- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Here are some more religious connections I found in studying the Prophets. I hope you enjoy and interact.
It is notable that the clause before last in Deut. 33:29 says, “and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee;” We know that the Prophets are…for lack of a better word…misguided. Even Gravemind pointed that out when he said,
“Your Prophets have promised you freedom from a doomed existence, but you will find no salvation on this ring.”
:: In the interest of avoiding blasphemy, I’m going to edit the next couple of passages so as not to involve the LORD in this part of the discussion. The passage I am using is Deuteronomy 18:20-22, feel free to look it up and read it for yourself. ::
In Deuteronomy 18:22, the Bible gives the test for discerning what a prophet says for truth. It roughly says, “When a prophet speaks and the thing does not happen, you will know he is false. You should not be afraid of him.” In the previous verses, it gave the punishment of a false prophet. Deuteronomy 18:18 says, “But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.” I think that this is why Bungie felt it necessary to include the story arc of the Heretic into Halo 2. (Or if not, then a really strange coincidence) The prophets are misleading all the races for the covenant, and the heretics know the reality behind the lie that grips the Covenant.
We all know that the Hierarchs (Truth, Mercy, and Regret) were in whole or in part false in their declarations concerning all things forerunner. They twisted around theology to suit their own personal agendas and bring even the most physical adversary to their spiritual knees. While we don’t yet fully understand the reason for their conspiracy, it can be assumed that they themselves have been fooled into believing their own lies. This is very reminiscent of the Pharisees, the Jewish political leaders in the days of Jesus Christ. They wielded religion and knowledge of the Bible as weapons against the “lesser” people. This not only made them better than everyone else, but it made them feared by all other people. Much in the way of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages, the Pharisees dictated God’s will to those who were too unlearned to understand. They used this position to monopolize Judaism, and consequently ruled until the destruction of the state of Israel. In the same way, the Prophets rule with religion, striking a fear that supersedes physical punishment in any that would defy them. It can be argued that like the Pharisees of old, the Prophets of Halo are corrupted as a whole by the few. I’m sure the council is not aware of the falsehoods presented by the Hierarchs because their faith blinds them.
Another interesting point is the parallels between the rise of the Pharisees and the rise of the Prophets of Halo. Modern Pharisees were born out of the Exile of the Jews from Jerusalem. In being away from the Temple, the Pharisees took political control of the outcast Jews while the Scribes took actual priestly duties. What started as a co-equal union soon became polarized roles in society. While the scribes retained their humble devotion to the Word of the Lord, the Pharisees used their religious knowledge to influence internal and external political decisions. They were raised as holy ones by their people because of their strict adherence to the Law of Moses and their apparent ability to maintain perfection in God’s eyes. We know that the Prophets did not have an exalted beginning, but forged their way to power due to their proximity to the Forerunner (see: Bungie’s Primer to the Covenant).
The race of the Prophets carries along with it the secrets of the actual origins of the Forerunner and Flood. But because of an insatiable lust for power and protection (as evidenced by their ‘covenant’ with the Elites), the Prophets have corrupted all knowledge of this secret, both to themselves and to everyone else. Much in the same way, the Pharisees lost the spirit of their religion (hence Jesus’ rebuke in Matthew 19: “He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.”)
Multiple times Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for focusing on the wrong part of religion--that is why He came. It says later in the Epistles of Paul that “the Law is a schoolmaster”, and it does not save. The Prophets have just a handful of the truth of Forerunner left, holding on to technical nuances that fit their own agendas.
Please feel free to add anything else that you find or feel.