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Could the Norse Odin or the Greek Zeus be Christianity's "The Creator" and father of Jesus?

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    I've update my answer with more similarities. Take heart that the question now has two reopen votes!
    – DukeZhou
    Feb 23, 2018 at 22:33

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It's interesting that the most common epithet of Zeus in Greek literature is not the form of the name beginning in "z", but the form equivalent to Dios. (This is the same word root for god in the Romance languages of Europe.)

You see the word as an adjective often in phrases like καὶ δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς (kai dios Achilleus) "godlike Achilles", and even other deities might be described as divine (lowercase d), but only Zeus himself is referred to as Δῖος ("God" with the capital D).

Some have linked the "seus" part of Jesus' name to Zeus, arguing that his original name was Joshua (ישוע Yeshua). All are "King of Heaven" for their respective heavens, whether Olympus, Asgard or the Christian heaven.

Joseph Campbell might refer to Odin, Zeus and the Lord of Hosts as "sky fathers", and the depictions of all deities in art have certain characteristics such as the beard.

This is no accident as Italian Renaissance art in particular was heavily influenced by Classical mythology at the peak of the power of the Catholic Church. You can even find a direct merging of the two cosmologies in Dante's Inferno, which influences the Christian conception of the universe second only to the bible itself.

It is also worth noting that a well known epithet of Odin is the "Allfather" (Alfaðir), and that Zeus is called "Father of the Gods and Men". In Christian sects that uphold the doctrine of the trinity, the creator is knows as "God the Father".

The main distinction I see is that the polytheistic versions of these kings of heaven were only nigh-omniscient and/or nigh-omnipotent. Specifically, they were the kings of their respective hills, but inferior to the singular or infinite nature of the Lord of Hosts.


Note: Unlike Zeus, who is undying and eternal, though not omniscient nor omnipotent, Odin is mortal in the sense he dies at Ragnarök, swallowed whole by the wolf Fenrir.

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    Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
    – yannis
    Feb 22, 2018 at 9:39
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Odin is not from Greek Mythology. Rather he is from the Norse Mythology.

Also father of Jesus was Joseph who was a human and a saint not any God. Whereas Odin was the the King of Asgard and also effectively the King of Norse Gods who lived in Asgard.

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    I'd comment that in Christianity, Joseph is regarded as Jesus' legal father, but not the progenitor. Also will make the point that in some Caribbean religions, Catholic Saints merged with the traditional gods of Africa (see syncretism) Like gods, saints in some christian sects are worshiped (see: veneration.)
    – DukeZhou
    Feb 23, 2018 at 22:37
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    Well i have been told that Jesus was a son of somebody else, but Joseph accepted him, the innocent child, and forgave Mary and that is why he is a saint. Feb 27, 2018 at 12:12
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Odin and Zeus are the most alike out of the three since they both rule over a group of gods from a giant palace in the sky (I do believe that Asgard is in the sky but I may be wrong and it might be one of the nine realms.) and they command some kind of all-seeing magic unlike many of the other gods. but they both fought and won a great battle that lasted over the centuries. the Christian god is nothing like the other two because first of all, they both had legions of children (especially Zeus since he was very unfaithful to Hera) while the Christian god only had one- Jesus. the Christians have a monotheism thing going on while the greeks and many other religions like it - including the Norse- believed in polytheism.

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Id like to point out as some one who is Greek and Norse descendant that all 3 gods are similar if you compare the known descriptions. Zeus the Father of gods/Angels.Zues had Angels to cupid and Aris. And Odin's Angels where the Valkyries. All three are the fathers of the gods and human kind and to say God has only one child. We are all gods Children. That make everyone Jesus brother and sisters. God made us and he made juses. If you compare the three Michael the Archangel Apollo the sun god and Bauldar all look a like. God the one true god can build any so there for could he not take the form of zuses or odin if everyone claims he can do anything. Than no one can prove or disprove the 3 gods are not the same. He had to have at least made the other gods. We Call them Angles now not gods.

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Odin is the same as Adon or Adonai of the Jews and Adonis of the Greeks, thus all three cultures descended from the same origin.

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