Dying-and-rising gods
Dying-and-rising gods is a category popularised by J.G. Frazer for deities such as Adonis, Attis, Osiris and Tammuz.
Established Frazer grouped these figures in The Golden Bough as expressions of a vegetation cycle of death and renewal.[1][2] Scholarly debate Jonathan Z. Smith (1987) argued that the category is a modern construct and that most of the figures do not die and rise in the ancient sources; Tryggve Mettinger (The Riddle of Resurrection, 2001) argued that a few cases fit. The question remains contested.[3] Speculation Claims that the Christian resurrection narrative was simply copied from these myths go beyond what the ancient evidence shows.[4]
References
- ↑ J.G. Frazer, The Golden Bough (1922). abridged ed., chapters on Adonis, Attis and Osiris; public domain.
- ↑ Jessie L. Weston, From Ritual to Romance (1920). public domain.
- ↑ J.Z. Smith, "Dying and Rising Gods", Encyclopedia of Religion (1987); T.N.D. Mettinger, The Riddle of Resurrection (2001). Cited only.
- ↑ Smith (1987); Mettinger (2001). Cited only.
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