The Christ-Life as Mythic and Psychic Symbol

Abstract

Biblical and doctrinal apologists for Christianity tend to live and move within a prescribed theological circle. It is the purpose of this essay to plead with such apologists to widen their circle by recognizing the significance of mythological and psychological as well as theological approaches to Christian faith and life. It is not our purpose to advocate the substitution of mythic and psychic symbols for, let us say, the Gospel interpreted as kerygma. However else Christianity may and should be interpreted, it can and should also be interpreted mythologically and psychologically. When it is possible and popular for literary critics to speak of Christfigures in contemporary drama and fiction, and when the U. S. Government sponsors Institutes on Religion and Mental Health, Biblical and doctrinal apologists impoverish rather than imperil their witness by ignoring what is going on around them. Exclusivist Christian claims need not be denied in expounding Christianity's share in universal mythic and psychic symbolism. Even the comparative anthropologists, sociologists, and symbolists-who have no stake in the Christian cause-do not dispute the Christian's right to absolutist assertions 1). To suggest that Christian faith-and-life, whatever its uniqueness, is also in-if not of-the world of universal symbolism may conceivably in our day be better evangelistic strategy than traditional exclusivist apologetics. To get the matter before us, we will deal with what is here called the ,,Christ-Life as: (a) paralleled in the monomyth or hero's pilgrimage and ordeal, and (b) internalized and interiorized as psychic history and experience. Christ-Life is a portmanteau catch-all to