Anakin Skywalker as "Jesus"

Any good star wars fan should know that George Lucas put a lot of references to religions in his epic story. Everyone here probably realizes that the character of Anakin Skywalker is supposed to mirror at least partially that of Jesus Christ.

You start with a prophecy. In the case of Star Wars, there was a prophecy of one who would bring balance to the force. This can be related to old testament prophecies of a messiah. Both Anakin and Jesus were born from virgin mothers.

According to most christian beliefs, Jesus is crucified and resurrected. In those three days before resurrection, it is believed by some that Jesus descended into hell to free the souls of the saints of old. How does this relate to Star Wars? It can be said that Anakin, too, is killed and resurrected. Obi-Wan does say in one of the episodes, "The good man who was your father was destroyed..." (Or something like that.) You can make the argument that the good Anakin Skywalker was killed whenever he pledged himself to the Sith, or you can say that the good Anakin Skywalker died when he was raised up on the operation table as the suited Vader. I like the former, becaue that way, he goes to Mustafar which is like going to hell almost literally. The latter is good, because raising suited Vader up like that was originally supposed to look like he was being crucified. Anyway, the good Anakin dies and descends to a hell of sorts in the body of a machine for three episodes. (Instead of days, get it?) Then, the good Anakin is resurrected when he decides to save his son from the Emperor in episode 6.

All of these things have probably been realized by many Star Wars fans, but I just wanted everyone here to watch Episode 3 and think of Anakin being in hell whenever he's standing on Mustafar. The lava planet is a good description of hell.

 

wow. I dont think i would have thought of that. wow. I am really blown away. I think that u are right about what u said. I could see anni as a jeuse type person.

 

I have been sayin this from the very get go, but no one listens to me. Just whatever you do is tell a Catholic that or a very strong Christian that or you will have a huge fight on your hands.

 

Very good observations, and probably very true ones as well. Also, remember that Sideous is often referred to as the devil. In the bible, the devil tempts Jesus. In SW Sideous tempts Anakin - an allusion to the devil tempting the savior. The difference being that Anakin gave in. And yes, in a way Anakin did die when he became Vader, much like Jesus in a way did die when he was crucified. Neither died, but from a certain POV they did!

There are probably many more allusions to the Christ-Devil relationship, but that's what I came up with now! Good thread!

 

Here's some of my thoughts:

Virgin birth. Jesus was half-god, solely on his virgin birth. So, can we assume that Anakin is half-god, namely, half-Force?

Jesus upturns the tables in the Church. Here is another savior that upsets the Church, saying that they have made the house of God into a den of thieves. Parallels with Anakin's role as to the fate of the Jedi Order, in regard to their actions regarding the will of the Force and their attitudes as to what was acceptable in the Order?

Jesus is rejected by the Jews. Hmmmm? Anakin, anyone? The Jews expected somebody to come and wipe out their enemies and usher in the Jewish version of reality, but that didn't happen. In fact, Jesus died! Imagine what the Jews thought. "WTF?!? No f'n way is that the messiah. Not to mention he doesn't look down on people, doesn't follow the rules, etc., etc. No way is this the Messiah. The Messiah is supposed to be like us, not us like him, dammit!" Also, the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. How could Jesus have been the Messiah if the Jewish nation was shattered? Did the rejection of Anakin lead to the downfall of the Jedi?

Jesus talks to the samaritan woman. Remember Obi-wan in regard to Jar Jar? "Another pathetic life-form?" Do the Jedi have a superiority complex, as the Jews had concerning clean and unclean peoples?

Jesus draws children to him, says that all should be like children. As opposed to the Jedi order and their treatment of children? They don't allow children to be children.

Jesus' role was to destroy sin, but, it also changed the Jewish order of business. When Jesus died, the temple was cracked, and the temple curtain was ripped in two, signifying the end of the priest class. Is there a parallel in Anakin's story and the downfall of the Jedi Order, and the Jedi Council? Anakin's fate was to destroy the Sith, but, was the fall of the Jedi Order necessary to destroy the Sith once and for good? Did the Jedi Order become a breeding ground for Sith and corruption and too dogmatic as it was, and had to change? Is a connection to the Force supposed to be a personal journey as opposed to a dogmatic one?

I'm sure there's more, but I can't think of them. I know that there's a lot of Buddhism type stuff in the Jedi philosophy, but this Chosen One Prophecy is straight out of OT, baby. Judgment, murder, messiahs, on and on.

 

Good parallels all of them... GL most certainly "borrowed" from a number of sources(all good writers do this).

The only part where the tale of Anakin departs from the story of Jesus is that before dying,Jesus was without sin and thus his death is a sacrifice of righteous(divine)blood which was the reason that his sacrifice was even more poignant.

Anakin murders and betrays his fellow Jedi as well as going on to subjugate/kill and maim others before his redemption(which is where he falls back into line with the 'messiah' aspect of his character).

Jesus was raised up three days later and no longer held the physical body he had previously had,so that part is also a good parallel as Anakin really did not have the same body as a saviour in ROTJ when destroying the Sith.

Interestingly Jesus criticised the Pharisees(jewish religious leaders)of making the law of Moses invalid on account of their inflexible adherence to traditions that were neither practical nor freeing of burden to the people they administered over.

Anakin(as well as Qui Gon Jinn) were more free thinking in applying use of the force and yet received criticism from the Jedi Council and were also restricted in their involvement in the order.

This in part owing to the fact that they indeed were afraid of Anakins' ability and power that they could see would be overwhelming and uncontrollable.

This same fear gripped the Pharisees as they saw Jesus and all he preached as a threat to their control over the people as spiritual leaders.

Palpatine properly quoted that those that have power do not freely let go of that power and this is borne out through the jedi with their dealings with Anakin and also later Palpatine himself to was unseated from his power.

Anakin of course is a saviour figure with many overtones from biblical references but also the saga uses many other religions as well to deepen the story.

 

The only part where the tale of Anakin departs from the story of Jesus is that before dying,Jesus was without sin and thus his death is a sacrifice of righteous(divine)blood which was the reason that his sacrifice was even more poignant.

It is different, but still somewhat the same. Jesus redeemed the people of the Earth. Anakin redeemed himself while dying. But yes, Anakin is the saviour who fell. He was the bringer of peace and balance, but became evil himself! Actually you can also draw a parallell to Aragorn - even the names sound similar. Aragorn was also tempted by the dark lord - but he, as Jesus, managed to stay on his path. Ultimately, Anakin was weak!

 

Of course, I wasn't trying to say Jesus was a bad person or anything. Everyone knows that Anakin's character does turn evil and does do evil things, while Jesus never did anything evil.

 

But I don't even believe in Jebus!

 

it's a story, it's mythology, SW is mythology as well, a rehashed version of it, but it doesn't matter if you believe in jesus to argue that anakin was modeled after him.

 

Theres definetely messianic conotations with Anakin but thats not a direct nod to Jesus by a long shot. Not many characters in books and movies that have messianic symbolism are supposed to be a direct nod to Christ because Christ was supposed to be perfect in every facet and I would imagine it would be quite a challenge to create a person like that for the purpose of entertainment and the story NOT be anti-climactic. Not that thats a bad thing. It doesnt mean the story wouldnt be good, but it would be obvious that its a parrallel of Christ, like " The Matrix " - not so much so in stories like the SW Saga or " One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest ", where the messianic character is flawed.

 

i never had this idea that jesus was perfect, what makes you think this way?

i think the beauty of jesus was that he walked among mortals, whereas the OT () god merely commanded from high up above.

kind of makes me think of the jedi order as the wrathful god and anakin as the mortal and troubled young man who has to understand what is thrust upon him and yet cannot.

because none of us could understand it, i guess.

 

According to the Bible, Jesus was both God and man. And since according to the Bible, God cannot sin, Jesus cannot sin.

I don't want to start a debate, so I am just leaving it as, "according to the Bible".



And yes, these are great observations. I did notice the virgin mother thing, but none of that other stuff. That is pretty interesting. I don't think anyone should be offended by it though. Lucas used many stories from mythology and real life in general to mold what he made Star Wars. That is basically what makes Star Wars such a great thing. He takes familiar stories and puts them together in a new universe.

 

We could also have a thread entitled, "Anakin as Antichrist." If you recall, GL said that Anakin was not the devil, he's the guy that buys the devil's cigarettes, or something like that. Jesus descended into 'hell' to save the saints of old, but that 'hell' cannot be confused with the hell of eternal damnation, otherwise there would be no salvation for these saints. That 'hell' is a 'hades,' the place for the dead. Those who were good could be saved by Christ's redemption of the bond between man and God broken by Adam and inherited by those who also, like Adam, sin against God, no matter how saintly some of them may have become.

Anakin's descent into hell is a descent into evil, into rejecting his destiny as the Chosen One. Jesus did not reject his destiny, whether when he was tempted by Satan before he started his ministry or in Gethsemane when he confessed his fears and doubts. Anakin gives into his fears and doubts. Anakin murders. He accepts the devil's offer to rule the material world with crude power instead of spiritually transfiguring and redeeming the material world. Anakin's suffering is not on the cross, but from his losing his wife, his body, his soul, and his ability to overcome Palps singlehandedly.

Jesus' descent into the netherworld may have involved some suffering. Sin leads to death, he took on the sins of mankind, and God died, but only so man could become God. That is, his taking on death connected him to the humanity that estranged itself from God; his resurrection made possible resurrection for humankind, who then could enjoy the beatific vision forever. Jesus did so by sacrificing himself. Anakin did sacrifice himself, but only in ROTJ when he witnessed his son's willing to sacrifice himself. Then Anakin was redeemed, and transfigured after death in the manner of Kenobi and Yoda, and yes, he freed the galaxy from the Sith. But remember, only these 3 can cheat death, albeit spiritually via selfless love, not materially through self-love, as QG mentioned in the screenplay for ROTS and that unfortunately was not filmed. And as the EU shows, post-Palps GFFA is not perfect. Anakin's redemption begins the healing process for the galaxy that Luke tries to continue. And perhaps in later EU Luke may be able to discover and share this knowledge of how to achieve eternal life. Though eternal life may be something acquired out of compassion, it seems that is individually achieved and not universally possible for everyone who accepts Christ.

GL has done something unique. He turned a Christ-like figure into the Antichrist-like figure into a Christ-like figure. But I do emphasize "-like." No religion has such a mythology.

 

That 'hell' is a 'hades,' the place for the dead.

I'm not a Biblical scholar by any means, but I'd like to point out that the Bible actually refers to a place called both "paradise" and "Abraham's bosom." Those who had kept the covenant made between God and Abraham still could not find eternal salvation without Jesus, and so at various points in the Bible this placed is referenced as the destination in death for those who kept the faith but have to wait for the Messiah before making the move to heaven. I believe that in all the accounts of the Easter story, you won't find a reference to "descending into hell" anywhere, and in fact Jesus says to one of the criminals crucified with him "Today you will be with me in paradise." Even if you believe that "paradise" here refers to heaven, it cuts crosswise to the idea that Jesus went to hell when he died, and in fact could refer to Jesus going to "Abraham's bosom" in order to take the dead Jews there to heaven. Check Luke 16 and 2 Cor 12 for other references to this place. I've never studied this in depth (as it really has not been pertinent for the past 2000 years), and I'd have to dig into the Greek and Hebrew to say more than this, but its certainly a twist on the conventional dogma...

 

Exactly. The Christ-Anakin comparison is totally inconsistent, but in any case where there is a sacrificial death, people will overplay it. Anakin's figurative death in EP 3 relates to Jesus' descent into hell, and his return to the Good Side relates to the Resurrection, but Anakin's literal death in EP 6 relates to Jesus' sacrifice saving the world? Well which is it?

The stronger comparison exists for Luke, who's act of selflessness opens the door for Anakin's redemption in the first place, just as Jesus died to redeem mankind.

Anyways, I actually think the strongest Biblical analogy that exists for Anakin is Samson, as I will shamelessly plug here: http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=22112187&brd=10456&start=22664620

 

This was a Homer quote by the way, lol.

 

whoops! tee hee!

anyway, i think jesus has doubts right, and i think god approaches him with his, uhm, mission and he refuses it, right?

i just cannot for the life of me remember when that happens.

 

I am a Religion graduate student. However, I focus on Zen Buddhism and my understanding of this biblical and theological issue is limited to when I was a Christian years ago. You are right to point out to the above quotes. There could be several reasons for the inconistency. One is that Judaism is not quite as dogmatic as Christianity and thus much more is left to speculation and differing traditions. One Jew could believe in God and reject the belief in the afterlife. Not only do some Jews believe this today, but the Sadduccees believed it in Jesus' time. Other Jews from late antiquity--when Christianity was developing, then became accepted, and then developed dogma around the 7 Councils--accepted reincarnation. Some Jews do believe this today, esp if they are into the kabbalah, notably Ashkenazim Hasids and the Sephardim. Thus, a person can go to hell, be reborn, and eventually work his way up the ladder of reincarnation. In fact, there are Jews who believe a vengeful God who condemns people to be overly anthromorphic and thus reject the idea of hell. The idea of afterlife, in general, is not that important for Judaism as this life and this world are by nature good and a gift from God. That is why an otherworldy messiah was accepted by Judaism--the messiah by his very nature is a political as well as religious leader. When Judaism encountered Greek culture, it was influenced by the notions of an immortal soul and speculation of an afterlife as well as rewards and punishment did develop. Apocalyptic Jews, some who mbecame Christians, developed their beliefs as a way of dealing with persecuation. Romans may cruelly rule the earth now, but later our faith will win out. Nevertheless, many early Christians accepted reincarnation and universal salvation, even for Satan, though this view was condemned as heresy, while in Judaism this view is not heresy as modern Judaism in inconsistent and pluralistic this issue.

So, 'bosom of Abraham' and 'paradise' could be part of the Jewish tradition surviving in the Gospels. And, for the Roman Catholic Church, this becomes 'limbo'--there being a different limbo for the OT saints and good pagans like Aristotle, another limbo for unbaptized deceased babies contra St. Augustine. Orthodox Christianity dogma is more limited in scope than Catholic. Thus, pre-Christ, one's fate was hell, hell being the result of death which is the result of sin. But, with Christ, God became man so man could become God. And just as Jesus can save the OT saints, during the general resurrection it is possible for Jesus to liberate some, and perhaps all from hell, even Satan, though this view is not as strong as in late antiquity Christianity when Origen, who was condemned a heretic, and St. Jerome, who was obviously canonized

 

Some interesting history there, but ^^^this^^^ is the main point where we agree...

 

Yeah, I guess I took a while to get to my main point that tied into the thread's subject. Just wanted to clarify some terms since the "descent into hell" in the Creed is not the same as Satan's abode.

 

Anakin makes me think of Sampson more so than Jesus.

 

Anakin reminds me more of Buddha in his wisdom of the galaxy...he knows everything about his culture and beliefs, yet does what he wants anyway...Buddha or the Dalai Lama would be my interpretation.

 

i think any religious leader would have to shed the wisdom of his elders and move to new ground.

 

Qui-Gon or Yoda come closer to the Buddha, IMHO. The Buddha successfully fought Mara and never gave into the Dark Side.