I became aware, and I am not always a quick learner of spiritual truth, that the four gospels appeared to detail a mythology of the Christ. On further consideration it seemed to me that mythology, an allegorical narrative about the gods, although close to the target might not quite hit the mark. Perhaps legends, traditional stories sometimes popularly regarded as historical but not authenticated, might be closer to the truth. The legends would tell the stories of a man, Jesus the Nazarene, seen from an inner, psycho-spiritual perspective rather than a strictly historical one. St. Paul on one occasion said that the event in Jesus' life to which the apostle was, on one occasion, referring should be seen as an allegory. Because the stories, so rich in symbolism, could be seen from an inner perspective, they might just be telling a deeper story of the Christ as it lived its life through the physical man, Jesus. Not him, but that which lives through him, St. Paul might have said.
Suddenly, new possibilities began to open in rapid succession, too rapidly to be consigned to my computer in one fell swoop. All my spiritual investigations began to come together to make symbolic sense of what had appeared to be nonsensical, illogical events. Slowly now, I began to realise just what this New Testament to humankind might mean.
Good progress, Tom. A pilgrim's progress, perhaps.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bruce. I hope so!
DeleteHi Tom,
ReplyDeleteI agree that John’s gospel was an ideal starting point to begin since it indicates the new beginning for both the Jewish religion and principally its then fledgling Christian offshoot.
As you are aware, it was written around the time of the destruction of the second temple or certainly not long afterwards, to give hope to the respective decimated communities. Out of the ashes arose a new Christianity, a new beginning on how one is to live. Therein it grappled with the ethics taken from pagan, Judean (Christianity as a new sect of the Jewish faith accepting ‘The Christ’) and stoic traditions. I also think the truth is we have always sought meaning from the stories and myths we tell ourselves. That is the sort of truth the authors set to accomplish at a time of such trials and tribulations they are almost unimaginable for us today. Read in that light, that becomes a more meaningful way forward just as I think you are embarking upon in that tradition.
Best wishes
My thanks, Lindsay. Your comment is both informative and supportive.
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ReplyDeleteI deleted my comment above because it had a lot of typos and there's no way to edit once it's entered! Therefore I'm starting again.
ReplyDeleteI'm far from being a Biblical scholar and bow respectfully before the much greater erudition of others in this field. My interest is focused primarily on the subject of God's existence, and whatever this may mean, rather than on what has been written about it in the Bible or other sacred books. If parts of the Bible really are the Word of God, by God, dictated to various human secretaries, however holy those secretaries they were merely human beings, thereby subject to all the agendas that humans are heir to. So I question whether the image which most people (believers or non-believers) have of God bears any resemblance to the reality of God, or if minds are so influenced by Scripture that they can't trust themselves to gain direct access to the Source (whatever that is). It's difficult to put what I mean into words so I'll leave it for now. Thank you for opening this conversation Tom, and for sharing your always thought-provoking experiences in this fascinating and still largely unexplored country.
Dear Natalie, what a great comment, particularly your questioning of the popular image of God. It was as if I watched you opening the shell of a breakfast egg but had not quite reached the treasures that lay inside. And there are such great treasures to be experienced when one seeks the Source.
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