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So last time, if you can remember that far back, we talked about the connection between C.S. Lewis’s idea of myth and truth. Today I want to explore that connection in light of the fact that Christ described himself in the New Testament as “The Way, The Truth, and The Life.” So if Christ is the Truth, then logically there would be a connection to myth.

Christ and Myth?

At first this sounds ridiculous since we know Christ was a historical figure and not a mythical one. However, Lewis’s definition of myth did not allow for such a harsh dichotomy between historical and non-historical. He wanted, instead, to suggest the idea did not carry a necessary historical component at all. It seems, rather, that the connection shows that Christ is ultimate myth. For, since myth is truth communicated within reality, and Christ himself is described as the truth, then Christ is the ultimate communication of truth since he is embedded in reality (as a person, not simply a story). Lewis describes this as myth become fact.

Myth Became Fact

Lewis writes, in his article Myth Became Fact, “The old myth of the Dying God, without ceasing to be myth, comes down from heaven of legend and imagination to the earth of history” (God in the Dock, p. 66. Italics his). While Lewis himself is referring to the stories and events surrounding Christ and the incarnation, I think it goes slightly further to include Christ himself as we have seen above. That is my own logical extension of what Lewis’s idea of myth implies, I’m not sure if Lewis himself would draw the same conclusion.

So, what does this mean?

For one, I think this deepens my understanding of Christ and his place within reality and his connection to it. I think it may also help us gain a deeper understanding of the Bible itself. I’m still thinking through all the implications of this, but I want to know what you think. So, what do you think it means?

This post is part of a series of posts on C.S. Lewis and his idea of Myth

• Part One – C.S. Lewis and Myth
• Part Two – C.S. Lewis, Myth, and Historical Fact
• Part Three – C.S. Lewis, Myth, and Scripture
• Part Four – C.S. Lewis, Myth, and Truth
• Part Five – C.S. Lewis, Myth, and Christ

Books I Directly Used (they go into more depth):