Lost is a show that draws heavily from many sources: from fictional literature, from religion, and from real events.
In Christian theology, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are said to be three parts of one whole - that they are all physical (or spiritual) embodiments of one being: the Godhead. Collectively, they are known as the Trinity, or the Holy Trinity. They act according to their own sentient capabilities, but they all serve different functions.
Doctrine states that the Holy Spirit serves as a mediator of sorts: "The Holy Spirit acts to convince the unredeemed person both of the sinfulness of their actions, and of their moral standing as sinners before God" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Spirit). In other words, the Holy Spirit judges a person for their sins. There is heavy speculation right now that the Man in Black is, in fact, a physical embodiment of the Smoke Monster - or, in other words, the Smoke Monster is simply one of his many forms. We are also aware that the Smoke Monster judges people for their past, as it had done to Eko and Ben, but also presumably to Locke, Montand, Juliet, and possibly many more. Therefore in this metaphorical allegory, it is safe to claim that the Man in Black/Smoke Monster represents the Holy Spirit: one part of a larger whole.
Therein lies the dilemma of God the Father and God the Son. The safest assumption would be to say that Jacob is is the Father and Richard is the Son, but the safest route is not often the right one when it comes to Lost.
And here's why: God the Son - Jesus - is a messenger and a preacher. His purpose was to spread the word of God the Father. One could argue that is what Richard's purpose is: from the first moment we were introduced to him, he was delivering a message and preaching the benefits of his "research" corporation to Juliet Burke. However, I believe Richard is not the representation of God the Son, but rather Jacob is. Jesus was also interpreted as a miracle worker, and perhaps one of - if not his most recognized miracle was that he brought the dead back to life. Lazarus of Bethany was dead and enclosed in a tomb for four days, and when Jesus came and ordered the stone boulder rolled away, he bade Lazarus to come out - and he did. Jacob has also displayed similar miraculous powers, and the most notable of which occurs following John Locke's deadly fall from the building. By all accounts, Locke was dead; however, as Jacob lay his hand on John's shoulder, you could visibly see the bre! ath and life come rushing back into his body. Jacob had risen the dead.
Jesus also displayed resurrection powers of his own after his persecution by the hands of those who once followed him. On Easter Sunday, Jesus walked out of his own burial tomb, alive and transcendent. In Lost, Jacob was persecuted by the one man who followed his every whim and word - Ben Linus. He was also thrown into the fire, typically a symbol of cleansing; likewise, fire is especially important in Christian theology in the feast of Pentecost, which follows 10 weeks after Easter Sunday: "On the day of Pentecost all the Lord’s followers were together in one place. Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind! It filled the house where they were meeting. Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there. The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost). It seems fitting, t! hen, that I associate The Man in Black with the Holy Spirit, and the Man in Black is present at the "death" of Jacob in the flames. What seems even more fitting is the line "The Holy Spirit took control of everyone..." Does that sound like something familiar?
Finally, we come to God the Father, and the only man left to associate - Richard. Thus far Richard has display no miraculous powers and no shape shifting abilities. In fact, his only right to brag is his agelessness. But that may be enough. The Bible tells us that God has existed since the beginning of time, that He is "omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent" (all-knowing, all-powerful, and always present). Richard has always been the man that seems to contain all the knowledge, know all of the secrets about everyone, and is rarely ever argued with. From what we've seen, however, is that he receives his orders from Jacob. But Lost is known for its misdirection, and perhaps Richard himself has been the one directly giving the orders all along, only using Jacob's name as a red herring.
This then begs the question: if all three men are spiritually one entity, but physical three, what purposes do they serve? What reason would The Man in Black have for killing Jacob; to whom, if any, does Richard swear his total allegiance, or does he maintain authority over all. Did Jacob foresee his death, and like Jesus, accept it - knowing full well that he will resurrect, again just as Jesus had done? And finally, where does everyone else fit into this: the Others, the Survivors, and Dharma.
One possible parallel is that the Others represent the Children of Israel - direct descendants of the biblical Jacob - and the Dharma Initiative are the Palestinians, with the Barracks specifically being the ancient city of Jericho, most famous for the destruction of his protective walls by none other than the Israelites.
That simply leaves the Survivors. Can they be linked to any biblical sect? Are they an outside force or tribe? Or am I just starting to grasp at straws by now?
DISCLAIMER: I realize I'm going to get a few people saying that there's "no way Jacob could be Jesus, or Richard could be God." And I realize this, of course. To think that would be silly. My point with this theory is that they are not THE biblical figures, but rather, are metaphors or representations of said figures; that their motivations, their actions, and perhaps even their goals mimic that of those they are associated with. That is, of course, until I see tongues of fire rain down from the sky in Lost and- oh wait, that happened in the Season 5 premier, didn't it?
In Christian theology, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are said to be three parts of one whole - that they are all physical (or spiritual) embodiments of one being: the Godhead. Collectively, they are known as the Trinity, or the Holy Trinity. They act according to their own sentient capabilities, but they all serve different functions.
Doctrine states that the Holy Spirit serves as a mediator of sorts: "The Holy Spirit acts to convince the unredeemed person both of the sinfulness of their actions, and of their moral standing as sinners before God" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Spirit). In other words, the Holy Spirit judges a person for their sins. There is heavy speculation right now that the Man in Black is, in fact, a physical embodiment of the Smoke Monster - or, in other words, the Smoke Monster is simply one of his many forms. We are also aware that the Smoke Monster judges people for their past, as it had done to Eko and Ben, but also presumably to Locke, Montand, Juliet, and possibly many more. Therefore in this metaphorical allegory, it is safe to claim that the Man in Black/Smoke Monster represents the Holy Spirit: one part of a larger whole.
Therein lies the dilemma of God the Father and God the Son. The safest assumption would be to say that Jacob is is the Father and Richard is the Son, but the safest route is not often the right one when it comes to Lost.
And here's why: God the Son - Jesus - is a messenger and a preacher. His purpose was to spread the word of God the Father. One could argue that is what Richard's purpose is: from the first moment we were introduced to him, he was delivering a message and preaching the benefits of his "research" corporation to Juliet Burke. However, I believe Richard is not the representation of God the Son, but rather Jacob is. Jesus was also interpreted as a miracle worker, and perhaps one of - if not his most recognized miracle was that he brought the dead back to life. Lazarus of Bethany was dead and enclosed in a tomb for four days, and when Jesus came and ordered the stone boulder rolled away, he bade Lazarus to come out - and he did. Jacob has also displayed similar miraculous powers, and the most notable of which occurs following John Locke's deadly fall from the building. By all accounts, Locke was dead; however, as Jacob lay his hand on John's shoulder, you could visibly see the bre! ath and life come rushing back into his body. Jacob had risen the dead.
Jesus also displayed resurrection powers of his own after his persecution by the hands of those who once followed him. On Easter Sunday, Jesus walked out of his own burial tomb, alive and transcendent. In Lost, Jacob was persecuted by the one man who followed his every whim and word - Ben Linus. He was also thrown into the fire, typically a symbol of cleansing; likewise, fire is especially important in Christian theology in the feast of Pentecost, which follows 10 weeks after Easter Sunday: "On the day of Pentecost all the Lord’s followers were together in one place. Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind! It filled the house where they were meeting. Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there. The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentecost). It seems fitting, t! hen, that I associate The Man in Black with the Holy Spirit, and the Man in Black is present at the "death" of Jacob in the flames. What seems even more fitting is the line "The Holy Spirit took control of everyone..." Does that sound like something familiar?
Finally, we come to God the Father, and the only man left to associate - Richard. Thus far Richard has display no miraculous powers and no shape shifting abilities. In fact, his only right to brag is his agelessness. But that may be enough. The Bible tells us that God has existed since the beginning of time, that He is "omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent" (all-knowing, all-powerful, and always present). Richard has always been the man that seems to contain all the knowledge, know all of the secrets about everyone, and is rarely ever argued with. From what we've seen, however, is that he receives his orders from Jacob. But Lost is known for its misdirection, and perhaps Richard himself has been the one directly giving the orders all along, only using Jacob's name as a red herring.
This then begs the question: if all three men are spiritually one entity, but physical three, what purposes do they serve? What reason would The Man in Black have for killing Jacob; to whom, if any, does Richard swear his total allegiance, or does he maintain authority over all. Did Jacob foresee his death, and like Jesus, accept it - knowing full well that he will resurrect, again just as Jesus had done? And finally, where does everyone else fit into this: the Others, the Survivors, and Dharma.
One possible parallel is that the Others represent the Children of Israel - direct descendants of the biblical Jacob - and the Dharma Initiative are the Palestinians, with the Barracks specifically being the ancient city of Jericho, most famous for the destruction of his protective walls by none other than the Israelites.
That simply leaves the Survivors. Can they be linked to any biblical sect? Are they an outside force or tribe? Or am I just starting to grasp at straws by now?
DISCLAIMER: I realize I'm going to get a few people saying that there's "no way Jacob could be Jesus, or Richard could be God." And I realize this, of course. To think that would be silly. My point with this theory is that they are not THE biblical figures, but rather, are metaphors or representations of said figures; that their motivations, their actions, and perhaps even their goals mimic that of those they are associated with. That is, of course, until I see tongues of fire rain down from the sky in Lost and- oh wait, that happened in the Season 5 premier, didn't it?
