Editing Christian mythology (section)

===New Testament and early Christianity===
According to a number of scholars, the Christ story contains mythical themes such as [[descent to the underworld]], the [[monomyth|heroic monomyth]], and the "[[Life-death-rebirth deity|dying god]]" (see section above on "[[#Mythical themes and types|mythical themes and types]]").<ref name="leemingchristianmythology">Leeming, "Christian Mythology"</ref><ref name="dundesheropattern">Dundes, "The Hero Pattern and the Life of Jesus", 186</ref><ref name="leemingdyinggod">Leeming, "Dying God"</ref><ref name="leemingdescent">Leeming, "Descent to the underworld"</ref>

Some scholars have argued that the [[Book of Revelation]] incorporates imagery from ancient mythology. According to the [[New American Bible]], the image in [[Revelation 12]]:1–6 of a [[Woman of the Apocalypse|pregnant woman in the sky]], threatened by a [[dragon]], "corresponds to a widespread myth throughout the ancient world that a goddess pregnant with a savior was pursued by a horrible monster; by miraculous intervention, she bore a son who then killed the monster".<ref>[http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/revelation/revelation12.htm#foot2 Footnote on Revelation 12:1] in the New American Bible.</ref> Bernard McGinn suggests that the image of the two Beasts in Revelation stems from a "mythological background" involving the figures of [[Leviathan]] and [[Behemoth]].<ref>McGinn 54</ref>

The [[Pastoral Epistles]] contain denunciations of "myths" (''muthoi''). This may indicate that [[Rabbinic literature|Rabbinic]] or [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] mythology was popular among the early Christians to whom the epistles were written and that the epistles' author was attempting to resist that mythology.<ref group="n">Barrett 69–71 mentions both Rabbinic and gnostic mythology as a possibility.</ref><ref group="n">[http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/1timothy/1timothy6.htm#foot8 A footnote on 1 Timothy 6:20–21] in the New American Bible refers only to the possibility of gnostic mythology, not of Rabbinic mythology.</ref>

The [[Sibylline oracles]] contain predictions that the dead Roman Emperor [[Nero]], infamous for his persecutions, would return one day as an Antichrist-like figure. According to Bernard McGinn, these parts of the oracles were probably written by a Christian and incorporated "mythological language" in describing Nero's return.<ref>McGinn 47</ref>