Similarities Between Jesus And The Birth Story Of Jesus

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There are many similarities when comparing the birth stories of Jesus with the birth stories of other divine men such as; revealing visions, ruling authority threatened, having a divine father, showing an increase of wisdom beyond years, and fulfilling a destined role; but this essay will cover only two of them. The many similarities in the stories of Jesus and other divine men such as revealing visions and ruling authority threatened helped to prove the divinity of Jesus by allowing ancient readers to connect Jesus with other divine men. What ancient readers would find strange however, is due to the difference between some ancient philosophers’ beliefs and Jewish beliefs; such as Jesus being called the Messiah and the belief of there being only one God. The many similarities between the birth accounts of Jesus and other divine men prove the divinity of Jesus. One of these similarities is the revealing vision that shows up in these accounts. This revealing vision came to warn usually the husband of the family about the impending pregnancy, and encouraged him to abstain from marital relations with his wife. This example is found in the story …show more content…

This is clear when looking at Iamblichus’ birth story of Pythagoras compared to that of Luke’s birth story of Jesus. In Iamblichus’ story there is a recognition of many gods which is evident when it says, “he was considered by many to be the son of a God” (p.134). While in the gospel of Luke it says, “For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God” Clearly the wording in each of these accounts presents the difference in beliefs between Luke and Iamblichus. Iamblichus presents the belief in many gods by saying “son of a God”, while Luke presents the belief of one God by saying “Son of God”. Ancient readers would have thought that this belief in one God was strange and therefore that Jesus was

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