The Greatest Piece of Literature of All Time May 5, 2006

I just finished reading Bertolt Brecht's play *Mother Courage and Her Children. It is at once funny, sad, and inspiring. Of course, it is meant to embody realism, and if the back of my book is worth quoting, it "is Bertolt Brecht's most passionate and profound statement against war." However, I wanted to post one of the "critical issue" questions asked by my literature professor at PHC, and my thoughts on the subject.

The Bible is also utterly realistic – indeed, more so than any merely human writing can ever be. Yet how is it also utterly different from this deliberately "realistic" play?

The Bible is the greatest piece of literature of all time. Within it is every possible worldview and inspiration for nearly every genre of writing, sci-fi and fantasy included. There is a major difference, however – everything in the Bible either has happened or WILL happen. As the question says, the Bible is starkly realistic. Who doesn't cringe at the account of the rape of Dinah (Genesis 34) or Tamar (2 Sam 13)? The horrible truth is laid out plainly, without minced words yet also without explicit detail. Then think of the things that seem almost non-realistic to us, but are indeed very true and real. What about when King Saul visited the witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28) and she called on her familiar spirit (demon) and saw instead the dead prophet Samuel? What of Ezekial in the valley where the old, dry bones lay, the flesh growing back on them, then the wind coming and sweeping living breath into them again? Then look at the beasts described in Revelation. "Four beasts full of eyes before and behind…like a lion,…like a calf…a face as a man…like a flying eagle…each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within." (Revelation 4:6-8) Just think – and those are the GOOD beasts! Don't forget the locusts that came forth from the smoke of the bottomless pit, and remember that they didn't come after the plants and animals – they came after MEN! Man-eating locusts…no joke. "The shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns of gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpians, and there were stings in their tails…" Besides all these, the Bible is full of poetry as well, and there's some romantic poetry as well! "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. Because of the savor of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love…" (Song of Solomon 1:2-4)

Nothing I've studied over the past couple semesters can even come close to matching the Bible for literary treasure. Yes, I've learned a lot from all the books, but the Bible surpasses them all. I love this quote from the novel Ben-Hur, when Judah Ben-Hur's mother is answering his plea of "Who am I, and what am I to be?" He has been painfully scorned by a old Roman friend, and wants to know if, and if so, why, he is inferior to a Roman. After going through the history of the Jews and of Israel, she says, "In such light as I could, my Judah, I have set our great men before you – patriarchs, legislatros, warriors, singers, prophets. Turn we to the best of Rome. Against Moses place Caesar, and Taruin against David; Sylla against either of the Maccabees; the best of the consuls against the judges; Augustus against Solomon…Finally, O my Judah – if such speech be reverent – how shall we judge Jehovah and Jupiter unless it be by what their servants have done in their names?"

*Some objectional language in the play.