspect allowed members of the religion to feel more closely connected and relatable to Jesus and Bacchus. In addition to their remarkable parentage, the myths of both religious figures include extraordinary birth narratives. The birth story of Jesus begins with his mother, Mary, being visited by an angel who informs her that she has been filled with the Holy Spirit and will give birth to a son. This boy is to be named Jesus and will be the Son of God. 4 Mary and her husband Joseph, who had also 2 Apollodorus Bibliotheca III.4.3. Hesiod Theogony 947. Nonnos Dionysiaca VIII Luke 1: 35. Matthew 1: Luke 1:

3 Melone 3 been visited by an angel to affirm the divine parentage of the soon-to-be-born child, eventually make their way to the town of Bethlehem. Once there, Mary gives birth to the baby Jesus in a stable and lays him in a manger because all the inns are full. 5 Additionally, the story claims that a group of wise men were following a star from the east to find the baby and worship him, since he was predicted to be the king of the Jews. Herod, the king of Judea, feared the child and hoped to trick the wise men into leading him to the baby, so that he could kill it. Upon finding Jesus, the wise men worshipped him and gave him gifts. Herod s plan failed because both the wise men and Joseph were warned by God that Herod wanted to kill the baby, so Joseph and his family fled to Egypt until Herod s death, when they could return safely. 6 Bacchus s extraordinary birth story includes a similar theme of jealousy. Hera, the wife of Zeus, discovers that her husband has gotten the mortal woman, Semele, pregnant. Filled with anger and jealousy, Hera visits Semele in the disguise of an old woman in order to get revenge. She convinces Semele that her lover may not in fact be Zeus and that Semele should make sure she is certain by having Zeus reveal his true form. Once he does so, it will not only prove who he is, but it will also demonstrate how much he loves her. The next time Zeus comes to visit Semele, she asks him if he will promise to grant her one unnamed request that she can ask for at any time. He says yes and she immediately demands that he reveal his true self. Since he already gave his word, Zeus concedes and shows his real form, which immediately kills Semele because it is too great. Zeus then takes the unborn child from her 5 Luke 2: Matthew 2: 1-15.

4 Melone 4 womb and sews it into his leg. The baby remains there until it finishes growing, at which time Zeus cuts open the make shift womb, essentially giving birth to the baby Bacchus. 7 The extraordinary birth narratives of Jesus and Bacchus appealed to their respective religions by sensationalizing the two figures. By making the birth stories dramatic, with the virgin birth of Jesus and Semele bringing about her own doom, the narratives became tales that fascinated readers. Additionally the myths introduce a resilient aspect to the figures of Bacchus and Jesus, who as babies both survive assassination attempts by powerful rulers. This would have been valued culturally because it proved the strength of these two figures and that they could not be defeated easily, further enforcing their divine status. This divinity was also closely connected with the immortality of the two gods, which was underlined by the death and rebirth cycle in which they participated. Bacchus and Jesus are classified as death and rebirth type gods. Both gods face death and then are resurrected through the power of a higher god. 8 As was mentioned earlier, Bacchus died while in his mother s womb and was reborn through the divine intervention of his father. This is a central part of the Bacchus narrative. He is often referred to in epithets as the insewn god. 9 The narrative of Jesus also follows a death and rebirth cycle; however, Jesus s death comes later in life. Sometime around the age of thirty, Jesus was sentenced to crucifixion. After dying on the cross, all four gospels attest to his resurrection. 10 This cycle appealed to followers 7 Nonnos Dionysiaca VIII.50-IX Ovid Metamorphoses III Esther Kobel, Dining with John: Communal Meals and Identity Formation in the Fourth Gospel and its Historical and Cultural Context (Boston: Brill, 2011), Homeric Hymns 1. Luke 24. Mark John 20.

5 Melone 5 of Bacchus and Jesus because it displayed their immortality. To members of a religion, it implies that their god is all powerful and cannot be destroyed. This would be important to worshippers because it reinforces their sense of security in having chosen the correct religion. Especially in a time that was filled with an abundance of options of divine figures for people to worship, proof that the god a person had chosen was the most powerful and the best choice was imperative. This was reinforced by situations in the myths of Jesus and Bacchus in which others denied the divinity of one of the figures, and as a result would be proven wrong or punished for their lack of belief. Another similarity between Bacchus and Jesus is that they both experienced denial of their divinity by others. One well known story of when Bacchus s divine status was denied is the seventh Homeric Hymn. In the song, Bacchus is disguised as a young man who is captured by pirates. The helmsman of the ship recognizes Bacchus and warns the others to let him go. However, the rest of the crew rebukes him and continues to try and bind the god. Bacchus responds by turning the pirates into dolphins as a punishment. The helmsman who acknowledged Bacchus s divinity, however, is rewarded for his reverence. 11 This myth was used to attract more followers because not only did it demonstrate that those who were faithful to Bacchus would be rewarded, but it also warned that those who did not would be punished. Another famous myth in which Bacchus is denied is Euripides s play Bacchae. 12 In the story, Bacchus returns to his hometown of Thebes. However, he is ungraciously met by his relatives who deny that he is a god. As a form of revenge he makes the women of Thebes go mad. The king, Pentheus, still disbelieving, orders his soldiers to capture Bacchus Matthew 28: Homeric Hymns Euripides Bacchae.

6 Melone 6 and bring him before the throne. During a discussion between the two men, Bacchus, referring to himself as the god unbeknownst to the king, forewarns Pentheus that the mystic rites of the god are hostile to the one who practices impiety. 13 Pentheus, however, continues to deny the divinity of Bacchus. As retribution, Bacchus convinces Pentheus to spy on the Bacchic ritual, where he is discovered and torn to pieces by the frenzied worshippers. This myth demonstrated to followers of the Bacchic cult that all humans, even those as powerful as kings, were subservient to Bacchus. Similarly, Jesus also appeared before important community leaders who denied his divinity. After being betrayed by one of his disciples, Jesus was brought before the chief priests of the Jewish church. Upon being questioned about his identity, the Jewish leaders charged Jesus with blasphemy for claiming to be the son of God. 14 The canonical literature does not state that the priests were punished for denying the divinity of Jesus; however, it does continue on with the story affirming that by the end the priests were proven wrong because Jesus s divine status was asserted when he rose from the dead. This story reinforces that those who deny Jesus and do not worship Christianity are wrong. This appealed to followers because it enhanced their assurance in having chosen the correct religion to worship. Another similarity between the cult of Bacchus and Christianity is the importance of wine and celebration with a ritual meal representative of the divinity. Bacchus was the god of grapes and wine. 15 His cultivation of the vine was considered essential for the happiness and success of 13 Euripides Bacchae Luke 22: Mark 14: Matthew 26: Apollodorus Bibliotheca III.5.1. Diodorus Siculus Bibliotheca Historica V.75.4.

7 Melone 7 humans. 16 Wine is also prevalent in Christianity stories. One example is in the Gospel of John, when Jesus performed a miracle by turning water into wine at a wedding. 17 The biggest reference to wine in the gospels, however, is during the last supper. Jesus instructs his followers to drink from a cup of wine, representing his blood, and to eat a piece of bread, symbolizing his body. 18 While at first, this ritual meal would appear to be very unique to Christianity, comparisons are found to it in the cult of Bacchus. Followers of Bacchus practiced a similar ritual where they consumed wine and animal meat. 19 Additionally, Bacchus was considered to be present in the wine and by consuming the wine and the meat humans were able to experience Bacchus. 20 Communal meals in which one consumed food and drink representative of the divine appealed to followers because it established a sense of physical closeness between the worshipper and god. Not only were Bacchus and Jesus relatable figures because of their halfmortal parentage and their time spent on earth among humans, but religious participants felt even more connected upon consuming the flesh and blood of their god and thus bringing that god inside themselves. Due to their success in attracting supporters, both religions were condemned by the Roman government and people. Christians were accused of participating in a multitude of devious sexual exploits, such as incest and drunken orgies. 21 More importantly, however, they were accused of being wicked conspirators who met at night and in hidden corners and despised Homeric Hymns Nonnos Dionysiaca VII John 2: Luke 22: Mark 14: Matthew 26: Kobel, Dining with John, Ibid., Minucius Felix Octavius IX.2, 5-6.

8 Melone 8 members of political office. 22 The followers of Bacchus were charged with similar offenses. In 186 BCE, the Roman senate cracked down on the cult of Bacchus when it issued the Senatus Consultum de Bacchanalibus severely restricting worship practices. 23 Livy mentions this in his Ab Urbe Condita and discusses accusations against the bacchants, such as perjury, forging of seals and documents, and presenting false information. 24 Charges against both religions stemmed out of fear of conspiracy by the Roman senate. Christianity and the cult of Bacchus were natural targets because the senate appeared to have little control over either of their practices. Christians often would not practice religio, state worship, because they felt that sacrificing to other gods was a sin against their own. The cult of Bacchus was viewed as averse to senatorial control because it often contained outcasts of society who felt disconnected from the social order because it had wronged them in some way. 25 The lack of state control, in addition to the growing size of these religions, made them objects for the Roman senate to focus their fear on. The cult of Bacchus and Christianity had many commonalities that extended beyond them both being mystery cults. Both divine figures were born from a mortal mother and heavenly father and have remarkable birth narratives. In addition to fitting the death and rebirth archetype for gods, their divinity is called into question by others. Their rituals also include a communal meal in which worshippers consume food symbolic of the god. The similarities between the myths of Bacchus and the canonical Jesus helped the two religions to grow in size by attracting more followers and appealing to worshippers that they already had. This growth is 22 Minucius Felix Octavius VIII ILS Livy Ab Urbe Condita Georges Dumézil, Archaic Roman Religion, trans. Philip Krapp (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1970), 2: 517.

9 Melone 9 what led to the eventual persecution of the religions by the Roman senate out of fear of political conspiracy.

10 Melone 10 Bibliography Apollodorus. Bibliotheca. Translated by J.G. Frazer. Diodorus Siculus. Bibliotheca Historica. Translated by C.H. Oldfather. Dumézil, Georges. Archaic Roman Religion. 2vols. Translate by Philip Krapp. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, Euripides. Bacchae. Translated by Richard Seaford. Warminster, England: Aris & Phillips Ltd., Hesiod. Theogony. Translated by Stanley Lombardo. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., ILS 18. Kobel, Esther. Dining with John: Communal Meals and Identity Formation in the Fourth Gospel and its Historical and Cultural Context. Boston: Brill, Livy. Ab Urbe Condita. Nonnos. Dionysiaca. Translated by W. H. D. Rouse. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, Ovid. Metamorphoses. Translated by Frank Justus Miller. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, Powell, Barry B. A Short Introduction to Classical Myth. Madison: Longman, The Homeric Hymns. Translated by Michael Crudden. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.