God and the devil in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, by José Saramago (Part I) The Well and Mal are not the two sides of
the same coin? There would therefore God and the devil characters with similar forces within Christianity? In the second century, the Greek philosopher Celso - critical of Christianity - since disputed that Christians being true, as believed in the Demon and thought he could run counter to God. The belief in the ability of Christians that the devil has, to compete with God, would the Enemy, also a god, as quoted in churches, as its twin - the God with pretensions of being single. However, Toledo is opposed to this, saying that the issue is not so simple, the forces are not the same level. According to him, "In Christianity, Satan is against God, but it is lower. It makes your game, but is condemned to defeat previously ..." The talk of Toledo is in line with what is happening in the work of Saramago, in the episode of the encounter between God, Jesus and the devil - in high seas, that morning of fog - in which the latter has its proposal for reconciliation, rejected by God. Lock up there a kind of battle between God and devil, after an approach quite critical, with five pages devoted to the story of God, on the names of those who die by issues related to faith and the ways in which would be implemented. In this regard, Tenório concludes: "Your report is worse than the list of Schindler: no one escapes. War, killings, persecution, bonfires, gloomy scenario ..." And the full horror, with God character''s own words: "a never-ending story of iron and blood, fire and ash, a sea infinity of suffering and tears" (Saramago, p.381). Given the carnage, narrated by Father, Jesus, well aware, asks: "being real and unique, so you can not avoid that men die for you, that they had been born to live for you without any (...)", compassion, the Father answered him: "the men died when the gods, even for liars and false gods (...)" (Saramago, p. 380). Unlike the lack of sensitivity shown by God, for the deaths that have to happen in your name, the devil - that no time, this reversal parody ironic, did justice to be called the representative of evil, by contrast - as now appears the angel''s announcement, either as a pastor - of whom Jesus receives teachings of ethics, theology, independence, freedom,..., compassionate shows up at the deaths related. Thus, the devil try to interfere in plans God, on the grounds that if he is the cause of disobedience, not to worship God, I would then be received in heaven again, being obedient, risking not want to be equal to God, nor against questioning your authority. As proof of that intention, still says: "(...) I sing, and humble in the last row of angels you remained faithful, then more faithful than all, because sorry, I sing your praises (...)" (Saramago, p. 392). If it were eliminated the figure of Evil, considered the root of the whole rebellion, men are naturally return to God, without requiring the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, the deaths on Crusades, or the Holy Inquisition to kill everyone that practice heresy of doubt of God and / or believe in other gods, as this new gospel reads: "(...) then end up here today evil, thy Son not need to die, your kingdom will not only this land of Hebrew, but the whole world (...)" (Saramago, p. 392). But in refusing to God to the proposal of evil, the narrator creates arguments for their character in order to convince us that, in this episode, the devil proved to be much more sensitive and well-intentioned that God who, in response the devil, said he did not want back as an angel of light. And more than that, proposed that, if possible, become a worse, because how much worse it were, more reveal the goodness of God: "(...) because this Well I''m not exist without this evil that thou art, a Well that was that there would be inconceivable without you (...)" (Saramago, p.392). The words of God are in complete agreement with those already known to Jesus, the devil in the picture of Pastor: "(...) looks find that if the devil and he left that open, we might have a surprise jump to see God there from within. "(Saramago, p.242). Even the angels of one another one, sometimes, it is impossible to be differentiated. It is as if one were opposed to the other. We would be us, therefore, made the image and likeness of the two, loading every, Good and Evil, the same extent, within ourself.