Old Testament Parallels

• Posted on 10th April 2013
• in Books with monsters, Christian ebooks, Christian fiction books, Christian fiction novels, Christian novels, Epic fantasy, Fantasy novels, Uncategorized
• by admin

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Since the New Testament has its roots in the Old Testament, it should come as no surprise that I included several parallels from those ancient books in The Quest of the Thirteen. From the Book of Genesis to the Book of Malachi, there are references aplenty appearing in my debut novel.

The first and most obvious is that The Author symbolizes God the Father, referred to in the Old Testament as “Yahweh.” He is the creator of all things, the one who sets the destiny of men but gives them the freedom to choose whether or not to fulfill it. Just as God the Father revealed Himself through the Scriptures, so The Author reveals himself through The Scrolls in The Quest of the Thirteen. Though The Scrolls were written by men, they are believed to have been inspired by The Author. This of course parallels how Christians believe that Sacred Scripture was divinely inspired. Though authored by men, we trust that the scribes’ hands were guided by God as they wrote down each and every word.

The kingdom of Mavinor symbolizes Israel. Just as Israel was the apple of Yahweh’s eye, so Mavinor is the center of The Author’s affection. It is Mavinor to whom the Author entrusts The Scrolls, and to whom He once presented two objects of great power: the Ivory Sabre and the Medallion of Mavinor. But just as Israel was constantly under siege from its enemies, so Mavinor is surrounded by the hostile kingdoms of Xamnon and Urmina. It is even discussed how Xamnon once invaded Mavinor and destroyed every copy of The Scrolls, forcing the king to send his most valiant warrior on a quest to keep the Medallion and the Ivory Sabre safe from the hands of Mavinor’s greatest enemy.

King Onestus is the embodiment of the greatest qualities of Israel’s kings. His name comes from the Latin for “honest,” and I am quick to describe him as a good, just, and fair monarch. He displays the wisdom of Solomon, recognizing that the time is quickly approaching for him to appoint a successor, and turning to The Scrolls for an answer in his hour of need. He shows the courage and the righteousness of David, not hesitating to dispatch the thirteen on their quest when he discerns that it is the will of The Author. He even dies in a manner similar to David. For just as David became old and bed-ridden and gave his final instructions to Solomon before dying, so Onestus becomes bed-ridden while the thirteen are on the quest, surviving just long enough to have one final conversation with Gobius when the thirteen return to Mavinor.

The Great Tree serves as a symbol of the tree of life from the Book of Genesis. Residing in The Author’s Garden (an obvious parallel to the Garden of Eden), The Great Tree once served as the springboard of life for the entire world, as Cantos explains to the rest of the thirteen. Note that the tree of life is not to be confused with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, from which Eve ate an apple after being tempted by the serpent.

The Seers of Fate mirror the prophets of the Old Testament. Their clues—while cryptic and difficult to decipher—ultimately lead the thirteen to the location of the Medallion and safely out of the labyrinth. Just as the Messianic prophecies are fulfilled by Jesus and he is bestowed the title of Christ the King, so the Seers’ prophecies lead to the coronation of Gobius, The Author’s one and only son.

While we as Christians follow the “New Covenant” as established in the New Testament, we must never forget that the “Old Covenant” serves as its foundation. I hope I did this justice through the Old Testament parallels in my novel. Next time I’ll turn my focus back to the thirteen, honing in on their individual journeys during the quest. Until then, peace be with you as we continue to celebrate the joy of this Easter season.