View source for Biblical References

This section explores the biblical allusions found in ‘’The Waste Land’’.  Here you will find analysis of the meaning behind these allusions, illustrations of the geographical locales of these biblical events, and external connections that are also in some way related to these biblical allusions.
 
===[["The Burial of the Dead" Annotations|The Burial of the Dead]]===

The Burial of the Dead has a section twelve lines in length that is rich in biblical allusions.  Ezekiel and Job are two chapters this section primarily pulls from.

    What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow
    Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man,                                  20
    You cannot say, or guess, for you know only
    A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
    And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,
    And the dry stone no sound of water. Only
    There is shadow under this red rock,
   (Come in under the shadow of this red rock),
    And I will show you something different from either
    Your shadow at morning striding behind you
    Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
    I will show you fear in a handful of dust.                              30

From these references, the following map was made to reflect the geographical points of the biblical events.  The points listed include the Chibar river, the Mountains of Israel, Mount Zion, and the Land of Uz.

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The text reads "What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow / Out of this stony rubbish?" (ln 12-20).  The talk of roots and stones indicates a reference to Job 8:16-17:  "His roots are wrapped about the heap and seeketh the place of stones."  In the book of Job, the Land of Uz is mentioned quite frequently.  An estimation of its general location can be seen as the shaded quadrilateral on the map.

The line "son of man" (ln 20) is vaguely reminiscent of Ezekiel 2, in which God calls Ezekiel the son of man.  Following this allusion is the quote "a heap of broken images" (ln 22), which also alludes to Ezekiel.  This one is in reference to Ezekiel 6, in which an angry God threatens to break idols and "destroy high places," which can refer to mountains or temples.  A quote reads as such:  "This is what the Sovereign Lord says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places" (Ezekiel 6:3).  Using context clues as to their location and the higher altitude places nearby, it has been deduced that this probably occurred somewhere within the mountains of Israel.  This is marked on the map as "Mountains of Israel"

"Son of man" is found again in Luke 22:22.  Here, Jesus is called the "Son of Man."  Luke 22 tells the story of the Last Supper which occured on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, Israel.  The general location of the Last Supper is shown on the map labeled "Mt. Zion."

The point of Mt. Zion indicates one thing in particular:  its importance as the site of the Last Supper in ''The Waste Land''.  During the Last Supper, Jesus predicts that one of his apostles will betray him, despite their reassuring denials of such action.  It becomes then a story of betrayal, as Jesus' prediction soon proves accurate.  Although Eliot utilizes many religious and philosophical references as ironic allusions to contrast the absence and loss of faith in modern society, this specific allusion instead complements the themes within the poem.

The inclusion of the red rock as a source of shelter references Isaiah:  "There is a shadow under this red rock, / Come in under the shadow of this red rock" (ln 25-26).  This alludes to a verse in Isaiah that reads, "Go into the rocks, hide in the ground from dread of the Lord (Isaiah 2:10).  Using context clues from a previous verse in Isaiah (2:3), the approximate location is determined to be somewhere in the Mountains of Jerusalem, specifically Mount Zion.

:“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
:to the house of the God of Jacob.
:He will teach us his ways,
:so that we may walk in his paths.”
:The law will go out from Zion
:the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Although this quotation does not explicitly say that events necessarily take place in these mountains, Mount Zion maintains its place as a significant location in the bible.  The law originating within Mount Zion is another indication of this, and its position within the prominent biblical town of Jerusalem supports this as well.  However, in this context, Mount Zion is not associated with the heavy themes of betrayal as in the Last Supper, but instead signifies the law.  Perhaps in Isaiah, when they are instructed to "go into the rocks," the rocks refer to the mountains themselves; they are requested to hide within the laws--or rather, to obey the laws--to avoid the wrath of God.  In the context of ''The Waste Land'', this allusion is subtle, but nevertheless means something similar in terms of modern times.  The "shadow" refers to the sentiments associated with the post-war world--the helplessness and distress--and calls others to wallow in this feeling of despair.

===[["The Fire Sermon" Annotations|The Fire Sermon]]===

<html><iframe width="900" height="325" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=205087301525898876143.0004ce52654ea33c0be11&amp;msa=0&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;t=p&amp;ll=30.826781,46.40625&amp;spn=35.457165,83.408203&amp;z=4&amp;output=embed"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=205087301525898876143.0004ce52654ea33c0be11&amp;msa=0&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;t=p&amp;ll=30.826781,46.40625&amp;spn=35.457165,83.408203&amp;z=4&amp;source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">The Fire Sermon</a> in a larger map</small></html>

The title of this section, "The Fire Sermon," is the first of many allusions to one of Buddha's most well-known speeches called [[Pāli Canon Aditta-pariyaya-sutta:  The Fire Sermon]].  In his speech, the burning of fire represents the immoral, earthly desires.  Of these include lust, hatred, sorrow, and death.  The end of his sermon results in the liberation of the Bhikkus from these earthly passions.  This moment of liberation is used as an ironic allusion, the liberation contrasting the absence of emotion in ''The Waste Land''.  His sermon is supposed to have taken place in the Brahmayoni Temple, as indicated on the map.  The stone steps on the hill that was previously called Gayasisa are where Buddha's audience were expected to sit as he preached the "Fire Sutta."

Although the title "The Fire Sermon does not directly allude to the Bible, Buddha's "Fire Sutta" correlates with the bible on its own.  Its structure and message mirrors that of [[The Sermon on the Mount]].  In the sermon, Jesus gives blessings to those who suffer for righteous reasons.  The site of this sermon is ambiguous, but believed to have been in the Mountains of the Beatitudes, then known as Mount Eremos.  A church was built there called Church of the Beatitudes in honor of the Sermon on the Mount.  This locale can be found on the map.

These two locations--Brahmayoni Temple and Church of the Beatitudes--are connected by a line on the map to represent their association with one another.  This line draws the loose connection between ''The Waste Land'' and the Bible.

These two sermons relate the strong passions and desires prevalent in religion, specifically the temptations, to the emotionally devoid state that prevailed during modern times.  The burning passions and righteous blessings preached in Buddha's and Jesus' speech act as ironic fragments within the work.  They contrast the feelings of despair, emphasizing the absence of emotion--or the loss of faith and hope--within modern society.

===[["Death by Water" Annotations|Death by Water]]===

<html><iframe width="900" height="325" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=205087301525898876143.0004cff84ad195f04218b&amp;msa=0&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;t=p&amp;ll=41.883876,12.461243&amp;spn=0.015176,0.040727&amp;z=15&amp;output=embed"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=205087301525898876143.0004cff84ad195f04218b&amp;msa=0&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;t=p&amp;ll=41.883876,12.461243&amp;spn=0.015176,0.040727&amp;z=15&amp;source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">Death by Water</a> in a larger map</small></html>

The above map has a single point marking who Paul addresses in Romans.  Below is a quotation directly extracted from ''The Waste Land'' that alludes to Romans:

    Gentile or Jew
    O you who turn the wheel and look to windward,
    Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you. (ln 319-321)

The phrase "[g]entile or [j]ew" refers the reader to Romans 3:9-12.

:9. What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.
:10. As it is written:
:“There is no one righteous, not even one;
::11. there is no one who understands;
::there is no one who seeks God.
:12. All have turned away,
::they have together become worthless;
:there is no one who does good,
::not even one.”

These verses reflect the same sentiments found in ''The Waste Land'', talking of a universal hopelessness in any who believe themselves to be righteous.  ''The Waste Land'' quote that reads, "Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you," while unrelated to the bible, has some connections to this verse in other ways.  It, too, reflects the feeling of hopelessness in regards to inevitable death.  A couple stanzas prior to this one outlines his fate:

    Phlebas the Phoenician, a fortnight dead,
    Forgot the cry of gulls, and the deep sea swell
    And the profit and loss.

Phlebas, despite whatever virtuous qualities he possessed, meets the same fate as all others.  These lines request that others do not get fooled into thinking otherwise, similar to the verses in Roman 3.

===[["What the Thunder Said" Annotations|What the Thunder Said]]===

<html><iframe width="900" height="325" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=205087301525898876143.0004cff889f29073d3cac&amp;msa=0&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;t=p&amp;ll=31.784983,35.247746&amp;spn=0.017328,0.040727&amp;z=15&amp;output=embed"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=205087301525898876143.0004cff889f29073d3cac&amp;msa=0&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;t=p&amp;ll=31.784983,35.247746&amp;spn=0.017328,0.040727&amp;z=15&amp;source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">What the Thunder Said</a> in a larger map</small></html>

    After the torchlight red on sweaty faces
    After the frosty silence in the gardens
    After the agony in stony places
    The shouting and the crying
    Prison and palace and reverberation
    Of thunder of spring over distant mountains
    He who was living is now dead
    We who were living are now dying
    With a little patience                                  330

This scene alludes to John 18:3.  Specifically the imagery in this scene is suggestive of the garden of Gethsemane, which can be seen on the map thusly named.  In John 18, Jesus is betrayed by Peter and the Jews.  The verse that this section alludes to follows:

:So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. 
:They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

Luke 22:44 is another section that is also about the betrayal of Christ.  This chapter includes a story about the Last Supper and the betrayal from within the disciples—from Judas himself.  Luke 22:44 reads as such:

:And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.


Again, Eliot utilizes biblical allusions to incorporate this theme of betrayal within his poetry.  Although betrayal is not very evident in these lines, he does capture the distress and despair in these lines.  



Back to [[Shoring Up Fragments Against Our Ruin: Quotations and Allusions]]