I quoted Mercer because I can copy/paste the entire Utterance so you can see the surrounding context, but Faulkner's translation is the most accurate. (As is Allen's). The festival mention in the above quoted Utterance is a New-Moon festival, celebrated monthly over the span of the New moon phase, which lasts three days. Osiris dies on the day prior to the festival, and is resurrected on the last day of the festival. So a period of 96 hours from death to resurrection.Ben C. Smith wrote: ↑Tue Jul 07, 2020 2:55 pmI guess what is making me hesitate is the messiness of it, at least so far.Joseph D. L. wrote: ↑Tue Jul 07, 2020 2:44 pm Of course if you want to be technical, Osiris could not have been resurrected before 72 days, as it was the time it took to be mummified. But there are indeed sources, textual, and ritual, that do indicate a period of four days, from the day of his death to the day of his resurrection.
For example, you quoted a line of Faulkner's from the Pyramid Texts as "the three-day festival," yet your other translation of that same line comes out as "the three beginnings (of the divisions of the year)," putting me in mind of the three Egyptian seasons (Flooding, Growing, and Harvesting), not three days. I do not know the relevant language, so I cannot determine which is the correct translation. Besides this, the number in question is three, not four. The number in Plutarch is four. Do those adjacent numbers describe the same length of time, expressed differently? Maybe, but I am not sure. You mention other primary sources, but so far I have not been able to examine them.
The same scenario is in the Ikhernofret Stela. Osiris dies on the day before the Procession of Wepwawet, and rituals are divided up into their own respective day, with Osiris's resurrection taking place on the last day, four days after his death. And again with the Festival of Khoiak at Denderah and Abydos, where Osiris dies, or "goes missing", and is mourned for three days afterward, only to "be found", or resurrected, at the end of he third day.
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 |
Osiris dies | Day of Mourning | Day of Mourning | Osiris rises! |
Waning moon | New moon | New moon | Waxing moon |
Is it a matter of language games? I guess that's one way of looking at it. After all, I remember reading about a dispute in the Talmud as to what year Jubilee fell on, the 49th year or the following year? And this question extends to Jesus. Do you count each day or do you count the hours?
This also covers Attis too and the Festival of Hilaria. Attis dies on the 22nd when the tree is brought to the square, and Attis doesn't resurrect until the 25th. 22, 23, 24, 25, four days. Or do you only start with the 23rd? Again, it's a matter of language games. (And for any naysayers reading this, Attis WAS resurrected).
Read Boswell's blog, or if you can read his book. The amount of erudition he has is staggering. Even though I'm not a proponent that paganism is the true vine of Christianity, it definitely has a deep influence.I am quite open to the notion that Lazarus is based on Osiris; I think that the gospel of John probably shows other signs of a similar syncretism, as well (water into wine being Dionysian, for example), so the pattern would fit. But I would like to make sure the evidence is secure before getting too excited about it, if that makes sense.