God Gives the Fire: Thomas Merton on Promethean Theology
I recently finished reading Thomas Merton's The New Man (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1961) and found his chapter on Promethean theology (p. 21-48) too intriguing to keep to myself. A Promethean theology, in Merton's view, ultimately presumes that freedom must be won or taken. Merton uncovers this faulty notion by examining an ancient Greek myth alongside the struggle of modern Christians to let the radical and complete grace of God wash out any subtle attempt to win favor and worth. The fire of our identity and belonging is pure gift, Merton argues convincingly. Rather than attempt to relay his masterful chapter, I offer here a brief introduction to the Promethean Myth and some highlights to guide your own reflection. Linger with them until you reach the last piece, The Soul Is Like Wax, which is a beautiful and related image also written by Merton.
Myth of Prometheus Overview
(adapted from http://www.ancient.eu/Prometheus/, viewed 6/13/16)
In Greek mythology, the Titan Prometheus (Forethought) had a reputation as being something of a clever trickster. He famously gave the human race the gift of fire, an action for which he was punished by Zeus. According to Hesiod’s Theogony, Prometheus felt sorry for humanity’s weak and naked state and raided Mt. Olympus (which he was surprised to find empty of the gods he feared) and stole fire from their workshop. He then gave the invaluable gift to humans as a help in life’s struggle.
Zeus was outraged by Prometheus' theft and so punished the Titan by having him taken far to Caucasus. There Prometheus was chained to a rock and Zeus’ vulture (or eagle) tormented him by pecking at his liver every day, even while the immortal’s liver re-grew every night. Fortunately for humanity’s benefactor—but only after many years—the hero Hercules killed the vulture and freed Prometheus.
Mertonian Twists
To emphasize his point about the sheer grace of God and humanity's persistent expectation that something must be done to win God's favor or the approval of others, Merton retells the story of Prometheus with three important twists:
The “heroic” theft of fire was more Prometheus’ assertion of self and opposition to the gods than a gift to others. (Merton argues the strong and true God wants to give spiritual fire as gift.)
Prometheus “chained himself to the rock” pitying himself because the gods were absent and glorifying in his own despair. (Merton argues that God’s grace is rooted in divine love, not self-punishment.)
Pentecost—when the Holy Spirit descended in tongues of fire on the Apostles—becomes the refutation of Promethean theology!
Questions with Quotes (N.B. Some quotes have been adapted in favor of more inclusive language)
What is the fire that you have been trying to steal?
“Being is a gift of God; and it does not have to be stolen. It can only be had by a free gift—the very hope of gaining it by theft is pure illusion.” (24)
“If Prometheus had known the strong God, everything would have been quite different.” (24)
“Prometheus is the prophet and contemplative that is required by the atomic age. He is the symbol and scapegoat . . . as long as we feel compelled to use everything badly and turn all our power to our own destruction.” (27)
What suffering do you find yourself talking most about?
“Prometheus marches off to Caucasus of his own accord, and chains himself to the rock, and calls for his pain and his vulture . . . punishing and pitying himself because there are no gods.” (29)
“A kind of schizophrenic self-alienation lies at the source of all the inadequate mysticisms of heroism and of guilt. The longing of the restless spirit, seeking to transcend itself by its own powers, is symbolized by the need to scale the impossible mountain and find there what is after all our own.” (31)
“There are religious people who pray best when they imagine they are rejected by an angry and implacable God . . . God is less necessary to them than their sentiments of despair. God fits into their lives best when they are tortured by the revenging vulture.” (32)
How do you experience moments of Pentecost, sensing the presence of the Holy Spirit, a tongue of fire, the order of God’s love?
“The scene in the Cenacle on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles in tongues of flame, is the final refutation of all Promethean theology. Here we see the full vindication of humanity’s longing for life. The life-instinct in us is the gift of a Living God who has brought us into existence in order that we may receive from God the fullness of all life . . . the Christian is not trying to steal something from God that God does not want a person to have . . . the Christian is striving wholeheartedly to participate in the life, and wisdom, and joy and peace of God.” (27)
Paradox of Grace (covering 16 of the 27 pages of Merton's chapter)
It is God’s grace which fills us with the insatiable need for life. (32)The paradox is that the only way we become perfect is by leaving ourselves, and, in a certain sense, forgetting our own perfection, to follow Christ. (34)God created this spiritual fire for His own children—more than that, God gives them His own uncreated and sanctifying fire which is the Holy Spirit. (35)Salvation belongs to the order of love, of freedom and of giving. It is not ours if it is conquered, only if it is freely received, as it is freely given. (35)All that God gives me, becomes, in some way, my own self. What then is mine? He is mine. And what is His? I am His. But when this becomes clear, there is no place left in the picture for anything resembling Prometheus. (37)All our strange ideas of conflict with God are born of the war that is within ourselves . . . we are not fighting God; we are fighting ourselves. God, in His mercy, seeks to bring us peace—to reconcile us with ourselves. (41)Grace is not a strange, magic substance which is subtly filtered into our souls to act as a kind of spiritual penicillin. Grace is unity, oneness within ourselves, oneness with God. Grace is the peace of friendship with God—and if it does not necessarily bring us a “felt” peace, it nevertheless gives us every reason to be at peace, if we could only understand and appreciate what it means. (41-42)Grace means that there is no opposition between people and God . . . Grace is friendship with God . . . Grace is being a child of God. (42)Unless we discover the deep self, which is hidden with Christ in God, we will never really know ourselves as persons. (43)It is paradoxically by the grace of God that we finally achieve our full spiritual freedom and it is a gift of God that enables us to stand on our own feet. (44)
Souls Are Like Wax
(New Seeds of Contemplation, 161 as found in A Retreat with Thomas Merton by Esther de Waal, Canterbury Press, 2010)
Souls are like wax waiting for a seal. The wax that has melted in God’s will can easily receive the stamp of its identity, the truth of what it was meant to be. But the wax that is hard and dry and brittle and without love will not take the seal; for the seal, descending upon it, grinds it to powder. Therefore if you spend your life trying to escape from the heat of the fire that is meant to soften and prepare you to become your true self and if you try to keep your substance from melting in the fire— as if your true identity were to be hard wax—the seal will fall upon you at last and crush you. You will not be able to take your own true name and countenance, and you will be destroyed by the event that was meant to be your fulfillment.