Jesus Potter Harry Christ: The Fascinating Parallels Between Two of the World's Most Popular Literary Characters - Softcover

Murphy, Derek

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0615430937 ISBN 13: 9780615430935

Publisher: Holy Blasphemy, 2011

Synopsis

Jesus Potter Harry Christ explores the roots of the religious controversy surrounding the Harry Potter series, traces the intriguing similarities between Jesus and Harry, and reveals astonishing secrets of Christian history. How and why Jesus Christ, who is traditionally considered a historical figure, shares anything in common with the modern re-telling of ancient folklore that emerges in the character of Harry Potter is the basis for this innovative research expedition.

About this title

From the Back Cover

What do Jesus and Harry Potter have in common? More than you think.

LET'S SKIP THE INTRODUCTIONS. You don't need me to tell you that Jesus Christ and Harry are two of the most famous celebrities in the world, whose stories have been translated into dozens of languages and found international support in diverse cultures. What you may not be aware of, however, is the mysterious, complicated and intriguing relationship between them. For example, did you know that the topics "I read Harry Potter and Jesus still loves me," "Even Jesus reads Harry Potter" and "Harry Potter will return sooner than Jesus" each have their own Facebook group, or that Wikipedia has a page dedicated to "Religious debates over the Harry Potter Series"? Much more remarkable than their respective popularity is the significant tension - and unexpected affinity - between them.

At first glance it may seem that J.K. Rowling's boy wizard and the crucified Jesus prophet who became the Christian savior have absolutely nothing to do with each other - and yet the unease and sometimes outright animosity between the followers of these two figures suggests otherwise. Harry has been banned, burned, and abused by religious fundamentalists for over a decade. At the release of Rowling's final book, however, many readers were surprised to discover parallels between Jesus and Harry that, in such apparently diverse world-views, had no right to be there. As a result, recent years have witnessed a revolution in Christian responses to Harry, with many groups, writers and religious leaders praising Rowling's young sorcerer as ultimately Christian and a clear metaphor for Jesus Christ. And yet the most spine-tingling question has so far been ignored: Why do these similarities exist at all? 

Although it is easy to accept that Rowling crafted the literary character of Harry Potter after the figure of Jesus, shouldn't it pique our interest that Jesus - a monumental figure in modern world religion generally believed to have been historical - has so much in common with the obviously fictional fantasy world and character of Harry Potter? The main distinction, it will be argued, is that Jesus Christ is real: Jesus has traditionally been viewed as a historical figure, while Harry is instantly recognized as fiction. But does this distinction apply to the many seemingly mythical elements in the gospels? Can Jesus' miracles be separated from Harry's magic tricks because they really happened - or will we allow that certain features of the gospels were exaggerated or intended to be literary. And if so, where do we stop? What protects Jesus from the claim that he is, like Harry, a fictional character?

This is the starting point of Jesus Potter Harry Christ; an innovative treatise into religious history, comparative mythology, astrological symbolism and contemporary culture. From ancient mystery religions to modern fairy tales, from fictional Hogwarts to the ruins of Jerusalem, Derek Murphy, PhD in Comparative Literature at one of the world's top universities, zooms in on one crucial question: How do we separate the obviously mythical literature of Jesus Christ from the historical man himself?

About the Author

A few terrifying episodes of childhood sleep paralysis started Derek Murphy down the path of self-exploration, psychological investigation and research into world mythology. After completing a dual major in Philosophy and Theology on the heavily Catholic island of Malta, Derek had a crisis of faith when he realized that his knowledge of Christian origins and the literary nature of the gospels had outgrown his Christian upbringing. He began to travel the world, exploring diverse expressions of spirituality and researching religious mythology and cultural folklore, in an attempt to pierce the experiential and psychological heart of religiosity.

Living in Taiwan during his graduate studies in comparative literature, Derek became fascinated with the way that motifs from classical mythology and literature were recycled into the movies and books of pop culture (the mythology of our times). He's currently finishing his PhD Thesis on Milton's Satan as a positive symbol for revolutionary progress (Satan is my Hero), with plans to move to Romania to research a 3rd book on Jesus' link to Vampire Romance novels (Jesus is my Vampire Lover).

Edition details

• Publisher: Holy Blasphemy
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0615430937
• ISBN 13: 9780615430935
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 494