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Gnostic Christianity in Halo *long*
Posted By: UrsusArctos <zloty5@netscape.net>Date: 4/14/06 4:08 a.m.

I was reading the Unauthorized Guide to the Da Vinci Code (Both the book and its unauthorized guide are awesome, in totally different ways). The guide mentioned a lot about Gnostic Christianity, a very different form of Christianity from the one worshipped today. The various Gnostic sects were deemed heretical and purged by the Church centuries ago.

Gnostics have a different philosophy regarding understanding God ('gnosis' is the Greek word for knowledge). They believed that every human being had a divine spark within him or her, and by discovering that spark, one could acquire a knowledge of God, entirely on one's own.

Christ was the one who taught others how to find that spark. He was revered as a mortal prophet, but not as the son of God. Gnostics also had very different views concerning Judas Iscariot and Mary Magdalene, but I won't bother to go into them.

In the Halo pretext, one person in particular, Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, appears to have a strangely divine spark in him. Forget the ultra-high tech battle armor or surgical alterations, John is different from the start. Not only are his courage and leadership in excess of the other SPARTANS, what happens on Halo 04 is inexplicable.

Cortana is amazed by John's amazing luck. John can use Forerunner technology, like the light bridge switch, instinctively. He mentions "finally feeling at home" on Halo 04. And don't forget what 343 Guilty Spark has to say to him in Two Betrayals, "When you last asked me, would I do it? Having considerable time to ponder, my answer has not changed." Joe Staten, in his October 2004 interview, confirms that the time Guilty Spark has had to think is 100,000 years, give or take or a few.

What gives? We've known for a long time that John-117 alludes to John the Baptist, who baptised Christ. From what I read, the Gnostics believe that John was previously born as the prophet Elijah(The name means:"Whose/My God is the Lord), who was due to be reincarnated because he did not know of the True God (The God of the New Testament) and, in doing so, would restore the Holy Land(Which, in the Haloverse, is Earth).

Reincarnation would certainly explain what Guilty Spark said. If John finds that spark of the divine deep within him, he could save the human race from the flood monstrosity.

Another striking example of Gnosticism being present in Halo is the position of women, whom Gnostics held in the same regard as men spiritually. Agreed, Halo is set far enough in the future to make male-female equality a worldwide reality, but the spiritual angle can't be ignored. Halo has powerful female characters like Catherine Elisabeth Halsey(Dr.Halsey), Miranda Keyes, and of course, Cortana. Among the SPARTANS the best shot(Linda) and fastest runner(Kelly) are both females. Halo 2 shows that there are quite a few female marines in the corps.

The position of women and the sacred feminine is also underlined by a moment seen at the beginning of Halo. Master Chief inserts Cortana into his helmet. Although it can be interpreted as-"The hero's got his gal. Heh heh heh", there's a spiritual side to the affair. John(Male, consciousness) and Cortana(Female, psyche or soul) unite inside the MJOLNIR armor. Psyche(soul) and consciousness together produce a spiritual whole. The power of the moment is highlighted in the prolonged whiteout and the rising music. Even the corny dialogue, Cortana talking about John's architecture, John telling her not to get funny ideas, represent the relationship between consciousness and psyche.

At the end of Halo 2, Cortana is seen chatting with Gravemind, who earlier proclaimed, "I am a monument to your sins". Cortana conspiring with sin personified represents the fall of the psyche, which, eventually, will get redeemed.

Special end note to Jillybean : Cortana's heading for evil now but she'll eventually return to good.

Message Index



Replies:

Gnostic Christianity in Halo *long*UrsusArctos 4/14/06 4:08 a.m.
     John 1:17 Fear not; I am the first and the last. *NM*Stuntmutt 4/14/06 4:30 a.m.
           John 11:7 The beast that ascendeth out of the pit *NM*UrsusArctos 4/14/06 5:24 a.m.
                 John 7:11 Thank you, come again. *NM*Stuntmutt 4/14/06 6:00 a.m.
                       My bad- that was Revelation 11:7, not John 11:7 *NM*UrsusArctos 4/14/06 10:38 a.m.
           Re:Gnostic Christianity in HaloUrsusArctos 4/14/06 5:28 a.m.
     Re: Gnostic Christianity in Halo *long*dipanjan 4/14/06 6:38 a.m.
     I am slightly confused...DanteThePoet 4/14/06 9:00 a.m.
           Re: I am slightly confused...downrodeo 4/14/06 9:03 a.m.
                 Re: I am slightly confused...DanteThePoet 4/14/06 9:06 a.m.
           Re: I am slightly confused...UrsusArctos 4/14/06 10:43 a.m.
                 Re: I am slightly confused...DanteThePoet 4/14/06 10:56 a.m.
                       Yea, you both posted out of Revalations, not JohnDanteThePoet 4/14/06 10:59 a.m.
                       Re: I am slightly confused...UrsusArctos 4/14/06 11:18 a.m.
                             Re: I am slightly confused...DanteThePoet 4/14/06 11:42 a.m.
     Gnostics, the Bible, Halo, and my own Christianitydownrodeo 4/14/06 9:02 a.m.
           The JohannitesUrsusArctos 4/14/06 10:45 a.m.
     Sooo...Spartan Jag 4/14/06 10:24 a.m.
           Awesome connectionsBS Halo rks 4/14/06 12:03 p.m.
           Re: Sooo...UrsusArctos 4/14/06 7:39 p.m.
                 Although...RC Master 4/15/06 7:21 a.m.
                       Re: Although...Mitch 4/15/06 2:53 p.m.
     Sorry, I'm just not seeing it. Nice work though. *NM*Boris 4/14/06 2:27 p.m.



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