![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alanajoliI'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that most of you are aware of the conversation between C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien that was one of the final steps of Lewis in Lewis's conversion to Christianity. One of the most interesting things to me about that conversation was always Tolkien's notion of Christianity being Truth made Fact. The idea Tolkien proposed was that much of the body of mythology was a practice run for the story of Christ.
It is, therefore, not Earth-shattering to me to hear that the idea of a three-day resurrection may have predated the story of Jesus of Nazareth. A tablet, called "Gabriel's Revelation," was found about ten years ago, but it's just now making the news, may feature a scene where Gabriel commands a revolutionary named Simon to rise three days after he was dead. It also implies that the messiah will rise three days after his death. The scholars discussing it now are saying this means that the relationship between Judaism and Christianity needs to be reevaluated. Apparently one of the literary arguments for Christianity being true was that the three-day-resurrection only appeared in the New Testament--and who'd make that stuff up? So apparently the idea that it may not have appeared solely in the New Testament is shaking things up.
I suspect, if Tolkien were to hear of this tablet, he would say, "Well, of course." Given how much of the Christian story has resonance with other mythic themes, why not add one more? The idea that Christ fulfilled yet another prophecy would only be more reason to believe--not a reason to question the whole faith. Alas for the lack of application of mythic theory in the news!
It is, therefore, not Earth-shattering to me to hear that the idea of a three-day resurrection may have predated the story of Jesus of Nazareth. A tablet, called "Gabriel's Revelation," was found about ten years ago, but it's just now making the news, may feature a scene where Gabriel commands a revolutionary named Simon to rise three days after he was dead. It also implies that the messiah will rise three days after his death. The scholars discussing it now are saying this means that the relationship between Judaism and Christianity needs to be reevaluated. Apparently one of the literary arguments for Christianity being true was that the three-day-resurrection only appeared in the New Testament--and who'd make that stuff up? So apparently the idea that it may not have appeared solely in the New Testament is shaking things up.
I suspect, if Tolkien were to hear of this tablet, he would say, "Well, of course." Given how much of the Christian story has resonance with other mythic themes, why not add one more? The idea that Christ fulfilled yet another prophecy would only be more reason to believe--not a reason to question the whole faith. Alas for the lack of application of mythic theory in the news!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-07-09 02:10 am (UTC)In the Methodist hymnal, we have a number of tunes attributed to being English drinking songs that were converted into hymns! Whatever it takes to get the folks to sing along, right?