by Derek Murphy
Holyblasphemy Press, $14.99, 492 pages
As an exercise in a Modern Lit class, I created a presentation on how I thought the Harry Potter saga would end. From reading Joseph Campbell’s Hero With a Thousand Faces, I got almost all of it correct. Not to brag, but I predicted everything except for Voldemort killing Snape — I figured Harry would have done it himself. Ok, maybe just a little bragging…
Jesus Potter Harry Christ is an ambitious and scholarly work that traces the philosophical underpinnings of Christian theology, and then explains it, using the the god-hero narrative structure. Harry Potter isn’t the focus of the book, merely a prop, a handy example of how the symbolism has been used over time. This is NOT a rehashing of Campbell’s work, but an attempt to delve deeper into the mysteries of Christian faith. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you know the difference between the Arian Heresy, and Gnosticism, you will leave with a better understanding of what Christianity means.
Reviewed by Brad Wright