Editing Christian mythology (section)

==Attitudes==
{{See also|Religion and mythology}}
Christian theologian and professor of [[New Testament]], [[Rudolf Bultmann]] wrote that:<ref>{{cite book |title=KERYGMA AND MYTH by Rudolf Bultmann and Five Critics edited by Hans Werner Bartsch |last=Bultmann |first=Rudolf |year=2005 |publisher=Harper & Row |url=https://www.religion-online.org/book-chapter/the-mythological-element-in-the-message-of-the-new-testament-and-the-problem-of-its-re-interpretation-part-i/ |page=21}}</ref>
<blockquote>
The cosmology of the New Testament is essentially [[myth]]ical in character. The world is viewed as a three storied structure, with the earth in the center, the heaven above, and the underworld beneath. Heaven is the abode of God and of celestial beings – the angels. The underworld is hell, the place of torment. Even the earth is more than the scene of natural, everyday events, of the trivial round and common task. It is the scene of the supernatural activity of God and his angels on the one hand, and of Satan and his demons on the other. These supernatural forces intervene in the course of nature and in all that men think and will and do. Miracles are by no means rare. Man is not in control of his own life. Evil spirits may take possession of him. Satan may inspire him with evil thoughts. Alternatively, God may inspire his thought and guide his purposes. He may grant him heavenly visions. He may allow him to hear his word of succor or demand. He may give him the supernatural power of his Spirit. History does not follow a smooth unbroken course; it is set in motion and controlled by these supernatural powers. This æon is held in bondage by Satan, sin, and death (for "powers" is precisely what they are), and hastens towards its end. That end will come very soon, and will take the form of a cosmic catastrophe. It will be inaugurated by the "woes" of the last time. Then the Judge will come from heaven, the dead will rise, the last judgment will take place, and men will enter into eternal salvation or damnation.
</blockquote>

===Myths as traditional or sacred stories===
[[File:Saint brendan german manuscript.jpg|thumb|Saint Brendan's voyage, from a German manuscript]]
In its broadest academic sense, the word ''myth'' simply means a traditional story. However, many scholars restrict the term "myth" to sacred stories.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~mmagouli/defmyth.htm#SACRED |title=What is a Myth? |access-date=2007-06-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807181158/http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~mmagouli/defmyth.htm#SACRED |archive-date=2007-08-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Folklorists]] often go further, defining myths as "tales believed as true, usually sacred, set in the distant past or other worlds or parts of the world, and with extra-human, inhuman, or heroic characters".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~mmagouli/defmyth.htm#DEFINING%20MYTH |title=Defining myth |access-date=2007-06-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807181158/http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~mmagouli/defmyth.htm#DEFINING%20MYTH |archive-date=2007-08-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In [[Ancient Greek language|classical Greek]], ''muthos'', from which the English word ''myth'' derives, meant "story, narrative." By the time of Christ, ''muthos'' had started to take on the connotations of "fable, fiction,"<ref>Eliade, Myth and Reality (1968), p. 162</ref> and early Christian writers often avoided calling a story from canonical scripture a "[[myth]]".<ref>Sullivan</ref> [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] warned [[Saint Timothy|Timothy]] to have nothing to do with "godless and silly myths" (''bebēthous kai graōdeis muthous)''.<ref>{{bibleverse|1|Timothy|4:7}} (τοὺς δὲ βεβήλους καὶ γραώδεις μύθους παραιτοῦ).</ref> This negative meaning of "myth" passed into popular usage.<ref>Eliade, ''Myths, Dreams and Mysteries'', pp. 23</ref> Some modern Christian scholars and writers have attempted to rehabilitate the term "myth" outside academia, describing stories in canonical scripture (especially the Christ story) as "true myth"; examples include [[C. S. Lewis]] and [[Andrew Greeley]].<ref group="n">C. S. Lewis used the expression "true myth" to describe the story of Jesus Christ: "The story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us in the same way as the others, but with this tremendous difference that it really happened: and one must be content to accept it in the same way, remembering that it is God's myth where the others are men's myths" (C. S. Lewis, in Brown). Andrew Greeley stated: "Many Christians have objected to my use of this word [myth] even when I define it specifically. They are terrified by a word which may even have a slight suggestion of fantasy. However, my usage is the one that is common among historians of religion, literary critics, and social scientists. It is a valuable and helpful usage; there is no other word which conveys what these scholarly traditions mean when they refer to myth. The Christian would be well advised to get over his fear of the word and appreciate how important a tool it can be for understanding the content of his faith" (Greeley, ''Myths of Religion'', in: Bierlein, 1994, 304–305).</ref> Several modern Christian writers, such as [[C. S. Lewis]], have described elements of Christianity, particularly the story of Christ, as "myth" which is also "true" ("true myth").<ref>Sammons 231</ref><ref>Dorrien 236 and throughout</ref><ref>Lazo 210</ref> Others object to associating Christianity with "myth" for a variety of reasons: the association of the term "myth" with polytheism,<ref name="henry3">Henry, chapter 3</ref><ref name="greidanus23"/><ref name="tyndale">Tyndale House Publishers 9</ref> the use of the term "myth" to indicate falsehood or non-historicity,<ref name="henry3"/><ref name="greidanus23"/><ref>Nwachukwu 47</ref><ref>Holman Bible Publishers 896</ref><ref name="hamilton56-57">Hamilton 56–57</ref> and the lack of an agreed-upon definition of "myth".<ref name="henry3"/><ref name="greidanus23">Greidanus 23</ref><ref name="hamilton56-57"/> As examples of Biblical myths, Every cites the [[Genesis creation narrative|creation account]] in Genesis 1 and 2 and the [[Fall of man|story of Eve's temptation]].<ref name="every22">Every 22</ref>

Christian tradition contains many stories that do not come from [[Biblical canon|canonical Christian texts]] yet still illustrate [[Christianity|Christian]] themes. These non-canonical Christian myths include legends, folktales, and elaborations on canonical Christian mythology. Christian tradition has produced a rich body of legends that were never incorporated into the official scriptures. Legends were a staple of medieval literature.<ref>Guerber, p. 2</ref> Examples include [[hagiography|hagiographies]] such as the stories of [[Saint George]] or [[Saint Valentine]]. A case in point is the historical and canonized [[Brendan the Navigator|Brendan of Clonfort]], a 6th-century Irish churchman and founder of abbeys. Round his authentic figure was woven a tissue that is arguably [[legend]]ary rather than historical: the ''Navigatio'' or "Journey of Brendan". The legend discusses mythic events in the sense of supernatural encounters. In this narrative, Brendan and his shipmates encounter sea monsters, a [[paradise|paradisal island]] and a floating ice island and a rock island inhabited by a holy hermit: literal-minded devotés still seek to identify "Brendan's islands" in actual geography.  This voyage was recreated by [[Tim Severin]], suggesting that [[whale]]s, [[iceberg]]s and [[Rockall]] were encountered.<ref>{{cite book |last=Severin |first=Timothy |author-link=Tim Severin |title=The Brendan Voyage |date=April 1982 |publisher=McGraw-Hill |isbn=0070563357 |url=https://archive.org/details/brendanvoyage00seve }}</ref>

Folktales form a major part of non-canonical Christian tradition. Folklorists define folktales (in contrast to "true" myths) as stories that are considered purely fictitious by their tellers and that often lack a specific setting in space or time.<ref name = "moo">Segal, p. 5; Zong In-Sob, p. xxi; Welker</ref> Christian-themed folktales have circulated widely among peasant populations. One widespread folktale genre is that of the Penitent Sinner (classified as Type 756A, B, C, in the [[Aarne-Thompson classification system|Aarne-Thompson index of tale types]]); another popular group of folktales describe a clever mortal who outwits the Devil.<ref>Degh, p. 67</ref> Not all scholars accept the folkloristic convention of applying the terms "myth" and "folktale" to different categories of traditional narrative.<ref name = "tsrltb">Segal, p. 5</ref>

Christian tradition produced many popular stories elaborating on canonical scripture. According to an English folk belief, certain herbs gained their current healing power from having been used to heal [[Christ]]'s wounds on [[Mount Calvary]]. In this case, a non-canonical story has a connection to a non-narrative form of [[folklore]] — namely, [[folk medicine]].<ref>Eliade, ''Cosmos and History'', pp. 30–31</ref> [[Arthurian legend]] contains many elaborations upon canonical mythology. For example, [[Sir Balin]] discovers the [[Lance of Longinus]], which had pierced the side of Christ.<ref>Thomas Malory, ''Le Morte d'Arthur'' 2:16</ref> According to a tradition widely attested in early Christian writings, [[Adam]]'s skull lay buried at Calvary; when Christ was crucified, his blood fell over Adam's skull, symbolizing humanity's redemption from Adam's sin.<ref>Eliade, ''Patterns in Comparative Religion'', p. 375; Wilson, pp. 159–66</ref>