generation exile and neo restoration
a study of messianic hope in the matrix
Paul Fontana Harvard Divinity School April 15, 2000
Here are the bare bones of a tale that will be popular with the young everywhere: A man travels a lot, is often alone. He seeks spiritual comfort and avoids boring work. He is more intelligent than his parents and most of the people he meets. He encounters many queerly lovely hints that spiritual comfort really can be found. Kurt Vonnegut, Why They Read Hesse.1
In late August 1999 I went with some friends to see The Matrix at a theater in East Greenwich Village. W
The second part of this paper will take a step back and focus on the macro thematic issues which can only be understood when viewing the film as a whole: i.e. the above-mentioned elements of Jewish and Christian apocalyptic expectation. It is the presence of these macro issues that make The Matrix what I believe it to be: namely, one of the most carefully made and well conceived big-budget movies of all time. I distinguish between these micro and macro elements since the former are those elements which were intentionally woven into the film whereas the latter were, I suspect, included without the authors explicit intent. This last point will be treated in the conclusion. A note about sources: because it has been less than a year since the release of The Matrix (as of the writing of this paper) scholarly critiques were unavailable. In lieu of this, however, there are a number of forums for discussion about The Matrix (on the internet, of course), some of which contain insightful commentary. I have used these where applicable (especially in Part One) and URLs for these web sites are available in the bibliography. These popular commentaries are, I believe, especially appropriate for a paper about an artistic work intended for mass distribution. Since it is to ordinary people that this film was marketed, it is only appropriate that their voices be included in this critique of the film. For secondary sources, I have found the work of New Testament scholar NT Wright especially useful and will draw heavily from his analysis of Second-Temple Jewish apocalyptic hope. All Biblical quotations are NRSV, unless otherwise noted.
Part I. Micro: Elements of Religious Significance Within The Matrix The premise of The Matrix is this: at the end of the Twentieth Century humankind invented an artificial intelligence which soon spawned a race of machines that overtook the planet. In an effort to combat this evil army humans ignited the atmosphere and blackened the sky because scientists believed that this would render these solar-powered machines useless. Instead, these machines found a new source of energy in human body heat which they harvest in massive power plants. To keep the crop of captive humans from revolting they are all mentally inter-networked into a near-interactive virtual reality called The Matrix, which simulates earth as we currently know it. Like being in a perpetual dream that imitates life, all humans believe that they are living out their normal lives, when they are in fact strapped into a small pod fueling the very power source that keeps them enslaved. At some point before the action of the film begins a man was born inside of The Matrix who became aware of the situation and somehow managed to free himself and others. When he died, it was prophesied that he would return and that his coming would bring an end to the war and free humanity. As The Matrix begins, a man named Morpheus believes that he has found the One who was promised by the Oracle. The rest of the film is devoted to testing Morpheus belief.

possible rescuewhich is nothing short of miraculousbanishes any last doubts that Trinity and Tank had about Neo being the One. Also, it is here that Neo is called to the attention of the agents who previously set their sights only on Morpheus. The scenes that follow contain many of the elements of the passion narratives. Neos bold and violent entry into the government building is done with the same dramatic flair as the so-called cleansing of the Templealbeit far more violent. This comparison is less farfetched than it might appear because the Temple and this generic government building are centers of the governing authorities that Jesus and Neo oppose. Of course, in Jesus eyes the Temple is inherently good but has become corrupt whereas the government building is the home of a purely evil empire with no redeeming qualities. In other parallels with the passion narratives, the most significant similarity is that Neo, like Jesus, is killed, resurrected and ascends bodily into the sky. In the scene following Morpheus safe escape from the Matrix, Neo is left to face Agent Smith alone. After a showdown in a subway station Neo is sent to a nearby motel to room 303,7 where there is a special phone that will allow him to exit from the Matrix. Upon entering the room, Neo is shot by Agent Smith and he falls and dies. The prevalent screen placement of 303 should alert the sensitivities of any New Testament-savvy audience member who is aware of the numerical significance of the number three in the Gospels. Since it would not be possible within the plot of the film to have Neo dead for three days, this symbolic visual cue is all the film needs to provide to alert the audience members to the significance of this momentary death. 8 Yet, like in the Gospels, this death is not the end of the story, because moments later Neo comes back to life. In all the Gospels, it is a woman or a group of women who find the empty tomb and are the first to see Jesus (and/or a heavenly figure). The Matrix does not miss this opportunity to follow the Gospels. In a dramatic Pieta fashion, Trinity holds the lifeless Neo and is the first to see him as he comes back to life. As a further resurrection parallel, it is significant to note the differences between the pre- and post-resurrection Neo. Though all four canonical Gospels tell of the resurrection, its true centrality within Christianity theology can be traced to Paul. In First Corinthians 15, which is one of the most theologically significant passages of the New Testament, Paul explains the centrality of the resurrectionboth Jesus and the full resurrection of believers at the end of daysto Christian belief (1Cor 15:12-19). What is significant about this passage for our discussion about The Matrix is Pauls idea of what the resurrected body will be like. He uses the enigmatic phrase soma pneumatikon (15:44) which is translated in the NRSV as spiritual body. Scholars have spilled much ink in arguing what exactly Paul may have envisioned a soma pneumatikon to be. However, we need not concern ourselves with the details of this debate here but merely need to compare Pauls description of the soma pneumatikon to the characteristics of the risen Neo. Comparing the fleshly body to resurrected body Paul writes: What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, raised in power. (15:42b-43).

In the first scene Trinity was also in room 303 of an abandoned motel. Here we have the envelope sequence: the film ends where it began. 8 Like the Gospels, the makers of the Matrix make it clear that Neo really is dead (literally flatlined). If he just rallies after getting shot that would not be as miraculous, just as it would not have been significant if Jesus or Lazarus just swooned and were then resuscitated.
When we view the risen Neo in light of Pauls description of the soma pneumatikon, there are some remarkable similarities. The post-resurrection Neo is able to do things that were unimaginable in his former life such as stopping bullets with a command, jumping inside an agents body and exploding it, and ascending into the sky at will. We know that the risen Neo is imperishable because there is nothing that the agents can do to hurt him. After they try shooting him, Agent Smith lunges at Neo, but Neo effortlessly fights him off with one hand behind his back. This post-resurrection Neo even has an unmistakable radiance about him, though not like the brilliant white reported of the risen Jesus (Matt 28:3, Mk 16:5, Lk 24:4, Acts 26:13). Just as the disciples only understand Jesus predictions about the Temple after Easter morning (John 2:22), Neos resurrection make sense of the things he was told earlier by Morpheus and the Oracle. For example, there is significant foreshadowing in Neos question are you saying I can dodge bullets? and Morpheuss responseIm saying, when youre ready, you wont have to that the audience cannot understand until after Neos resurrection.9 We know that Neo is only ready after his resurrection because just moments earlier he tried dodging bullets and was hit by one and almost killed. But after his resurrection he is indeed ready, and just as Morpheus predicted, untouchable by bullets. All post-resurrection appearances of Neo clearly indicate that his body is raised in power, glory and imperishability. The things Neo does after his resurrection are only possible for a soma pneumatikon, because even Neos powerful fleshly (i.e. virtual) body is still nothing compared to his post-resurrection body. When we combine the above-quoted prophesy of Morpheus with the prediction given by the Oracle that Neos full potential will only be realized in his next life (that is, after his resurrection) we get a clear picture that the death and resurrection of Neo had to happen in order for the war to eventually be won. In other words, unless Neo was killed and resurrected the war could not be won because Neo only reaches his state of full actualization after the resurrection. The inevitably and necessity of the Passion/Easter events is a theme well known in the Gospels (Mt 16:21, 17:22, 20:18; Mk 8:31, 9:31, 9:33; Lk 9:22, 9:44, 18:33; Jn 2:4, 2:19, 7:30, 7:33, 8:20-21, 10:15, 12:7, 12:27, 13:21, 11:51, 12:16). The Gospels also tell us that Jesus freely gave himself to be killed so that all may partake in the kingdom of God. We see this sacrificial element in The Matrix passion story because as Neo goes to save Morpheus he does so despite the forewarning of the Oracle that he will have to sacrifice his own life. Further, because it is the codes to Zion that the agents want (so that they can obliterate the remaining humans) Neos self-sacrifice saves humankind. Another resurrection similarity is that neither the disciples nor Morpheus were expecting the messiah to die or be resurrected because there was no explicit prediction of this given by the scriptures or the Oracle. Though the messianic texts of the canonical Hebrew Scriptures are varied, vague and few, none even hint that the messiah will be executed and/or resurrected.10 The fact that in all four Gospels the disciples are frightened and confused by

The Oracles prediction that Neos got the gift but is waiting for his next life is also illuminated and proven true after he is resurrected. 10 There is a famous passage in Isaiah 52-53 about the suffering servant of God, but this figure does not seem to be linked to the redeemer expected by Israel.
Jesus death and then subsequently surprised by his post-resurrection appearances strongly suggests that none of Jesus disciples were expecting the resurrection. We see the same shock and utter confusion in Morpheus when Neo is killedIt cant be!which indicates that in all the prophecies he received from the Oracle he was never told of the coming death and resurrection of the One. The final similarity to note between the Gospels and The Matrix is their respective endings. The last shot of The Matrix (Neo flying up into the sky) directly follows the narrative of Mark,11 Luke and Acts which all tell of the ascension of the risen Jesus. One notable dissimilarity which needs to be mentioned is that though the actions of Neos life mirror those of Jesus, the eschatological significance of Neoas the one whose return will end the battle and usher in a new age of peaceis much more closely aligned with that of the risen Christ expected to in the second coming. Some people might object to the idea of a supposed Jesus figure shooting people with guns. However, violent destruction of Gods enemies was a live option for establishing the Kingdom of God and the fact that Jesus did not do this led to confusion among his followers. 12 We will see this idea developed further in Part II.iv-vi. Morpheus Though Morpheus wears a number of allegorical hats throughout the film, his most prevalent role is as John the Baptizer, especially John as he appears in the Fourth Gospel. The role of John the Baptizer in the Fourth Gospel is to be a witness to Jesus, a witness to the light (Jn 1:7). John downplays his own importance, and makes it clear that his only duty is to make way for the coming of Jesus. These following verses summarize Johns mission: Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal. (1:26-27) The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared Here is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! This is of whom I said after me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me. (1:29-30) I saw the spirit descending on him like a dove and it remained on him. I myself did not know him but the one who sent me to baptize with water said he on whom you see the spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. (1:3233) Morpheus follows John The Baptizer both in his role as announcer of the coming savior and in his unwavering certainty of belief that Neo is the One. Morpheus: Weve done it, Trinity. Weve found him. Trinity: I hope youre right. Morpheus: You dont have to hope, I know it! (ii)

The Matrix as Messiah Movie (http://awesomehouse.com/matrix).

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Morpheuss Crew The rest of Morpheuss crewTank, Doser, Apoc, Switch, Mouseapproximately fit into the role of the disciples. Of course, there are not twelve so we cannot take this analogy too far. However, there are two other noteworthy similarities. First, it is worth mentioning that among Jesus disciples, each of the Gospels reports a pair (or pairs) of brothers. The fact that there are brothers within the small crew of Morpheus does not seem coincidental. Second, just as the Twelve Disciples and the general public were confused about Jesus nature, Morpheuss crew share mixed opinions about Neo. The two extremes in The Matrix are polarized by Trinity who believes from the beginning that Neo is the One and Cypher whose last line is No, I dont believe it! Everyone else falls somewhere in between. In the synoptic Gospels Jesus asks his disciples, who do you say that I am? Peter answers, the Messiah (Mk 8:28, Mt 16:16, Lk 9:20, cf. Jn 1:41). Jesus rewards Peters faith by declaring that on this rock (which is a word play on Peter) he will build his church. Shortly after Peters declaration, each of the synoptic also report an event wherein Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James and John who then have the decisive pre-Easter a-ha moment of the Gospels. The name Tank suggests the same sort of power and stability that Peter (or Cephas) has and indeed there are some parallels between these two. Most noteworthy is The Matrix version of transfiguration wherein Neo amazes Tank as he miraculously rescues Morpheus and Trinity from the Agents building; Tanks joy and certainty is expressed in the phrase I knew it. Hes the one. The fact that Neo pulled off this rescue is Tanks (and the audiences) decisive a-ha moment that Neo indeed is the One, as Morpheus predicted. (vi) The Agents The final characters of this allegorical scheme are the agents. The closest Biblical parallel is to Satan (or the devil or the Anti-Christ), but as we will see this is not at all a perfect fit. The Apocrypha and the New Testament contain conflicting and varied understandings of Satan so it is difficult to locate a starting point in this allegorization. In the synoptic Gospels Satan plays the role of the tempter who attempts to foil Jesus earthly mission before it begins by offering him worldly power in exchange for his worship. Neo is offered a similar deal by Agent Smith, but he too refuses to cooperate with the powers of evil.15 The synoptic Gospels also tell us of numerous instances of demonic possession which are mirrored by the Agents ability to posses the bodies of anyone hardwired to the system. However these two meanings and uses of possession are wholly dissimilar beyond the surface. One interesting parallel with the three agents is that in the Book of Revelation there is an unholy trinity16 made up of dragon/Satan, the First Beast and the Second Beast (Rev 1213) who are defeated by the risen Christ just as the risen Neo defeats the agents. However, this too is approximate.

I use the phrase Biblical theology to get around the fact that there in so single Biblical consensus on who Satan is or what is the extent of his power/freedom. The idea that there are equally powerful forces of Good and Evil competing for sovereignty in the universe is a dualistic, Eastern notion unknown to the Bible. 18 In Revelation, though the evil empire is called Babylon, it is widely agreed that the author intended Rome. Likewise, Daniel wrote about the Temple desecration of Antiochos IV Epiphanes, though he refers to this king as Nebuchadnezzar. For a modern parallel, M*A*S*H was set in the Korean war, though is was a critique of the Vietnam war.

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In ancient Israelite cosmology there was no post-enlightenment understanding of a natural world governed by natural forces. The deistic notion that God exists on a transcendent plane removed from the day to day affairs of the human realm was unknown. Instead, the Israelites God was an ever-present reality who was active in history and human affairs. In the mindset of Ancient Israel nothing happens that God does not allow.19 In the words of Biblical scholar Dominic Crossan, whatever happens to Jews in the contemporary world empire is interpreted in terms of Gods punitive and slavific designs.20 According to this world-view, then, the destruction of the Temple and the exile had to be explained within the parameters of justice. We find it to be the case in all of the major prophets that the exile and the Temples destruction were just retribution for the peoples (especially the kings) wickedness in worshiping false gods. Thus, if the exile occurred as part of Gods plan, and was handed out as punishment by God, then Nebuchadnezzar was an agent of Gods justice, like a bailiff in a courtroom. That is, Nebuchadnezzar did what God wanted Him to do. Speaking for God, Jeremiah tells the people if any nation or kingdom will not serve this king, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon then I will punish them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, says the LORD, until I have completed its destruction by his hand (Jer 27:8).21 In keeping with this theological framework, Nebuchadnezzar is an agent of Gods wrath just as Death is sent by God to punish the wicked in Revelation 6. Gods blessing on King Nebuchadnezzar is the only theologically acceptable way to understand his victory over Judah according to ancient Israelite theology. Thus Morpheuss ship, The Nebuchadnezzar, has the dual connotation of having Gods blessing (were on mission from God) as well as an agent of mass destruction sent to wreak havoc on the corrupt establishment. Zion The word Zion has rich and varied meanings in the Bible. Perhaps the most consistent understanding of it appears in Psalm 76:2 as the dwelling place of the LORD. Like Israel itself, Zion is both a place and a people; while Zion refers to the mountain that is home to the Temple it is also often used to signify the whole people of Israel.22 Yet, it is essential to understand that in both these terms the meaning is somewhat transcendent. Because of Gods presence, Zion is a cosmic mountain as well as a holy people. Mt. Zion was seen as existing in sacred space, apart from the confines of ordinary time. Thus even during the Exile, while the physical Temple lay in ruins, the cosmic Zion remained alive in the holy people during their time in Babylon. (ii)

The wisdom writers understood the concept of the suffering righteous and propose alternative theodicies. But within the Pentateuch, Duteronistic history, and the major prophets, the solution to the problem of evil is grounded mainly in an understanding of justice that entails punishment for the wicked and vindication of the righteous. 20 Crossan, p. 31. 21 First-Century Jewish historian Josephus also understood the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE as a sign that God has switched his Most Favored Nation Status to Rome (Jewish War). 22 Isaiah 51:16; Cf. Levenson, Sinai and Zion, p. 137.

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There are four important aspects of Biblical Zion traditions that correspond directly to The Matrix. First, according to Professor Jon Levenson, Mt. Zion was seen as the axis mundi, the center of the universe, the meeting place of heaven and earth and hell (Ezek 38:12).23

Heaven

Temple / Mount Zion
As a locus of these three spheres of existence, it is a place wherein messages can be passed back and forth, from God to humans.24 In the Temple it was the priests who brokered this traffic of information. The Matrix understands a similar Zion-centered cosmology as it places Zion literally at the center of the Earth. Also, we can note the idea of a flow of cosmic information from the hereafter expressed in the role of the Oracle. That is, it is the Oracle who is privilege to the knowledge of the larger plan for the salvation of humanity and, like the Priests of the Temple, it is she who is the portal for this flow of information. Second, Zion is the promised land. According to the Book of Exodus, God was saddened to to see his people enslaved under Pharaoh so he promised them deliverance. YHWH elects Moses as the leader of His people and assures them of passage to a land that flows with Milk and Honey (Ex 3:8). This new land is Zion. In The Matrix,Tank echoesYHWHs overarching promise to Isreal in his line If you live long enough you might even get to see it [Zion]. In both these cases Zion is held out as a promise of the way things can and will be in the future. Also, like Moses, Neo never sees Zion (at least within the action of this film which was written as the first part of a trilogy.) But more than Zion, the geographic place, there was an understanding of a heavenly Zion which remains in cosmic sync with its mundane twin.25 For this reason, a longing for Zion among ancient Isrealites was a desire for union with God, whose presence was immanant in Zion. In the following section we will see how this becomes crucial in The Matrix.

Levenson, Sinai and Zion, p. 111, 135. Ibid., p. 125. 25 Ibid., p. 143.

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Third is the utter importance of Zion. Though this is not strictly Biblical, there was rabibinic understanding that Zion was the blueprint from which the world was created. In the Talmud and midrash, Zion is equated with the Garden of Eden, a paradise, the first of Gods creation, the ultimate firewall that prevents the flood of chaos from overtaking the world.26 We see a similar understanding of the ultimate importance of Zion in The Matrix. Here, instead of being the first of Gods creation, it is the last remaining human city. Since Zion is all humans have left they will do anything to defend it; without Zion all is lost and the war is over. Tank is even willing to sacrifice his commander if it means that he can save this last human dwelling: Zion is more important than you, me, even Morpheus. After the fall of Jesruaslem in 587 BCE Zion became a poignant symbol of national disgrace, of the contradiction between the great royal city of promise and memory and the pitiful ruins of the present era.27 The fourth parallel between the Zions of the Bible and that of The Matrix is that the new Zion, wherin Gods people will be restored to their intended glory, will be brought about by the messiah. This will be the subject of Part II of this paper. Part II. Macro: Ancient Israelite messianic expectation in The Matrix.28 If we are to make the claim that The Matrix is a religious movie we need to ask the question, so, where is God? One might notice that in Part I no character in the movie could be properly allegorized as God. To explain this seeming omission, it is now time to move beyond allegory and begin to view The Matrix through the lens of first-century apocalyptic thought. The observation that there is no mention of or reference to God in The Matrix leaves us with two options. First, we can conclude that there is no understanding of God in The Matrix. If we accept this claim then we effectively undermine the carefully constructed allegorical model to which we have devoted the previous pages, because if there is no God, then the idea of a messiah is meaningless. However, the second route of interpretation that we can take is that God is played by God. That is, the God figure in The Matrix is somewhat akin to the JudeoChristian notion of an intangible God, who, though transcendent, is active in the affairs of human history and the economy of salvation. It is this second model of God in The Matrix that I will explore in this latter half of the paper.

Ibid., p. 269.

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Trinitys answer to Neos question is a statement of exile par excellence. In contemporary thought, sewers are the quintessential place of exile, as exemplified by Sartre, who hid in the sewers of Paris while fleeing from the Nazis. In the above conversation, there is a subtext that moves beyond issues of geography. Trinitys answer to Neos subtly profound question not only details the physical location of their ship, but also explains the human condition in the year 2199. The vast majority of humans in this time are slaves imprisoned in a giant power plant. Like Nehemiahs people, a foreign power controls their bodies and steals from their harvest (literally their body heat). Those few who are fortunate enough to not be direct slaves are subjugated as fugitives who are forced to hide underground. These people in hiding, like the restored Israelites, are aliens in their own land. This is a problem that will not simply be solved by reinhabiting the surface of the Earth (which, like the Temple, lays in ruins) but requires a radical restructuring of the social orderi.e. a defeat of the enemies of Zionwhich is nothing short of eschatological. Restoration will happen only upon the destruction of The Matrix. Until then, the people of The Matrix will remain in exile. (ii) What time is it? Within eschatological discourse, the question what time is it really asks how far along are we in the sequence of end-time events? This question is as widely debated today as it was two thousand years ago. On this question there is a sharp distinction between Christian and Jewish thought. In relation to this question, The Matrix follows the Christian apocalyptic model most closely. According to most of the prophets of the Hebrew scriptures, we are physically in exile and temporarily sometime before the restoration. Christian writers of the first century agree that there is an end which has not yet come, but they disagree as to our exact placement on the eschatological timeline. Here we will outline the timeframes of Paul and Revelation, because these are the most similar to The Matrix. As a pious Jew, Paul views all of Jewish history as significant. However, his primary benchmark in locating our place in salvation history is the Jesus resurrection. Paul views the resurrection as the decisive beginning of the end-time events. The next significant event for which he anxiously awaited was the rapture and the second coming. His view of salvation history and future events will happen according to this plan: (a) Events of history according to the Hebrew Scriptures (creation, sin of Adam and Eve, flood, Tower of Babel, election of Abraham, exodus, giving of the law, covenant, wilderness wandering, taking of the holy land, judges, united monarchy, building of the Temple, divided kingdom, exile, faux-restoration, Second Temple) (b) Death and resurrection of Jesus (c) Parousia, second coming, rapture (1Thess 4:15-18) (d) Full resurrection of the dead (1Cor 15:50-53) (e) Establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth According to Paul, we should understand our place in eschatological history as being somewhere between (b) and (c). It is important to note that Paul believes that these final three events will happen basically contemporaneously and that this whole sequence of events is not

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far off in the future; there is even an indication in 1Thess 4:15-18 that Paul expects himself to still be alive when the rapture happens. 32 Paul hinges his belief in the immanence and certainty of the coming end-time events in the resurrection, which, for him, is both the guarantee of the future resurrection of the dead and the sign that the end will come soon. For Paul, Jesus resurrection is like the first drop of rain after the sky has darkened and the temperature has droppedthe great storm cannot be far off because the idea of a single resurrection in the middle of time was meaningless to Pauls Jewish sensibilities. It can be summarized, then, that Paul understands a semi-realized eschatology wherein the end-time is near but the final sequence of events has not yet happened. Pauls response to the question of what time is it? would reflect his idea that we are on the cusp of the great newness that will soon be consummated when the complete reign of God is an earthly reality. Though Morpheus does not have any idea of the exact chronological year, we will see that he has a clear and distinct understanding of his place on the eschatological timeline: Neo: Morph: Neo: Morph: What is this place? More important than what is when. When? You believe that it is the year 1999 when in fact it is closer to the year 2199. I cant tell you exactly what year it is, because we honestly dont know.
In a later scene, Morpheus explains that he believes he has found the One who will end the war and bring freedom to our people. Morpheuss certainty that he has found the One you dont have to hope, I know it!translates into certainty about his place on the eschatological timeline. Like Paul, Morpheus believes his own time to lie near the end of the old age. For Morpheus, the finding of Neo is a guarantee of imminent eschatological events, just as Paul considers the resurrection of Jesus to be the first fruits of the coming harvest. The pattern of events in the eschatological drama of The Matrix follows this outline: (a) Human history prior to1999 (b) The invention of AI (c) Subsequent battles between humans and AI, the scorching of the sun (d) The enslavement of humanity (e) The pre-Neo is born inside The Matrix, frees the first humans, and dies (f) Battles resume, the Oracle predicts the coming of the One (g) Neo is found (h) Neo is killed, resurrected and becomes fully actualized (i) The battle is won and human freedom is restored
Pauls perception of the imminence of this event is in 1Thess must be read in conjunction with his claim in 2Cor that he will not be among the living when the parousia happens (cf. 2Cor 4:14-5:10). For a full discussion of the discernable shifts in Pauls thinking on resurrection see Richard N. Longeneckers essay Is There Development in Pauls Resurrection Thinking? in Life in the Face of Death.

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The on-screen action of The Matrix begins during (f) and carries through the end of (h). As this chart illustrates, the end of the film is a bit of a cliffhanger because we are told what will happen but we do not witness it (at least in this movie, which is written as part one of three.) Yet we cannot overestimate the significance of the arrival of Neo, because this marks a new moment in salvation history that is nothing short of the eschatological turning point of the larger (a) through (i) sequence outlined above. The climax of the entire timeline is the combined events of (g) and (h). NT Wright points out that the more oppressed a group perceives itself to be, the more carefully it will calculate when liberation will dawn.33 In this regard, the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar are as oppressed as people can be and they anxiously await the coming of the One. A line that emphasizes this longing is Tanks remark, Were not supposed to talk about this, but if you are who Morpheus says you are this is a very exciting time! Indeed, this should be a very exciting time because it is the breaking in of the new age; this is the decisive moment in the great eschatological battle where the tables turn and humans will begin to reclaim that which is theirs. To borrow a line from Fight Club, what will be exciting about this moment is that Tank and the other living humans (as well as the audience) will have front row seats for a theater of mass destruction. The German word shadenfreude (= the joy in witnessing the defeat of ones enemies) describes well the source of Tanks excitement. Apocalyptic literature understands a dualism between the present age and the age to come. It is about the coming of this moment where the discontinuity begins and the enemies are defeated that Tank is excited. Paul and Morpheus have a similar understanding of their places on the eschatological timeline: both believe themselves to be living in the old age, but on the cusp of the new age. Both live in the wake of recent events (the resurrection of Jesus and the finding of Neo) that guarantee the nearness and certainty of the sequence of events which will usher in a new age of peace. It seems, then, that both would answer the question what time is it? with a resounding declaration: it is the beginning of the end-time. It is the time when the cosmic battle against evil will be won. It is time to initiate the restoration wherein humans are freed from the evil that controls them. It is time to make the small city of Zion the great, peaceful civilization it was meant to be. (iii) How did we get into this mess? Having reached the conclusions that the people in The Matrix are (1) in exile and (2) soon to be delivered from this exile, we can now take a step back and ask the question of how these problematic states come to be. That is, why did the Biblical or The Matrix exile happen? On the surface, we have the simple answers that the Babylonian exile was caused by King Nebuchadnezzar and the destroyed world in The Matrix was due to the invention of artificial intelligence. However, these answers explain the how of the exile, but do not offer satisfactory explanations as to the why. At this point the question of how did we get into this mess? moves quickly towards the question of how can God have allowed this to happen? We have already explained (I.2.i) that ancient Israelite theology understood God as an ever-present reality, so active in human history that nothing just happens in the Bible. Everything that

Wright, p. 298.

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happens does so for a specific reason (beyond cause and effect) and is sealed with Gods approval. Thus, within ancient Israelite cosmology, the problem of evil becomes uniquely focused, because God is given the position of being primarily responsible. Though the three major prophets and Deuteronomy differ on why God will bring the restoration, they all agree that it was God who caused the exile because of the sins of the nation. Like the catastrophes of the Book of Genesis, the exile was caused by God as direct punishment for sin. For the inhabitants of Judah, the exile did not only entail the loss of land, but on a more profoundly theological level, it seemed to lead to the inevitable conclusion that they had also been exiled from Gods favor. The idea that God is responsible for the day to day affairs of the world seems hopelessly primitive to modern sensibilities. However, even in the post-enlightenment world the problem of evil still looms as a formidable threat to the rationality of theism, and the presence of evil in the world remains a mocking specter to religious peoples claim that there is an allpowerful, all-loving God. Even though many religious people reject the conclusion that the evil in the world is sent by God, they must still struggle to find reasons why God would allow such evil to occur. The attempt to reconcile Gods goodness with the evil in the world is known as theodicy. Of course, in the wake of events such as the holocaust and countless other atrocities through the centuries, many people have rejected the whole project of theodicy and opted for the more viable option of atheism. As an undergraduate, I devoted my senior thesis to the philosophical problem of evil, and I approached this subject as a problem in logic: i.e., is it a logical contradiction to assert that there is an all-powerful, all-loving God and that there is evil in the world? I concluded that it was not, but to reach this conclusion, I had to employ a number of well-established theodicies (such as the free will argument or the argument from natural laws) that seek to reconcile Gods Omni-benevolence with the evil creation. However, these philosophical theodicies are totally foreign to early Biblical theology. If there is suffering, it is the natural outcome of Gods justice that both punishes the wicked and rewards the good. However, this is not to say that the concept of the suffering righteous was not understood in ancient Israelite theology. The wisdom literature (especially Job) and the apocalyptic writings of the inter-testamental period were keenly aware of the problem of the suffering righteous. Though nowhere in these writings is the conclusion reached that this suffering is due to Gods loss of control. The wisdom writers simply accept it as a mystery and predicate their vindication on resurrection and/or restoration.34 This will be the subject of the Section (iv) below.
In later Christian theology, with the influence of Hellenistic philosophy (especially neo-Platonic metaphysics), this future reward came to be understood as the hereafter as the disembodied soul goes off to Heaven to live with God for eternity. However for first-century Jews and Christians vindication will happen through resurrection and restorationwhich go hand in handin the here and now of the material, space-time world that we know. What Jews of this time hoped for was a new Jerusalem in a state of shalom. This non-dualistic understanding of vindication helps the case that Neo is the messiah because the deliverance he will provide will be within the space-time world that we know.

Some modern exegetes including Robert DiVito (see bibliography) argue against this read and claim that there is no textual basis for the assumption that humans were encroaching on Gods ontological sphere. However, I do not agree with their interpretation.

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(iv) How do we get out of this mess? The good news is that the neither the Biblical story nor The Matrix ends with eternal punishment. The anguish of the exile is coupled with the promise of restoration. Though the Bible provides us with no unequivocal answer to the problem of evil, the overarching solution lies in the promise of future vindication through restoration and/or resurrection (which go hand in hand).36 The hope of Israel was for God to reestablish the covenant and restore Zion to her former glory, which entails the Shekinah, the return of Gods glorious presence (cf. Isa 52:8, Ezek 43).37 The means through which God will establish this end often entails a messiah who will be sent to gather the lost flock of Israel and restore Zion (Isa 59:20)38 Though there was no single, monolithic messianic expectation in ancient Israel, there are some generalizations that we can safely make. It was generally understood that the messiah would perform three duties. NT Wright explains: the fundamental Jewish hope was for liberation from oppression, restoration of the land and a proper rebuilding of the Temple.39 Some of the earlier prophets are fuzzy about the person of the messiah and are more interested in the restoration he will bring (cf. Isa 7:14). However, in later biblical writings the focus on this office of messiahship sharpens, and we arrive at a clearer picture of this person who will be of Davidic descent (Mic 5:1-3, Jer 23:1-4, Ezek 17:1-21).40 There is no indication that these prophets envisioned this messiah to be ontologically different from an ordinary human, just that he would be imbued with the power of God. However, even this changed with later developments in eschatological hope. By the time Daniel was writing in the second century BCE, the hope for a messiah had developed into a figure sent directly by God who will come on the clouds and wreak havoc on Israels enemies (Dan 7:13-14). The New Testament writers believe that Jesus was the Messiah despite the fact that Jesus did not do what the messiah was expected to do which was to establish a military victory over Israels enemies. The Gospels and Paul explain that Jesus role was one of soteriology, and not one of earthly king. (It took a good deal of evangelical apology to get the Jews of the first century to wrap their minds around this concept because it was so dissimilar to what they expected.) However, the return of the risen Christ will fill in this gap. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus returns in glory, destroys all the enemies of God, and establishes a New Heaven and a New Earth (Rev 21). It is this role that is played by Neo, who is actually the return of an earlier person. Morpheus explains to Neo what his (Neos) role will be:

In the earlier prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures, resurrection was used as a metaphor for restoration (cf. Ezek 37:1-14) but from the writing of Daniel through the inter-testamental writings and culminating in the New Testament, resurrection became a literal hope because it was tied to the vindication of the righteous and the martyrs. 37 Wright, p. 269. 38 The controversy over the Zionist movement after World War Two stemmed from the fact that some Orthodox Jews believed that it is only the duty of the Messiah to establish a Jewish homeland and that humans taking this on themselves was blatant apostasy. 39 Wright, p. 299. 40 DeJong in ABD, p. 780.

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When The Matrix was first built there was a man born inside of it who could change whatever he wantedto remake The Matrix as he saw fit. It was he who freed the first of us, taught us the truth. As long as The Matrix exists, the human race will never be free. After he died, the Oracle prophesized his return and that his coming will [1] hail the destruction of The Matrix, [2] end the war, [3] bring freedom to our people. (numeration added) Notice how the three duties of the One, as predicted by Morpheus, match the messianic responsibilities as anticipated by ancient Israel. In this way Neo precisely fits the role of the messiah. Though this was not the role played by Jesus, it is the role that will be played by the risen Christ predicted in Revelation 18-21 and the messiah in Daniel 7. Neo will be the stone thrown by Daniel that brings down the great empire of oppression (Dan 2:1-45). While the course of Neos life in The Matrix follows that of Jesus, the eschatological role he plays is closer to that of the risen Christ of Revelation and the Davidic messiah executed by Israel. Neo will succeed where others have failed because he is the One chosen (by God) to redeem Zion by defeating the enemies who hold it down (Ps110; 1Cor15:20-28). All of the other would-be messiahs had failed because they were not the One; they did not have the divinely sanctioned blessing of God. The prophets and Morpheus agree that it is the messiah, and the messiah alone, who will get us out of this mess. (v) Why will it end? If the exile happened as a result of Gods disfavor with humanity, then the restoration will happen when sin has been forgiven (cf. 4Ezra 6:17-25 et al). Because the exile was a physical symptom of a theological sickness (Gods disfavor), the Israelites hope for restoration was a longing not only for a return to the land, but for a return to God, who had cast them away in anger. As NT Wright explains, Jews of this time were hoping for the real return from exile. They were also looking for a full forgiveness of sins. Those are not two separate things, but two ways of looking at the same thing.41 This hope for forgiveness and the eternal favor of God which will come with this forgiveness were at the root of Israels hope for restoration. The major prophets hold different opinions as to why God will bring about the restoration, but none believes that it is conditioned upon some action on behalf of the people. The restoration will happen when God decides that the people have served their time. Though when the restoration will happen is up to God, that the restoration will happen is certain. In the Hebrew scriptures God makes a number of promises to His people which are irreversible. After God destroys the world with the flood, He promises Noah that He will never destroy the world again (Gen 9:11). God strengthens this covenant again when He promises to make a great nation of Abraham whose offering of Isaac is the original down payment of Israels loyalty to God. The events of The Book of Exodus and the giving of the law further strengthen Gods bond with Israel. Finally, Gods promise to David that one of his line will always rule (2Sam 7:16) leads to the expectation that the messiah will come from the house of David.