Hope of Israel Ministries (Ecclesia of YEHOVAH):

Osiris became one of the most revered gods in Egypt and even throughout the civilized world in the millennia before the appearance of Christianity, but his origins still remain obscure. Was he a historical figure, or was he a product of man's imagination? The ancient Egyptians would emphatically argue that he was once a flesh-and-blood man before he died and became a god.

Author Robert Bauval agrees with the ancient Egyptian understanding of Osiris. He believes that Osiris once walked the earth, but like Egyptologist E. A. Wallis Budge he is mystified by many of the unknowns that surround this figure. Bauval writes,

"There is a great paradox in Egyptology that so far has not been properly explained. Although the earliest reference to Osiris is found in the Pyramid Texts which date from c. 2300 BC, a cursory study reveals that the mythology, doctrines, liturgy and rituals which they contain could not possibly have developed overnight, but would have required a long process of intellectual and religious evolution long before that date. Although all Egyptologists seem to agree to this, none can agree, however, on how long before that date this process would have begun.

"A tentative date of around 6000 BC was suggested by Jane B. Sellers on astronomical grounds, but an even earlier date of around 10,500 BC also based on astronomical considerations is, in my opinion, more likely. Furthermore, the Egyptologists are also at a loss to explain why in the large quantities of inscriptions that predate the Pyramid Texts, not one single mention of Osiris has been found. It is as if the cult of Osiris, with its rituals, doctrines, liturgies and mythology, suddenly materialized out of nowhere and, almost overnight, was readily adopted as the principle religion of the pharaonic state." [1]

Budge theorized that the origins of the Osiris cult trace back to about 4000 B.C. Bauval's quote refers to Sellers who believes that the cult goes as far back as 6000 B.C., while Bauval personally believes that the Osiris cult traces back even further to 10,500 B.C. These are all interesting conjectures yet the fact remains, as Bauval concedes, that prior to 2300 B.C. among the large quantities of inscriptions that have been found, absolutely none of them mention or refer to Osiris or to his alter-ego Sokar. With this fact in mind it is far more likely then that the historical figure of Osiris is to be found only a few hundred years, rather than a few thousand years, before his appearance, fully-evolved and fully-functional, at the heart of Egyptian religion.

The Golden Age of the gods, the era known as Zep-Tepi, was for the Egyptians the era of the reign of Osiris. If the original "Primordial Mound" was located in Eridu, and not on an island on the Nile River in Egypt, then the historical identity of Osiris is revealed. He is none other than Enmerkar, known also as Nimrod in the book of Genesis, who ruled over the first super-kingdom of history with a political base in Uruk and a spiritual base in Eridu.

The Flight to Egypt

When the kingdom of Enmer/Osiris was brought to an end, and when the great king died, his inner circle was forced to flee from Mesopotamia entirely. Eridu was abandoned, along with its unfinished Tower of Babel, after what must have been a major conflict, because the Edfu inscriptions refer to the original home of the gods as the "Isle of Aggression" (Egy. iu titi) and "Isle of Combat" (Egy. iu aha). [2]

After regrouping and consolidating their forces on the "Blessed Isle" of Bahrain a significant faction of this Falcon Tribe then invaded Upper Egypt. They took the carefully-preserved body of their slain king with them and they sailed around the Arabian Peninsula, up the Red Sea, and then re-embarked on the Nile River after dragging their boats through the wadis of Egypt's eastern desert. One of the first cult centers of this invading group was located at Abydos, and it was here where the body of Enmer/Osiris was temporarily laid to rest:

"Abydos, or Abdju, lies in the eighth nome of Upper Egypt, about 300 miles south of Cairo, on the western side of the Nile and about 9.5 miles from the river. It spreads over 5 square miles and contains archaeological remains from all periods of ancient Egyptian history. It was significant in historical times as the main cult center of Osiris, the lord of the netherworld. At the mouth of the canyon at Abydos, which the Egyptians believed to be the entrance to the underworld, one of the tombs of the 1st dynasty kings was mistaken for the tomb of Osiris. A thousand years later, and pilgrims would leave offerings to the god for another thousand years. The area is thus now called Umm el Qa’ab, 'Mother of Pots.'" [3]

Perhaps this tomb was indeed the original tomb of Osiris and the ancient Egyptians were not "mistaken." Whether it was or not, we can be certain that the location known as Umm el Ga'ab was an important site for the invading Falcon Tribe from the very beginning. At this location archaeologists have determined that a total of ten pre-dynastic and early-dynastic royal tomb enclosures were built, of which eight have been found and excavated. Many of these burial enclosures also included subsidiary graves for attendants that were offered as human sacrifices at the time of the royal burial. Egyptologists believe that the Umm el Ga'ab enclosures are related to early inscriptions that mention "fortresses of the gods," as Egyptologist Richard H. Wilkinson explains,

"(The enclosures) seem to have been ceremonial gathering places for the gods known as the shemsu-her, the 'entourage of Horus,' who were associated with the king as the manifestation of the falcon god Horus -- probably regarded as the same deity worshiped at Hierakonpolis (Nekhen -- Falcon City)....The open courts of these enclosures may have contained a sacred mound similar to that found in the shrine of Hierakonpolis as well as in other later temples and shrines. The mound is of particular significance as it may have been regarded as a symbol of the original mound of creation in Egyptian mythology, from which the primordial falcon god was said to have surveyed the world from his perch or standard." [4]

The "sacred mounds" of these early holy sites relate directly back to Eridu of Mesopotamia. Further proof of the Falcon Tribe's origin comes from other artifacts buried nearby which mainstream Egyptologists have a hard time understanding:

These boats were viewed as sacred to the Falcon Tribe because they were the means by which the Shemsu-Hor invaders arrived in Egypt in the first place. Their original use was functional, and only later did they become viewed as cultic "solar barques" and become assimilated into Egyptian religion.

The "Tomb of Osiris"

In the thirteenth century B.C. the Egyptian king Seti I -- the father of the great Ramesses II -- built one of Egypt's most impressive and remarkable temples. This temple, the Temple of Seti I at Abydos, has seven sanctuaries, dedicated to himself, Ptah, Re-Harakhte, Amun-Re, Osiris, Isis and Horus. It is built in a curious L-Pattern, at the back end of which is another remarkable monolithic structure known as the Osireion.

The Osireion: The Oldest Temple in Egypt

The Osireion was built as another "Tomb of Osiris" and when it was completed it featured numerous elaborate paintings and inscriptions on its walls detailing the many aspects of Osiris and his role in Egyptian religion. At the center of the building was a raised rectangular "island," with receptacles cut into the floor to hold a sarcophagus and canopic chests. Surrounding the "island" was a water-channel cut into the floor, into which steps from the island descended. Wilkinson explains a likely factor that dictated this temple's placement,

"The location of the Osireion in the temple of Sethos I (Seti I) at Abydos...is due to the proximity of a natural spring. This seems to have been used to provide a pool of water around the subterranean 'grave' in order to make it a model of the mythical mound of creation which the Egyptians believed rose from the primeval waters." [6]

Again, this description of a fresh water spring integrated into the plan of a temple of Osiris in Abdju is very similar to the descriptions given in Sumerian texts of fresh water flowing out of Enki's Abzu in the sacred island of the city of Eridu, the cult-capital ruled by Enmer prior to its abandonment.

Regarding the dating of the building of the Osireion, most scholars believe it was begun by Seti I and completed by his grandson. However, the mystic Egyptologist John Anthony West disagrees. In his Magical Egypt DVD series, West offers several factors that point to an earlier date for the building of the Osireion. First of all, there is the curious fact that the elevation of the Osireion is almost fifty feet lower than that of Seti I's temple. Secondly, there is the strange L-pattern to the layout of Seti's temple, and thirdly, there is the odd fact that there is a chamber dedicated to Osiris within Seti's temple.

Why dedicate a chamber within the temple, if another entire building was planned in honor of the same deity from the beginning? West believes that the original plan for Seti's temple called for it to be built as a straight rectangle, and that this was changed only after the workers uncovered the Osireion while digging to lay the foundation of Seti's temple. The discovery of the Osireion forced the architects to shift the "Southern Wing" off to the side, which created the L-pattern. The finding of the Osireion would have been taken as a divine sign and the ancient building would have been refurbished, renovated, and redecorated, and incorporated into the plan of the overall site.

Of course West's theory may be wrong and the Osireion may indeed date to the thirteenth century B.C. Nonetheless, the intriguing possibility exists that it may have actually served as a temporary resting place for the body of Osiris more than fifteen hundred years earlier. We cannot know for sure where the body of Osiris rested while in Abydos, but we can be reasonably certain that it did rest there. However, once the massive necropolis at Giza was completed during the Fourth Dynasty the body was brought north and secreted in its current undiscovered location, perhaps in a hidden chamber in the very heart of the Great Pyramid.

Giza became the greatest monument to Osiris ever built, but Abydos still continued as a primary location for the Osiris cult and his related rituals and festivals. Perhaps the most important of these festivals was the Festival of Khoiak, held in the fourth month of the season of Akhet (Inundation). The high point of the ritual was a three-day reenactment of the myth of Isis and Osiris, and the death of Osiris at the hands of Set. It included a procession with an effigy of the deceased Osiris carried in a ceremonial barque from his temple out into the desert and then to his burial place either at the Umm el-Ga'ab cemetery or (later) at the Osireion itself. Much of what we know of this early "Passion Play" comes from the "Stela of Ikhernofret" which dates to the Middle Kingdom.

The Link With Mesopotamia

Additional evidence found within the myths of Osiris also appear to link him with Mesopotamia, with the god Enki, and with Enmer the great king who ruled just prior to the abandonment of Eridu.

According to Plutarch's account Osiris was the great king who brought civilization to Egypt and to the world. Osiris was the inventor of agriculture, and he presided over the invention of writing, which is accorded to his scribe the great god Thoth. Osiris was also the one who organized society on the basis of uniform laws, and who also taught mankind the proper way in which to worship and honor the gods.

Notice what E. A. Wallis Budge has to say about the travels of Osiris/Nimrod:

"Osiris raised an large army, and he determined to go about the world teaching mankind to plant vines and to sow wheat and barley. Having made all arangements in Egypt he committed the government of his whole kingdom to Isis, and gave her as an assistant Hermes, his trusted scribe who excelled all others in wisdom and prudence. He appointed to be the chief of the forces in Egypt his kinsman Hercules, a man of great physical strength...As he marched through Ethiopia, a company of satyrs was presented to him...

"Having taught the Ethiopians the arts of tillage and husbandry, he built several cities in their country, and appointed governors over them, and then continued his journey. On the borders of Ethiopia he raised the river banks, and took precautions to prevent the Nile from overflowing the neighbouring country and turning it into a marsh, and he built canals with flood-gates and regulators.

"He then travelled by way of the coast of Arabia into India, where he built many cities, including Nysa, in which he planted the ivy plant. He took part in several elephant hunts, and journeying westwards he brought his army through the Hellespont into Europe. In Thrace he killed Lycurgus, a barbarian king, who refused to adopt his system of government. Osiris became a benefactor of the whole world by finding out food which was suitable for mankind, and after his death he gained the reward of immortality, and was honoured as a god." [7]

In Sumerian myth it is Enki who receives credit as the great civilizer of mankind. It was he who invented agriculture, and he who gave laws to mankind as well as establishing the tradition of a hereditary kingship, which was first adopted in Eridu.

According to the Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta epic it was Enmer who sought to renovate and expand the temple in Eridu as a "great abode of the gods." In addition to this project Enmer also introduced goddess-worship to the land, specifically the worship of Inanna, who is referred to as Enmer's sister, just as Isis is the sister of Osiris. David Rohl comments on the fact that the symbol for Inanna in Sumer was a six-pointed star, and this very same symbol is used repeatedly in early Egyptian references to Isis, who was also the wife and rescuer of the deceased Osiris.

In another provocative similarity, according to the Lord of Aratta epic (lines 500-514), it was Enmer who first transformed spoken words into writing: "Formerly, the writing of messages on clay was not established. Now, under that sun and on that day, it was indeed so."

Evidence linking Osiris to Enmer is also apparent in the very name of Osiris as it is reproduced in the earliest hieroglyphics. Here is what The Ancient Gods Speak -- A Guide to Egyptian Religion has to say on this important subject [8]:

"The god's name Wsir (in Coptic, Oycipe or Oycipi) was written at first with the sign for a throne, followed by the sign for an eye; later the order was inverted. Among the many meanings suggested is one cognate with Ashur, implying a Syrian origin; but also 'he who takes his seat or throne;' 'she or that which has sovereign power and is creative;' 'the place of creation;' 'seat of the eye,' with the Eye explained as the Sun; 'the seat that creates;' and 'the Mighty One,' deriving from wsr ('mighty')."

The Name "Asar"

If the original meaning of the name Osiris was "The Mighty One" -- and if he is somehow associated with the Assyrian god Ashur -- then both of these items point towards Nimrod of the book of Genesis, who became "a mighty one on the earth" and a "mighty hunter before the LORD," who founded the city of Ninevah that became the capital of Assyria. David Rohl explains how it all ties together [9]:

(1) Early Sumerian Enmer, later Mesopotamian Ninurta (originally Nimurda), biblical Nimrod, Greek Ninus;

(2) Old Babylonian Marduk, biblical Merodach, later simply known as Bel or Baal ('Lord');

(3) Late Sumerian Asar-luhi (a principal epithet of Marduk), Assyrian Ashur, Egyptian Asar (Osiris);

(4) Sumerian Dumuzi, biblical Tammuz, Phoenician Adonis, Greek Dionysus, Roman Bacchus....

"After Eya (Enki) had vanquished and trampled his foes, had secured his triumph over his enemies, and had rested in profound peace within his sacred chamber which he named 'Abzu'...,in that same place he founded his cultic shrine. Eya and Damkina, his wife, dwelled there in splendour. There in the chamber of fates, the abode of destinies, a god was born -- the most able and wisest of gods. In the heart of Abzu, Marduk was created. He who begat him was Eya, his father. She who bore him was Damkina, his mother. [10]

"At his names may the gods tremble and quake in their dwellings. Asar-luhi is his foremost name which his father Anu gave him....Asar, bestower of the cultivated land, who establishes its boundaries, the creator of grain and herbs who causes vegetation to sprout forth. [10]

With the death of Enmer/Osiris, and the crumbling of his Mesopotamian empire, a new form of religious worship came to dominate the world. According to the myth, before Enki set out to create contention in the land, "the people in unison...to Enlil in one tongue gave praise." Afterwards the situation was very different and very chaotic, and monotheism was replaced by polytheism. Along with this new pagan polytheistic framework the world seemed to recognize the ascendance of a new god to the head of the pantheon, and this god had a son who was known by many different names, who was universally understood to have died and risen again, either in this world or the next.

[1] Secret Chamber: The Quest for the Hall of Records, Robert Bauval, 1999, pp. 95-96.

[2] Legend -- The Genesis of Civilization, David Rohl, 1998, p. 340.

[3] Abydos in Egypt, by Marie Parsons.

[4] The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt, Richard H. Wilkinson, 2000, p. 19.

[5] Abydos in Egypt, by Marie Parsons.

[6] The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt, Richard H. Wilkinson, 2000, p. 36.

[7] Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrection, E. A. Wallis Budge, 1973, Vol. 1, pp. 10-11.

[8] The Ancient Gods Speak -- A Guide to Egyptian Religion, edited by Donald B. Redford, 2002, p. 304.

[9] The Lost Testament, David Rohl, 2002, pp. 73-74.

[10] Babylonian Creation Epic, Timothy J. Stephany, 2013.

[11] Songs of Inanna and Dumuzi, George Rochberg.

Edited by John D. Keyser.