Sleeping Beauty: The Apostasy

Here were are again, reading a story with a familiar theme. There is a kingdom, far away. There is a king and a queen. They desire to have a child. At long last, the desire is granted. They have a baby girl.

We have already laid a lot of ground work about fairy tales (please see previous blogs on Snow White). So what makes this story different? As I pondered the various versions of the Sleeping Beauty story I have read, there is one common point to them all. A fairy is slighted and so, gives the baby a deadly gift. When the child shall reach adulthood she shall prick her finger on a spindle and die.

I knew our Sleeping Beauty, Briar Rose, Aurora, whatever her name, represented the Church. I knew the kingdom was the kingdom of God and our rescuing Prince was Christ. Even the fairies are a symbol. In Chapter 12 of Revelation, the woman wears a crown of 12 stars upon her head. In the older versions of this story, it is 12 fairies who are invited to the celebration feast. Could they represent the 12 tribes of Israel? Interesting thought.

But what was so different about this Fairy Tale? To me, it prophecies of an apostasy and fall from the true Church of Christ and how it will happen.

That there would be an apostasy, or a falling away from true doctrine, was no secret in the New Testament. We often point to Second Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 3 and quote the Apostle Paul who cautions that the second coming of Christ will not happen “except there come a falling away first,...” But there are many other clues and warnings. Even in Matthew, chapter 24, the Lord cautions and warns that many things have to happen. I’m not going to quote it all here, but please read Matthew 24: 4-12. He points out that many false prophets will arise and deceive many.

So does the story of Sleeping Beauty give us any clues as to what some of the factors were that contributed to this apostasy? Let’s get back to our story.

11 of the fairies give their gifts of beauty, grace, song, etc., all the refinements of the spirit. They are interrupted by the slighted fairy, upset for having not been invited. This is the fairy who gives the deadly gift. However, it’s the youngest fairy, who had not yet given a gift, that softens the curse. The girl shall not die, but go into a deep sleep.

But why a spindle? Why not some other instrument? Hmmph?

Several years ago, I picked up at Deseret Book a collection of audio tapes made available through F.A.R.M.S - The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies. The collection was called, “Time Vindicates the Prophets,” a lecture series originally recorded in 1954 by Hugh Nibley. It was only 2 dollars, so I thought, why not? I then settled down on my stationary bike and peddled and listened my way through this series of lectures for radio. As I listened to tape after tape of fascinating tid-bits about the ancient world, I wondered where all this was going. It was on the last lecture he gathered up all the bits and pieces like fish in a net and brought in the great haul.

He pointed out that one of the primary reasons for the apostasy and fall of the ancient Church that Jesus Christ had originally set up, was the infiltration of Greek philosophy into the doctrines of the Church.

Bam! The spindles! the Greek Fates, who spin the threads of one’s life, either long or short, and weave them into the tapestry of life.

Greek Philosophy was BIG, I mean BIG business during the time of Christ and his Apostles. Rome may have ruled the world, but you were unschooled and unlettered if you couldn’t speak and read Greek or been educated in one of the best Greek schools. And what was the emphasis of these schools? Philosophy! Everything else, healing, astronomy, physics, law, all the rest of it, was an appendage to philosophy.

In a video lecture series from “Great Courses: Ancient & Medieval History,” the instructor, Philip Daileader from the College of William and Mary, pointed out that Augustine of Hippo, the Roman Priest who redefined the doctrine of Grace in the 5th century, a doctrine that guided the Roman Catholic Church for over a thousand years, was himself a student of Greek Philosophy. He joined the Christian faith with hope and energy, but just couldn’t get rid of his philosophical roots.

It’s sad, really. I can understand why so many Greeks joined the Church. When you really learn about the Greek Gods, you learn what professor Elizabeth Vandiver of the University of Maryland, in her lectures on the Illiad and the Odyssey (another “Great Courses” product) tells us - that the Greek Gods are not merciful, nor all knowing, nor omniscient, nor just. They are just fickle, powerful immortals you hope you can appease. Man, I’d join that new religion too! A God who loves me? Is merciful and just? Sign me up!

Sadly, we bring a lot of our upbringing with us into any religion and that’s pretty hard to overcome. Look at our own society. We are basically Roman in our culture. We’re patriarchal and land oriented. Not all peoples are like that, but that is another discussion. Yet Christ’s Church was founded in a middle eastern culture that was both paternal and maternal and land was viewed differently among a semi-nomadic people.

But philosophy (the glory of the mind of man and his reasoning ability) isn’t the only thing that caused the apostasy. The other cause can be found in the thorny hedge that surrounds Sleeping Beauty’s castle while she sleeps. Let’s look at the parable of the Sower in Luke, Chapter 8. The Sower sows seed in a field. Some fall by the way side, some on a rock, some among the thorns and some on good ground. Look at the Lord’s explanation of the thorns in verse 14, “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life and bring no fruit to perfection.”

There you have it - the two major reasons for the apostasy: not being able to let go of our own cultures and embrace the culture of God with all our heart, might, mind and strength - and, not being able to let go of riches, pleasures and self aggrandizement.

All of that from a spindle.

One last thought about that thorny hedge. It’s a really thorny hedge. When the prince who will waken Sleeping Beauty arrives, we learn that many a young man had already tried to waken Sleeping Beauty, but they all failed, impaled on the thorns. Yet, when our prince approaches the hedge, it moves aside for him. It encumbers him not at all. He enters the castle, kisses the girl, loves her and marries her, awakening the kingdom and bringing new light.

I read the part of the thorny hedge and think of Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and all the other valiant souls who made the effort to awaken the sleeping princess and return Christianity back to it’s ancient roots, but failed. Yet I am grateful to them. Their sacrifices made the restoration of the Church possible. However, only Christ and his duly appointed servants could bring His Church out of obscurity.

I’m happy to report Sleeping Beauty is now awake and she’s dancing at the Prince’s Ball.

Next week: Cinderella and the Emerging Church.