(no subject)

Gerry Quinn · 16 Dec 2010, 16:14 · from 2010-December.txt.gz

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From: gerryq at indigo.ie (Gerry Quinn)
Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 16:14:06 -0000
Subject: (urth) (no subject)
References: <SNT123-W16D08B9FE0ACA25CE25D62CF140 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <4D35F4794AE94278BA718E442C77D355@jill>

From: "Lee Berman" <severiansola at hotmail.com>
>>Gerry Quinn: I don't think there's any special reason to think Severian's 
>>universe is
>>without a Christ.  There is substantial evidence that it's history is 
>>similar to ours.
>>In BotLS there are notable religious references, including some to Christ.
>
> Jerry recently cited Wolfe interviews which explicity say it. Special? Not 
> special? Jerry
> is wrong?

IIRC, in the interviews Wolfe said that he was playing with the idea of 
cyclic universes.  He suggested the idea was not fully formed.  And I don't 
recall him ever suggesting that Severian's iteration had no Jesus Christ. 
Indeed, there is substantial evidence that it had.

> The "similar history" is explained by the same principle as the similar 
> (but not identical)
> geography of Urth to our Earth. Wolfe says he conceives of Briah as a 
> different universe than ours,
> a previous iteration.
>
> I think it is more accurate to say Long Sun has religious references to a 
> Jesus-like character.
> Nothing about salvation is mentioned, that I know of.

I agree that this aspect of Christian doctrine is not mentioned, but the 
obvious reason is that Wolfe's cosmogony is complex enough without it! 
Also, I think it plausible that Wolfe believes salvation might be attained 
by means other than the Incarnation, particularly in a hypothethical 
universe where Jesus did not exist.  So I don't see the necessity for making 
great interpretational leaps just because it is not mentioned.

- Gerry Quinn

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