Before and After

James Wynn · 13 Aug 2010, 20:13 · from 2010-August.txt.gz

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From: crushtv at gmail.com (James Wynn)
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:13:03 -0500
Subject: (urth) Before and After
In-Reply-To: <4C65A642.4090900 at gmail.com>
References: <SNT123-W6197C26BEFD9A437D4C725CF980 at phx.gbl>	<4C65544B.7080301 at gmail.com>	<0542F1EE-1D99-4671-9E9E-B80B19CF8C11 at liftingfaces.com>
	<4C658AD6.5020902 at verizon.net> <4C65A642.4090900 at gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4C65A74F.8050605 at gmail.com>

  Oops! This should have gone out in this thread.


On 8/13/2010 3:08 PM, James Wynn wrote:
>
>>>
>>>>> YYYYYYYYeeeeeeeessssssssoooooooodddddddd
>>>>>      ...Briah(n-1) Briah(n) Briah(n+1) ....
>>>>> AAAAbbbbbbbbaaaaddddddddoooonnnn
>>>>
>>>> So then, supposedly OUR universe is some Briah (n+)? Do I have this 
>>>> right
>>>
>>>
>>> Well, if we take Wolfe at his word when he says that Urth is a
>>> previous version of Earth, then, yes, that follows -- in particular
>>> ours is the one into which the Increate is actually born as the 
>>> Theanthropos
>>
>> I hope I can be forgiven for this heretical question...but if the
>> Increate is born as the Theantropos in Briah (n+19), what is the
>> situation with the Christ figure of Briah (n+20)? Is he better than
>> Jesus? Or is Jesus perfect so all Briahs above (n+19) have the same
>> Christ-figure? Or perhaps the perfection of Jesus requires that we 
>> are in the universe Briah (n+infinity)?
>>
>> I find these questions difficult.
>>
>
> As I have said before, I think it is a mistake to analyze these 
> stories to see how their settings (as opposed to their themes) conform 
> to systematic theology. However, I'll play along.
>
> I presume that Severian is the Christ of Briah (n). There was no Jesus 
> of Nazareth. If one asks, well how could there be all these 
> parallels...some having to do with the RCC...if there was no Jesus? 
> Wolfe addressed that question in There Are Doors.
>
> In that novel, the parallel worlds*** remain sync with each other by 
> virtue of being in approximation to each other.
>
> (***The parallel worlds, from Green's perspective, might be 
> inscrutable from a cycle of expanding and collapsing universe 
> iterations since such iterations are not divided by Time--because Time 
> also collapses along with each universe iteration)
>
> The parallel worlds are like strings on a guitar that are strung to 
> the same note...strike one and those next to it vibrate along with it. 
> Therefore in Lara's world, grooms wear black at their weddings because 
> men die after having sex. In Green's world (ours), grooms wear black 
> too. It's just a formality for us, but we actually do it here only 
> because they do it there. The parallel worlds have the same languages 
> and very similar customs differing only in minor and peculiar ways 
> (such as no ice trays in Lara's world).
>
> Presumably, the Briahs (n -/+) remain in sync because they are 
> compelled to by their approximation to each other. So there will be 
> similarities between Briah (n -/+) that make no internal sense. There 
> might well have been a Catholic Church with nearly the same rituals 
> (and an American moon landing as well) even though there was no Jesus 
> to influence the next 2000 years of history.
>
> u+16b9

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