The new UCCR dossier focuses on claims of a “pagan Madonna”—the alleged iconographic parallels between the Virgin Mary and the goddess Isis, mother of Horus.

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The relationship between the figure of the Virgin Mary and the goddess Isis, worshipped in ancient Egypt, is one of the most debated topics in mythicist religious comparativism.

This line of thought, which for centuries has attempted to reduce Jesus and the main figures of Christianity to mere reflections of pre-existing pagan deities, has also focused on drawing parallels between Mary of Nazareth and the goddess Isis.

 

The dossier refutes the theory of a “pagan Madonna”

The dossier we present today—the only one of its kind on the web—provides a rigorous, well-documented analysis of mythicist arguments claiming iconographic, theological, and cultural parallels between these two figures, clearly demonstrating their untenability.

It is often claimed that depictions of the Madonna, particularly those showing her nursing the Child, are directly derived from models such as Isis breastfeeding the infant Horus.

The UCCR dossier points out that this is simply the iconic image of any mother, from antiquity to modern times, and highlights how such analogies are superficial, often stemming from incorrect or anachronistic use of iconographic sources.

 

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Click here to read the new dossier:

The Virgin Mary Does Not Derive from the Goddess Isis

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The Madonna and the Pagan Isis

Excluding one highly questionable image (discovered in the catacombs of Priscilla), the very few clear representations of “Maria lactans”—the iconographic theme of Mary nursing Jesus—appear centuries after the last depictions of “Isis lactans” and remain confined to an Egyptian monastic context, playing no significant role in the universal Marian cult.

The comparison between Mary and Gaia (or Mother Earth) is also dismantled, highlighting profound theological, symbolic, and iconographic differences.

The dossier also examines the work of various scholars and academics who, each in their own way, have debunked these mythicist theories.

It spans from critiques of outdated and debunked arguments by authors such as Alexander Hislop, whose book “The Two Babylons” has been exposed as historically baseless, to the rejection of interpretations by Italian anthropologist Marino Niola, who draws from the theories of James George Frazer, whose work is now seen as obsolete and lacking academic rigor.

This dossier will remain available in the UCCR section titled “Faith and Historicity” and offers an in-depth, scholarly analysis for anyone interested in the topic of religious comparativism, exposing the contemporary myths that seek to diminish the figure of the Virgin Mary and, more broadly, the authentic roots of the Christian faith.

 

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Click here to read the new dossier:

The Virgin Mary Does Not Derive from the Goddess Isis

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