Introduction and Thesis
The Chronicles of Narnia have long been known to have strong Christian themes. Since C.S. Lewis published The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in 1950 people have noticed parallels and commented on them. All seven books have distinct similarities either to specific Biblical stories or teachings.
C.S Lewis
As an adult convert to Christianity from atheism, the amount of Christian parallels in C.S.Lewis’ books is unsurprising. A great deal of persuasion must have been needed to prove to Lewis the merits of not only Christianity, but of religion in general. He called himself ‘the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England’. He later became a dedicated Anglican and wrote many works, including the Narnia series, either specifically about Christianity or with very strong themes relating to it. The Chronicles have been said by some practising Christians to be evangelistic, preaching in order to convert. However, Lewis often asserted that The Chronicles of Narnia were not originally written with the intent of being based on any form of religion, but rather that that aspect of the books developed by itself.
Aslan
Aslan is one of the most commonly noticed parallels to Christianity in the series. He is a talking lion and the king of Narnia, playing an important role in every book, and is commonly thought to represent Jesus. Throughout the books there are countless resemblances in plot and in personal aspects between them. Commenting on this in a letter written in 1958, Lewis said: ‘he is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question, “What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia, and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours?”’ There are many affinities throughout the book relating to Aslan as the equivalent of Jesus. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in particular is centred around these similarities in a relatively obvious manner (refer to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe subsection). Narnia is in many ways a parallel world to our own. Lewis believed that Christ was the son of God and came to our world in human form. Christ is called ‘The Lion of Judah’ in The Bible. Going off of the Bible’s reference, Lewis simply changed the animal that Jesus’ worldly incarnation took.
The Magician’s Nephew
In part because of the trickery of a certain Digory Kirke’s uncle, he and his friend Polly Plummer end up in the ancient city of Charn. They read a bell and hammer which have the following engraved into them: ‘Make your choice, adventurous Stranger; Strike the bell and bide the danger, Or wonder, till it drives you mad, What would have followed if you had.’ This is the equivalent of what the serpent said to Eve in Eden. She, of course, took the apple (here the ringing of the bell) which Digory also chooses to do. Both these actions lead to the entrance of evil in a previously entirely peaceful world.
Later in the book we encounter Aslan (Jesus, or God) in another world which is in the process of creation. We are told in detail of the creation of Narnia, as we are told in Genesis 1 of the creation of Eden and in extension our world. Aslan is described as singing the world into existence, much like how the earth was apparently spoken into existence. Aslan uses his breath to give life to Narnia and a flash of stars gives animals the ability to talk. Both of these represent the Holy Spirit and ‘the breath of life’ first mentioned in Genesis 2.
Digory is eventually ordered by Aslan to bring an apple from a garden in the forests. He reads there a sign saying: ‘Come in by the gold gates or not at all, Take of my fruit for others or forbear. For those who steal or those who climb my wall Shall find their heart's desire and find despair’ This is a further parallel to Eve and the forbidden fruit. Digory is indeed tempted to eat from these apples. Jadis, the evil that has been released into the world (the serpent in our world, and later the devil) has eaten one of them. She becomes immortal, and tempts Digory to follow in her steps, if not for himself then for his dying mother in England (representing Adam).
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the best known of the Narnia books, and it is for that reason, perhaps, it is seen as one of the ones with the most significance. The theology in it is centred around Aslan’s death and resurrection. Edmund is tempted by the White Witch, Jadis (reminiscent of Judas, Jesus’ traitor), who represents the devil in our world. Edmund falls into this temptation and becomes a traitor and a sinner. Aslan ends up sacrificing himself for the safe return of Edmund. This is a very clear parallel to Jesus’ apparent sacrifice of himself for all of humanity’s sins. Aslan is killed on the Stone Table. Susan and Lucy stay close by when he is being killed, and come to sit next to him once it is done. They represent the three women who stayed with Jesus until the end: Mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Martha. They are also there when Aslan resurrects himself, although they do not see it actually happen, just as Jesus’ three women were the first to find out that Jesus had come back. In both cases when the women were not around/looking, Jesus/Aslan were brought back from the dead, and next they looked at the Stone Table (in Aslan’s case) and the tomb (in Jesus’ case) the previously dead had disappeared.
The Stone Table that Aslan died on was broken after he was resurrected. The Table represents the Old Testament, and its breaking the initiation of the New Testament. When Aslan explains to Jadis what has happened, he tells her that someone who has committed no sin (true for both Aslan and Jesus, and quite important to Jesus’ ministry in particular) and sacrifices themselves will be brought back to life.
Prince Caspian
As Lewis put it, Prince Caspian is about ‘the restoration of the true religion after corruption.’ The ‘true religion’ he refers to is Christianity. When the Pevensie children return to Narnia, they find it in ruins. The magic in the world seems to be leaking away. Cair Paravel, their castle, has been demolished, they are told that the trees have stopped talking, and many of the animals have been turned savage. The corruption can be seen as similar to many of the falls of Christianity throughout time. While Prince Caspian is not designed to represent a single period, rather the idea itself in general, in some parts of the plot it does have an uncanny resemblance to the Roman struggle with Christianity. Narnia has been trumped by the Telmarines, who believe that they are now extinct. Christianity has appeared to be defeated in the past as well, for example after the death of Jesus in the Roman times. However, Christians were never really defeated, just as the Narnians still continued to exist after the war with the Telmarines.
The Telmarine Kingdom is itself corrupted, like the Roman state was throughout its many stages. Prince Caspian meets Narnians after he flees his own castle, and comes to be their leader in the long-awaited battle to earn back their land and sovereignty. One of the ways that Christianity was able to succeed most in Rome was through the politicians that it turned. After significant efforts, Narnia is successful and prospers. Christianity too was ultimately victorious in its own battle against Roman oppressors.
The Horse And His Boy
The protagonist of this book is a boy named Shasta, raised in a fisherman’s home, but really the Prince of Archenland. He bears uncanny resemblance to Moses of the Old Testament. Both Shasta and Moses were sent away from their families as infants and found floating in a body of water. Both had to flee the country where they were raised (Shasta from Calmoren and Moses from Egypt). In the travels they made, water was scarce. Moses was able to bring water out of a rock, with the help of God. Shasta was also aided by a God, Aslan, who brought water of his footprints. They both ended up saving their true people, the people of Archenland and Israel respectively.
Aslan plays the role of the conductor of Divine Providence by keeping Shasta safe throughout his various journeys.
The conversion of a heathen is Shasta’s conversion from his life and views of the world as a Camorene to a Prince and future King of an established and prosperous kingdom.
The Voyage of The Dawn Treader
A large part of the plot in this book is the attempt that the protagonists make to fight against their greatest fears and weaknesses. For example, Lucy wishes to be beautiful like her sister, Susan. Aslan comforts her by saying that she was the first of her siblings to find Narnia, and that she must see her value rather than run away from her identity. It is Christian belief that since God has created every being in the world we are not meant to turn away from our nature. This is the reason why self-beautifying processes, such as plastic surgery are controversial.
Eustace Scrubb, cousin of the Pevensies, accompanies Lucy and Edmund on this adventure. He is the tool that Lewis uses to incorporate Christian theology in the book. When we first meet him, he is a whining and spoiled young boy who has no imagination and mocks the Pevensies for their belief in Narnia. By the end of the story, through a series of identity-forming experiences and revelations, Eustace is able to fully embrace Aslan and the magic of Narnia. He says that ‘No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t do it myself.’ This is similar to the salvation that Christians can find through Jesus’ sacrifices.
The most profound of all the religious teachings and statements in the book is when Aslan tells Lucy and Edmund ‘In your world, I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.’ Aslan is saying very conclusively that he is Jesus, and that the Pevensies were brought to Narnia so that they could come closer to Jesus back in England.
The Silver Chair
Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole find themselves in Narnia and are soon told that Prince Rilian, whom they seek on Aslan’s orders, disappeared after going on a quest to kill the green serpent who killed his mother. He is under the spell of an enchantress, later revealed to be the Lady of the Green Kirtle. It is also revealed later that the green serpent and the Lady of the Green Kirtle are the same person. She represents all things evil and is essentially the devil of Narnia. She tempts people of good faith and tries to convince them that the world that they inhabit does not exist. Although she has met them before, she ridicules their talk of Narnia, the world above her own, which is the one that they have travelled to. Following some resistance, Jill says that the other world must have been a dream, and Eustace agrees soon after.
Puddleglum, their companion, is not distracted by the Lady’s charms. He reminds the rest of the many things that they have seen in the the Overworld (Narnia), in particular the sun. But when the Lady asks them to explain how it hangs in the sky and they are unable to, she reasons again that it had never existed. Jill comes out of her stupor and remembers Aslan. Eustace described him to the Lady as a big and strong cat. The Lady says that they have seen lamps and cats and that they have dreamed them as bigger and better, as the sun and as Aslan. Puddleglum tells the Lady that if they have, in fact, dreamed the whole Overworld up, ‘the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one...That’s why I’m going to stand by the play-world. I’m on Aslan’s side even if there isn’t any Aslan to lead it. I’m going to live like a Narnian as I can even if there isn’t any Narnia.’
Despite the temptation and the reason that can be seen in what the Lady is saying, Puddleglum is taking the chance of Pascal’s Wager. The idea behind this wager is that you can choose whether or not you believe in God. If God exists, then a person will either receive infinite gain or loss depending on what they believed. This is the concept of salvation. If God does not exist and one believes in Him then they will only suffer a finite loss. Thus it is more rational to have faith than not to.
The Last Battle
The Last Battle has three distinct Christian themes: the Antichrist,The Last Judgment, and the end of the world. The Antichrist is represented in two characters, Shift and Puzzle. Shift persuades dim-witted Puzzle to dress up as Aslan and pretend to be Him. Through Puzzle, Shift tells the Narnians to cut down talking trees for lumber. He says that the money from this will be put in Aslan’s Treasury, presumably for the good of all Narnia. These deeds are characteristic of the Antichrist described in the Bible. In 2 Thessalonians, it is said that ‘ He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God.’ (2:1-4).
The end of the world and the Last Judgment happen together as a result of the battle which had ensued against Shift. The real Aslan appears once the faithful Narnians have defeated the evil forces as is foretold in the Bible. They find a much more beautiful land than the one they had fought in on the other side a stable door. This is where they find their friends, some of whom were alive at that point, and others who had died. The location is significant because it is reminiscent of the stable where Jesus was born. This is where Aslan judges them all, good and evil. The good and true would then join him in the much told of and revered Country of Aslan (in other words Heaven). The evil and the sinful are sent to become ordinary animals. This is what the Bible says will happen at the End Time. In parallel to this Time, Narnia is now destroyed by all its natural forces.
Summary
In summary, the analogies between the Chronicles of Narnia and the Bible were certainly made artfully, even if, as Lewis claimed, that was not the Chronicles’ original intent. Aslan is not only Jesus, the Son, but is also the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe tells of his death and resurrection. The Magician’s Nephew is more of a creation story, introducing similar concepts to Genesis. Prince Caspian, The Horse and His Boy, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair have more general Christian subject matters, but are undeniably Christian all the same. Finally The Last Battle ends on the same note that Christianity says the world will end with.
The Chronicles of Narnia have long been known to have strong Christian themes. Since C.S. Lewis published The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in 1950 people have noticed parallels and commented on them. All seven books have distinct similarities either to specific Biblical stories or teachings.
C.S Lewis
As an adult convert to Christianity from atheism, the amount of Christian parallels in C.S.Lewis’ books is unsurprising. A great deal of persuasion must have been needed to prove to Lewis the merits of not only Christianity, but of religion in general. He called himself ‘the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England’. He later became a dedicated Anglican and wrote many works, including the Narnia series, either specifically about Christianity or with very strong themes relating to it. The Chronicles have been said by some practising Christians to be evangelistic, preaching in order to convert. However, Lewis often asserted that The Chronicles of Narnia were not originally written with the intent of being based on any form of religion, but rather that that aspect of the books developed by itself.
Aslan
Aslan is one of the most commonly noticed parallels to Christianity in the series. He is a talking lion and the king of Narnia, playing an important role in every book, and is commonly thought to represent Jesus. Throughout the books there are countless resemblances in plot and in personal aspects between them. Commenting on this in a letter written in 1958, Lewis said: ‘he is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question, “What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia, and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours?”’ There are many affinities throughout the book relating to Aslan as the equivalent of Jesus. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in particular is centred around these similarities in a relatively obvious manner (refer to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe subsection). Narnia is in many ways a parallel world to our own. Lewis believed that Christ was the son of God and came to our world in human form. Christ is called ‘The Lion of Judah’ in The Bible. Going off of the Bible’s reference, Lewis simply changed the animal that Jesus’ worldly incarnation took.
The Magician’s Nephew
In part because of the trickery of a certain Digory Kirke’s uncle, he and his friend Polly Plummer end up in the ancient city of Charn. They read a bell and hammer which have the following engraved into them: ‘Make your choice, adventurous Stranger; Strike the bell and bide the danger, Or wonder, till it drives you mad, What would have followed if you had.’ This is the equivalent of what the serpent said to Eve in Eden. She, of course, took the apple (here the ringing of the bell) which Digory also chooses to do. Both these actions lead to the entrance of evil in a previously entirely peaceful world.
Later in the book we encounter Aslan (Jesus, or God) in another world which is in the process of creation. We are told in detail of the creation of Narnia, as we are told in Genesis 1 of the creation of Eden and in extension our world. Aslan is described as singing the world into existence, much like how the earth was apparently spoken into existence. Aslan uses his breath to give life to Narnia and a flash of stars gives animals the ability to talk. Both of these represent the Holy Spirit and ‘the breath of life’ first mentioned in Genesis 2.
Digory is eventually ordered by Aslan to bring an apple from a garden in the forests. He reads there a sign saying: ‘Come in by the gold gates or not at all, Take of my fruit for others or forbear. For those who steal or those who climb my wall Shall find their heart's desire and find despair’ This is a further parallel to Eve and the forbidden fruit. Digory is indeed tempted to eat from these apples. Jadis, the evil that has been released into the world (the serpent in our world, and later the devil) has eaten one of them. She becomes immortal, and tempts Digory to follow in her steps, if not for himself then for his dying mother in England (representing Adam).
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the best known of the Narnia books, and it is for that reason, perhaps, it is seen as one of the ones with the most significance. The theology in it is centred around Aslan’s death and resurrection. Edmund is tempted by the White Witch, Jadis (reminiscent of Judas, Jesus’ traitor), who represents the devil in our world. Edmund falls into this temptation and becomes a traitor and a sinner. Aslan ends up sacrificing himself for the safe return of Edmund. This is a very clear parallel to Jesus’ apparent sacrifice of himself for all of humanity’s sins. Aslan is killed on the Stone Table. Susan and Lucy stay close by when he is being killed, and come to sit next to him once it is done. They represent the three women who stayed with Jesus until the end: Mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Martha. They are also there when Aslan resurrects himself, although they do not see it actually happen, just as Jesus’ three women were the first to find out that Jesus had come back. In both cases when the women were not around/looking, Jesus/Aslan were brought back from the dead, and next they looked at the Stone Table (in Aslan’s case) and the tomb (in Jesus’ case) the previously dead had disappeared.
The Stone Table that Aslan died on was broken after he was resurrected. The Table represents the Old Testament, and its breaking the initiation of the New Testament. When Aslan explains to Jadis what has happened, he tells her that someone who has committed no sin (true for both Aslan and Jesus, and quite important to Jesus’ ministry in particular) and sacrifices themselves will be brought back to life.
Prince Caspian
As Lewis put it, Prince Caspian is about ‘the restoration of the true religion after corruption.’ The ‘true religion’ he refers to is Christianity. When the Pevensie children return to Narnia, they find it in ruins. The magic in the world seems to be leaking away. Cair Paravel, their castle, has been demolished, they are told that the trees have stopped talking, and many of the animals have been turned savage. The corruption can be seen as similar to many of the falls of Christianity throughout time. While Prince Caspian is not designed to represent a single period, rather the idea itself in general, in some parts of the plot it does have an uncanny resemblance to the Roman struggle with Christianity. Narnia has been trumped by the Telmarines, who believe that they are now extinct. Christianity has appeared to be defeated in the past as well, for example after the death of Jesus in the Roman times. However, Christians were never really defeated, just as the Narnians still continued to exist after the war with the Telmarines.
The Telmarine Kingdom is itself corrupted, like the Roman state was throughout its many stages. Prince Caspian meets Narnians after he flees his own castle, and comes to be their leader in the long-awaited battle to earn back their land and sovereignty. One of the ways that Christianity was able to succeed most in Rome was through the politicians that it turned. After significant efforts, Narnia is successful and prospers. Christianity too was ultimately victorious in its own battle against Roman oppressors.
The Horse And His Boy
The protagonist of this book is a boy named Shasta, raised in a fisherman’s home, but really the Prince of Archenland. He bears uncanny resemblance to Moses of the Old Testament. Both Shasta and Moses were sent away from their families as infants and found floating in a body of water. Both had to flee the country where they were raised (Shasta from Calmoren and Moses from Egypt). In the travels they made, water was scarce. Moses was able to bring water out of a rock, with the help of God. Shasta was also aided by a God, Aslan, who brought water of his footprints. They both ended up saving their true people, the people of Archenland and Israel respectively.
Aslan plays the role of the conductor of Divine Providence by keeping Shasta safe throughout his various journeys.
The conversion of a heathen is Shasta’s conversion from his life and views of the world as a Camorene to a Prince and future King of an established and prosperous kingdom.
The Voyage of The Dawn Treader
A large part of the plot in this book is the attempt that the protagonists make to fight against their greatest fears and weaknesses. For example, Lucy wishes to be beautiful like her sister, Susan. Aslan comforts her by saying that she was the first of her siblings to find Narnia, and that she must see her value rather than run away from her identity. It is Christian belief that since God has created every being in the world we are not meant to turn away from our nature. This is the reason why self-beautifying processes, such as plastic surgery are controversial.
Eustace Scrubb, cousin of the Pevensies, accompanies Lucy and Edmund on this adventure. He is the tool that Lewis uses to incorporate Christian theology in the book. When we first meet him, he is a whining and spoiled young boy who has no imagination and mocks the Pevensies for their belief in Narnia. By the end of the story, through a series of identity-forming experiences and revelations, Eustace is able to fully embrace Aslan and the magic of Narnia. He says that ‘No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t do it myself.’ This is similar to the salvation that Christians can find through Jesus’ sacrifices.
The most profound of all the religious teachings and statements in the book is when Aslan tells Lucy and Edmund ‘In your world, I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.’ Aslan is saying very conclusively that he is Jesus, and that the Pevensies were brought to Narnia so that they could come closer to Jesus back in England.
The Silver Chair
Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole find themselves in Narnia and are soon told that Prince Rilian, whom they seek on Aslan’s orders, disappeared after going on a quest to kill the green serpent who killed his mother. He is under the spell of an enchantress, later revealed to be the Lady of the Green Kirtle. It is also revealed later that the green serpent and the Lady of the Green Kirtle are the same person. She represents all things evil and is essentially the devil of Narnia. She tempts people of good faith and tries to convince them that the world that they inhabit does not exist. Although she has met them before, she ridicules their talk of Narnia, the world above her own, which is the one that they have travelled to. Following some resistance, Jill says that the other world must have been a dream, and Eustace agrees soon after.
Puddleglum, their companion, is not distracted by the Lady’s charms. He reminds the rest of the many things that they have seen in the the Overworld (Narnia), in particular the sun. But when the Lady asks them to explain how it hangs in the sky and they are unable to, she reasons again that it had never existed. Jill comes out of her stupor and remembers Aslan. Eustace described him to the Lady as a big and strong cat. The Lady says that they have seen lamps and cats and that they have dreamed them as bigger and better, as the sun and as Aslan. Puddleglum tells the Lady that if they have, in fact, dreamed the whole Overworld up, ‘the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one...That’s why I’m going to stand by the play-world. I’m on Aslan’s side even if there isn’t any Aslan to lead it. I’m going to live like a Narnian as I can even if there isn’t any Narnia.’
Despite the temptation and the reason that can be seen in what the Lady is saying, Puddleglum is taking the chance of Pascal’s Wager. The idea behind this wager is that you can choose whether or not you believe in God. If God exists, then a person will either receive infinite gain or loss depending on what they believed. This is the concept of salvation. If God does not exist and one believes in Him then they will only suffer a finite loss. Thus it is more rational to have faith than not to.
The Last Battle
The Last Battle has three distinct Christian themes: the Antichrist,The Last Judgment, and the end of the world. The Antichrist is represented in two characters, Shift and Puzzle. Shift persuades dim-witted Puzzle to dress up as Aslan and pretend to be Him. Through Puzzle, Shift tells the Narnians to cut down talking trees for lumber. He says that the money from this will be put in Aslan’s Treasury, presumably for the good of all Narnia. These deeds are characteristic of the Antichrist described in the Bible. In 2 Thessalonians, it is said that ‘ He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God.’ (2:1-4).
The end of the world and the Last Judgment happen together as a result of the battle which had ensued against Shift. The real Aslan appears once the faithful Narnians have defeated the evil forces as is foretold in the Bible. They find a much more beautiful land than the one they had fought in on the other side a stable door. This is where they find their friends, some of whom were alive at that point, and others who had died. The location is significant because it is reminiscent of the stable where Jesus was born. This is where Aslan judges them all, good and evil. The good and true would then join him in the much told of and revered Country of Aslan (in other words Heaven). The evil and the sinful are sent to become ordinary animals. This is what the Bible says will happen at the End Time. In parallel to this Time, Narnia is now destroyed by all its natural forces.
Summary
In summary, the analogies between the Chronicles of Narnia and the Bible were certainly made artfully, even if, as Lewis claimed, that was not the Chronicles’ original intent. Aslan is not only Jesus, the Son, but is also the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe tells of his death and resurrection. The Magician’s Nephew is more of a creation story, introducing similar concepts to Genesis. Prince Caspian, The Horse and His Boy, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair have more general Christian subject matters, but are undeniably Christian all the same. Finally The Last Battle ends on the same note that Christianity says the world will end with.