Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 11:58:46 -0600
From: James Jordan 
Subject: Re: (urth) An IGJ question

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>
>Even so, it's hard to imagine Incanto sacrificing his beloved pet, even if
>he only thinks of him as an animal.  I think the other thing going on here
>probably has something to do with the Eucharistic imagery.  Incanto has an
>enounter with the Outsider and has an overwhelming urge to offer
>sacrifice.  (How much of this urge comes from his upbringing in the
>Vironese faith, how much from the nature of the Outsider, we don't know.)
>Instead of an animal, he offers bread and wine, which in Catholic theology
>literally become the body and blood of Christ, the sacrifice which
>supercedes all other sacrifices.  The fact that Incanto ponders
>sacrificing Oreb underlines the idea that Incanto sees the sharing of
>bread and wine as a form of sacrifice rather than just some kind of ritual
>meal.
>
>-Rostrum

This is why I think Marc is on to something with his animal-plant hybrid 
theory. Christianity moves sacrifice from human/animal to bread/wine. 
Consuming sacramental bread and wine, we become new persons. Thus, it makes 
sense at a symbolic level to have "plant-humans" as eschatological human 
beings.
         To put it another way, God provided grace and union with Himself 
via animal sacrifices in the Old Creation, but in the New Creation He uses 
plants.
         When Jesus healed the blind man, his first response was "I see men 
as trees walking."
         Wolfe could definitely be playing with this symbolism.

Nutria

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Even so, it's hard to imagine Incanto sacrificing his beloved pet, even
if

he only thinks of him as an animal.  I think the other thing going
on here

probably has something to do with the Eucharistic imagery.  Incanto
has an

enounter with the Outsider and has an overwhelming urge to offer

sacrifice.  (How much of this urge comes from his upbringing in
the

Vironese faith, how much from the nature of the Outsider, we don't
know.)  

Instead of an animal, he offers bread and wine, which in Catholic
theology

literally become the body and blood of Christ, the sacrifice which

supercedes all other sacrifices.  The fact that Incanto 
ponders

sacrificing Oreb underlines the idea that Incanto sees the sharing
of

bread and wine as a form of sacrifice rather than just some kind of
ritual

meal.


-Rostrum


This is why I think Marc is on to something with his animal-plant hybrid
theory. Christianity moves sacrifice from human/animal to bread/wine.
Consuming sacramental bread and wine, we become new persons. Thus, it
makes sense at a symbolic level to have "plant-humans" as
eschatological human beings. 

        To put it
another way, God provided grace and union with Himself via animal
sacrifices in the Old Creation, but in the New Creation He uses plants.


        When Jesus
healed the blind man, his first response was "I see men as trees
walking."

        Wolfe
could definitely be playing with this symbolism. 


Nutria

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