The Alteration of God's "Word"
In Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust

by Mary Moss
 

Many parents have known their children to tell a lie when telling the truth presents a consequence they would rather not deal with. Adults, too, will sometimes alter the truth when it comes in conflict with the fulfillment of their own personal desires. In the poetic drama, Faust, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's protagonist finds himself in a similarly tempting situation. When Faust first appears on stage, he immediately begins a monologue that reveals his frustration and despair after ten years of lofty striving. He has studied philosophy, jurisprudence, medicine, and theology "with keen endeavor, through and through" and still feels as if he knows nothing. "Rummaging in the phrases" of books has never allowed him to see the forces that rule the world. His ultimate goal, to "envisage the creative blazes" has always eluded him (2164–5). Later, as Faust continues to struggle with his overwhelming discontent, he turns to the New Testament "for the light of revelation." When he reads John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word," he becomes dissatisfied with the translation and initiates a string of revisions, changing "Word" into "Mind," and then into "Force," and finally into "Act" (2183–4). Each of these revisions represents a pathway Faust has taken in his unfulfilled pursuit of divine creativity. His final alteration of the scripture, changing "Word" into "Act," foreshadows Faust's future decision to trade in his lofty striving for experience in the carnal world.

The original language of John 1:1, which includes "Word," represents Faust's failed effort to find divine creativity through religion. The "Word" can be defined as the word of God, or the gospel: the "good news" brought by Jesus Christ. Faust has been long familiar with the word of God. When his despondency causes him to consider suicide, it is his memory of "heaven's love" that he has "known since infancy" that calls him "back into life" (2174). As a man created in the "image of the godhead," Faust has always known innate "noble urges" that have caused him to be "hopeful and bold to capture the sublime" (2170–1). Faust recalls his youth, when Sabbath day prayers brought him "impassioned bliss." His "unbelievably sweet yearnings" caused a "new world" to grow within him (2174). Apparently, the religious experiences of Faust's childhood laid the groundwork for his desire to study theology. But over time his search for spiritual knowledge became more of a disappointment than an inspiration. Faust remembers working with his Father as a young man to fight off the plague. With "hope still rich, with faith still blessed," he called upon the "Master of the Skies" for assistance so they might "put an end to the long pest." But the medicine they distributed to the sick ended up causing more death than did the disease they were trying to eliminate. Looking back bitterly on these memories, Faust says, "[I] vexed myself with fasting and prayer." All the "entreaties, tears, and sighs" offered to his Father in Heaven went unanswered (2179).

In addition to his disappointing effort to discover divine creativity through personal contact with God, Faust finds himself even more disenchanted with those who claim to represent Him. In his opening monologue he labels members of the clergy, "Christers," and lumps them together in the same category as doctors, teachers, and scribes (2165). In a dialogue with Wagner, his assistant, Faust asserts that chanting priests are like comedians (2168). Although Faust also labels himself a "wretched fool," he believes he is "smarter" than these "shysters." His study of theology has taught him that "heaven's lovely light" becomes less effective as it passes "through stained glass" (2165). This metaphorical revelation suggests the changes that have been made to the Bible with each translation: Over time, a measure of authenticity has been lost as the Bible's original language has been revised to make it more aesthetically pleasing, or to make religious teachings more closely match modern–day social needs and norms. Now Faust understands his pursuit of spiritual knowledge (heavens' lovely light) can never be fulfilled as long as a corrupted clergy (stained glass) has the power and inclination to alter divine truths. Ironically, Faust falls into this very same trap as he attempts to revise scripture. He fashions the "Word" to suit his own needs, therefore making God's message "lose its luster" (2165). Even after the familiar chimes of Easter morning save Faust from suicide, he still finds he "lacks all faith and trust" in the word of God (2174). In the future, he will go so far as to claim he was "duped" by religion, and pledge to "curse all that would enamor / the human soul with lures and lies" (2192).

Because of his disappointing experience in calling on God's help when dealing with the plague, and because of his total lack of respect for the authority of the of the church and its clergy, Faust concludes that the "Word" is an "absurd" representation for the source of divine creativity. For his first revision of John 1:1, he turns to his esteem of intellectual disciplines. He speculates the "Mind" of man might be a more credible source of life than the "Word" of God (2184). Faust spent a good portion of his years devoting himself to the expansion of his mind. He earned the titles, "Master of Arts" and "Doctor," (2165) and because of these accomplishments, students and members of his community respect and honor him. In a scene that takes place the night before, Faust searches once again for "what nature has to teach." He opens his books to the "symbol of the macrocosm," an ancient illustration of the universe. Faust immediately feels uplifted by this image. As he studies it, he believes he is being filled with "mysterious potency" and that "nature's hidden powers" are being manifest unto him (2166). He is so impressed with its marvelous design that he wonders if it might have been created by a god. But after only a few moments of consideration, Faust turns away from the picture with disgust. "What a play! Yet but a play, however vast," is his complaint. He realizes the picture is only an idea, a design, a conception unable to sustain life; and his feeling of "mysterious potency" — merely a product of his own mental masturbation. Faust longs to know the "source of life" and to "hold it fast" (2167). He doesn't want to just think about divine creativity; he wants to own it, and to be filled by it.

This is not the first time Faust is displeased with his intellectual pursuit of divine creativity. In his opening monologue, Faust's restless complaining details his long–established distaste for academics. Faust feels "confined with books." He finds them musty, moldy and stifling. The books in his library are so old that they are "gnawed by worms" (2165). Faust has made the dust of knowledge his meager meal for so long that it now repulses him. He craves fresh, living truth. He finds his "scholars' spirit …often is pathetic" (2169–70). When he goes outdoors to find refreshment and relief, Faust sees, only more clearly, how he is lost in a "sea of errors and false views" (2180). Later, his disappointment will come to a climax when he signs a contract with Mephistopheles:

I feel I gathered up and piled high
In vain the treasures of the human mind:
When I sit down at last, I cannot find
New strength within — it is all dry.
My stature has not grown a whit,
No closer to the Infinite. (2196–7)

Like the "Word" of God, Faust's "Mind" has failed miserably as a pathway to divine creativity.

After pondering his hasty identification of the "Mind" as the "all–creating source," Faust once again changes the language of John 1:1 to read: "In the beginning was the Force" (2184). Faust's expressed desire to "flee out into the open land," to be a part of "living nature," (2166) suggests his choice of the word "Force" represents his desire to find the source of divine creativity through the forces of nature. After he turns in disgust from the intellectual conception of the universe as represented by the symbol of the macrocosm, Faust's next desire is to be taught by the spirit of nature. When he turns the pages of his book and looks upon the "symbol of the earth," he once again experiences a surge of uplifting emotion: "I look and feel my powers growing, / As if I'd drunk new wine I'm glowing." Faust feels "close" to the spirit and immediately calls upon it, assuming himself worthy to be its peer. But when faced with the vastness of the spirit's power, Faust is overwhelmed with terror and instinctively turns away: "Vision of fright! … I can not bear your sight!" In addition to feeling "dwarfed in impotence" (2170), Faust also feels humiliated by the earth spirit's belittling tirade:

Where are you, Faust, whose voice pierced my domain,
Who surged against me with his might and main?
Could it be you who at my breath's slight shiver
Are to the depths of life aquiver,
A miserably writhing worm? (2168)

After the apparition vanishes, Faust realizes it was foolish to "dream eternal truth was within his reach." He admits it was presumptuous to hope a mere mortal man could possess the "unbounded might" necessary to share in the "creative joys of God's domains" (2170).

Clearly, Faust's humiliating experience with the earth spirit has provided him good reason to reject nature's "Force" as an appropriate replacement for God's "Word" in the New Testament. But there is another outside source, which will more heavily influence his last revision of John 1:1. As he grasps the pen, something warns him that his "translation must be changed again" (2184). Earlier, the earth spirit alludes to a "peer" spirit that Faust is able to comprehend (2168). It is the peer spirit of Mephistopheles, in the form of a barking poodle, which helps Faust choose the final wording of John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Act" (2184). When Faust selects "Act" as his ultimate translation, he gives up on his lofty pursuit of divine creation by way of the "Word" of God, the "Mind" of man, and the "Force" of nature. By choosing "Act" Faust shows he is prepared to take action in the carnal world in order to find his long–awaited fulfillment. When Mephistopheles later tempts Faust, "Come on! Let your reflections rest / And plunge into the world with zest!" — he encourages Faust to put away his cerebrally introverted and physically dormant existence in exchange for spontaneous sensual experience (2197). Faust is already convinced that neither "Word," "Mind," nor "Force" can bring him satisfaction. Not expecting to ever find happiness and contentment, he hopes, at least, to be "cured from the craving to know all." He is fully willing to give himself to both "agony and bliss" in order to accomplish this final task (2196).

When Faust trades in his lofty striving for experience in the carnal world, Mephistopheles demands the bargain be put down in writing. At this point Faust gives his "Word" to reassure Mephistopheles of his commitment. His convincing speech fully outlines his previous unfulfilled pursuit of divine creativity:

You need not fear that someday I retract.
That all my striving I unloose
Is the whole purpose of my pact.
Oh, I was puffed up all too boldly,
At your rank only is my place.
The lofty spirit spurned me coldly [The "Word" of God]
And nature hides from me her face. [The "Force of nature]
Torn is the subtle thread of thought,
I loathe the knowledge I once sought. [The "Mind" of man]
In sensuality's abysmal land
Let our passions drink their fill! …
For restless activity proves a man. [The "Act" of man in the carnal world] (2195)

Ironically, Mephistopheles is not satisfied with Faust's "Word," just as Faust is not satisfied with God's "Word." Mephistopheles insists Faust validate their bargain with a physical "Act." He requires Faust to sign the contract with his own blood (2195). Faust's final translation of John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Act," clearly foreshadows this contract and Faust's new life in the carnal world. But sadly, in the future, Faust's bargain will also cause the blood of other individuals to be shed. His final alteration of John 1:1, which represents his choice to "Act" in the carnal world, will bring forth the consequences of "agony and bliss," not only to him, but also to the woman he loves.

Work Cited

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. Faust. Trans. Walter Kaufman. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Maynard Mack. New York: Norton, 1997. 2162–263.

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