{"id":1325,"date":"2010-11-20T10:47:45","date_gmt":"2010-11-20T10:47:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2010\/11\/bible-cut-from-harry-potter-film.html"},"modified":"2010-11-20T10:47:45","modified_gmt":"2010-11-20T10:47:45","slug":"bible-cut-from-harry-potter-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/11\/bible-cut-from-harry-potter-film.html","title":{"rendered":"Bible Cut from Harry Potter Film!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Okay, I’ll admit that my headline is more suitable for a tabloid than my blog. But, hysterics aside, what I’ve just proclaimed is true. The Bible was<\/i> cut out of the film version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows<\/i>. <\/p>\n

To be more accurate, I should say that the biblical verses included in the book were not carried over into the film. That’s right. The Bible was quoted in J.K. Rowling’s text of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows<\/i>, in two crucial places, in fact. But these quotations did not show up in the film in a recognizable way. <\/p>\n

Allow me to explain. (What follows will include some spoilers.) In Chapter 16 of Deathly Hallows<\/i>, Harry Potter and his sidekick, Hermione Granger, find themselves in a church graveyard on Christmas Eve. Here, they discover the gravestone for the mother and sister of Albus Dumbledore, former headmaster of Hogwarts. On this stone, which includes the names “Kendra Dumbledore” and “Her Daughter Ariana,” there is a quotation: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (p. 325). Sound familiar? That is indeed a quote from the Bible. In Matthew 6:21 of the King James Version, Jesus says: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” One certainly wonders how Albus Dumbledore and his brother Aberforth knew these words of Jesus and valued them so much as to put them on the tombstone of their beloved mother and sister. But, alas, Rowling never tells us. This stone with its biblical quotation does not show up in the movie at all.<\/p>\n

\"harry-potter-parents-grave-5.jpg\"<\/form>\n

Yet there is another gravestone that does feature more prominently in both the book and the film. It is the stone memorializing Harry’s parents, who were murdered by the evil Lord Voldemort. In the novel, their gravestone includes both of their names, James Potter and Lily Potter, along with their dates of birth and death. Beneath this information is found an inscription: “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (p. 328). This is a direct quotation of 1 Corinthians 15:26 in the King James Version. In the film, this inscription appears to be present on the gravestone, but it is obscured by snow. I, at least, was not able to read it onscreen. <\/p>\n

Plus, in the book, there is a tender bit of dialogue between Harry and Hermione concerning this line from the Bible:<\/p>\n

     Harry read the words slowly, as though he would have only one chance to take in their meaning, and he read the last of them aloud.
     “‘The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death’ . . .” A horrible thought came to him, and with it a kind of panic. “Isn’t that a Death Eater idea? Why is that there?”
     “It doesn’t mean defeating death in the way the Death Eaters mean it, Harry,” said Hermione, her voice gentle. “It means . . . you know . . . living beyond death. Living after death.” (p. 328)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Nice exegesis, Hermione! <\/p>\n

But none of this appears in the film version of The Deathly Hallows<\/i>. I’m not surprised. Nor am I hinting at some sort of conspiracy to mask the Christian elements in Harry Potter. Many of the finest elements of the novel don’t make it into the movie, understandably so. <\/p>\n

But, I must say, I missed the ironic and telling richness of the graveyard scene. There are Harry and Hermione, in a churchyard on Christmas Eve, hearing a Christmas carol sung in the little church (in book and movie), reading gravestones that feature biblical quotations from St. Paul and Jesus. One might even wonder if the ultimate defeat of Voldemort might require someone to sacrifice his life for his friends, dying so they might live, so that the world might be saved from terrible evil. But that<\/i> would be way too much Christianity for the Harry Potter books, don’t you think? 
 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Okay, I’ll admit that my headline is more suitable for a tabloid than my blog. But, hysterics aside, what I’ve just proclaimed is true. The Bible was cut out of the film version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. To be more accurate, I should say that the biblical verses included in the book…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[196,197],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-films","category-harry-potter"],"yoast_head":"\nBible Cut from Harry Potter Film! - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1325"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1325\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}