John Lennon once said The Beatles were more popular than Jesus, a claim that ignited a public relations firestorm. These days, one could easily claim that Harry Potter is also more popular than Jesus. Like Beatles albums after Lennon’s remarks, Harry Potter books have landed in the angry fires of Christian fundamentalists attempting to draw attention to the stark differences between the two superstars.
But what if the reason Harry Potter and Jesus Christ are so popular has to do more with their similarities rather than their differences? What if both, in essence, drew from the same literary template?
In Jesus Potter Harry Christ, Derek Murphy associates the two wonderworkers and identifies their striking parallels, some that include:
--A supernatural father and mortal mother.
--Miraculous birth foretold by prophecy.
--Supernatural powers in the service of helping others.
--Symbolized by the lion, while their foes were represented by the serpent.
--Descended into the underworld.
--Went willing to their death after great suffering, and then rose back to life in victory.
Beyond connecting the two messiahs, Murphy investigates whether or not J.K. Rowling consciously injected Christians or Occult themes in her epic series, concluding that the answer is both. Jesus Potter Harry Christ furthermore details the heated debate within Christian circles concerning the tsunami influence of Harry Potter on Western culture.
And then Murphy opens a trap door, plunging the reader into a fascinating rabbit hole. Jesus Potter Harry Christ is an odyssey across the theological landscape of Christian history and the mythos of the archetypal savior god that has nurtured many religions for thousands of years. As Murphy explains, it’s not so much that Harry Potter is a “Christ-figure” but more like Jesus is a “Potter-figure.” The two are a “composition of redemptive mythological symbols and philosophies.”
The success of the two miracle workers starts becoming more understandable.
Part of the fascinating odyssey includes a comprehensive yet lean description of the many pagan faiths, mystery religions, and Gnostics sects that dressed Jesus of Nazareth into the uniform of the dying-rising godman of antiquity. Jesus Potter Harry Christ eruditely compares and contrasts the Galilean magician to other savior gods: Osiris, Dionysus, Tammuz, Adonis, Mithras, Attis, Asclepius, and many others.
The book reaches as far back as the ancient Sumerian narratives, neatly sandwiches the evolution of the nascent Catholic Church and its councils, and finally arrives to the apologetics of modern Christian luminaries like C.S. Lewis and Lee Strobel. Murphy never explicitly denies the historicity of Jesus Christ, but indicates that he has been basically swallowed whole by imagination and legendry.
Furthermore, Jesus Potter Harry Christ gifts the reader with the more mystical bedrock of Christian doctrine that originated with the ideas of Pythagoras, the cult of Orpheus, astrotheology, and Egyptian magic, just to name a few examples. In less than 500 pages, Murphy has in effect written a thorough reference guide on ancient comparative religion. If there is a fault in Murphy’s work is that his ambition and overreaching buries his main thesis of Harry Potter and Jesus Christ in modern culture.
Another benefit of Jesus Potter Harry Christ is its doubling as a sort of mythicist greatest hits. Murphy covers the various and notorious thinkers in history who began assuming Jesus Christ came from a rich lineage of mythological champions—like the enigmatic Count Volney urging Napoleon Bonaparte to scour Egypt for the tales of Horus that might discredit Christianity; or James George Frazer’s opus, The Golden Bough, that scandalized Europe for stating that the story of Jesus Christ had happened long before his birth.
This is probably the first time a book encapsulates the works of contemporary mythicists such as G.A. Wells, Timothy Freke, Tom Harpur, Acharya S., Earl Doherty, and Robert Price. Murphy also makes sure to disclose that the historicity of Jesus was very much in play during early Christendom by the very own apologies of the church fathers, Justin Martyr and Tertullian being two of the notable ones.
Whether one has a basic inkling or a profound knowledge of the syncretic casserole that spawned the world’s largest religion, Jesus Potter Harry Christ is a valuable compendium. Murphy bares a scalpel intellect in his first scholarly venture, dissecting the figure of Jesus Christ while peeling open the wonderful tales of the other rising-dying godmen that once upon a time captivated pagan audiences across western civilization.
Although admittance to their mysteries was probably just as pricey as a Harry Potter movie ticket, a televangelist audio CD, or even a collectors Beatles album. Perhaps things really never do change that much, including gods and religions.
For more information on Derek and his new book, please visit his homepage Jesus Potter Harry Christ
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