Symbolism and the Individual (Audio: Lecture I.1.3)

Description

These two systems of ideal—one teaching the beauty and majesty of the religious submission before God, the other the heroism of the humanistic insistence of the values of man—are in collision, and distinctly so in the Christian tradition, I would say, more than in any others…. Christ is God, who has come down to do this, and we are not God. In the Indian story that I spoke of earlier, all of us are that being. The divine power is immanent in us all, and what the god incarnate represents is our own very being. ~Joseph Campbell

Two systems of ideals—one teaching the beauty and majesty of submission to God, the other emphasizing the values of heroism and humankind—have long been at odds, especially in the Christian tradition. In this lecture, Joseph Campbell explores the concepts of Christ both as a Promethean figure and a Job figure—bringing the fire of redemption, suffering for our sins—and describes the crucifix as a synthesizing symbol, a sign of divinity and humanity alike.

Running time: approx. 60 minutes