I typically avoid writing about politics and religion on my blog. But recently, I took a stab at politics and it generated some healthy discourse. So I’ve decided to up the ante and venture into the realm of religion. If you’re offended, please leave a comment!
Remember the day your high school English teacher said that the class would study the Bible as literature? The adolescent atheists were dazed: “why are we studying religious texts in school?” The young Christian zealots were confused: “isn’t the Bible more than merely a piece of literature?”
I admit that I too went through a zealous period in my spirituality. But over the years, as my zeal has waned, my appreciation for literature has waxed. Trust me: classifying the Bible as literature is an enormous compliment for Christians, and I’m convinced the book even has value for non-believing literature lovers. Here’s why.
As any novelist will tell you, creating a compelling story is nothing short of a miracle. You need an interesting premise, an immersive backdrop, intriguing characters, believable bad guys, dialog loaded with whit and wisdom, a plot that isn’t predictable and, most of all, room for the reader’s imagination. Many good stories succeed in some of these areas – a few great stories get them all right.
No matter what your opinion of the Bible is, from a literary point of view it is chocked full of great stories, and foremost among them: the story of Jesus.
The premise is that a child has been conceived out of wedlock, born under auspicious circumstances – whispers of ancient prophecy, diabolical political schemes, visitors from afar, fire in the sky. All this comes at a time of social unrest and political upheaval in the far end of a fringe territory. There are a range of well-rounded characters: the harbinger-hermit, holier-than-thou priests, down-and-out prostitutes, kings and carpenters.
It’s probably too late to lay down a “spoiler alert,” but try thinking about the scriptures as a story. It alternates between progressing the plot and pausing for parables taught by Jesus, riddles that prompt the supporting characters to ask questions that the reader is thinking – but which the author is satisfied to leave not fully answered. The mystery only mounts as the climax approaches, but the reader is now interested in a character-ending. Whether we understand everything or not, we’re dying to find out what becomes of the betrayer, the deserter, the wrongfully accused death-row inmate. And the conclusion even leaves it open for a sequel.
This is such an interesting story because it contains many elements that are remarkably similar to stories that intrigue people today. The miraculously born child, the messianic figure, the hero that had to sacrifice it all – these are all archetypes, or patterns, that in some ways have been part of legend since the beginning of time but were encapsulated in the story of Jesus so well that they have become an indispensable part of literature.
This is not to say the story of Muhammed or the Buddha is any less compelling, I’m just under-qualified to compare them. The point of this article is not to make you believe in the story of Jesus, but to believe in it’s literary merit. And whether you come at if from a secular or spiritual perspective, I think that’s saying quite a lot.
