So, What Is Your View Of History?

Those of you uninterested in history—how many that includes—may wonder why I seem to be preoccupied with it. When hearing about my latest and soon to be published novel, they ask, "Is it a historical novel?" And my answer is yes or at least so it seems. It is historical fiction, that is fiction related to events that really happened. 


So is that what the Bible is, fiction based upon events that really happened? For many it seems so, especially when they come across a couple phrases from the Bible passage I've been pondering this week—Hebrews 9:24-28—"he (Christ) has appeared once for all . . . Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people."


That once-for-all idea has a ton of historical controversy behind it. Who ever came up with this idea that a young Jew was God and that by dying on a Roman cross he could atone for the sins of every human being who has ever lived and breathed upon this planet from the beginning of time until now and on into the endless future? Preposterous! Unless this man Jesus of Nazareth was and is the Son of God, "very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father"  (Nicene Creed).

Here's an alternate view of history from the novel, one fervently held by many Germans, even before the rise of Nazism. My protagonist, Albert, is talking with the vivacious Hulda Schwarz, priestess of the goddess Freya.


“Albert, Albert, you have so much to learn."


She spoke with what seemed greater intensity as the pitch of her voice rose. “For centuries before your bumbling Italian stumbled upon the North American continent, the great Vikings navigated back and forth from Scandinavia.They cruised the Great Lakes to explore this place, your so-called Indians called Minnesota, the land of sky blue waters. The Vikings had villages here. Their runes prove it. Have you never heard about a stone discovered here in Minnesota over thirty years ago with powerful runes written upon it?"


Al stared at her, “What are these fairy tales?”


“Before the great Vikings, even for thousands and thousands of years before the birth of Christ, we Aryans ruled these lands. Albert, all the way to the South American continent. We were the Aztecs and the Maya. We Aryans also ruled the islands of the Mediterranean Sea and established great kingdoms from Crete to Egypt and Ethiopia. Our power reached out to India and beyond, even to the lands of the Chinese.”


“But, but how can this be, Fraulein? No one ever spoke about this to me. Are, are you certain this is true?”


His mumbling and fumbling made him feel like a fool. Did she have access to some hidden knowledge or was she a raving lunatic?


Hulda smiled as she turned to Al. “You have so much to learn, Albert, so much. Be patient. You are on the right track and Woden smiles upon you!”


“Woden?”


Hulda sighed and seemed to let out a long, almost exasperated breath. “I, too, must be patient. I know it, but I forget. You have been taught empty myths about the Jewish god. You have probably been taught that the Jesus, the Jew of Nazareth, was a god! In time you will learn the truth and give your allegiance to the true gods, the gods of the North, the Aryan gods!”


“Perhaps, but who is this Woden you speak about?”


“Woden—some call him Odin—is the Father of us all, Albert.”


Her words came out slow, quiet reverently. She bowed her head and gazed again out the window. It seemed to Al as if she was worshiping this Woden person right in front of him.


Turning back to him, she continued. “Albert, Woden is the All-Father, the ruler of all spirits. He is the First One, the Creator. In him lives all knowledge and wisdom. To him we sing our songs, for all comes from him.” 


What is your view of history?