{"id":80720,"date":"2020-10-05T04:55:31","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T08:55:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/?p=80720"},"modified":"2020-10-04T21:42:38","modified_gmt":"2020-10-05T01:42:38","slug":"the-gospels-meet-science-fiction-time-travel-historical-fiction-and-alternative-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2020\/10\/the-gospels-meet-science-fiction-time-travel-historical-fiction-and-alternative-history.html","title":{"rendered":"The Gospels Meet Science Fiction: Time Travel, Historical Fiction, and Alternative History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I am writing this reflection for the benefit of students in Prof. Maria Doerfler\u2019s seminar on religion and science fiction at Yale, where I will be making a guest appearance, but am also sharing it here since I think it will be of interest to blog readers as well. The theme for the day provides a fantastic opportunity to explore the points of intersection and overlap among a number of interests of mine, which are more directly related that I think some people realize.<\/p>\n

There has been a lot of historical fiction created around the story of Jesus. Some of it is quite ancient, and indeed some of it is found within the New Testament itself. What is the genre of the Matthean infancy narrative, for instance? Historical fiction, or fantasy? I had someone ask me in a blog comment once whether anyone had explored the possibility that the Magi were historical figures, but were spies sent from Parthia to stir up trouble in Herod\u2019s kingdom. My response was that no one had done so to my knowledge, but it was a great idea for a story! I\u2019ve written it but have yet to publish it. Is it alternative history, or merely historical fiction? It isn\u2019t science fiction, but the same cannot be said for Chris DeBurgh\u2019s song \u201cA Spaceman Came Traveling\u201d:<\/p>\n

<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>It is Christmas with science fiction (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AtqK4CNwqzs\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">emulated more than a decade later by Keith Emerson on his Christmas album<\/a>). DeBurgh\u2019s introduction of a space traveler into the infancy story might seem like not only science fiction but historical revisionism. Yet a spaceship could hover over a house and point it out, whereas a literal star could not do that, appearing to be directly overhead to such a wide stretch of our planet that even the brief error of the Magi in The Life of Brian brings them implausibly closer to the right place than any star could. Angels were among the celestial beings thought to populate the celestial realms where now we locate planets, and so inserting aliens into stories that feature aliens is not as far of a stretch as might first appear to be the case.<\/p>\n<p>Doctor Who provides a brief throwaway comment about the first Christmas as well as the original Easter, which are interesting for the contrast between them:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Doctor Who: The Doctor and the Original Christmas and Easter\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5T9VaEQAUUU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In the one instance, the story happens as per the traditional version, and the Doctor\u2019s presence contributes to causing it to unfold that way as he \u201cgot the last room.\u201d From a scholar\u2019s perspective, the inn is a misunderstanding since mangers were to be found in households, and so Doctor Who is closer to the commonly-told Christmas story than is what academics interested in the cultural and historical context understand the story to indicate. Moreover, from a historian\u2019s perspective, Luke\u2019s infancy story with its manger and angels is at best not the kind of story historians can comment on, and in the judgment of some inherently more likely to be symbolic and fictional in character. In science fiction, time travelers and space explorers sometimes encounter real beings that correspond to humanity\u2019s gods\u2013whether Apollo on Star Trek or the multitude featured in Stargate. That literalism (even if often accompanied with the insistence that the beings in question are \u201cnot gods\u201d) is not something one would find in any modern department of ancient history or Classics.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-82222 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/719\/2020\/10\/Doctor-Who-resurrection.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"321\" height=\"562\">In the other Doctor Who reference, to Easter, the approach may sound more overtly revisionist: \u201cwhat really happened is\u2026\u201d Yet competing suggestions (that Jesus was raised by God, that the disciples went to the wrong tomb, that the disciples stole the body, that the Romans threw the body to the dogs, and the list goes on) are to be found throughout ancient literature and modern explorations that claim to be either history or fiction. The division between those two categories is blurry, and approaching the story of Jesus through the lens of science fiction allows that to come into sharper focus.<\/p>\n<p>In \u201cLet\u2019s Go To Golgotha\u201d Garry Kilworth focuses in on a puzzling element of the passion narrative for historians. There is no plausible reason why crowds of ancient Jews would have actively sought the death of one of their own at the hands of Roman authority. That the culprits were time travelers acting out the script they were given may be far fetched, but so is the story in the Gospels. Many people who think about both time travel and Christianity would go to visit a few days later, waiting outside a particular tomb to see if anything interesting happens. <a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1H428rFoic7AfKet9HmzPEziiiVL8r-s9\/view?usp=sharing.\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">My own short story \u201cCertainty\u201d<\/a> is about that scenario, and it was inspired by a thought experiment that was presented to me by an atheist who entered into a conversation with me on my blog. He asked me, if I had a time and space machine and could go any time and any place, what could I potentially see that could shake my faith. The thought experiment is a useful one, as it gets at the question of the falsifiability or otherwise of our beliefs\u2013one of the things that drives not only historical investigation but also at times historical revisionism.<\/p>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/apex-magazine.com\/jesus-christ-reanimator\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Ken MacLeod\u2019s \u201cJesus Christ, Reanimator,\u201d<\/a> the setting is the future, but without time travel to the past. The Book of Revelation is also widely viewed as being about the future, the \u201csecond coming,\u201d even if some parts that may have envisaged the author\u2019s future in the context of the Roman Empire scarcely transfer well to being about something that is still future to us. The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/36KkSWf\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Left Behind<\/em><\/a> series is categorized by Amazon as science fiction. This gives us a chance to think about how stories about the future should be understood, as categories of satire, speculation, apocalyptic, prophecy, and sci-fi overlap and intersect. Ray Bradbury\u2019s \u201cThe Man\u201d and \u201cThe Messiah\u201d both provide other encounters with someone who might or might not be the elusive figure of Christ in a future context.<\/p>\n<p>A story like <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/36xV0fO\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Gore Vidal\u2019s\u00a0<em>Live from Golgotha<\/em><\/a>, when added alongside these others, raises questions about its genre. Is it historical fiction, satirical spoof, a science fiction time travel tale, revisionism\/alternative history, a little of each, or sometimes one or the other?\u00a0How do science fiction, historical fiction, and works that could be either or both help us to think about the nature of history and historical investigation, the role of storytelling and creativity in thinking about and reconstructing the past, and other important topics that are relevant to us all (and not just to those who are fans of sci-fi and\/or Christian literature)?<\/p>\n<p>Of related interest for blog readers, here are some links related to historical fiction that may also be of interest, including mentions of several recent works of historical fiction by scholars of the New Testament that I hope to read and blog about in the near future. But first, let me mention that there is a <a href=\"https:\/\/relcfp.com\/post\/627482154701668352\/historical-fictions-research-network-2021\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Historical Fictions Research Network<\/a>\u00a0that has issued <a href=\"https:\/\/relcfp.com\/post\/627376460073746432\/historical-fictions-research-network-2021\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">a call for papers<\/a>.\u00a0Let me also direct attention to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/steveawiggins.com\/2020\/08\/15\/fiction\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Steve Wiggins\u2019 post on the blurriness of the distinction between fiction and nonfiction<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>On history and storytelling:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/thewayofimprovement.com\/2020\/07\/29\/ed-ayers-the-past-cant-be-reduced-to-static-variables-and-predictable-outcomes\/<\/p>\n<p>I am looking forward to reading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oleantimesherald.com\/lifestyle\/sbu-professor-publishes-two-historical-novels\/article_630c18b4-35ce-5d35-96ca-97523ea3804b.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Chris Stanley\u2019s novels set in New Testament times<\/a>. Stanley is a professor at St. Bonaventure.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"RXZDaWi1Db\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/euangelion\/2020\/08\/exciting-new-novels-set-in-the-new-testament-world\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">Exciting New Novels set in the New Testament World<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cExciting New Novels set in the New Testament World\u201d \u2014 Euangelion\" src=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/euangelion\/2020\/08\/exciting-new-novels-set-in-the-new-testament-world\/embed\/#?secret=5YwVr8MMCM#?secret=RXZDaWi1Db\" data-secret=\"RXZDaWi1Db\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"eIlv7c04EI\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/readingacts.com\/2020\/06\/09\/book-review-david-desilva-a-week-in-the-life-of-ephesus\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Book Review: David deSilva, A Week in the Life of Ephesus<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cBook Review: David deSilva, A Week in the Life of Ephesus\u201d \u2014 Reading Acts\" src=\"https:\/\/readingacts.com\/2020\/06\/09\/book-review-david-desilva-a-week-in-the-life-of-ephesus\/embed\/#?secret=1ybJbJgxdj#?secret=eIlv7c04EI\" data-secret=\"eIlv7c04EI\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"z8jG2uHQap\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/bibleandculture\/2020\/06\/30\/a-week-in-the-life-of-ephesus\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">A Week in the Life of Ephesus<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cA Week in the Life of Ephesus\u201d \u2014 The Bible and Culture\" src=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/bibleandculture\/2020\/06\/30\/a-week-in-the-life-of-ephesus\/embed\/#?secret=uff4sr0BGs#?secret=z8jG2uHQap\" data-secret=\"z8jG2uHQap\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/ehrmanblog.org\/relevant-publications-by-blog-members-7-9-20\/<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"tTxdoQ7p1J\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/bibleandculture\/2020\/08\/01\/lindsey-davis-the-grove-of-the-caesars\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">Lindsey Davis\u2019 The Grove of the Caesars<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cLindsey Davis\u2019 The Grove of the Caesars\u201d \u2014 The Bible and Culture\" src=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/bibleandculture\/2020\/08\/01\/lindsey-davis-the-grove-of-the-caesars\/embed\/#?secret=3bjYeCT0pJ#?secret=tTxdoQ7p1J\" data-secret=\"tTxdoQ7p1J\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>http:\/\/www.wilgafney.com\/2020\/07\/26\/priscilla-pastor-preacher-apostle\/<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"QXPgvyV5Lx\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/bibleandculture\/2020\/08\/27\/paul-of-arabia\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">Paul of Arabia!<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cPaul of Arabia!\u201d \u2014 The Bible and Culture\" src=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/bibleandculture\/2020\/08\/27\/paul-of-arabia\/embed\/#?secret=sr5JsCSbXc#?secret=QXPgvyV5Lx\" data-secret=\"QXPgvyV5Lx\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I am writing this reflection for the benefit of students in Prof. Maria Doerfler\u2019s seminar on religion and science fiction at Yale, where I will be making a guest appearance, but am also sharing it here since I think it will be of interest to blog readers as well. The theme for the day provides […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":36774,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[133,39,40,86],"tags":[2765,4650,4660,16889,10890],"class_list":["post-80720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-doctor-who-science-fiction","category-historical-jesus","category-history","category-science-fiction","tag-doctor-who","tag-historical-fiction","tag-history","tag-maria-doerfler","tag-science-fiction"],"yoast_head":"\n<title>The Gospels Meet Science Fiction: Time Travel, Historical Fiction, and Alternative History<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I am writing this reflection for the benefit of students in Prof. Maria Doerfler's seminar on religion and science fiction at Yale, where I will be making\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2020\/10\/the-gospels-meet-science-fiction-time-travel-historical-fiction-and-alternative-history.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Gospels Meet Science Fiction: Time Travel, Historical Fiction, and Alternative History\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I am writing this reflection for the benefit of students in Prof. Maria Doerfler's seminar on religion and science fiction at Yale, where I will be making\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2020\/10\/the-gospels-meet-science-fiction-time-travel-historical-fiction-and-alternative-history.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Religion Prof: The Blog of James F. 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Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. BD University of London, PhD Durham University. Author of John's Apologetic Christology, The Only True God, Theology and Science Fiction, and The Burial of Jesus, as well as (with Charles Haberl of Rutgers University) the two-volume Mandaean Book of John critical edition, translation, and commentary. 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