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Dionysus-Osiris, alternativelyOsiris-Dionysus, is a deity arising from thesyncretism of the Egyptian godOsiris and the Greek godDionysus.
The two deities had been identified with each other as early as the 5th century BC, as recounted in theHistories ofHerodotus:[1]
For no gods are worshipped by all Egyptians in common exceptIsis and Osiris, who they say is Dionysus; these are worshipped by all alike. [...] Osiris is, in the Greek language, Dionysus.
Other syncretic deities arose from theseEgyptian-Greek conflations, includingSerapis andHermanubis.
Dionysus-Osiris was particularly popular inPtolemaic Egypt, as the Ptolemies claimed descent from Dionysus, and aspharaohs claimed the lineage of Osiris.[2] This association was most notable during a deification ceremony whereMark Antony became Dionysus-Osiris, alongsideCleopatra as Isis-Aphrodite.[3]
In the controversial bookThe Jesus Mysteries, Osiris-Dionysus is claimed to be the basis ofJesus as a syncreticdying-and-rising god, withearly Christianity beginning as aGreco-Roman mystery.[4] The book and its "Jesus Mysteries thesis" have not been accepted by mainstream scholarship, withBart Ehrman stating that the work is unscholarly.[5]
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