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Article Commentary: Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Ham, Chris |
| Copyright Year | 2005 |
| Abstract | PROFESSOR BOYLE: I'm Nancy Boyle and I have the pleasure of introducing you to Dr. Lou Bolchazy of Loyola University, and a program which I am sure you will fi nd stimulating, controversial, and defi nitely thought provoking. Th is fi rst program deals with the meaning and the purpose of demythologizing of the Bible. Dr. Bolchazy, you've chosen a rather unusual title for this program, namely “Don't Th row the Baby out with the Bathwater.” DR. BOLCHAZY: Well, let's look at it this way. Th e bathwater is the myths in the Bible which can no longer be of any use to us. Th e baby, covered with the bathwater, is the true message of God, the kerygma. Th at always has intrinsic value. PROFESSOR BOYLE: Th en, are you saying that the Bible contains myths? DR. BOLCHAZY: Both the Old and the New Testament contain myths. PROFESSOR BOYLE: Well, you're going to have to prove that to me. Give me some examples of myths in the Bible. DR. BOLCHAZY: At the very beginning of the book of Genesis, there are two diff erent stories, which allegedly tell us how the world was created. And, throughout the rest of the Old Testament, there are several dozen other stories of how the world (and all that's in it) was created. PROFESSOR BOYLE: Well, are there myths in the New Testament too? DR. BOLCHAZY: Well, of course. For example, in John1, there's also another story of how the world was created. All these are diff erent accounts of how the world came to be. Which one is true? None of these stories is original or unique. PROFESSOR BOYLE: If they're not original, then what are they, really? DR. BOLCHAZY: Well, they're a compilation of old myths of the Mesopotamian world. I'll give you another example: Th e story of the fl ood. Th is story is not original. It's similar to the story of the fl ood found in the epic Gilgamesh. PROFESSOR BOYLE: I have to plead ignorance here. What is Gilgamesh? It sounds like a synthetic fi ber. DR. BOLCHAZY: Not in this case. Th e Gilgamesh epic is our oldest ancient epic that we have in western culture; it goes back to about 2,500 B.C. PROFESSOR BOYLE: Okay. So you say there's an account of a fl ood in Gilgamesh? DR. BOLCHAZY: Yes. And in the New Testament there are many myths which were popular in the Mediterranean world long, long before Christianity came into existence. PROFESSOR BOYLE: Well, again you're going to have to prove it to me. Give me some examples. DR. BOLCHAZY: To mention just a few: Th e virgin birth, the death and resurrection of a god, sacramental communion, the myth of the cosmic man or the myth of the savior. All of these stories are myths which the authors of the Bible borrowed, either in their entirety, or with slight modifi cations. Or, they would invert mythological symbols, as in the case of the serpent who tempted Eve. PROFESSOR BOYLE: I've got to stop you right there and say that this is a very challenging idea to people who don't believe as you do. Before we go any further, you've got to defi ne demythologizing for me. DR. BOLCHAZY: Well, let's start with this. Th e word “myth” comes from the Greek mythos and ultimately from the Indo-European word which means to refl ect, to think over, to consider. Now, in the religious sense, it is diffi cult to defi ne a myth. It is certainly not a false story. It is not “a disease of the language” and it is not a mistaken explanation of human or natural phenomena. PROFESSOR BOYLE: You're speaking in negatives. Is there a positive way of expressing this? DR. BOLCHAZY: Th ere certainly is. Myth is a symbol, which att empts to express the other worldly in terms of this world. PROFESSOR BOYLE: You're talking about your concept, right? |
| Starting Page | 51 |
| Ending Page | 52 |
| Page Count | 2 |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| DOI | 10.1258/1355819054308512 |
| PubMed reference number | 16053584 |
| Journal | Medline |
| Volume Number | 10 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www.bolchazy.com.phtemp.com/pdf/MythisTruth.MeaningandPurposeDemythologizing.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://ce.mayo.edu/sites/ce.mayo.edu/files/S_18-Feely-ManagementofOpioidSideEffects2016.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www.innovationsincrm.com/images/pdf/crm-04-03-1146.pdf |
| Journal | Journal of health services research & policy |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
