A myth is a story with 'deep explanatory or symbolic significance', and thus, without addressing any issues of core beliefs of Christianity, Christian mythology is therefore a body of stories that explain or symbolise Christian beliefs. Christian mythology includes the body of legendary stories that have accumulated around New Testament figures and embroideries upon the lives of the Saints, to emphasize, explain or embody Christian beliefs. The legendary details of the career of Pontius Pilate are prime examples of Christian mythology. Many of the common themes in hagiographies are among the conventions of Christian mythography.
There are many stories that do not come from canonical Christian texts and still do illustrate Christian themes. Other stories that are intended to foster Christian values, or address specifically Christian spiritual traditions may be included in Christian mythology. These stories are considered by some Christian journalists, theologians, and academics (see citations below) to constitute a body of Christian mythology." Stories which were once taken as true but are no longer accepted by most Christians are most easily identified as Christian mythology, such as the tale of Saint George or Saint Valentine.
In theological and academic studies, describing a story as myth does not imply falsehood: see the entry Myth. A true story can also be symbolic and explanatory. However in common usage a myth is a story that is not true.
Though describing as myth essential Christian mysteries and New Testament narratives considered true by Christians is generally taken as an attack on Christian belief, even describing in terms of myth those beliefs of folk Christianity that are not based in Scripture, nor in Church history nor in developed doctrine may sometimes be taken by some Christians as an attack on Christianity in general.
A selection of such stories with mythic content might include:
- Stories from the apocryphal books.
- Traditional stories such as that of Abgarus of Edessa.
- Stories about the Holy Grail.
- Elaborations or amendments to Biblical tales, such as the tales of Salomé, the Three Wise Men, or St. Dismas.
- Names and biographical details supplied for unnamed Biblical characters: see List of names for the Biblical nameless
- Literary treatments of traditional Biblical lore, such as Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained by John Milton
- Literary treatments of themes from Christian theology or eschatology such as the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
- Tales of saints (hagiographies) whose historicity is doubtful, like Saint Christopher or St. Catherine of Alexandria
- Miraculous stories of saints such as are found in Jacobus de Voragine's Golden Legend.
- The legends of King Arthur and other tales of medieval chivalry, especially the Quest for the Holy Grail.
- Legendary history of the Christian churches, such as the tales from the Crusades or the paladins of Charlemagne in mediaeval romance.
- Stories about angels, guardian angels, devils, and tales of making pacts with the Devil (see e.g. Faust).
Narrative fictions with Christian content may fall within the category of Christian mythology. A case in point is the historical and canonized Brendan of Clonfort, a 6th century Irish churchman and founder of abbeys. Round his authentic figure was woven a tissue that belongs more to legend than mythology, the Navigatio or "Journey of Brendan". In this narrative Brendan and his shipmates encounter sea monsters, a paradisal island and a floating ice island inhabited by a holy hermit: literal-minded devotés still seek to identify "Brendan's islands" in actual geography.
Many fictions written to personalize Christian themes are better regarded as allegory. Examples of these might include:
Some Christians read Christian themes into The Lord of the Rings and other works by J.R.R. Tolkien. However Tolkien adamantly denied that his story was to be taken as an allegory, Christian or otherwise.
External citations
- Louis A. Markos in Myth Matters, from Christianity Today magazine. Quote: "just as Christ came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it, so he came not to put an end to myth but to take all that is most essential in the myth up into himself and make it real."
- Mark Filiatreau in A Master of Imaginative Fiction, from BreakPoint Online. Quote: "Classics of Christian Myth -- MacDonald’s key mythic works include five full-length books, which we’ll introduce here."
- Abstract of the Collected Works of C. G. Jung, from The CG Jung page. Quote: "The astrological characteristics of the fish are seen to contain the essential components of the Christian myth."
- James W. Marchand in Christian Parallels to Norse Myth, from the Center for Advanced Study, University of Illinois. Quote: "This reluctance to weigh fairly the possibility of the influence of Christian myth on Norse myth has had a number of unfortunate consequences. The most unfortunate is the resolute refusal on the part of most students of Norse myth to look at medieval Christian myth."
See also
