[AMS]∎ Read Jesus Potter Harry Christ The Fascinating Parallels Between Two of the World Most Popular Literary Characters Derek Murphy 9780615430935 Books

Jesus Potter Harry Christ The Fascinating Parallels Between Two of the World Most Popular Literary Characters Derek Murphy 9780615430935 Books

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Jesus Potter Harry Christ The Fascinating Parallels Between Two of the World Most Popular Literary Characters Derek Murphy 9780615430935 Books

I'm thinking "Jesus Potter Harry Christ" is trying to be a respectable version of Acharya S "The Christ Conspiracy.": Acharya's book is a good enthusiastic youthfull effort to present the whole of the Jesus Christ is a myth argument; there's plenty to confirm, but there's a few things that can't be confirmed, or she quotes people's opinion to much.

Rev Robert Thomas's Diegesis is still all one really needs.


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Jesus Potter Harry Christ The Fascinating Parallels Between Two of the World Most Popular Literary Characters Derek Murphy 9780615430935 Books Reviews

Derek Murphy's Jesus Potter Harry Christ opened my eyes.

Murphy begins his adventure by noting that the first Harry Potter novels drew scorn from some Christians for seeming to endorse witchcraft and magic. And since those books appeared to be written for children, they were especially malign. Murphy further notes, though, that the later Harry Potter novels silenced some of the criticism when it was alleged that J. K. Rowling was writing an allegory of the Jesus Christ story in the manner of The Chronicles of Narnia of C. S. Lewis.

Murphy then asks the huge question that his book answers, in this reader's opinion Is the Harry Potter story more fictional that the Jesus Christ story?

Although I was raised as a Christian, I began doubting in my early teens that the virginal birth, miracles, raising of the dead, fulfilling of the prophecies of the Old Testament, and resurrection were true. I assumed that 2,000 years ago the Romans had indeed crucified or otherwise executed a Jewish rebel whom the ordinary, non-ruling people of the time loved.

I also assumed that the supernatural aspects of the story were later add-ons, meant to persuade credulous believers that Jesus Christ was more than just an appealing renegade, by introducing the claim that he was also divine. For example, the loaves-and-fishes story could've depended upon nothing more than the miracle of Adam Smith's capitalism. Jesus Christ drew crowds--who drew entrepreneurs who could profitably cater to a hungry market when they saw one.

Jesus Potter Harry Christ, however, convinced me that there probably was no historical Jesus Christ. He was undoubtedly a cleverly wrought amalgam of pagan gods, especially the sun gods. His birth to a human mother and a god father at the winter solstice, as well as his death and return at the spring equinox, are clearly religious stories revised and retold in the centuries before the establishment of Christianity.

The early Christians, though, needed to insist that there had been a historical, in-the-flesh Jesus who lived, died, and rose to heaven. Otherwise, he was nothing more than yet another pagan myth or allegory.

Murphy explains something else. Why did the Christians succeed while their competing cults, notably the Gnostics, failed? Because the Christian message was simplicity itself. In order to gain immortality, one had only to state one's belief in a historical Christ who died and rose to heaven.

The intolerance, based upon the idea that there was no other worthy idea, began then. The wars and genocides would come later. Would a mythical, allegorical Jesus Christ have served the world and his followers better? Murphy implies yes--asserting that a non-historical Jesus could still be "profoundly meaningful."

Regardless of one's opinion on this matter, Jesus Potter Harry Christ is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

(Ron Fritsch is the author of Promised Valley Rebellion.)
Displaying Potter's biography as reminiscent of Jesus' is the bait that catches the reader. Murphy then asks a most serious question "Is the Jesus story just as fictional as Potter's and based on previous myths? After having argued against the dictated historical Jesus and that Jesus is not beyond the scope of rational inquiry, Derek Murphy shows how non-specific Jesus really was by sharing a wonderful collection of much earlier heroes everyone accepts as imaginary, (occasionally based on a real person) and whose biography belonged to the enchanted circle of similar extraordinary deeds. The author also introduces his readers to ancient astrological symbols that explained the world and how they became a universal language used in mythical essays and found their way into ethical and spiritual teaching.

The author makes it clear that most of the Jesus Messiah claims have parallels in earlier belief systems. His arguments that struggling and established christianity incorporated pagan symbols into practice, iconography and texts is enlightening.

I feel however that Derek Murphy over-emphasises pagan influences on the original synoptic compositions.

Before being exported and presented to the world, the Jesus party was elaborated within a pious dissident Jewish sect. They did not need to refer to outside mythologies because they already had at their disposal abundant prophetic material offered by the OT (that also contains middle-eastern legends). They used it extensively, each evangelist manipulating the original gospel according to maturing religious-political needs.

Within this pious and divided community, Jesus, a messiah symbol personifying the avant-garde, was to take over from Elijah, the Temple's messianic candidate for the end of days. The debate was not trivial and had to shake off centuries of enduring thought and propaganda. In doing so, Jesus borrowed extensively from his competitor Elijah, his Galilean ballade even making him walk in his footsteps.

Jesus borrowed from Elijah just as much as Potter borrowed from Jesus. The references to Elijah are innumerable and point to a literary fiction. In all these references, Jesus is competing against Elijah, copying him, eliminating him or surpassing him. On the other hand, the innumerable borrowings from Isaiah, a great sectarian favourite, are used differently and help offer Jesus a scriptural legitimacy. At stake within this Jesus-community were also legal issues formulated by "The son of man is master of the Sabbath". They wanted obsolete rules to change. A new Jewish political party, Essene-minded, united under the Jesus banner and rivalling against stubborn traditionalists, was quarrelling, taking over, but gaining little credit outside the original walls.

Without Paul, it would probably have remained a dissident and marginal Jewish sect divided between two currents revering an ancient founder and lawgiver some perceived as a new Moses and a new messiah outcasting the Temple and their clique. Basic politics!

With these reserves, Derek Murphy's book will surprise, amuse, gain the reader's interest and ignite controversy by showing the myths and symbols religious literature used. His book is full of worthwhile information that will cast serious doubt on the unity and uniqueness of the Jesus cult.
The author does a good job of showing that Jesus Christ as described in the New Testament and by Christians has many qualities in common with Pagan mythologies and practices and that the current Christian claims about Jesus also applies to Harry Potter.

There are books available about the Pagan origins of both the Jesus Christ myth and valid historical studies regarding whether or not Jesus Christ actually existed. This one give a good overview of both subjects. However it has a few faults, including a bad mix up of the Mother-Father-Son trinity in various mythologies and wrongly naming Set as the "devourer" in the Ancient Egyptian judgement of the soul myth. He seems to cherry pick mythologies, as I know of some mythologies that would be "exceptions" to his claims.

Joseph Campbell did a much better job regarding comparative mythologies.
I'm thinking "Jesus Potter Harry Christ" is trying to be a respectable version of Acharya S "The Christ Conspiracy." Acharya's book is a good enthusiastic youthfull effort to present the whole of the Jesus Christ is a myth argument; there's plenty to confirm, but there's a few things that can't be confirmed, or she quotes people's opinion to much.

Rev Robert Thomas's Diegesis is still all one really needs.