The Matthean Jesus as Christos and Harry Potter: Narrative parallels, divergences, and intersections as resources for doing theology

• Main Author: Galang, Joseph Renus Ferreras
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2023
• Subjects: Theology; Jesus Christ—Person and offices; Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdd_tred/7; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdd_tred/article/1008/viewcontent/2023_Galang_The_Matthean_Jesus_as_Christos_and_Harry_Potter_Full_text.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study identified and critically analyzed parallelisms, divergences, and intersecting themes in the narratives of the characters of Jesus as Christos in the gospel according to Matthew and of Harry Potter in the Harry Potter series. Both narratives were critically analyzed using Joseph Campbell’s monomyth framework, a 17-section template of the mythological structure of the heroic narrative. The narrative of Jesus as Christos reflected 11 of the 17 elements of the monomyth, while Harry’s story contained 12 out of the same number of elements. This crucial first step acknowledged and analyzed the narrative parallels and divergences while it exposed some limits of the monomyth framework. The study then revealed that there are 29 parallels and five divergences between the two narratives. These finding also uncovered the intersecting themes of identity, righteousness, and love, which are built on patterns, values, and behaviors that can be openly identified as intersecting with the formative elements of the Matthean Jesus’ life and of Christianity in general. Finally, the results of the study were explored as resources for doing theology. This study’s outcome affirms that the monomyth framework is a potential tool for biblical interpretation such that the characters of Jesus as Christos and Harry Potter can be sources of discourse in a Christology, especially for the youth, that is reflected in modern fantasy literature. Keywords: Jesus, Christos, Matthew, Harry Potter, Joseph Campbell, monomyth