Comments on: Whispers of Christ in Deathly Hallows

By: Philophronos Blogger Roundup - Pursuing Holiness

Philophronos Blogger Roundup - Pursuing Holiness — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 19:23:06 +0000

[...] I was going to get everybody’s latest post, but this one at Imago Dei is worth going back a few days for: Whispers of Christ in Deathly Hallows. [...]

By: Amanda

Amanda — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:09:02 +0000

That’s a good way to put it. Thanks, Scott.

By: Scott Hatfield, OM

Scott Hatfield, OM — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:57:16 +0000

You know, Mandy, I had some of the same sort of thoughts. In a sense, when Voldemort ‘kills’ Harry he is destroying himself, which is like the ‘sin’ within Harry. Harry gives up his life, and thereby regains it. I am also struck by the fact that the entire chapter in the ‘afterlife’ is entitled Kings Cross, after the railway station—but also evocative of other things.

Then, in the final confrontation with Voldemort, Harry explains that what his foe has failed to understand about the ‘old magic’. Harry, by this understanding, was the true master of the Elder Wand, the old magic, and that allowed him to perform a new magic and best Voldemort. In the same way, Christ was the perfection of the old covenant, and this allowed him to be the author and finisher of a new covenant with mankind.

Now, I would not go so far as to say that Harry is a Christ figure or that the series is a Christian allegory. Rather, with one of the commenters above, I think that Rowling grew up in a Christian culture, and that has influenced her choice of symbols. But I think that as a Christian I can derive an anagogue from such details that heightens the pleasurable experience of reading such a book, whether or not specifically intended by the author.

By: Sue

Sue — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:31:21 +0000

Well, JK Rowling probably is a Christian. She belongs to the Church of Scotland – I don’t know how committed she is, but she’s always said she believes in God. In one article recently she was quoted as saying something along the lines of ‘it’s good that nobody has asked me exactly what I believe, or they would be able to guess some of what happens in the last book’.

I’ve always thought there was a lot of Christian symbolism in the series – haven’t yet read Deathly Hallows (it only arrived today and my son has it first) but am looking forward to it.

By: Terri

Terri — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:25:34 +0000

I doubt Rowling is purposely inserting Christianity into her books. However, we never escape the culture we live in. Even if someone does not claim to be Christian, or even hold any “christian” beliefs, osmosis of the biblical stories abound.

Writers write from a cultural point of reference, knowingly and unknowingly.

By: Musicguy

Musicguy — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 15:36:19 +0000

my vote is for “far-fetched”. She quoted a book, just like I’ve been quoting authors for the last five weeks. I hardly doubt any of them is communicating with me, nor would I suggest that.

The crazy nut in Texas who killed a gay man said he was doing god’s work. He also quoted scripture. Was god speaking through him too??

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4968717.html