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'The Killing Stone': Analysis of Religion's Role in Literature
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In the bible the wooden cross represents the burden of the sins that Christ carried with him to his death. Santiago was killed in order to clear the sin of Angela Vicario. The wooden door could symbolise Santiago dying for the sins of the community much like Jesus Christ who died for the sins of man. Santiago finally died in the kitchen of his house; this could be a link to eating the body of Christ. In what other ways was Santiago’s death a stigma of Jesus Christ?
When Jesus Christ was being killed he was nailed to the cross, with nails in both of his hands we was said to be dying for the sins of man (Terasaka). Jesus Christ and Santiago Nasar have similar wounds. Santiago Nasar had been stabbed in the hands leaving holes in them much like what would have happened to Jesus’s hands. Aside from the wounds on the hands both characters had wounds on the sides of their abdomen. Jesus from being pierced with a spear and Santiago from being stabbed multiple times by the brothers. The wounds on his palms coupled with the gashes on his sides made him bare a resemblance to Jesus Christ dur...
The study of religion is often a rigorous process because the central tenets of the subject: image, ritual, and myth are often copious in their complexity. For example, consider the multiple meanings that are inherent in the image of a crucifix. Some Christians might view it as an image of suffering, whilst others would reject that notion and instead perceive it to be one of love. These differences may seem inconsequential at first, but they can overtime shape the beliefs of an individual and by extension a community. To understand this dynamic better one only has to analyze the Christo Aparecido (Christ Appeared), an authentic Mexican crucifix with a fascinating history from the colonial era to the present. This history is made known by the text, Biography of a Mexican Crucifix: Lived Religion and Local Faith from the Conquest to the Present by Jennifer Hughes, from which I contend that over the life of the Christo Aparecido there continues to be an understanding among devotees that this crucifix is sacred because it displays animus while being a vestige for the sacred to occupy. To support my position I will attempt to relate the moments where the Christo Aparecido is said to show signs of life, in particular his stay in Mexico City during the colonial era and his role in more modern times with rival groups clashing over its efficacy in the village of Totolapan.
This fragment is taken from THE NEW TESTAMENT (King James version). More importantly, the fragment appears in THE GOSPAL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW, which is the first gospel out of four. While there is no speaking character in the fragment, it is possible to witness several characters in it. First, there are the wise men who came to visit and see baby Jesus. Second, when they entered the house, they saw Jesus with “Mary, his mother.” In this fragment, one can notice the significance of the wise men (Magi). Seeing that, the wise men function as evidence to display Jesus’s godliness and his relation to God, by seeing him they “fell down, and worshiped him.” Due to God’s intervention in the wise men’s dreams, they have changed their actions, understanding
Immediately below the head of that man is the olive colored body of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ head is dropped back and his body is limp, being held up by two men. The only article of clothing Jesus has on is small, white wrap that covers his genital area. A male figure, dressed in a mainly dark blue wrap, holds the torso of Jesus. His left arm is grabbing Jesus and his head and dark brown hair peak out behind Jesus’ shoulder. This man is standing, barefoot, on a ladder that rests sideways on the middle beam of the cross.
(118).” This is metaphor of comparing Nasar’s cry in pain to that of a moan of a calf is giving Santiago an animal characteristic which is also the employment of zoomorphism. These devices Marquez’s attempt to bring the element of sacrifice to the death of Nasar. Santiago Nasar’s moan of a calf directly parallels to Jesus Christ who was also known as the sacrificial lamb for the people. His sacrifice on the cross was for the sins of the people, and Santiago Nasar’s sacrifice was for the sins of Angela. This idea of a sacrifice is a criticism on the values of the society, for it required the sacrifice of a life to defend the honor of a woman who has sinned. Marquez furthers the idea of the innocence of Santiago Nasar by exemplifying the idea of sacrifice. This allusion to the Bible furthers Gabriel Marquez’s attempt to draw similarities between the Jesus Christ and Santiago Nasar. “Mortally wounded three times… (118).” The allusion of this line directly relates to the wounds of Jesus Christ on the cross, for which the nail marks on Christ were the mortal wounds that eventually lead to his death. Marquez usage of this allusion helps portray Nasar’s death to be similar to Jesus Christ, for both deaths were results of three mortal
During the first century Europe was plagued with many different wars for political and religious agendas. At this time Christianity was still just a new trend and seen by many the way that we see doomsday cults today. Rather than making it impossible for Christianity to get a foothold in the people, the new Christianity trend used the turmoil as a doorway through which it was able to find strong followers. Saint James, known in Spanish as Santiago, was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus; during his lifetime he came to Spain to preach the gospel, probably following a route that leads to the "End of the Earth" which held a great deal of mythical and mystical value to Europeans (Lehelma). During this time the Moors, or Arabs, were in the process of expanding their territory, infringing upon many people's lands and belief systems. In the year 711 Visogothic Spain had nearly been conquered by the Moors, and the Spaniards were in dire need of a savior. Thus follows the birth of the Cult of Saint James. During the battle of Clavijo Saint James appeared as a holy warrior fighting for Ramiro I of Leon, attempting to push back and defeat the troops of Abdurrahaman II. The image of Saint James the Moor-slayer,mounted horseback striking down all Moors in his path with a mighty sword, however grotesque, was then used to strengthen the Christian resistance to the Arabs.
Another parallel between Jesus is the Passover lamb by how their bones were both never broken, The passover lamb is the sacrifice God asked for when the plague of the firstborn was being struck down, and the lamb had to have no broken bones. This is paralleled to Jesus’ crucifixion because when prisoners were crucified the soldiers had to break their bones to kill them faster, but Jesus did not have any since he was already dead. This is shown in Exodus 12:46 when it says, “You shall not break any of its bones”, and connects to John 19:36 saying, “Not a
The conversion of Constantine brought about a wave of Christianity and inspired many to follow the monastic tradition as the meaning of martyrdom for faith had changed significantly. Although, persecutions of the Christian community were sporadic and scattered through the Roman Empire, the periods of persecutions that happened were considered an opportunity to prove the Christian communities' faith and love to God. These 'trials' were best displayed in the story of Perpetua and Felicitas; their martyrdom was a welcome challenge they accepted. In Musurillo's "The Acts of the Christian Martyrs", the conflicts and trials that Perpetua and Felicitas faced are seen as part of the experience of martyrdom for the greater glory of God and are best
Marquez places biblical allusions in the names of the characters to further illustrate the connection to religion. The Vicario brothers, Pablo and Pedro, are to be viewed as allusions to Peter and Paul. Peter indirectly killed Jesus by denying Christ three times before the cocks crowed. This is similar to Pablo’s actions because although he was not responsible for the murder of Santiago, he denied Nasar a chance of repenting before the morning, the crowing of the cocks. Poncio, the father of Angela, is a symbolic reference to Pontius Pilate. He permitted his sons to kill; similar to Pontius Pilate, who allowed the crucifixion of Christ. Santiago’s own name parallels to that of Jesus. His first name Santiago, is a derivative of Saint, which suggests divinity and holiness. His last Nasar is a reference to Nazareth, as in Jesus of Nazareth.
The Vicario brothers “followed Santiago Nasar with their eyes… they looked at him more with pity” rather than hatred or anger (Marquez, 16). The feeling of pity the Vicario brothers place upon Santiago does not correlate with the typical angry, fear, or remorse that are common feelings associated with murderous acts. Pity, as seen in the novella, is intertwined with sympathy; Pedro knows it was morally wrong to murder an innocent man and displaying his guilt. As the day advanced “everything continued to smell of Santiago Nasar” which lingered throughout the town (Marquez, 78). Santiago’s scent is ingrained into the town, almost like that of a poltergeist. Poltergeist are spectors commonly associated with producing noises, movements, and smells. This is a prime example of how religion and superstition play a role in the novel. The Vicario brothers could smell him in the jail cell, no matter how much the brothers scrubbed their hands, they “couldn’t get rid of the smell” of Santiago’s blood from their hands (Marquez, 78). The text above backs the idea of guilt in the novella’s society as the brothers cannot wash away the crime and sin they committed. Blood on the hands is a parallel to guilt that is a motif throughout the bible with thirty-four verses containing a direct reference to liability and blood on the hands. Pedro, while talking to an investigator,
For Christians, the story of Jesus’ resurrection is celebrated on a holiday known as Easter. The narration begins with Jesus being arrested for exclaiming that He was the Son of God. He was taken to the Roman governor, Pilate, who delivered Him to be crucified. The soldiers took Jesus away and cast a crown of thorns on His head and a reed on His right hand (Matt. 27:28-30). To Christian...
Just as Santiago gave into his assailants the biblical Christ never fought against the will of the people in Jerusalem and in the end, all the people of Jerusalem came to see Jesus on the cross for they knew that they were at fault. Also like Christ, Santiago received stabbings “through the palm of his right hand” (Márquez 117) as well as “a horizontal slash across the stomach” (Márquez 119). Santiago wore white linen at the time of his death, to symbolize the innocence and purity o...
Foremost, Marquez foretold Santiago’s fate with the opening line “on the day they were going to kill him, Santiago Nasar got up at five-thirty in the morning to wait for the boat the bishop was coming on” to illustrate our fate is decided before we are born (Marquez 3). Marquez lets the reader know that Santiago was going to die but the fact that he also includes the plan Santiago had that morning
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." This verse - John 3:16 - is perhaps the most important in the Bible. Jesus Christ was the son of God, but he was also the son of man.
When other popular teachers died, their movement died with them. However, after the death of Jesus, his movement continued to build strength and grew rapidly. James, Peter, John and Paul, Jude and the writer of Hebrews were convinced of Jesus’ resurrection, they believed this with such conviction that they did not even try to defend or prove this. They stated it as fact. “In each narrative, names are given of those to whom the resin Christ presented himself (Barnett 130)”. This can be verified and proven true, based on eyewitnesses. After the death of Christ, the lives of the writers of the New Testament were radically changed. They traveled where they had not gone to reach out to people outside their comfort zone. They died in their challenge