Before taking Greek Mythology and now Religious Approaches to Death, I had always felt myth was a tall tale or fable. Now I have a much better understanding of the deeper implications that myths have for those who believe in them. I like the definition of myths as “Sacred Stories” that teach believers important life lessons or tell them about their ancestry.  Christianity gets most of its myths from the stories and narratives found in the Bible.

This we week we spent some time learning about the early beginnings of Christianity. One of the narratives we talked about was the “Original Sin” in which Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s orders and ate from the tree of knowledge. Interestingly, the deceiver in the garden was a serpent, like the snake who stole Gilgamesh’s plant of eternal life. The story of the original sin gives Christians a way to trace back life to the beginning of time.  While some say the myth of the Garden of Eden cannot be real, for the Christians, this narrative gives them a reason to search for salvation. Because of this original sin, Christians believe that every human is damned and unable to spend eternal life in Heaven. Because of this, there is a need for a savior, or Messiah, which is where the myth of Jesus comes in.

In the Bible there is various narratives given of Jesus’ life on earth from the Gospels. These stories give Christians a look into the life of their Messiah and help them understand what living a holy life looks like. The many lessons and sermons Jesus gives are still taught by religious leaders today.  This is how I have come to learn that myths are so much more than made up stories. Some people revolve their entire lives around the narratives found in the Bible. 

Gilgamesh and the Snake

Adam, Eve, and the Snake