Paul Invented Jesus as a Human Sacrifice

 

The Influence of the Apostle Paul in Popularizing Jesus as a Human Sacrifice

The apostle Paul, one of the key figures in the development of early Christianity, was a Hellenized Jew who came from the Roman city of Tarsus and held Roman citizenship. His background exposed him to a variety of Greek and Roman religious ideas, including the pagan mystery religions of the time. Many scholars believe that Paul’s understanding of sacrifice, atonement, and redemption was influenced by the pagan sacrificial systems prevalent in Greco-Roman culture.

The mystery religions of the Hellenistic world often involved the concept of a dying and rising god, where the sacrifice of an innocent or divine figure was believed to bring about salvation or renewal. In these religious systems, the death of a god or god-like figure was seen as a necessary act to atone for the sins or impurities of the people. These rituals, which often included symbolic or literal acts of sacrifice, had a profound influence on the religious and philosophical environment in which Paul operated.

Paul’s teaching that Jesus was a human sacrifice for the sins of humanity fits within this broader context of Hellenistic religious thought. His presentation of Jesus as the innocent "lamb" who was sacrificed to atone for the sins of others parallels the pagan belief that an innocent victim, whether a child or a virgin, could appease the wrath of the gods.

Paul’s familiarity with the sacrificial systems of Greek and Roman paganism likely shaped his understanding of Jesus’ death as a substitutionary sacrifice. Being from Tarsus, a Roman city that was well known for its pagan cults and mystery religions, Paul would have been very familiar with the pagan concepts of human sacrifice. A sacrifice of an innocent Son to appease the wrath of God was likely seared into Paul’s consciousness as a youth in Tarsus. These ideas are more prevalent in his writings than his supposed Jewish training.    

While Judaism categorically rejects the idea that an innocent person can be punished for the sins of the guilty, Paul’s teachings introduced this very idea into Christian theology. For example, in Romans 3:25, Paul speaks of Jesus as a “sacrifice of atonement,” using language that would resonate with pagan views of appeasing divine justice through the sacrifice of an innocent person. 

And with these ideas and concepts Paul was able to bring a greco-roman version of the Jesus story to huge numbers of Pagan’s throughout the Roman Empire and thus help birth a new mystery religion. A world famous religion where the concept of human sacrifice would become not only mainstream but adored and iconic.