Lesson 4: The Matrix II: Zion, Trinity, and Christ
In this second look at The Matrix, we'll look at the concept of Zion in the film and in the Bible and examine some of the symbols, themes, and characters that really don't work in a Christian parallel. Finally, we'll look at the idea of a savior who's not sure if he is – or if he wants to be – a savior.
“Morpheus says he is the One:” Names from the Bible
Morpheus
The name Morpheus comes from the Greek god that guards and gives out dreams. He gives out both deceptive dreams and meaningful dreams that hold revelations. The choice of this name seems clear in the The Matrix (I) when Morpheus offers Neo the choice of the two pills. One pill will keep Neo in the “dreamworld” of the Matrix – a world that Neo describes as “that feeling when you’re awake but still dreaming.” The other pill, of course, will wake him from this artificial world. Morpheus’ last words in the trilogy refer to a dreamlike state as well: “I imagined this moment for so long. Is this real?”
Dreams, of course, play an integral part in scripture. It is often in dreams when God delivers messages, even to his enemies. Think of the angels who come to Mary and Joseph to tell them of Jesus’ arrival. (Mt 18-25, Mt 2:13-16) Joseph (the one with the fancy coat) was promoted high into Egyptian government because of his power to interpret dreams (Genesis 41, 42).
Ironically, Morpheus the god lives in the underworld Hades – it is considered a sort of Greek hell, but it is also the only place where a Greek could go after death. The majority of the dead sort of wander around aimlessly in the Acheron region; others go to a more heavenly suburb of Hades called Elysium.
This may give us a clue to the question we asked in the last section: Why is Zion underground and dark? Morpheus The Matrix character, like Morpheus the Greek god, both live underground. It is a dark place for both of them. It is also a place where people remain trapped. (Remember Orpheus, Aeneas and Gilgamesh all go down to help someone escape). All the people in The Matrix’s Zion are imprisoned in the underworld by the machines. Both need to be freed. The human community in The Matrix's Zion, just like the Greeks wandering around Hades, will not be truly liberated until they are brought out of the underworld.
We introduce another Christian story that is told by the Church Fathers. The story is that Jesus did a multi-hell tour while he was in the tomb for three days. Jesus not only went to Sheol to free the Jewish Patriarchs (Abraham and friends), he also went to Greek Hades to free humankind there as well. The Early Christians were certainly aware of Greek stories of Hades (many of them were Greeks.) In Revelation, Jesus states that he has the “keys of Death and of Hades” for just this purpose: to free humankind (Rev. 1:18) from Greek hell.
Just as Jesus freed Morpheus and all the other greeks from Hades, so we have Neo's apparent death which frees Morpheus and the rest of humanity that has been trapped underground.
As far as Morpheus and his relation to the Jesus story, the character might be seen to represent Christ’s cousin, John the Baptist. John the Baptist announced the coming of Jesus and, in fact, baptized him. Upon baptism, God identified Jesus as his son (Mt 3:13-17, Mk 1:9-11, Lk 3:21-22, Jn 1:29-34).
Morpheus actually baptizes Neo into his new identity. Think of the scene when Neo is first freed from the Matrix at the beginning of the first movie. Neo is actually dumped into water, where Morpheus then lifts him up. The image of a child being lifted up from a baptismal bath (rather roughly perhaps) is brought to mind.
John the Baptist is a herald for Jesus just as Morpheus is a herald for Neo. Read Campbell's section on the herald and see where Morpheus fits into the archetype and where he doesn't. (Campbell, 49 - 58) Read the next section as well on the "Refusal of the Call" and see how it parallels Neo's own fear of "the call" in the first Matrix movie. (59-68)
The Blind Messiah
In opposition to the discussion in the LOTR lessons, Neo’s physical imparity, his blindness, in The Matrix Revolutions actually symbolizes a higher spiritual self. His blindness demonstrates that he has left the reality that is available through his sense completely and is now reliant on his “mind’s eyes.” (Think about Luke Skywalker fooling around with his saber for the first time. Obi-wan puts a helmet on him that blinds him and he has to sense the training probe on a higher level.) Neo is now at such a spiritual level that he sees only the spiritual reality.
Shamans in some cultures are chosen because of psychological or physical abnormalities, like being blind. Other shamans return from their vision or spirit quests transformed in some way. Sometimes they return with tattoos or with some disfigurement. Sometimes they return blind.
Seraph
A seraph (or seref) is an angel, of course, and considered the closest angel to God. The Church Fathers believed that there were four seraphs that looked in the four directions around the throne of God. These seraphim are the angels of love, light, and fire and it is from their ranks that Satan came. Isaiah witnesses them in Isaiah 6 when he sees the Lord on the throne.
The character Seraph is so named, probably, because he is the closest to the Oracle. He has the keys to get close to her and everyone must go through him in order to see her. So it is with the seraph of God.
Trinity
Then, of course, there’s Trinity. Trinity is, of course, a word that reverberates strongly in Christianity, meaning the Holy Trinity: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Trinity, the Matrix character, doesn’t seem to have any traits which resemble a Godhead with three aspects.
However, some have said that the Morpheus, Neo, and Trinity trio represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But the romantic love relationship between Neo and Trinity seems to blow that theory. As well, some say that Trinity represents a Mary Magdalene character. This, of course, all depends on what kind of character the original Mary Magdalene was and what her relationship to Jesus was. There is a theory, backed by solid scholarship, that posits that Mary Magdalene was a leader of the early church and one of his early disciples. Even if this is so, there still is not much of a parallel between her and Trinity.
Read Campbell, 342 - 345, "Hero as Lover,'" for ideas as to Trinity's archetypal aspects.
Perhaps the writers of the film, like the Greek god Morpheus, are simply sending us one of the "superficial dreams;" a dream full of metaphor and symbol that actually means nothing or misleads.
In other words, maybe Trinity is just a cool hacker name. What do you think?
Nebuchaneezer
The Nebuchaneezer may be another name like Trinity: a cool name to call a ship. Historically, Nebuchneezer was one of the most powerful of the Babylonian kings. He was responsible for destroying Jerusalem (Zion) and the Temple and putting the Israelites into slavery. Needless to say, he is not very well liked in the Hebrew Bible.
What that name has to do with a good-guy’s ship, I’m not sure. What do you say?
