Christian Narrative Research Articles

THE NOVEL “QUID EST VERITAS?” BY NATALENA KOROLEVA: IMAGE AND SYMBOLIC STRUCTURE

The paper deals with the novel “Quid est Veritas?” by Natalena Koroleva as an attempt to rethink the Christian myth in the Ukrainian literature of the 20th century. The research covers the literary genealogy of the novel, its figurative and symbolic structure, religious and philosophical content.
 In the novel, Natalena Koroleva presented her interpretation of the Christian myth through rethinking the history of its central characters: Mary Magdalene, Joseph of Arimathea, and Pontius Pilate. The main principle of the author’s interpretation is the implantation of apocryphal elements into the figurative-symbolic and plot structure of the text. Such features may destroy or, on the contrary, complement the traditional perception of canonic material. Depicting the gospel story, Natalena Koroleva combined a historical approach with a mythological one, a canonical version of events and heroes with apocryphal and folklore representations. Numerous chronicles and documents of Roman times, epics, lyrics, and philosophy of antiquity and the Middle Ages, as well as the author’s research work and her experience of archeological excavations in the Middle East, helped a lot in reproducing the period of the acts of Christ and the birth of Christianity.
 One of the legends told by the author is a story associated with the Holy Grail, which became a subject of a special cult in the history of Christianity and gave rise to many legendary plots. Natalena Koroleva described the history of the Grail as the cup from which Christ drank during the Last Supper and into which one of his secret disciples, Joseph of Arimathea, collected His blood after the crucifixion, as well as other religious and mystical motives drawn from Persian, Jewish, Celtic, and Gallic legends. In these narratives, she purposely left a reserve of artistic uncertainty, which opened opportunities for interpreting the symbols of the Grail in various ways.
 “Quid est Veritas?” is a complex and multidimensional novel in which the writer tried to comprehend the period of Christ’s life, presenting all possible forms and methods of its perception, reflecting the mythological and scholarly knowledge. Thus she resolved the issues of concern to her and embodied some moral, ethical, philosophical, and religious ideas and visions.

El martirio como forma narrativa, signo, y mito en Cóndores no entierran todos los días y Estaba la pájara pinta sentada en el verde limón

The genesis of the fictions of Gustavo Álvarez and Albalucía Ángel is demarcated in ‘el 9 de abril’, name given to the social outburst that occurs in Colombia after the magnicide of the politician Jorge Eliécer Gaitán (1948). The notion of martyrdom is assimilated in the literary works as a sign and a myth to depict the disproportion of violence under the frame of the bipartisan conflict. In the fictions martyrdom is implemented as a narrative device and an artefact to revisit the past and reflect on the nation. By adopting postmodernist readings in fields such as ‘biopolitics’, cultural sociology, and concepts like ‘culture hybridity’ proposed by Homi Bhabha, we find that disfigurations of original Christian myths take place in the fictions with a subversive purpose. Although modern martyrdom is rooted in Christianity, the phenomenon erases the borders between politics and religion, given that its secularization is manifested through social movements and the cultural construction that rises around the martyr. Nowadays, ‘el 9 de abril’ not only commemorates the magnicide, but it has established itself as a National Civic Day to pay homage to all the victims of the armed conflict.

Postsecular political and fundamental theology: appropriating ‘the event’ of revelation

ABSTRACT This paper is an analysis of John Caputo’s philosophical interpretation of ‘the event’ as a form of revelation with specific reference to political theology and in dialogue with the theological notion of ‘interruption’ by the fundamental theologian Lieven Boeve. Following Charles Taylor’s interpretation of the post-secular, the argument is that Boeve’s ‘radical hermeneutics of religion’ is more postmodern than Caputo because it presents religion as co-constituted with language, particularity, and contingency and grounded within the specificity of the Christian narrative.

Antara Eksklusif dan Pluralis: Rekonstruksi Narasi Kekristenan atas Agama Leluhur

The relationship between Christianity and indigenous religion has been going on for a long time, but this relationship is not placed in the discourse of inter-religious relations. This is related to the paradigm and social construction in Christianity which has not fully recognized the indigenous religion as a "religion". By using Paul Knitter's approach to the model of inter-religious dialogue, namely exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism, this paper aims to observe and analyze Christian narratives and paradigms on the existence of indigenous religion. The narratives and paradigm will be divided into two parts: exclusivism, and pluralism. On the one hand, In exclusivism, indigenous religion is considered as "animism" and not yet "religious", therefore it needs to be "religiousized", or more specifically "Christianized". On the other hand, pluralism focuses on plurality, equality, and emphasizes inter-subjectivity. The analytical method used is descriptive qualitative, which consists of data reduction, data analysis, and drawing conclusions. The data in this paper are sourced from: first, the results of observations made at the Jemaat GPM Siahari, and the Mausuane tribe settlement, Seram Utara Timur Kobi District, Central Maluku Regency. Second, interviews were conducted with several young Christian generations on the Ambon island. And third, literature. In the end, the results of this study indicate that exclusive narratives of Indigenous religion (Jesus is the only way of salvation and truth, the great commission of Jesus Christ, and ancestral religions are considered to have no religion and do not have a God) still tend to be dominant in the socio-religious scope than pluralist narratives (freedom, and religious pluralism).

Christological Reflections: A Historical Perspective

Christological discourse holds a central place in the wider theological discourse due to the centrality of the doctrine of Christ in the establishment of the Christian message. This in effect places integral value on the task of Christological formulation if at all we intend to stabilize Christian theology. The core of the Christian message is inherent in the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In as much as the primary sources of Christology remains the biblical narrative, there is a significant urge for theological practitioners to supplement the biblical narrative with a well-researched historical account of the life of Christ beyond the confines of the scripture to verify authenticity and historicity of the biblical account. This calls for an industrious effort of theologians to engage historical data as an indication of the existence of Christ. Our study seeks to undertake this task and contribute to Historical and Christology scholarship by addressing the question of the historical quest of Christ. To accomplish this task, our approach will be centred on pagan testimonies, Jewish testimonies, and historical evidences from materials outside the biblical sphere. A negligence of addressing these concepts may subject the Christian narrative to massive objection in our day and age.

Витальность музыки: от истоков к реалиям нон-классики

The subject of the article is the phenomenon of vitality in music. It is considered as a generic feature of music dating back to its origins and early forms. The historical evolution of musical vitality is briefly described, presented on individual examples, starting from the late Baroque, the works by I. Haydn, L. Beethoven, R. Wagner, A. Scriabin up to D. Shostakovich and the composers of the second half of the 20th — first third of the 21st centuries, to whom the main attention is paid. The purpose of the article is to identify specific, relatively stable forms of vitality’s manifestation which materialize both in individual elements of the musical language (such, for example, is the new monody that arose with the birth of opera at the beginning of the 17th century), and in integral phenomena of a systematic order. Among the stylistic events of the second kind, the article is specifically examined the concept of creation, the gesture of birth. Gradually, it crystallizes in music as thematic constant (based on biblical mythology, as in Haydn’s Creation of the World oratorio), but eventually emancipates from the plot basis, acquiring the universal significance. The result of the research is the identification of the mythological origins of the concept of creation; in some cases they come to the forefront (Introduction to the opera The Rhinegold by Wagner; Stimmung for six vocalists and electronics by K. Stockhausen). Another version of the concept of creation is formed in line with the romantic tradition. Then the birth of the world is associated with the lonely voice of the hero — the initial monologue of the solo instrument dramatically opposed to the orchestral mass (works of the concert genre by A. Schnittke, S. Gubaidulina, W. Lutosławski, B. Tishchenko, E. Denisov). In all such cases, the heightened sense of vitality is enhanced by special performing techniques. In the new music, the concept of creation is further developed and logically completed. The gesture of creation is no longer answered by the final statement of existence but by the gesture of destruction, annihilation of sound material — attenuation, acoustic extinction. The feeling of vitality in such compositions is specific, since musical material lives in them according to its own laws as if it doesn’t need a mirror of the subject (large orchestral compositions by Ch. Ives, Ya. Ksenakis, V. Tarnopolsky). The new music “brings to play” other non-classical aspects of vitality associated with threshold states on the verse of life and death. Starting with I. Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring the vitality of transgression becomes a noticeable phenomenon of contemporary music.

Moses the Hellenic Sage: Re-reading Julian’s Against the Galileans

Some sixty years after Julian the Apostate died on a Persian battlefield, Cyril of Alexandria responded at length to one of the emperor’s final treatises, the anti-Christian Against the Galileans. Christians like Cyril were long preoccupied with Julian’s treatise, and this fixation suggests that its rhetorical potency endured well after the demise of its author and his short-lived political threat. Despite this fixation by ancient Christians, modern scholarship routinely treats Against the Galileans as intellectually and rhetorically anemic, leaving unanswered how Julian’s text could have unsettled so many Christians. This article explores what was so compelling about Against the Galileans. In short, it argues that the enduring existential heft of Julian’s treatise lay in the strategy of narrative subsumption: drawing on his training in Christian scripture and doctrine, Julian fractured the Christian master narrative and rearranged the shattered pieces into a new coherence within his alternative, Hellenic narrative. Julian’s subtle strategy is most evident in the way he co-opts Moses as a mediocre Hellenic-style sage and lawgiver—a fact that also explains the misleading analyses of Against the Galileans in modern scholarship. These evaluations routinely overlook Julian’s nuance by regarding him as flatly critical, as ambivalent, or as outright inconsistent in his treatment of Moses. This article argues to the contrary that Julian’s subtle co-opting of Moses offers a window onto his grander strategy: to undermine the Christian narrative by offering a more compelling account of its key episodes, reconstrued within a Hellenic narrative.

My Song is Love Unknown: Liturgical Music and Rational Faith

AbstractWhilst philosophers have argued that musical experience provides evidence for theism, their discussions often fail to consider the aesthetic properties which give musical experience its distinctive character, or ways in which musical experience might support the beliefs of particular religious traditions. This paper begins to remedy this omission by examining how attention to liturgical music can provide rational support for Christian faith. I first explore music's emotional nature and impact, and its ability to embody Christian narratives and doctrines. In light of this discussion, I then introduce two probabilistic arguments for the truth of Christian orthodoxy, arguing that liturgical music can provide distinctive evidence for their premises.

구원자 혹은 폭군: 남북한 『실낙원』 번역서의 God 비교 연구

This study aims to compare the translated versions of John Milton’s Paradise Lost published in South Korea and North Korea, specifically examining representations of God in both versions. Using Mona Baker’s narrative reframing theory, this study analyzes varying presentations of God’s identity, power, and intention. The analysis shows that the South and the North Korean translated versions have been reframed drastically differently through selective appropriation and labelling. On the one hand, the South Korean translation reframes the text as a religious poem and the author as a devout Christian poet. In the preface of this version of Milton’s text, God is reframed as a merciful and generous savior. The main body of the text positively reframes narratives about God. In comparison, the North Korean version reframes Milton’s poem as a political text, and the author as an anti-feudalist revolutionary. In the preface of the North Korean version, God is reframed as a merciless tyrant and an absolute autocrat. In the main body, the North Korean version bypasses positive narratives about God and removes the Christian narrative this paper argues is found within the source text. This paper reads such translating processes as an ideological reflection of the political imperatives of a North Korean government rejecting and suppressing the Christian belief system.

A Man of Letters in Prison: Humanity and Justice in Libanius of Antioch


 
 
 
 
 
 Libanius of Antioch provides unique pieces of evidence for our understanding of prison conditions in antiquity. In advocating for the release of prisoners and/or the alleviation of their suffering, both publicly and privately, Libanius construes a narrative of humanity (φιλανθρωπία) and justice that affirms the value of the ancient pagan tradition in propounding and fostering the virtues of the good ruler. The present paper intends to set the ground for a future comprehensive study that will compare pagan and Christian narratives of humanity and justice when it comes to imprisonment in Late Antiquity.
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Bible as Relic, Fetish or Talisman in Nollywood Films: A Semiotic Perspective

Many Nollywood Christian films tap into a plurality of myths and idiosyncrasies prevailing in Nigeria in particular and the Christendom in general. Some of these myths and idiosyncrasies revolve around the perceived magical powers of the Bible, particularly the Holy Book’s ability to neutralize or prevent the designs of paranormal and satanic entities. In line with such Christian myths, many Nollywood Christianity-based films deploy various typologies of artifacts, signs and special effects to represent the Bible as an object which is more than a mere carrier of holy scriptures and the voice of God. In this paper, attention is given to the different indexical and symbolic signs used in Nollywood filmic productions to represent the Bible as a fetish or a relic. Using a critical review of secondary sources and relevant films, as well as semiotics, the paper identifies the use of visual and sound effects as one of the procedures deployed by Nollywood film directors to naturalize and popularize fetishist beliefs about the Bible. The effects popularly used by these film directors include radiating bibles, open pages of the Bible that generate dazzling light, ardent fire or meteoric energy with which pastors counter the attacks to satanic forces or deliver people in distress.

Fake News, Fake Prophets: Mis/Disinformation, Public Health, and the COVID-19 Global Pandemic in Nigeria and Beyond: A Christian Narrative

Fake News, Fake Prophets: Mis/Disinformation, Public Health, and the COVID-19 Global Pandemic in Nigeria and Beyond: A Christian Narrative

Метанойа Даниила Хармса: переход от космогоноэсхатологического к христианскому мифу и отказ от авангарда

The article focuses on Daniil Kharms’ refusal from the avant-garde, the artistic language of which has become inadequate for expressing Kharms’s changed values. The author draws on the concepts of myth and archetype to describe this transition. The concept of archetype makes it possible to focus on values of Kharms’ works, since archetype is associated with the axiology of human thinking. The concepts of myth and archetype are considered both in a comparative historical interpretation and in the context of works on the nature of mythological thinking. The following works by Kharms serve as material for the study: the dramas The Comedy of the City of Petersburg (1927) and Elizaveta Bam (1927) become an example of how the cosmogo-noeschatological archetype is expressed in Kharms’s work, and The Old Woman (1939) is an example of how Christian archetype is expressed. According to the analysis, the cosmogonoeschatological myth in Kharms’s early works acts through the mythologemes of the creation and destruction of the myth and is associated with avant-grade type of thinking. However, The Old Woman is based on the mythological images associated with the values of Christian thinking - the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The article shows that the expression of archetypes in different stages of Kharms’s work correlates with different concepts of myth and mythological thinking, which is demonstrated on the basis of differences in the implementation of the key mythical category - a miracle. At an early stage, when the cosmogonoeschato-logical archetype underlies Kharms’s thinking, the expression of this archetype correlates with Yakov Golosovker’s concept, according to which the miracle is determined by the impact of “absolute freedom and the power of desire” on reality. At this stage, the miracle implies various changes in reality caused by the desire of Kharms’ characters. At a later stage, the functioning of the miracle is associated with the incarnation of Christian mythology, close to Aleksey Losev’s “myth as a wonderful personal story”, most fully embodied in the mythologeme of the meeting. As a result, the miracle is now the moment when the narrator meets God and gains saving faith. Finally, the author explains that Kharms rejected the avant-garde, since his values and existential self-awareness change after the religious conversion and transition to a different type of thinking, unusual for the avant-garde. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

Book Review: Munther Isaac - The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope

Book Review: Munther Isaac - The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope

Europe’s “Neonationalism” Read through the Lens of Fratelli tutti

The rise of nationalist and populist tendencies and their exclusivist discourse and consequent polarizing effects challenge the Christian narrative, especially if politicians openly look for support within the Catholic Church and Christian churches, thereby referring to Europe’s Christian heritage and Judeo-Christian roots. This article shows how Fratelli tutti can be read as a response to this attempted exclusivist interpretation of Christian identity. Pope Francis is not unaware of the underlying dynamics that lead people to become exclusivist rather than embrace inclusion, as is shown by his remarkable recognition of the sentiments of fear and resentment. As a response, however, he refuses to interpret Christianity so narrowly that it can be used to legitimize the construction of walls to keep “the other” outside enclosed communities. By taking the Good Samaritan as his focal point, Francis reorients Christianity toward its inherent cosmopolitan roots with a call to move from fear to fraternity.

Telling a Better Story: How to Talk about God in a Skeptical Age by Joshua D. Chatraw

Reviewed by: Telling a Better Story: How to Talk about God in a Skeptical Age by Joshua D. Chatraw Mary Sue Dehmlow Dreier Telling a Better Story: How to Talk about God in a Skeptical Age. By Joshua D. Chatraw. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Reflective, 2020. 228 pp. Joshua Chatraw presents an approach to apologetics shaped by patient listening to the stories of secular people in order to enter into authentic dialogue with them about God. He contrasts this with more familiar "building block" apologetics that logically leverage abstract ideas to make a rational case for the gospel. His goal is to help readers become better gospel storytellers within today's late modern cultural milieu of skepticism where familiar ways of sharing the gospel do not make sense within current scripts and shifting plausibility structures. [End Page 106] Citing famous Christian storytellers like C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, Chatraw argues that the Christian story is deeply ingrained in our human "storying nature." He further asserts that the gospel, embedded in the unbeliever's own metanarratives, "better" addresses the fears, anxieties, and yearnings of people today than the secular narratives that bombard us every day. This book is divided into three parts, in which Chatraw provides an interpretation of today's secular culture (Part I), aptly identifies and discusses five cultural assumptions about Christianity (Part II), and helpfully addresses prevalent objections to the Christian story (Part III). The lens he employs is an "inside out" apologetic. He suggests we move from "inside" peoples' own secular stories and "out" to the Christian narrative that is both connected to and distinct from those stories. I particularly appreciate Chatraw's insistence on humble and sensitive listening to the stories of those around us for pathways to substantial conversations about God. He frames "inside out" apologetics as an incarnational "apologetics of love" (170) in which we come alongside others and step into the stories that shape their imaginations. "The goal is to embody the truth and beauty of the gospel—the ultimate aim of any truly Christian apologetics" (21). Chatraw's refreshing approach to apologetics winsomely weaves together Scripture and an eclectic cast of conversation partners for each chapter—classical and contemporary theologians, storytellers, fictional characters, musicians, poets, etc. With short, readable chapters, this book would be accessible to individual readers as well as a variety of lay audiences. It encourages and equips Christians to engage in conversations about God within the challenges of today's daunting secularism. Coming out of a Baptist background (both his MDiv and his PhD are from Baptist seminaries) and serving in non-denominational Christian outreach, Chatraw suggests throughout the book that this "inside out" approach to unbelievers might invite them to "try on" the gospel. The notion of "trying on" the gospel signals the decision theology that implicitly undergirds the book and is explicitly addressed, albeit briefly, in his appeal for a decision for Jesus in the Conclusion. The proclaimed Word of God as the means of grace and [End Page 107] the activity of the Holy Spirit calling, gathering, enlightening, and sanctifying are mostly absent from the book. In order fruitfully to engage this book, Lutherans will have to simultaneously address our skeptical age as well as decision theology. These could be important and empowering missional discussions. This book could therefore be productively used by such groups as congregational evangelism committees, outreach teams, and small study groups in which Lutheran leaders are prepared to address both its cultural and theological issues for the sake of enhancing participation in God's mission. Mary Sue Dehmlow Dreier St. Paul, Minnesota Copyright © 2022 Johns Hopkins University Press and Lutheran Quarterly, Inc.

ПРОКЛИНАННЯ ЯК РИТУАЛ І ФЕНОМЕН МІФОПОЕТИКИ ЗАЧАРОВАНОЇ ДЕСНИ ОЛЕКСАНДРА ДОВЖЕНКА

This article deals with the problem of curses and mythologically poetic stylistics withth e example of O. Dovzhenkos’ film “The Enchanted Desna”. It is a typical lyrical story. This work is the author’s attempt to folklorize (lyricize) the genre of cinema through rich synonymy (contextual synonyms), versatile characteristics with comparisons, and occasional expressions (lyrics, curses). All aspects of linguistic colorization of the text constitute the multicultural space of the text, and the multidimensional nature of the poetics of the work. Therefore, one of the very characteristic features of Oleksandr Dovzhenko’s stylistic system is the synthesis of pre-Christian and Christian myths and pre-war reality. This is well illustrated by the rich, synonymous story of a small boy and mature artist (the concept of duality). All this brings the style of Dovzhenko’s new romance to the style of the impressionist Mikhail Kotsubinsky (in this context, we recall the “Apple Flower”).

Illness, Aesthetics, and Body Politics: Forging the Third Republic in Émile Zola's 'La Faute de l'abbé Mouret'

This article examines the political role of illness in Émile Zola's La Faute de l’abbé Mouret (The Sin of Father Mouret, 1875) in articulating the difference between a religious and a secular body. Published in the early French Third Republic (1870–1940), this novel shows the Zolian body as the nexus upon which religious and republican discourses compete. Using Paul Ricœur’s theory on Christianity’s original sin, this article compares Mouret’s sickness with physical evil and illustrates how Zola redeploys the traditional religious symbols of the heart, the blood, and the Word to the secular realm. It will show that original sin is a Christian myth inscribed on the body, and that Zola’s reformulation of a core religious doctrine dismantles its supporting framework for the fledgling secular Third Republic. Through an exploration of Zola’s attempt to forge a republican self, this article offers a new perspective on the nature of the Zolian body which merits further study under the field of Medical Humanities. Through the construction of the religious body, the essay also contributes to the wider critical discussion on mythology in Zola’s work.

Dead-Ends and New Directions

Abstract The aim of this article is to investigate how Abraham Kuyper and some late neo-Calvinists have addressed the doctrine of creation in light of the challenges posed by evolutionary scientific theory. I argue that most neo-Calvinists today, particularly scholars from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), continue Kuyper’s legacy by holding the core principles of a creationist worldview. Yet, they have taken a new direction by explaining the natural history of the earth in evolutionary terms. In my analysis, Kuyper’s heirs at the VU today offer judicious parameters to guide Christians in conversation with evolutionary science, precisely because of their high appreciation of good science and awareness of the nonnegotiable elements that make up the orthodox Christian narrative.

Ubuntu Philosophy as a Technology for the Foundational Architecture of African Ecclesiology in Reference to Harvest Revival Ministry Churches in Kenya.

The study seeks to study the Christian narrative unearthing the wealth of resources inherent in it to act as a stimulant and a motivating force for the present church towards the much-desired immortality that is the mark of the finish. It is an account that dates back to the first century during the formation of the church to the present state of the church in her pursuit of an alignment to the eschatological roadmap stipulated in scriptures. The study employs the scholarship of the historical Christian narrative from the analogical perspective of a journey of the Israelites in the Pentateuch towards Canaan. This was a journey that was characterized by pulsations of moving and stopping based on the instruction and guidance of God. Similarly, the Christian story is one that is emphatic with regard to the involvement of God in the Christian journey. The study captures the dominant moves of God over the centuries and their significant contribution to the establishment and progress of Christianity and the key players in the entire process from the protestant movement to the Apostolic Reformation. This will facilitate the understanding of the church in her present state as a product of her past journey and development with regard to offering guidance and facilitation of Christian practice. It will help the church with regard to guidance to help her avoid falling into the pit that their forerunners fell into and also motivate her towards greater exploits for God.