i am reading Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. i've never read any Marlowe and i have to say that i'm really enjoying this - his sense of humor and the intensity of Faustus in his big mistake.
Faustus asks Mephisophilis how is it that he (M) is out of hell. M replies, "Why this is hell, nor am I out of it."
so hell isn't a place to go to (and from) but if you are in hell, hell is where you are. a portable hell.
this reminds me of the gospel of Thomas, who reported that Jesus said something along the lines of "the kingdom of heaven is right here, but men do not see it."
so both heaven and hell are not elsewhere. they are here and now and it just depends on you to ascertain which one you exist in.
not that i believe any of this! whoa. no. but i find it all so fascinating and wouldn't have minded taking religious studies classes in college. from the philosophical perspective. yes. anyway, i have to get back to the play to see what happens of Faustus. last i read, he had just about destroyed the Pope.
on itunes right now: wickhead, an alt-rock group from south africa trying to make it here in LA/USA.
2 comments:
My religious studies teachers described hell as the state of permanent separation from the divine, which makes sense.
The Gospel of Thomas? Like: "And then Jesus turned the water into wine. Well, it looked as if he did, but, y'know, there was something a bit fishy about the whole business, and I reckon it was just a stunt. And as for the funny business with the empty tomb, well I just don't buy it."
I'm waiting for the Gospel according to Bartholomew. "Hi! Remember me! I was one of Jesus's disciples, and... No, I was. Look, there I am in the picture. What do you mean you've never heard of me?"
What I want to know is where the hell do you find time to read about hell? I'm having a hell of a time just keeping up with the end-of-year festivities of paper-grading and evaluation-evaluating.
Looking forward to the Rock Show in two days to give my poor brain a rest.
I am struggling with the teen in my house right this second, too. I want to be a teenager!
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