Wind god

James Wynn · 05 Nov 2010, 22:41 · from 2010-November.txt.gz

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From: crushtv at gmail.com (James Wynn)
Date: Fri, 05 Nov 2010 17:41:03 -0500
Subject: (urth) Wind god
In-Reply-To: <AANLkTikmXr7_MAggUdjdARJckiBWwDb9UdVK9taVMgKJ at mail.gmail.com>
References: <AANLkTikmXr7_MAggUdjdARJckiBWwDb9UdVK9taVMgKJ at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4CD487FF.4060501 at gmail.com>

>> Lee Berman-
>> When you say "this is not theologically accurate, of course", do you mean because the story
>> implies Jesus was a man who was possessed by The Outsider god, rather than having been born
>> a deity or holy Savior?

Are we talking about what Silk says in the first chapter of Nightside?

"He would have to be firm with them, extremely firm. Remind them that 
the Outsider was known to esteem them last among men already--that 
according to the Writings he had once (having possessed and enlightened 
a fortunate man) beaten them severely in person."

The concept of the Eternal Logos is one that is defined by Christian 
theologians rather than understood. This is about as clear an 
understanding as Silk could have realistically been expected to 
comprehend at that point in the story.

As I've said before, I can see little narrative value in differentiating 
between Severian existing in our future or in a previous cycle. I could 
construct a self-consistent model in which they are different --

--one where the coming and sacrifice of the Christ works backwards and 
forwards into adjacent cycles so others are enlightened by the story and 
where there is a Catholic Church without a Christ for the same reason 
grooms wear black in "There Are Doors" --

--but it all comes to the same thing from the point of view of the 
characters and there's nothing like it explained in the story.

+u16b9

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