Iao of Nepal - CRUCIFIED
Iao of Nepal - CRUCIFIED
The account of Iao of Nepal as a crucified savior originates directly from 19th-century comparative mythicist literature—chiefly Chapter V of Kersey Graves’ The World’s Sixteen Crucified Saviors (1875), which borrowed from Godfrey Higgins’ Anacalypsis (1836).
Both authors based their claim on an 18th-century work by the Augustinian friar Antonio Agostino Giorgi (known in Latin as Georgius), titled Alphabetum Tibetanum (1762). In"Iao of Nepal" is not a figure from mainstream history, comparative mythology, or Nepalese religious tradition. Instead, this figure originates entirely from 19th-century Christ-myth and freethought literature—specifically Kersey Graves’ 1875 book The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors and Godfrey Higgins’ 1836 work Anacalypsis, which cited a misunderstood 18th-century work by Christian friar Antonio Agostino Giorgi (Alphabetum Tibetanum, 1762).
Because this figure is a historiographical construct rather than an actual historical or mythological entity, the answers below reflect what 19th-century alternative mythologists claimed, contrasted with historical reality.
| Query Point | 19th-Century Mythicist Claim (Graves/Higgins) | Historical & Scholarly Reality |
|---|---|---|
| Dates (Start / End) | Circa 622 BCE | No historical or archaeological record exists of an "Iao" in Nepal at this or any other time. |
| Date of Birth | December 25 (claimed generally for solar deities) | No calendar date exists in Nepalese, Hindu, or Buddhist records. |
| Death Details & Killer | Crucified on a tree by executioners / enemies | Fictional. The cited source (Alphabetum Tibetanum) was describing Christian missionary accounts of Tibetan and Nepalese Buddhist symbols mistaken for crosses. |
| Age at Death | Typically claimed around 30 to 33 years | Not specified in primary regional texts. |
| Soteriology (Salvation) | Claimed to have died as an expiation/atonement for human sin | Inauthentic to Himalayan/Nepalese religion; imported from Christian theology by Graves. |
| Geographic Location | Ancient Nepal / Himalayas | Nepal has historical traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Bon, none of which feature "Iao." |
| Appearance / Imagery | Described as an crucified deity or solar figure | No genuine ancient statues, paintings, or depictions exist. |
| Actions in Life / Post-Death | Performed miracles, taught moral virtue, ascended | Purely speculative projection matching standard 19th-century solar-myth motifs. |
| Worship & Followers | Claimed to be worshipped by ancient Nepalese/Himalayan peoples | Never worshipped; the name "Iao" in antiquity was a Greek/Gnostic rendering of the Hebrew Yahweh ($\text{IA}\Omega$), not a Himalayan deity. |
| Virgin Birth | Yes (claimed by Graves for his list of 16 saviors) | No record in Nepalese traditions. |
| Resurrection | Yes (claimed to have risen from the dead) | No record in Nepalese traditions. |
| Descent to Hell / Ascension | Ascended to heaven after death | Standard Christian/mythicist template applied by Graves. |
| Crucified | Yes, claimed to have been affixed to a tree | Crucifixion was not a practice in ancient Nepal or Tibet. |
| Son of God / Trinity | Claimed to be the second person of a divine triad | Misinterpretation of the Buddhist Triratna (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) or Hindu Trimurti. |
| Alternate Names | Jao, Iao, Jehovah-equivalent | Greek $\text{IA}\Omega$ (Gnostic Yahweh), conflated erroneously with Asian titles or sounds like Om. |
| Judge in Heaven | Claimed to return or preside as judge | Reflects Christian eschatology rather than Nepalese religious cosmology (e.g., Karma or Yama). |
Historical Context of the Source Material
- The Citation Source: The reference to "Georgius, p. 202" points to Alphabetum Tibetanum (Rome, 1762) by the Augustinian monk Father Antonio Agostino Giorgi (Georgius). Giorgi documented Tibetan and Nepalese culture through a missionary lens, interpreting various native Buddhist symbols (such as the svastika, prayer crosses, or Indra hanging on a frame in festivals) as distorted traces of Nestorian Christianity or pagan cruciforms.
- 19th-Century Syncretism: Godfrey Higgins (Anacalypsis) and later Kersey Graves (The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors) misread Giorgi's Latin texts and asserted that every ancient civilization had an identical, crucified "savior" figure matching the biography of Jesus Christ, frequently anglicizing Hebrew/Gnostic names like Iao and placing them in non-Semitic geographies.