Does this mean I'm cultured now?
It finally happened! One of those things that no one ever would have expected...that's right, I went to the opera!
Friday night, accompanied by a few close friends, I attended the Canadian Opera Company's rendition of Richard Wagner's Gotterdamerung at the Hummingbird Centre. It was interesting to notice, although pointed out to me beforehand by Clint Humphrey of Cowboyology, that there is present in so many classic mythologies and even in revisitations of such things as we see presnt in Wagner's work, that there are themes that run in such close parallels to scriptural themes, but in a fallen perspective. One can notice in a moment such themes as a fallen condition, the need for repentance and ultimately death, in virtually every mythology that the world has ever produced. In this I think that the Norse in particular are close in their thinking of some of their themes in comparing them to scriptural truths.
Now I do not want to be accused of stating that there is a direct gospel message from norse mythology, but there are some interesting points to notice such as the mortality of thje norse gods. Although in myths the norse gods are given to be beings of immense power and ability, especially where concerns their given sphere, they ultimately are not much more than mortals, having both a beginning and an end. This may not appear to be scriptuarl, but it proves that there is really only one true God who has been present since before the beginning of eternity. There are also stories of the births of the gods in most other mythologies as well, and as far as I have ever been able to tell, there is no other religion where deities are eternal in the way the God is.
Another thing to notice is the idea of a final redemption through death. Only barely touched upon in Gotterdamerung, there is a long drawn out theme of fallen creation and godhood in norse mythology that continually gets worse unbtil at last the final day comes with the destruction of everything, even the gods themselves. Ragnarok, the day of destruction is the end of all that is, but through it comes about the rebirth and renewal of the world. This however, does little to inspire hope as ultimamately there will come about still another fall and another end to things and another rebirth. Essentially, history of the world becomes cyclical, and there is no hope o be found at all.
What a wonderful truth we have in scripture, that although we are a fallen world and a fallen creation, and there does come to all things that are created a death and destruction, our rebirth only happens once. There will in fact come a time when God will remake everything new, but that remade creation will be perfect, and will not be given license to fall from grace. We will then dwell forever in the presence of our God and heavenly Father for all eternity. It is a wonderful thing that our God is a God who is not mortal, and that He is not created by us in our image, but we are made in His. Our hope is not found in our own feeble dreams and hopes, but in he word of God and His glory and sovereign will;
Amen.
Friday night, accompanied by a few close friends, I attended the Canadian Opera Company's rendition of Richard Wagner's Gotterdamerung at the Hummingbird Centre. It was interesting to notice, although pointed out to me beforehand by Clint Humphrey of Cowboyology, that there is present in so many classic mythologies and even in revisitations of such things as we see presnt in Wagner's work, that there are themes that run in such close parallels to scriptural themes, but in a fallen perspective. One can notice in a moment such themes as a fallen condition, the need for repentance and ultimately death, in virtually every mythology that the world has ever produced. In this I think that the Norse in particular are close in their thinking of some of their themes in comparing them to scriptural truths.
Now I do not want to be accused of stating that there is a direct gospel message from norse mythology, but there are some interesting points to notice such as the mortality of thje norse gods. Although in myths the norse gods are given to be beings of immense power and ability, especially where concerns their given sphere, they ultimately are not much more than mortals, having both a beginning and an end. This may not appear to be scriptuarl, but it proves that there is really only one true God who has been present since before the beginning of eternity. There are also stories of the births of the gods in most other mythologies as well, and as far as I have ever been able to tell, there is no other religion where deities are eternal in the way the God is.
Another thing to notice is the idea of a final redemption through death. Only barely touched upon in Gotterdamerung, there is a long drawn out theme of fallen creation and godhood in norse mythology that continually gets worse unbtil at last the final day comes with the destruction of everything, even the gods themselves. Ragnarok, the day of destruction is the end of all that is, but through it comes about the rebirth and renewal of the world. This however, does little to inspire hope as ultimamately there will come about still another fall and another end to things and another rebirth. Essentially, history of the world becomes cyclical, and there is no hope o be found at all.
What a wonderful truth we have in scripture, that although we are a fallen world and a fallen creation, and there does come to all things that are created a death and destruction, our rebirth only happens once. There will in fact come a time when God will remake everything new, but that remade creation will be perfect, and will not be given license to fall from grace. We will then dwell forever in the presence of our God and heavenly Father for all eternity. It is a wonderful thing that our God is a God who is not mortal, and that He is not created by us in our image, but we are made in His. Our hope is not found in our own feeble dreams and hopes, but in he word of God and His glory and sovereign will;
Amen.
posted by dohmnal at 12:05 PM
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