The son of God

 

 

Ok, I think it's fair to grant this one to copycat theorists, as Hercules is, indeed, the son of Zeus, the main god of Greek polytheism. However, the differences in the meaning of this are astranomical. First, Jesus is a triune God, which means while he is distinct from the Father, they are both the same God. Hercules and Zeus, however, are not the same. Hercules is also the unplanned result of a one night stand, whereas Jesus' birth is very much planned by God.

 

 

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Copycat theorists claim that Hercules was known as the "saviour of the world" and the "redeemer", just as Jesus is. This is simply not true. Apart from on copycat theorist websites, you will not find a single reference to Hercules being the saviour of the world or a redeemer. In many ways, Hercules was a hero. He saved innocent lives and took down evil villans, but he is never referred to as saviour or redeemer.

 

Prophets foretold his birth and royalty

 

As Hercules was un-planned, it seems unlikely that Zeus would send prophets to fortell of his birth, or that he would be a king. Perhaps this is why you will not be able to find a single reference to a single prophet who did fortell of Hercules' birth? By contrast, the Old Testament is filled with prophecies concerning Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection.

 

Attempt made on his life as an infant

 

This one is also true. An attempt was made on Hercules' life when he was an infant. However, rather than a corrupt king slaying all children 2 years old and under, it was only Hercules who was targeted. By his step mother, Juno. Juno put a snake in Hercules' crib, hoping it would kill him. Instead, Hercules killed the snake.

 

Died a violent death for the attonement of sins

 

Hercules' death was particularly violent, yes, but it was not for the attonement of sins. For all intents and purposes, Hercules was immortal. He could not die. While taking his wife home, Hercules had to cross the Evenus River. A centaur named Nessus offers to row Hercules across first, then his wife, Deianeira. You can picture the logistics of a half-man, half-horse in a rowing boat yourself, but Nessus did take Hercules across the river. He then took Deianeira, but he wanted more. Before he had taken her across the river, he tried to rape her.

 

Hercules, seeing this, drew a poisoned arrow and shot the centaur. As he lay dying, Nessus convinces Deianeira to take some of his blood as a love potion should she ever fear infidelity from Hercules. One day, Deianeira did fear Hercules might be interested in another woman, and so she smeared a tunic with Nessus' blood and gave it to Hercules.

 

However, Nessus' blood was, of course, poisoned by Hercules' arrow, which meant when Hercules put on the tunic he, too, was poisoned. The tunic burned Hercules' skin so much that it would kill a normal human being, and he was in so much pain that he desperately wanted to die. He consulted an oracle, who told him to burn himself on a funeral pyre. So Hercules built himself a funeral pyre and convinced his friend to light it, killing him. He then ascended to Mount Olympus, where he was allowed to marry Hebe, the daughter of the queen of gods, Hera.

 

To claim Jesus' death in any possible way immitates Hercules' death is laughable, to be kind to copycat theorists. Jesus never had a wife, and he could not sin, so if he ever did take a wife, he would never have lusted after another woman. At no point is Jesus said to have worn a tunic, nevermind tricked into wearing a poisoned one, and no one could claim he actually wanted to die. While he went willingly to the cross, he was not committing suicide to relieve himself of pain, but rather, he was offering himself in place of his loved ones (human beings), so that they could be forgiven for their sins. A noticeable absence of rapist centaurs hanging out in row boats can also be seen in this story.

 

Conquered death

 

The number of times Hercules found himself in near death situations and survived could be seen as conquering death, but in no way the same sense as Jesus conquered death. In the end of Hercules' story, he commits suicide and is forever accepted on Mount Olympus. He never returned to the Earth. By contrast, Jesus just got up and left his tomb after the appointed time, almost as if he hadn't been brutally murdered that Friday. The only signs that he even went to the cross were the holes in his limbs and the gash in his side, which he used to convince Thomas that he was truly alive. This is truly conquering death in ways that pagans could never even have concieved.

 

Conclusion

 

As usual, copycat theorists have no claim with Hercules. Hercules was not the son of a virgin, but the son of a one night stand between Zeus and Alcmene. There are precisely zero records claiming he was a saviour or a redeemer, and not a single prophet foretold his birth. Yes, there was an attempt on his life when he was an infant, but it was his step mother placing a snake into his crib, rather than a miniature holocaust of all children in the region below 2 years old, ordered by a jealous king. Hercules' actual death, however violent, resembles Jesus' death in no way, shape or form, and it is an act of suicide, not a selfless sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. Finally, Hercules does not conquer death. Instead, he welcomes it, and takes his place as a god on Mount Olympus, where he marries a godess. Hercules and Jesus are as different as chalk and cheese, and there is no way Jesus could ever have copied from Hercules.