Horus and Jesus: The Truth About Plagiarism Claims (Or, How the Internet Got It Wrong—Again)

TL;DR
The viral claim that Christianity copied the story of Horus is about as sturdy as a sandcastle in a hurricane. Once you look at actual Egyptian mythology, the parallels vanish faster than a meme with a fact-check label.

A Meme Too Good to Die

Ah yes, another day, another breathless social post declaring Jesus a knockoff of Horus, the falcon-headed god of Egypt. Apparently, we’re meant to believe Christianity is just a dusty reboot with new packaging. The comparisons? Virgin birth, miracles, resurrection, crucifixion—you name it.

Spoiler alert: It’s nonsense. Entertaining, yes. Historical? Not even a little.

Who Was Horus, Really?

Horus wasn’t the messianic savior type. He was a mythic heir to the Egyptian throne, a sky god raised in hiding after his father Osiris was killed by his treacherous uncle Set. After a vengeance-fueled training montage (not really, but close), Horus takes on Set in a long series of chaotic battles. It’s a myth about royal succession, justice, and order—not salvation and sin.

The December 25th Myth

Horus was born on December 25? That would be news to the ancient Egyptians—who, by the way, didn’t give him a birthdate at all.

There’s no mention anywhere in Egyptian mythology that assigns Horus a specific birthday. The entire December 25 narrative is a much later Christian tradition, and trying to pin it on Horus is pure retrofitting (Mettinger 78; Wright 102).

Virgin Birth? Only If Necromancy Counts

Isis didn’t have Horus through any sort of immaculate conception. She magically reassembled Osiris’ body and—how do we say this politely—used what she could to conceive Horus.  That sort of blows up the whole idea of "virgin" conception.  Do I have to draw pictures, here?

It’s mythological resurrection magic, not virgin birth (Ehrman 67; Evans 94; Ulansey 145). If this sounds bizarre, it is. But it’s not Christianity.

Three Wise Men... Didn't RSVP

There’s no record—zero—of three wise men, or any wise men, showing up at Horus’ birth with impractical baby gifts.

That scene is unique to the Gospel of Matthew. Egyptian mythology has no equivalent (Mettinger 83; Boyd and Eddy 139).

A Star of Horus? Nope.

You’d think if a star had announced Horus’ birth, someone in ancient Egypt would’ve written that down. They didn’t.

Stars were symbolically important to Egyptians, but no myth says one heralded Horus’ arrival (Evans 99; Ehrman 75; Ulansey 151).

Miracle Worker? Not Really.

Horus wasn’t in the healing business. He was a divine prince, a fighter, and a sky god—not a preacher or miracle man.

No walking on water, no wine tricks, no fish feasts. He fought Set. A lot. That’s about it (Boyd and Eddy 145; Mettinger 91; Evans 107).

Crucifixion? Still a No

Crucifixion wasn’t a Roman invention—it originated with the Persians, around the 6th century BCE. The Romans just perfected it as a terrifying tool of public execution.

As for Horus? The earliest textual references to him date back to the Pyramid Texts, which were inscribed around 2400–2300 BCE. That’s close to two millennia before crucifixion became a thing. Egypt had no crosses, no Golgothas, and no passion narratives.

Horus wasn’t crucified. He wasn’t resurrected after three days. And the actual “resurrection” myth in Egyptian religion applies to Osiris, who was brought back just enough to father Horus—then took up permanent residence as ruler of the underworld. Not quite Easter Sunday material (Ehrman 82; Mettinger 96; Ulansey 162).

Conclusion

We all love a spicy conspiracy theory—especially one that flips the script on traditional religion. But the whole “Jesus = Horus” theory doesn’t just stretch the facts; it punts them into the Nile.

Horus wasn’t crucified. He didn’t preach. He wasn’t resurrected. And he definitely wasn’t born in a nativity scene next to a celestial GPS star. Most of these claims come from 19th- and 20th-century writers who stitched together superficial similarities without bothering to check ancient texts.

Before reposting another copy-paste mythology meme, maybe give the source material a glance—or at least run it by someone who’s cracked a book since dial-up.

Works Cited

Boyd, Gregory A., and Paul Rhodes Eddy. The Jesus Legend: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition. Baker Academic, 2007.

Ehrman, Bart D. Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth. HarperOne, 2012.

Evans, Craig A. Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels. IVP Books, 2006.

Mettinger, Tryggve N. D. The Riddle of Resurrection: "Dying and Rising Gods" in the Ancient Near East. Almqvist & Wiksell, 2001.

Ulansey, David. The Origins of the Mithraic Mysteries: Cosmology and Salvation in the Ancient World. Oxford University Press, 1991.

Wright, N. T. The Resurrection of the Son of God. Fortress Press, 2003.