There are so many texts for us to choose from when we are seeking inspiration, education, transformation, companionship and guidance. Many of the texts we read for such purposes have already been chosen for us, whether they be found in the canon of western literature or some other time-honored category, such as the canon of eastern literature (surely such a thing exists).
Our chosen texts have been written, edited, compiled, published, copied, distributed, used and valued; sometimes they have also been translated, re-edited and redacted by subsequent generations. And they have been either formally or informally canonized, stamped as integral to the definitive makeup of a society, culture, religion or tradition. The Bible is the most prominent example of this.
This summer I volunteered to lead a Bible study for our church, a church which aspires greatly to engage the surrounding culture concerning matters of faith, spirituality and social justice. One of the reasons for this Bible study has been to invite others from the community (who may or may not be Christian) to be involved in meaningful open discussions about theological and spiritual issues.
I chose the Gospel of Mark as the focus of our study, because I had been wanting to read about and discuss with others the ministry and teachings of Jesus and what they could mean for those of us who are ambivalent about our faith identity. Then I thought that it may be fair also to let this study involve a text that would represent a more modern voice, critical of religion, and to juxtapose the two.
So, I picked Mark Twain's, No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger. It is set in 1490 in a small mountain village in Austria, cozy in the comforts of Christendom:
"Yes, Austria was far from the world, and asleep, and our village was in the middle of that sleep, being in the middle of Austria. It drowsed in peace in the deep privacy of a hilly and woodsy solitude where news from the world hardly ever came to disturb its dreams, and was infinitely content."There is a castle near the village that houses a printing press, a master and several apprentices. The story is about a mysterious young man who comes up to the castle and tells them simply that his name is "Number 44, New Series 864,962". He is otherwise silent about his origins and is assumed perhaps to have formerly been a prisoner.
But the master lets "No. 44" stay anyway and work for his keep. Although he is not well-liked by the other men, he is befriended by August, the story's narrator and main character. August is intrigued by the mysterious stranger, who privately reveals himself to August to possess supernatural powers. No. 44 ends up discipling August and revealing to him the cosmic truth:
"It is true, that which I have revealed to you: there is no God, no universe, no human race, no earthly life, no heaven, no hell. It is all a Dream, a grotesque and foolish dream. Nothing exists but You. And you are but a Thought wandering forlorn among the empty eternities!"By juxtaposing this overtly anti-religious Mark Twain story with the Gospel of Mark, we are asking ourselves: What place and value do these texts have in our lives? How are they similar? How are they different? They are both part of the canon of western literature; What does it mean for a text to be part of a canon? What claim do both of these texts make on us as westerners and how do they converge in our experience and self-understanding as westerners? What are the limitations of each? And in what sense are they both true?
Juxtaposing these texts has been a fruitful exercise, even if it is twice as much reading as usual. The two texts seem to neutralize each other and to allow a diverse group to seek genuinely together to be enlightened, changed, and enriched.
[Another experiment in juxtaposing texts has been tried in our church: Try reading Stephen Crane's, The Open Boat alongside this Rumi' poem.]
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