But what do we Christians make of this?

Could Justin Martyr be right, or was something else going on? Could it be that prophecy was at work, rather than plagiarism? Or could it be that both prophecy, and deception, could be at work?

When I first read about the story of Moses being plagiarized from earlier works, I treated the mystery as I do all mysteries; I left the file open, awaiting further information, before formulating a hypothesis. Concerning my belief in Jesus, on that matter I have no doubt. My belief in Him comes from personal revelation and needs no further confirmation. He came to me in a dream, and spoke His name in my ear while I was awake. I’ve experienced miracles working through me while calling on His name. I’ve seen personalities change because of Him. To suggest that He never existed; that He was simply made up is absolutely preposterous! Let’s get real! Superman is made up, so where does the transition take place between being a comic book character, to entire nations all over the world actually believing there really is a Superman worthy of worship, and worth dying for?

But on the matter of other religions having fictional characters with striking similarities to Moses and Jesus, among others, this is an intriguing fact that deserves special consideration. Justin Martyr took the easy route to explain this, and he might be right, but such an explanation closes the case too quickly in my opinion.

Regarding legends in general, they frequently begin with a basis in fact. A modern day example of this is the Santa Clause character. He didn’t travel about in a flying sleigh with magical reindeer, but he certainly existed, and was even affiliated with the realm of the miraculous. Consider the following historical excerpt:

The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus’ words to “sell what you own and give the money to the poor,” Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for the real criminals—murderers, thieves and robbers. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic, called manna, formed in his grave. This liquid substance, said to have healing powers, fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day.⁶⁵

The above excerpt continues on for several more pages, speaking of many more works about the real Santa Claus. A much more ancient version of truth giving birth to numerous legends is explicitly mentioned in Genesis 6:4.

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