Opening Sentence:One day in A.D. 391, the Roman-appointed Bishop Theophilus marched from his headquarters in the Brucheion Royal quarter of Alexandria, at the head of a large howling mob, heading west for the Serapeum in the heart of the Egyptian quarter of Rhakotis.
Synopsis:In Christianity: An Ancient Egyptian Religion the author Ahmed Osman contends that the roots of Christian belief spring not from Judaea but from Egypt. He compares the chronology of the Old Testament and its factual content with ancient Egyptian records to show that the major characters of the Hebrew scriptures – including Solomon, David, Moses, and Joshua – are based on Egyptian historical figures. He further suggests that not only were these personalities and the stories associated with them cultivated on the banks of the Nile, but the major tenets of Christian belief – the One God, the Trinity, the hierarchy of heaven, life after death, and the virgin birth – are all Egyptian in origin. He likewise provides a convincing argument that Jesus himself came out of Egypt.

With the help of modern archaeological findings, Osman shows that Christianity survived as an Egyptian mystery cult until the fourth century A.D., when the Romans embarked on a mission of suppression and persecution. In A.D. 291 the Roman-appointed Bishop Theophilus led a mob into the Serapeum quarter of Alexandria and burned the Alexandrian library, destroying all records of the true Egyptian roots of Christianity. The Romans’ version of Christianity, manufactured to maintain political power, claimed that Christianity originated in Judaea. In Christianity: An Ancient Egyptian Religion Osman restores Egypt to its rightful place in the history of Christianity.
Genre:History
Rating:@@@@
Pages:245
ISBN:1-5914-3046-1
Year:2005
Format:Paperback
Comments:The concept behind Christianity: An Ancient Egyptian Religion is very interesting. Most people accept that there has been some tampering with scripture and orthodox teachings through the ages, as well as natural evolution of acceptable behaviours. However, the basic tenets – the flood, the Exodus, Moses, Abraham, the Virgin Birth, the Holy Trinity, the Resurrection – are rarely questioned.

This book argues that even these most basic beliefs are mistaken, either corrupted through centuries of oral traditions or deliberately altered to suit the politics of the day. The author not only states that the roots of Christianity lie in Ancient Egypt, but that the biggest player in the bible – Jesus himself – was actually a contemporary of Moses, living centuries before the bible places him.

While there are some areas where Osmon seems to be stretching things a bit, this book presents some pretty convincing arguments to support his view. Evidence cited includes modern archaeological findings, contemporary writings and the scriptures themselves – the Bible, the Qu’Ran and Hebrew Scriptures.

This book will likely offend strict Christians, and probably Muslims and Jews as well. However, I found it convincing enough to warrant further investigation.

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Categories: Impressions

Tags: Ahmed Osman, Alexandria, Ancient Egyptian religion, AncientEgypt, books, christianity, egypt, Moses, Trinity