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From: "James Wynn"Subject: RE: (urth) The Saga of the Urth Mailing List: An Excerpt Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 08:31:17 -0500 I agree. Actually, I think the operative sentence here is "Severian is a Christian rather than a Christ." Although, to me for some reason, saying Severian is a Christian is a more jarring statement than saying he's a Christ. -----Original Message----- From: Dan'l Danehy-Oakes [mailto:ddanehy@siebel.com] Sent: Tuesday, June 11, 2002 5:51 PM To: 'urth@urth.net' Subject: RE: (urth) The Saga of the Urth Mailing List: An Excerpt Crush: I suppose this is a question of interpretation... To me, the "in so far as there is a Christ figure" seems to me to be a way of saying that there really isn't, but if you have to find one, Severian would be it. > -----Original Message----- > From: James Wynn [mailto:crushtv@HotPOP.com] > Sent: Tuesday, June 11, 2002 12:25 PM > To: urth@urth.net > Subject: RE: (urth) The Saga of the Urth Mailing List: An Excerpt > > > Ah! Yes. Here's the quote: > JJ: The holy slaves [Heirodules], Famulimus or one of them > tells Severian > that he is the center of his race, the savior of his race. > That is such > Christlike language you can see why interpreters would say > well Severian is > a Christ figure. But is there a Christ figure in the book, or > is he simply > for this universe? > GW: In so far as there is a Christ figure it is Severian. > That doesn't mean > he has to be identified with Christ. He is in a position > similar to that of > Christ. But really it is a different position because Christ > really is both > God and man. Severian is not. Severian is a Christian rather > than a Christ. > But he is been taken as the representative of humanity by > whom humanity is > to be judged. This I think is what has happened perhaps with > the actual > human Jesus. He is or was is as fully human as you or I and > we are saved by > Him. By the fact that he passed. That the corruption did not > destroy Him. I > think that St. Paul is absolutely correct when he says that Jesus was > tempted in all the ways that we are tempted. I think that > Jesus was tempted > to commit murder or any other sin that you want to name just > as the rest of > us are. And the difference is that He did not sin. > -- Crush > > -----Original Message----- > From: Dan'l Danehy-Oakes [mailto:ddanehy@siebel.com] > Sent: Tuesday, June 11, 2002 11:02 AM > To: 'urth@urth.net' > Subject: (urth) The Saga of the Urth Mailing List: An Excerpt > > A final correction to the "facts" used by Crush: > > > But in my heart of hearts I believe Wolfe concocted this > > explanation to rescue himself from having to constantly justify > > theologically everything in the BOTNS. I DO recall that he > > denied Severian is Christ. He said he was a "Christ figure", but > > that's merely a literary term. > > Actually, he went a step further than your memory, Crush -- he > actually denies that Severian, or any of his protagonists, are > "Christ figures," and insists that they are rather "Christian > figures." I believe that the distinction is made fairly clearly > in the interview Wolfe gave to James Jordan, to which a link was > posted in this group within the last day or so. > > --Blattid > > > > -- > > -- --