Apocalypse Now?
'In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.' The concluding words of the book of Judges depict a period of lawlessness in Israel's history. It was a time when God saw fit to discipline Israel's waywardness in worshipping idols by allowing them to be overrun by their enemies.
Yet when they cried out against their oppression, God responded by raising up judges - leaders who, often by violent means, brought freedom to Israel. And that's not a million miles away from the plot line of recent post-apocalyptic blockbuster, The Book of Eli.
In the film, Denzel Washington plays the Eli of the title - a lone pilgrim wandering the wasteland of a post-nuclear devastation America. Like the judges, Samson in particular, Eli seems to be endowed with supernatural fighting abilities and protected by a divine aura; which comes in handy as there are plenty of lawless folk who would seek to deprive him of one of his few remaining possessions, and the reason for his pilgrimage: the last remaining Bible in existence. Precious cargo indeed.
Intriguingly, at a time when social structures have broken down, the story develops into a tug-of-war between two men for possession of the good book. Why? So that it's teaching can be used to restore order.
Eli seeks to use its wisdom to establish a new era of shalom; but his nemesis, Carnegie (a deliberate reference to the founder of many of America's public libraries), one of the few literate men left, recognizes its potential, as many have, as a tool not for enlightenment but to harness people's wills through the generation of fear.
Their differing ambitions mark out contrasting worldviews. Carnegie believes that a human-made catastrophe can only be righted by humans, using whatever means at their disposal - including the good book. Eli's view is more akin to a biblical perspective on the apocalypse, not ultimately as a time of lawlessness but a time of judgment and salvation, where God and only God will once again speak order into chaos.
Although not destined to garner any Oscars, The Book of Eli provides reflection on a theme contained not just within Judges but throughout the biblical narrative: that, ultimately, social and relational harmony only comes about through the sovereignty and wisdom of God's good rule.
For Eli this is a truth he's prepared to both live and die for, I wonder if the same could be said of us?
Jason Gardner
Links
To read the reflections of a psychologist on post-apocalyptic cinema as the expression of a collective death wish, click here
To read some reviews of the excellent film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic drama, The Road, click here
There is not, and never has been, such a thing as 'a biblical perspective'. There is simply your favourite parts of the Bible and your way of harmonising them with the other parts.
Date:
2010-01-29 13:03:15
Author:
David Young