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Hungary (with Croatia) Bela II AD 1131-1141 Hammered silver Denar | eBay

At the young age of 13, Elagabalus became the head priest of a cult that worshipped a Syrian sun god named "Elagabal". This sun god was also known as "Invictus", which translates to "Invincible".

Elagabalus became emperor of Rome when he was just 14. He reigned for four years and was tortured and killed by the Praetorian Guard at the age of 18. Damnatio memoriae was carried out, destroying all images of him prior to his death. The images that survive show what he looked like at a younger age.

I believe the followers of the Cult of Invictus deified him after his death and transformed him into a Christlike figure. Virtually all of the earliest depictions of Jesus date to the 3rd century AD and show a young man without facial hair. Many of them bear a striking a resemblance to Elagabalus.

Archaeologists in Turkey discover a vibrant 3rd-century fresco depicting Jesus | УНН

The image I used for this post was taken from a 3rd century Roman sarcophagus of a woman named Severa. Shortly after Elagabalus became emperor, he married a young girl named Aquilia Severa who was a Vestal Virgin. This image shows three wise men or Magi visiting a baby who's portrayed in the same way as Jesus. Is this baby Elagabalus? Is the woman holding him his mother Julia Soaemias? Is Severa the same girl he married? Perhaps she lived another 50 years and the image portrays what she looked like as an older woman before her death.

Aureus - Julia Soaemias (IVNO REGINA; Juno) - Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) – Numista

Aquilia Severa - Wikipedia

In 275 AD, a Roman emperor named Aurelian established the Cult of Sol Invictus which syncretized various sun god religions into one. I believe the Syrian sun god "Invictus" was added to this cult, which included worship of the deified emperor Elagabalus. This new cult opened their first temple on December 25th and celebrated a sun festival on that key date.

Another syncretized religion called the Cult of Serapis was created by Ptolemy I in the 3rd century BCE to unite his Greek and Egyptian subjects. It merged the attributes of Osiris, the Apis bull, Hades, and Zeus, Other gods were later syncretized into this religion including Dionysus and the healing god Asclepius. Serapis symbolized fertility, healing, and the afterlife.

The controversial Historia Augusta contains a letter that was supposedly written by Emperor Hadrian who visited Alexandria during his famous tours of the Roman Empire from 119 to 134 AD. In this letter, he states that followers of Serapis called themselves "Christians". Some people have labeled this letter as a forgery, while others believe the earlier parts of the Historia Augusta are historically accurate.

In 313 AD, Christianity was 'legalized' in Rome. Around this same time, coins were minted showing Sol Invictus holding the head of Serapis. I believe the image on this coin represents the syncretization of the Cult of Serapis with the Cult of Sol Invictus. As mentioned, the Cult of Sol Invictus celebrated a sun festival on December 25th.

https://postimg.cc/4YxTvxwj

Does the image on this coin represent the beginning of Christianity as we know it? I think it does. I also believe early depictions of Christ as a young man are Elagabalus and ones of him as an older man with a beard are based on the image of Serapis.

This coin was issued shortly before paganism was completely outlawed in Rome. It shows Serapis wearing what appears to be a crown of thorns. Most people will agree that this depiction is strikingly similar to how the adult Christ is portrayed.

One of the last depictions of Serapis before paganism was banned in Rome. It was minted in Rome to commemorate the Navigium Isidis or Festival of Isis.

Some people will immediately point out the transcripts of early Christian history that completely contradict what I'm saying. What they don't realize is that there are almost no original Roman scrolls describing what happened during that time period. The transcripts we rely on were written by Christian scribes who had every incentive to cover up the "pagan" origins of Christianity.