.

Can you grow up in Japan, then develop chop sticks independently? Believing scholars say "yes."

We've seen that Christianity was not new. Christianity was not unique. So, where did Christianity get it's Pagan ideas? Did it adapt old Pagan ideas, or did it re-invent similar ideas independently?

Let's see.

Can anyone prove exactly how the early Christians got the Pagan ideas they used? Well, not with documents. As far as we know, the early Christians didn't write stuff like, "The idea of the soul surviving death? We boosted that from the Assyro-Babylonians, by way of the Greeks."

On the other hand the early Christians didn't write "The idea of the soul, yeah, we grew up hearing about that, and later on we invented it independently."

The Facts. We know as a matter of fact that the Pagan dying-resurrected Godman, with His rebirth, salvation, baptism and the rest, preceded Christianity by hundreds of years. We know as a matter of fact these myths and the mystery religions were practiced throughout the Mediterranean, and in Judea. We know as a matter of fact that the first Christians were intimately familiar with this Paganism.

We know as a matter of fact that in His birth as the son of God and a virgin woman, in His miracles, His fulfillment of prophecy, His death and resurrection, His ascent to heaven, His judgment of men at the end of time, Jesus is not new, Jesus is not unique, Jesus is not discontinuous with mainstream Paganism.

We know as a matter of fact that in baptism, in the Holy Eucharist, in it's doctrines of rebirth and salvation, and it's promise of eternal life with torment for sinners and blessings for believers, Christianity is not new, Christianity is not unique, Christianity is not discontinuous with mainstream Paganism.

The choices
So, did the first Christians take the ideas fundamental to their culture -- a universal God, a human soul that lives on after death, water baptism, and salvation through the resurrection of a dying godman -- and adapt them to the new religion? Or did they invent them "independently"? -- to use the believing scholars' phrase. Here's the logic of each option.

Choice 1: Invented similar ideas independently. Chop sticks   Can you grow up in America, then develop the hamburger independently? Believing scholars say "Yes."   For starters, I can't honestly see how it's possible to invent something you already know about. If you know about the soul surviving death, you know about the soul surviving death. And if you know about it, you can't come up with it on your own. If you know about water baptism, you know about water baptism. And if you know about it, you can't come up with it on your own. But that's the logic behind invented "independently."
Believing scholars believe the Christians came up with a lot of stuff independently.
	Believing scholars believe the first Christians came up with a universal God on their own, even though Pagans came up with a universal God first.
	Believing scholars believe the first Christians came up with a human soul on their own, even though Pagans came up with in a human soul first.
	Believing scholars believe the first Christians came up with a water baptism on their own, even though Pagans came up with water baptism first.
	Believing scholars believe the first Christians came up with salvation on their own, even though Pagans came up with salvation first.
	Believing scholars believe the first Christians came up with Jesus' resurrection on their own, even though Pagans came up with resurrected Gods first.
	Believing scholars believe the first Christians came up with a miracles on their own, even though Pagans came up with miracles first.
	Believing scholars believe the first Christians came up with a prophecy on their own, even though Pagans came up with prophecy first.
	Believing scholars believe the first Christians came up with a heaven on their own, even though Pagans came up with heaven first.
	Believing scholars believe the first Christians came up with a hell on their own, even though Pagans came up with hell first.
	Believing scholars believe the first Christians came up with a sacred meal shared with their God on their own, even though Pagans came up with sacred meal shared with their God first.
	Believing scholars believe the first Christians came up with a eternal life on their own, even though Pagans came up with eternal life first.
	Believing scholars believe the first Christians came up with a virgin birth on their own, even though Pagans came up with virgin birth first.

Choice 2: Adapted basic cultural ideas The first Christians didn't grow up as Pagans believing in Pagan Gods and the human soul, then convert to Christianity, then independently re-invent the idea of God and independently re-invent the idea of the human soul . Ditto baptism, the eucharist, salvation, virgin birth, resurrection, heaven, hell, etc.

The first Christians took the basic ideas of their culture and adapted them to their new faith. Like all the ancient Pagans, they built a new religion out of old parts.

Once it reached Hellenistic soil, the story of Jesus attracted to itself a number of mythic motifs that were common to the syncretic religious mood of the era. Indeed, as people familiar with the other Mystery Religions came to embrace the Christian savior, it would have been practically impossible for them not to have clothed him in all the accoutrements of his fellow Kyrioi." [Robert Price, Deconstructing Jesus, Chapter 3, 2000]

Not sneaky
The first Christians weren't sneaky or dishonest when they failed to record their Pagan borrowings. Things like a universal God, a human soul, and life after death were so fundamental and so common in their culture, that the early Christians just took them for granted. Ditto water purification, a holy meal, and salvation through the resurrection of a dying godman.

There is no proof the New Testament authors ever learned Greek