The Pagan Holy Trinity

When Christians think of the Holy Trinity, the idea of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is evoked, but the idea of a Holy Three isn't just a Christian ideal. In fact, the trinity arises long before Christianity. One example is from ancient Egypt. The legend of Osiris and his sister-wife, Isis, has the same basic structure as the Christian version, except that this story is far older.

Osiris and Isis governed the lands together with firm, but loving hands. Osiris was very knowledgeable and wanted to help his people as much as he could, so he would venture away from his home to the outer lands where he would teach the people better farming techniques and instill other knowledge to them to help them prosper.

While he was away on one of his trips, his brother, Set, a man driven by hatred and jealousy of his brother, plotted with a group of conspirators, to get rid of Osiris so he could rule the land. Being brothers, Set knew Osiris' exact measurements and cleverly designed a fabulous box built to those measurements. Upon his brother's return, Set threw an elaborate banquet in his honor, giving as a prize, the box, but only to the man who could fit it perfectly.

Being pure of heart and mind, Osiris couldn't see any harm and climbed into the box to see if he would fit. He did, but before he could get out, Set and his conspirators closed the lid and sealed it with molten lead. They carried it to the Nile and threw it in.

Later, Isis came looking for her husband and was told what Set had done. Distraught, she went in search of the sarcophagus and spent many days looking. Finally, she was told that the box had washed up on the shore in Phoenicia at the base of a Tamarisk tree. This tree grew up around the box and encased it within its trunk.

The Phoenician king liked the huge tree so much that he had it cut down and made into a pillar in his palace. Hearing of this, Isis met with the queen and told her of Set's trickery. Moved by Isis' plight, the queen returned the box containing Osiris.