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Essay: Exploring Bible-Matrix Parallels: Comparing Jesus Christ to Neo in The Matrix

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Jon Baron

March 5, 2016

The Matrix & Bible Comparison

Philosophy 2016 Cadwell

The Bible is the greatest selling book of all time. Why? Because within its pages are spiritual guidance, solace, but also, “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” Jesus Christ is one of the most famous figures in all of mankind, for good reason. He sought to show the people of Earth the light that he saw. His martyrdom and mythical nature only added to his message. The film The Matrix follows in the footsteps of this story, making allusions, direct references, and paralleling the story of the Bible. These two works are comparable in almost every facet, and both inspire a new, more lucid approach to our lives.

The main character, known by his online-name Neo, is the first of many references to the New Testament. Neo of course means “new” in Latin, but this three letter name has another meaning. It is also an anagram of “One”, an allusion to The Chosen One, one of Christ’s monikers. This makes it clear that Neo is not only the protagonist, but also that his story will parallel that of the Messiah. Even in his name offline (if there is such a thing) is Thomas Anderson. His first name is a version of the apostle Doubting Thomas, who doubted the divine powers of Jesus. This is shown by Neo’s own struggle to realize his own power. His surname, Anderson, can be broken down to the roots: “ander”- meaning “of man”, and son. This could be a clever concealment of “Son of Man”, Christ’s given nickname. The importance of names is a continued theme for the film. Trinity, one of Neo’s “apostles”, is a mention of the Holy Trinity. This same Trinity saves Neo when he gives himself to save Morpheus and the codes to Zion’s mainframe (two more references: saving humanity & the biblical holy land). The importance of the power of love and the holy spirit is present in both the film and book.The names, though, are far from the only biblical corollaries.

The coming about of Neo and his realization are also incredibly similar to how Jesus became the Savior of Man. Jesus was born from Virgin Birth, from neither father nor mother. Neo too, is born from no parents. He is a product of completely non-human reproduction, making him a strange man in the real world. The gravity this has is greatly implied by the very nature of the film. To defeat those who rule the Matrix, the savior must be able to work outside the abilities of a natural born man. He must be “a machine”, as Tank refers to him as. This means he has a foot in the divine world, reality, and a foot in our world, the Matrix.

Bible references are littered throughout the film, from the very beginning.  One of the very first lines is spoken by  Choi, who thanks Neo for a program by exclaiming: “Hallelujah! You are my Savior, man! My own personal Jesus Christ!” After he quickly cover sup by telling Neo, if he is busted by cops, to him Neo “doesn't exist.” This is another reference to Neo’s mythical nature. When Neo awakes after his experience at the party with Trinity, his new view on life is ominously reflected in the time on his clock. An analog chronometer reads: 10:18, which is identical to the format of Bible passages’ location in text. In Acts, verse 10:18 reads: “Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized.” Saul’s story is one of a man who becomes king of Israel, through divine intervention. He wins battles and secures the Holy Land in the years before Christ. This parallel is another sign that Neo’s journey is anecdotal and in relation to many Bible  heroes’. The next reference comes when Neo has been awoken, and begins speaking with Morpheus about the world outside of the Matrix. He says that “When the Matrix was first built there was a man born inside that freed the first of us and taught us the truth; as long as the Matrix exists, the human race will never be free… When he died, the Oracle prophesied his return and envisioned that his coming would hail the destruction of the Matrix, an end to the war and freedom for our people.” This description is very similar to the acts of Moses, who took the slaves out of Egypt and led them to the Promised Land. This man who came before seems to have similarly divined powers in the Matrix and started a spiritual awakening.

Neo and the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar also resemble Christ and his apostles. In

Hebrew this name means "O god Nabu, preserve my firstborn son.” The crew however, are much more important. The easiest connection to make is that between Cypher and Judas Iscariot, the traitor of Christ. He of course gives up Morpheus in a similar manner, leading to Neo’s death/resurrection. Morpheus is a symbol of John the Baptist, Christ’s closest friend. John had a job of being a profuse supporter but also the number preacher of his divinity, which he certainly does to the rest of the crew. Trinity can also be seen as Mary Magdalene, a follower of Jesus who was thought to be his companion. Another great allusion comes at the hand of the Oracle, representative of a biblical prophecy.  She examines Neo then sadly says to him, “You got the gift, but it looks like you’re waiting for something.” This can be compared with Jesus’ waiting to show his doubters his power until he rose from the dead. This ascension from the Earth is also shown in the final shot of the film, when Neo flies into the sky, finally a peace with his identity. The resurrection is the key part of the Neo/Christ comparison.

This is what proves once and for all in both the Bible and film that he is in fact a supernatural being. For Jesus, he is crucified and tortured, leaving him broken in his human form. He then is entombed for three days, which he spends “at the heart of the earth.” When he returns, he rewards his followers and sets right the future of the world. Neo’s death follows a similar path. He is finally shot to death by Agent Smith, leaving him dead on the floor. But in the time he lay there, Trinity, a symbol of the power of God, goes to him in the real world, perhaps meaning he has left the world of the Matrix in some way. There, he fights his way back into life, but with divine powers now in his possession. Neo is in fact the Chosen One, fully realized after his resurrection. But, unlike Jesus, he decides to stay on Earth and help permanently free mankind. As the Bible says, “All authority has been given to [Him] in heaven and on earth." The significance of this happening in room 303 is no coincidence either. This is the room indicative of Trinity’s name, and the room in which we first see Trinity at the film’s opening. Jesus became a cultural symbol after his death, proving that man could take on the establishment. His following from then on encouraged the common man to stand up and challenge the given world.

That take-away is what both Jesus and Neo have in common. The idea that a single person can bring about a new age of spirituality and freedom is a lesson that continues to be realized today. Through many references, allusions, and parallels, the Wachowski Brothers were able to masterfully tie the stories together, along with even more astounding Eastern ideologies. The film poses a great question… Is our world real? But it poses an even more powerful question in the process as Neo realizes his place in the fight against the Matrix: Could each of us be as clueless about our potential as he was? The answer, is yes. The world will only change when someone changes it. One person can be a turning point in a revolution, but as the Oracle says, they’re just “waiting for something”. So the lesson is  to find that something. And make sure you never forget what it is.

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