People love their hero stories, and fictional heroes seem to be just fine, as shown by the fact that Joanne Rowling became a billionaire from writing Harry Potter books. But it's puzzling that the biographies of heroes are so similar (monomyth) and resonate so strongly with the audience's deepest fantasies. Psychologists such as Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung have tried to figure out what causes those fantasies, and mythologists such as Otto Rank, Lord Raglan, and Joseph Campbell have tried to map out the common elements of the hero pattern.
In the case of Jesus, the fact that the Gospel story matches the hero pattern so well strongly suggests that heroic elements have been added to the story, but it doesn't prove that the entire story is fictional.
"the angel Gabriel was sent... to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women."
--Luke 1:26-28
Summary: Mary is a virgin. Although the text is clear that Mary herself is not royal and does not even have royal lineage, it implies that she has royal lineage indirectly, through her marriage to Joseph. Score: 5/8 point
Note: Matthew's and Luke's genealogies of Jesus contradict each other. Some Christians say that Luke's genealogy is through Mary's side, which would mean that she herself has royal lineage. Possible score: 3/4 point
His father is a king,
Jesus' father is God:
"there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son"
--Mark 1:11
"a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son"
--Luke 3:22
"I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God."
--John 1:34
"the centurion... said, Truly this man was the Son of God."
--Mark 15:39
and God is the king of gods:
"the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God"
--Deuteronomy 10:17
but if Joseph is Jesus' father, then Jesus' father has only royal lineage, through King David:
"Jesus... being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of... David Which was the son of... Abraham, which was the son of... Adam, which was the son of God"
--Luke 3:23-38
Summary: If God is Jesus' father, and God is King of gods, then Jesus' father is a king. But if Joseph is Jesus' father, then Jesus has only royal lineage. Score: 1 point (or possibly, 1/2 point)
often a near relative of his mother, but
Mary is not related to Joseph or God. (Note: If God is three-in-one (trinity), then Jesus is his own father, but that doesn't make his father a near relative of his mother.) Score: 0 points
the circumstances of his conception are unusual.
"Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost"
--Matthew 1:18
"Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
--Luke 1:34-35
Score: 1 point
He is also reputed to be the son of a god.
"the angel answered... that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
--Luke 1:35
"there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son"
--Mark 1:11
"a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son"
--Luke 3:22
"I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God."
--John 1:34
"the centurion... said, Truly this man was the Son of God."
--Mark 15:39
"Jesus... being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of... David Which was the son of... Abraham, which was the son of... Adam, which was the son of God"
--Luke 3:23-38
Score: 1 point (or 1/2 point if he was the son of Joseph)
At birth, an attempt is made, often by his father, to kill him, but
"the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt... he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod"
--Matthew 2:13-15
Score: 1 point
reared by foster parents in a far country.
"the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt... he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod"
--Matthew 2:13-15
Summary: Jesus was reared by his mother and his stepfather, Joseph. Score: 1/2 point
We are told nothing of his childhood, but
The canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) give only one detail about Jesus between his circumcision at eight days old (Luke 2:21) and his baptism at about 30 years old (Luke 3:23):
"when he was twelve years old... in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And he said unto them... wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?"
--Luke 2:42-49
There are several noncanonical infancy gospels that do describe Jesus' childhood. However, Christians didn't really believe the infancy gospels, which is why they aren't in the Bible.
on reaching manhood he returns or goes to his future kingdom.
"when he was twelve years old... in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And he said unto them... wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?"
--Luke 2:42-49
"much people... Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord."
--John 12:12-13
"the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest."
--Matthew 27:11
"Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight"
--John 18:36
"Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil... Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan... Then the devil leaveth him"
--Matthew 4:1-11
"forty days tempted of the devil... Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God... the devil had ended all the temptation"
--Luke 4:1-13
"through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil"
--Hebrews 2:14
Summary: Jesus defeated both the devil (by resisting temptation) and death (by being resurrected). These are bigger victories than killing a dragon. Score: 1 point
he marries a princess.
Jesus might have been married, but not to a princess:
Jewish society strongly pressured men to marry while young.
but Jesus is thought of as the spiritual husband of the church:
"thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name"
--Isaiah 54:5
"let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts; Lest I strip her naked... and slay her with thirst... I will betroth thee unto me for ever"
--Hosea 2:2-3,19
"as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast"
--Mark 2:19-20
"I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ"
--2 Corinthians 11:2
"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it... I speak concerning Christ and the church."
--Ephesians 5:25,32
"the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready"
--Revelation 19:7
Summary: Just as Jesus said "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36), his marriage is also not a literal, sexual marriage to a real princess he's rescued-- it's a nonliteral, spiritual marriage to the church he's redeemed. Extending Hosea's analogy of prostitution, the nice-guy john/son (Jesus) pays off the pimp/father (God, who is the violent side of Jesus' split personality) to make the undeserving, beaten-down whore/mother (church members) his wife. Score: 1/2 point
Becomes king.
king of the mob
"much people... Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord."
--John 12:12-13
"Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?"
--Mark 15:12
"[The soldiers] began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!"
--Mark 15:18
"Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar."
--John 19:15
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven"
--Matthew 7:21
"I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven"
--Matthew 16:19
"There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom."
--Matthew 16:28
"Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight"
--John 18:36
"I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God... And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
--Revelation 20:12,15
Score: 1 point
Reigns uneventfully, but
"reigns" in Galilee/Jerusalem, but not uneventfully
After the end of time, he will reign uneventfully.
Score: 1/2 point
prescribes laws.
His "laws" are moral rules (such as the Golden Rule) and rules for entering the kingdom of heaven (Mark 12-13).
Score: 1 point
Later he loses favor with his subjects.
despite his popularity coming into Jerusalem, the mob does nothing to prevent his death
"Jesus... yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."
--Matthew 27:50-53
"Jesus... gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom."
--Mark 15:37-38
"it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst... he gave up the ghost."
--Luke 23:44-46
Score: 1 point
often at the top of a hill.
The Bible doesn't say that Jesus died on a hilltop,
"a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull"
--Matthew 27:33
"Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull"
--Mark 15:22