Delving into the Mythology Rooted in Abrahamic Traditions from Antiquity
In the realm of world mythology, the heroic monomyth is a recurring theme that can be traced across various cultures and religions. One such religion that embodies this monomyth is Christianity, as noted by David Leeming in the Oxford Companion to World Mythology.
Leeming considers the Christ story a particularly complete example of the heroic monomyth. Resurrection, a common part of the monomyth, is a key element in the Christian narrative. The resurrected heroes often become sources of "material or spiritual food for their people," as Leeming notes, and this concept is reflected in Christian tradition where Jesus is regarded as the "bread of life."
One of the most intriguing aspects of the Christian narrative is the connection between the crucifixion and the cosmic mountain at the center of the world. According to an Eastern Christian folklore tradition, Golgotha, the site of Christ's crucifixion, was the summit of this cosmic mountain. It was also the location where Adam had been both created and buried. When Christ was crucified, his blood fell on Adam's skull, buried at the foot of the cross, and redeemed him.
The records of Jesus' life and death, his acts and words, provide the founding myths of Christianity. These myths are structurally equivalent to the creation myths in other religions, establishing the meaning of the religion and the essential Christian practices and attitudes.
Christian tradition has produced many popular stories elaborating on canonical scripture. For instance, certain herbs are believed to have gained their current healing power from having been used to heal Christ's wounds on Mount Calvary.
The values expressed in the Christ story contrast with those of other Christian heroes such as St. George, Roland, el Cid, and even King Arthur. Leeming argues that these later hero myths reflect the survival of pre-Christian heroic values, "values of military dominance and cultural differentiation and hegemony," more than the values expressed in the Christ story.
Many myths, particularly from the Near East, feature a god who dies and is resurrected. This figure is sometimes called the "dying god." Scholars, including James George Frazer, have suggested that the Christ story is an example of the "dying god" theme. In the Oxford Companion to World Mythology, Leeming notes that Christ can be seen as bringing fertility, though of a spiritual as opposed to physical kind.
Myths about a paradise lost are also prevalent in various religious and mythological systems. Some scholars see the story of the Garden of Eden as an instance of this general motif.
The term muthos, meaning "story, narrative," took on the connotations of "fable, fiction" by the time of Christ. Early Christian writers often avoided calling a story from canonical scripture a "myth." However, in its broadest academic sense, the word myth simply means a traditional story.
Key figures and groups involved in Christian mythology during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages in Europe include saints like Saint George, who became widely venerated with legendary narratives such as dragon-slaying and princess rescue integrated by the 12th century.
The Christian story of the crucifixion at Golgotha has been connected with the theme of a cosmic center, often the sacred place of creation. Many mythologies involve a "world center," which is often the sacred place of creation; this center often takes the form of a tree, mountain, or other upright object, which serves as an axis mundi or axle of the world.
In Buddhist mythology, the demon Mara tries to distract the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, before he can reach enlightenment. This struggle mirrors the challenges faced by Christian heroes in their spiritual journeys.
In his 2006 homily for Corpus Christi, Pope Benedict XVI noted the similarity between the Christian story of the resurrection and pagan myths of dead and resurrected gods. Some scholars believe that many elements of Christian mythology, particularly its linear portrayal of time, originated with the Persian religion of Zoroastrianism.
The term "Abrahamic mythology" refers to a body of myths associated with Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Christian literature contains recurring myths such as ascending to a mountain, the axis mundi, myths of combat, descent into the Underworld, accounts of a dying-and-rising god, flood stories, stories about the founding of a tribe or city, and myths about great heroes (or saints) of the past.
In the Book of Revelation, the author sees a vision of a pregnant woman in the sky being pursued by a huge red dragon. This appears to be an allegory for the triumph of Christianity: the child presumably represents Christ; the woman may represent God's people of the Old and New Testaments (who produced Christ); and the Dragon symbolizes Satan, who opposes Christ.
In his Creation Myths of the World, David Leeming argues that, in the Christian story of the crucifixion, the cross serves as "the axis mundi, the center of a new creation." This connection between the crucifixion and the cosmic center further underscores the heroic monomyth's influence in the Christian narrative.
