Christian symbolism; Lupin & Dumbledore; Hogwarts Security

[Bruce Alan Wilson]

No: HPFGUIDX 149467

Tonks:
"Now I hear you asking 'how can DD not be Jesus and yet be seen as 
Christ?'  My answer to that is that DD is the human who has been 
transformed..  or more specific to the books "transfigured" into the 
image of Christ.  There is a concept in Christianity which is that 
each of us can be transformed into Christ.  Jesus is one thing, 
Christ is another. Some people think that Christ was Jesus' last 
name, but that is not correct.  Jesus was "the Christ".  I don't 
want to get off on a tangent here about Christian theology.  I just 
want to point out that some of us see many, many Christian symbols 
in the HP books.  And I think that the symbols all come together 
more and more as they lead up to the death of DD. "


One of the Greek Fathers wrote of the Incarnation, "God became Man so that Man
might become God."  Now, of course, he didn't mean that in the way that certain
New Agers say 'I am God.'  What he meant was something like this.  Human beings
were created 'in the image and likeness of God'; this image has been marred, but
not obliterated.

Have you ever seen an art restorer working on a painting by an old master, one
that may have been damaged by sunlight, smoke, damp, daubings of less-skilled
artists, botched attempts by unskilled restorers, or even outright vandalism?
How, little by little, the restorer works to bring out what the artist
originally put there?  So the power of the Holy Spirit works to restore the
Image of God in each of us.

What has this to do with Harry Potter?  Harry has been surrounded by Christian
symbols ever since he entered the Wizardling world.  His House's token, the
gryphon, is a symbol of Christ; he was rescued by a Phoenix, another symbol of
Christ; his patronus is a White Stag, another symbol of Christ; one could go on
and on.  Even if a reader is not him/herself a Christian, s/he should have a
nodding acquaintance with Christian theology in order to properly understand the
books.


BetsyHP:
"Lupin is having a rather noticeable breakdown.  Why?  Why Lupin more 
than any other character?  It's like Dumbledore's death is one more 
thing piled on top of an already heavy load.  But what is that heavy 
load?  Does Lupin feel somewhat responsible for Sirius's death?  
Does he feel that he acted too slowly in PoA, or should have acted 
when the Occlumency lessons stopped in OotP?  Or did he have some 
information on Snape that he chose not to share?"


We have seen how the Wizardling World generally treats Werewolves.  Dumbledore
is just about the only major wizard to feel differently; it is only under
Dumbledore's patronage that Lupin has been able to manage in Wizardling society
as well as he has.  Lupin probably feels that, with Dumbledore gone, he has no
place in Wizardling society any longer, and he probably doesn't feel that he'd
be very welcome among Greyback's crew either--so what will he do?

       

G.C./Vic:
"I was just reading the PS/SS again and it struck me that Charlie's 
friends come and take Norbert off the Astronomy tower, so they fly 
into Hogwarts. Another example is Fred and George exiting the school 
on brooms. How are those two things possible if the enchantments are 
encircling the school, or is it just another flint from JKR?"


In HBP, DD put extra protections on the campus.  Those were not in place in
PS/SS.

*Bruce*





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