Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis

I just finished reading Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. It is a reworking of the ancient myth of the gods Cupid and Psyche. I will not take the time to review my interpretation of the book. Instead, I am just giving my conclusion of it's purpose.

This is only the second book I've read by him (the other was The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe), so I am very green to the understanding of his method of writing. At first I wondered if this was a book he wrote before or after he was saved. Parts of the story just didn't make sense to me with the worship of gods and the anger and hatred that seemed to be the theme of the book. Then upon some research I found that this was written after the Chronicles of Narnia and was considered his favorite and best work as a believer. After finishing the book, I found commentaries online of what others believed were the allegories behind his writing.

From what I read, and I intend to get my hands on one of his biographies, it appears as though his salvation experience began with the study of ancient mythology. He was deeply moved by the stories that portrayed human sacrifice as a ransom for another. He found that these writings displayed human nature's need for a human sacrifice as a way of salvation. He knew that the ancient mythologies were not true, but that Christ's sacrifice on the cross was, in fact, absolutely true. In other words, he felt that ancient history was pointing to the need for the Savior Jesus Christ. From what I can gather, his love for ancient mythology did not leave him when he came to know Christ. Instead, he found a way to use it to spell out the gospel to others who had the same adoration for it.

If you read this book, and if I were to read it again sometime in the future, I think I would read it as pure mythology with the subtle hints of the gospel placed through its pages. I would not, however, try to add allegoric meaning to every part of the story. Again, as a black and white thinker, it is a good read if read with the understanding that it is fiction. I think I'll stick to my biographies and Christian living books. :)