David Dietrich
01-08-2007, 03:56 AM
While reading through the introduction to the Old Testament by Nadim Tarazi I came across the term/idea of the "masal". As I understand it, it is a kind of allegorical history. I would like to have a thorough, in-depth grasp of this concept, how it is used and how it is constructed. Though I do find it interesting from a theological perspective, my ulterior motive is that I am interested in using the masal to create fiction that would be based, via "masallic" allegorical technique, on biblical/Christological histories. I believe a story like this would be incredibly powerful since it would present Christ to the reader without the reader realizing it. This has the potential to reveal Christ to those who would otherwise have been blinded forever by their own fears and the devil's lies. In this way, for instance, a reader who would automatically have shut his ears upon hearing the story of Joseph in Egypt from the Bible might suddenly be struck with the enormous grandeur and deep beauty of this story. So, having exposed my motives to the reading public, I await enlightenment from those more blessed with knowledge than I. Thank you.