Biblical Allusions 2

Originating from Greek, this indicates an encompassing character or situation. Alpha also reflects, top dog or the best.

From Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Edward declares Jane as the, "Alpha and Omega of his heart".

The savior, the one who will save, sacrifice for all sin, selfless sacrifice. There are a number of examples (foreshadowing) of the savior, prior to Jesus, in the Bible

Text/Summary

Jesus tells the story of the difficulty of a rich man to enter heaven as a camel going through the eye of a needle. The point being a person must leave behind the thing they love and worship (except Jesus) to enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 19:24)

The savior motif is recurrent in literature and film.

Jim Casey-a former preacher (JC) is an example of a savior motif as he goes to jail 'for' Tom Joad -The Grapes of Wrath.

Wesley (the Princess Bride) is a savior symbol when he is resurrected from the (mostly) dead.

From The Old Man and the Sea, a number of savior motifs are apparent.

Santiago is three days at sea; he injures his palms, and carries a mast across his shoulders/back

Analysis/example

The Crucifiction - Paolo Veneziano

A difficult task

the song by Shad, Remember to Remember relates the rich's obsession to wealth (greed) to the struggle of a camel to fit through the eye of a needle

Sia's song the Eye of the Needle, references the same struggle

An impossible task

Original sin

Adam and Eve are in paradise living in the Garden of Eden. They are told to avoid one tree, a serpent (symbol of evil) tempts them to eat of the tree. It is then that sin enters the world (original sin). Genesis

Analysis/examples

the origin of sin (original sin)

Pleasantville (movie) is black and white, when the characters lose their innocence color is added to their world.

Shakespeare, In Henry V, the betrayal of Lord Scoop is referred as another 'fall of man.'

In Snow White the apple is a symbol of temptation and causes Snow White to fall into a deep sleep

Sin, apple, serpent, temptation

Text/Summary

Text/Summary

God became displeased with the wickedness of man and decided to save the few righteous (a recurring theme) and destroy the rest of the world with a great flood. The rainbow is the promise God would not flood the world again. (Genesis).

This flood story appears in most of the major religions

Moses is tasked by God to lead his people (Israelites) out of captivity (Egypt) and into the 'promised land' (Exodus).

Biblical Allusions 2

Analysis/Examples

A few allusions come from this story, flood/water, rainbow/promise, dove/peace.

In Steinbecks, The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family must flee the rain to avoid destruction and travel to the 'promised land' (California).

The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn by Mark Twain displays the flood (desctruction-cleansing-rebirth cycle) with Jim and Huck having to survive on their raft during a 'flood'.

Analysis/examples

Mass Exodus

Adam and Eve - Lucas Cranach

The Grapes of Wrath (again), depict the mass exodus (large group leaving) the depression in the south to the 'promised land' (California).

Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood BIble chronicles a family leaving for a missionary trip, only to find their trip is more treacherous than anticipated

The Promise

Text/Summary

The plagues of Moses deal with the Israelites disobedience to God and escalating plagues to redirect their behavior.(Exodus) The end of human history will be marked with 7 plagues, which deal with punishment for those who do not receive the mark of the antichrist (Revelation)

The First and the Last

Sodom and Gomorrah is the story of destruction and God's wrath. God destroys the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah due to the evil and immorality of all of it citizens. Only Lot and his wife are granted passage, but Lot's wife is reluctant to leave the city and turns, being turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis)

Jesus declares himself to be the Alpha and Omega, first and last, beginning and end. Identifying that all things start and end with him (Revelation)

Analysis/Example

Plague is synonymous with disobedience and a punishment for behavior

the 2nd installment of the Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire, alludes to the plague of the end times when a variety of disturbances are unleashed on the participants

Sodom and Gomorrah becomes synonymous for wicked and immoral behavior/city.

Fallout (video game) references the evil city as Sodom and Gomorrah-denoting the evil and wicked.

War of the Worlds alludes to the destruction of the world to Sodom and Gomorrah-due to the evil in society.

Plagues

Sodom and Gomorrah - destruction of the wicked

Biblical Allusions 2