This post is a belated prologue for GOD TALK posts. You can read previous posts HERE and HERE.
While composing Talking About God, I was drawn to the Gordian Knot metaphor.
Gordian Knot
The “Gordian Knot” refers to a legendary knot tied by King Gordius of Phrygia, which was famously cut by Alexander the Great with his sword after failing to untie it. This act became a metaphor for solving a complex, seemingly intractable problem with a decisive and bold stroke.
The Legend:
King Gordius, a Phrygian peasant who became king, dedicated his ox-cart to the god Zeus and tied it with a complex knot, the Gordian Knot.
A prophecy stated that whoever could untie this knot would rule all of Asia.
For centuries, people tried and failed to untie the knot.
Alexander’s Action:
In 333 BC, Alexander the Great arrived in Gordium and encountered the knot.
He attempted to untie it but couldn’t find the ends of the knot.
Instead, he drew his sword and sliced through the knot, fulfilling the prophecy in a non-traditional way.
The Metaphor:
The story of the Gordian Knot has become a popular metaphor for any complex problem that is solved with a decisive and bold action, often by thinking outside the box or taking a novel approach.
It highlights the idea that sometimes the solution to a difficult problem is not to try and meticulously untangle it, but to break through it with a direct and forceful action.
The phrase “cutting the Gordian knot” is commonly used to describe such a solution. 1 Google
Gordian Knot as a metaphor works, if not perfectly, it is helpful in grappling with GOD TALK – Talking About God .
” A good metaphor is freeing, because it allows us “to speak about our experiences” and to “give these things shape so that we can look at them, talk about them, show them to other people so they can be witnessed, maybe even understood.” are more than just another poetic tool in one’s flowery-language kit…they can generate cathartic aha moments of self-understanding by giving tangible form to intangible, inexpressible feelings or ideas.
2 Joy Marie Clarkson
The flip-side of metaphor is paradox. If I had to choose one word to describe the Bible it would be paradox.
“…we are braced by a God who is too big for one-dimensional truths, and this is a good thing. It’s not that we hold paradox; it’s that paradox holds us. We are held in a deep place. An ample place. A generous place. Though we might fear paradox, God does not. We’re safe, even in the contradictions. Weedy, perhaps, but safe.”
Debie Thomas
“It’s against reason”… is a prevailing indictment against orthodox religion, (harbouring a role for mystery, proposing paradoxical notions, such as the God-man)3 Charles Taylor- A Secular Age.
The Bible is filled with paradox (Gordian Knots). Christianity’s myriads of denominations, sects, divisions, wars, divisions are consequences of centuries of conflict over paradox.
Another perspective on paradox:
…paradox is a …spiritual posture: the posture of kneeling under God’s great big sky and admitting that mystery is inherent to the nature of God. As soon as we think we have God figured out, we will have ceased to worship him as he is. God, in his very being, is inscrutable and unsearchable. We do not approach God with the powers of logic, and should we try, we’re sure to stumble over the rock that is the crucified Christ. Mystery is inherent to the nature of the gospel, whose wisdom confounds more than assists.4 Surprised by Paradox : The promise of “and” in an either or world- Jen Pollock Michel
When confronted with Gordian Knots, rather than welcoming mystery and a spiritual posture of paradox; living with questions that have no easy answers, we draw our sword and, like Alexander the Great — solve the problem with direct and forceful action, repeating the debacle of historic Christianity.
Modern interpretation of Gordian Knot metaphor disregards the prophesy’s reward …”one who can untie the knot will rule all of Asia”, opting for a sword solution. For GOD TALK I am reframing the Gordian Knot metaphor with “untying the knot”. Attempting to solve difficult [spiritual] problems by meticulously untying , produces deeper understanding of God and ourselves. It is its own reward.
All this is to say, as we proceed with GOD TALK, resist the temptation draw your sword; instead do the hard work of grappling the knotty realities of believing in an inscrutable and unsearchable GOD.
STILL ON THE JOURNEY
- 1Google
- 2Joy Marie Clarkson
- 3Charles Taylor- A Secular Age
- 4Surprised by Paradox : The promise of “and” in an either or world- Jen Pollock Michel