Volume 5 Number 2 Article 12

10-15-1978

A Note on Charles Williams’ The Place of the Lion

Michael Haykin

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Recommended Citation Haykin, Michael (1978) "A Note on Charles Williams’ The Place of the Lion," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 5 : No. 2 , Article 12. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol5/iss2/12

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Abstract Considers why Williams refers to a non-existent Gnostic tradition in a conversation between Anthony and Mr. Richardson. Is this mere error or purposeful?

Additional Keywords Williams, Charles. The Place of the Lion

This article is available in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol5/iss2/12 A NOTE ON CHARLES WILLIAMS' The PLACE of the LION by Michael Haykin

On page 80 of Faber & Faber's 1952 edition of Yet we must also bear in mind that Charles Charles Williams' The Place o f the Lion we reads Williams wrote The Descent o f the Dove s u b t it le d From o u tsid e th e b o o k s e lle r 's he "The History of the Holy Spirit in the Church." peered cautiously in. A nice-looking In this work, Williams reveals a clear knowledge old gentleman was showing children's of who St. Ignatius was, and a certain acquaintance books to two old ladies; a tall gaunt with his work. Williams also undertakes a fairly man was putting other books into shelves. lengthy explanation and examination of Anthony hoped that the first gentleman and gives an indication of his knowledge of St. was Mr. M artin and th e o th e r Mr. R ich­ as an "individual anti-Gnostic writer," ardson. He went in with a quick deter­ (See The Descent o f the Dove, pp 20, 22-26, 28, 46) It is thus extremely unlikely that Williams mined step, and straight up to the would have confused St. Ignatius and St. Irenaeus. young man, who turned to meet him. Furthermore, if Williams had gone to the trouble "Have you by any chance an e d it io n to include a reference to St. Ignatius and to his of St. Ignatius' treatise against the Gnostic opponents in The Place o f the Lion i t i s Gnostics?" he asked in a low clear also extremely likely that he would have done a v o ic e . little research, and easily discovered that there The young assistant looked gravely is no evidence whatsoever for the two treatises. back. Why then did he include a couple of historical "Not for sale I'm afraid,” he said. references for which there is no factual evidence? "Nor if it comes to that, the Gnostic treatises against St. Ignatius." The reason probably lies in the nature of "Quite," Anthony answered. "Are Gnosticism itself. Gnosticism thrived on esoteric you Mr. Richardson?" texts, which they claimed were uniquely their own. Thus, in the first centuries of Church history, we "Yes," the other said. find such pseudonymous Gnostic works as the "Then I apologize and all that, Gospel o f Thomas, th e Gospel o f Peter, th e Apocryphon o f but I sh ou ld v ery much lik e to ta lk to you about modem Gnosticism or J o h n [the Evangelist], and one which Williams mentions, the Gospel o f Barnabas, (The Descent o f what appear to be its equivalents." t h e D o ve) p. 24 ) . Because of the nature of the Anthony said rapidly, esoteric teaching contained within these works, they were only given to those who were "spiritual" Anthony's main intent in this passage is to (pneum atikoi) , th e illum inati, who alon e had the engage Mr. Richardson in conversation. The quest­ capacity to receive them. ion about the possibility of obtaining a copy of St. Ignatius' treatise is thus a ploy. What is Therefore, when Anthony enters the bookshop interesting in the reference to St. Ignatius' seeking to talk to Mr. Richardson, he already treatise against the Gnostics is that no such believes that Mr. Richardson is part of a group of treatise exists nor is suspected, by Patristic "modern Gnostics." In view of the practices of scholars, to have even existed. Is this then an ancient Gnosticism it would indeed be typical for obvious mistake on behalf of Williams? Or has he a "modern Gnosticism" to have an imaginary treatise confused St. Ignatius with another author? such as St. Ignatius against the Gnostics , upon which they might base their heterodox (and in the It is certainly the case that when St. Ignatius eyes of the orthodox Church, heretical) beliefs lived and wrote (circa A.D, 100-117), the presence and practices. of Gnosticism was beginning to be felt in the Christian Church. In the seven epistles of St. Mr. Richardson's reply, "Nor, if it comes to Ignatius known to be definitely genuine, 1 part of that, the Gnostic treatises against St. Ignatius." in the St. Ignatius' concern is to combat various erroneous light of the above, can either be viewed as simply o p in io n s (heterodoxiai) which are circulating a humorous twisting of Anthony's phrase, or as a among h is C h r istia n b reth ren . L.W. Barnard serious assention; he believes such works to exist, identifies the group against whom St. Ignatius and they might truly exist, as forgeries of a directs his polemic 2 as being a form of Judaeo- " modern Gnostic" group. The latter is more likely; Gnosticism, which denied the bodily reality of Mr. Richardson looked grave rather than amused. Jesus Christ, especially His death and p a s s i o n . 3 Further he begins his reply by saying, "Not for sale" However, none of the seven genuine epistles of St. very likely because such works might exist as the Ignatius is a formal treatise against the Gnostics property of a "modern Gnostic" group, but because (neither, for that matter, are any of the epistles of their esoteric character they are only for which are spuriously attributed to St. Ignatius). members of the group. This would also give sense St. Ignatius’ attack against the Gnostics is woven to Anthony's apology) he has asked for something in with his other concerns in the seven epistles. that is meant to be a secret. Mr. Richardson's reply concerning " the The unsuspecting reader might easily overlook Gnostic treatises against St. Ignatius" is equally such a passage, yet the analysis of this brief baffling to the student of Patristic history) no section has revealed something of the fictional such treatises are known or even suspected to exist. accuracy of The Place o f the Lion , The t i e s There is the possibility that Williams has between certain modem Gnostics, such as Mr. Foster confused St. Ignatius with St. Irenaeus (circa A.D. or Dora Wilmot (who becomes a serpent), and certain 130-200), the Bishop of Lyons, who wrote the ancient Gnostics such as the Cainites, who regarded im portan t Adversus omnes Haereses, w hich i s a the of the as evil (and thus detailed attack upon Gnosticism. e x a lte d a l l who stood a g a in st Him, e .g . C ain, Esau, and ) are thus made clearer. The ways 37 of ancient and modern Gnosticism are the same: the 1i.e . the Epistles to the Ephesians, Magnesians, same emphasis on esoteric teaching and secrecy Romans, Trallians, Philadelphians, Smymaens, and (which the modem Gnostics in The Place o f the Lion to Polycarp. received from Mr. Berringer), the same emphasis 2 on special writings. Yet, we must note that there L.W. Barnard "The Background o f S t. Ig n a tiu s is a vast difference between some of these modern of Antioch" V igiliae Christianae 17 ( 1963) pp. 193- Gnostics: some, like Mr. Richardson, and eventually 206. Anthony and Damaris Tighe, turn out to possess a tru e g n o s i s , while others like Mr. Foster and Dora 3 The denial of the bodily reality of Jesus Wilmot turn out to be under the power of d a im o n ia , Christ is called . See St. Ignatius’attack who d e str o y them. on this heresy in Magnesians XI. A WORD FROM MISTRESS ELLWOOD My name is Gracia Fay Ellwood, and I am the new thing that causes people to think "I have been here e d it o r o f M y th lo r e . before" a t a f i r s t v i s i t , or "You have been mine Introducing oneself calls for a sorting out of before" at a first meeting. I am intrigued by the the different dimensions of one's personality. possibility that the co-inherence of these "fam­ People tend to define themselves primarily by what ilies," spread out over space and time, may be the they do ("I am a writer") or by relationships ("I means whereby apparent defeats of justice find am a mother.”) It is also possible, though less their resolutions, and one person’s rebirth may be neat, to define oneself by one's major preoccupa­ shared by many. tions. Going this route, I would say that what I All this interest in adventure does not mean that think about most is the Great Adventure, and that my daily life contains much of it at present, which it is the point of unification for almost every­ is fine with me, Adventures are nasty disturbing thing else that interests me. uncomfortable things that make you late for dinner. The Great Adventure: a heroic figure encounters My personal predilections are not necessarily to dangers, evils, mysterious events; struggles des­ be taken as indicators for the direction of M y th lo r e perately with them and is almost bested, but ultim­ from now on. M y th lo r e w ill continue to print art­ ately wins handsomely. icles dealing with many aspects of myth and fan­ The forms of the Adventure that I encountered tasy, together with poetry and artwork. Hopefully first were chiefly from the Bible, and involved the the letter column w ill be lively with new insights, heroes' entering the belly of a fish, or a pit or agreement and disagreement. (Letters not printed, prison or cave, all images closely analogous to the or substantially edited, w ill be answered person­ womb, so that rebirth still is to me the most basic a l l y . ) image of what takes place in the Happy Ending. *** As a feminist I also find my deepest spring in A problem arises occasionally in the matter of the Adventure; centering in God as giver of new a d d r essin g fem ale co r re sp o n d en ts. Some women ob­ birth, as ultimate mother. ject to "Mrs." or "Miss" because they reject the I am also interested in psychical research, idea that they are to be publicly defined by their particularly retrocognition. This relates to the relationship, or absence thereof, to a man. Be­ Adventure in several ways. The tales that I most cause our culture has long penalized single women, enjoy involve other worlds, with marvels and won­ and because I don't want anyone to hurt like that, ders sometimes analogous to those I study as a para­ I have favored the use of "Ms." Others, however, psychologist. Both in fiction and history, then, I dislike "Ms;" they are uncomfortable with its assoc­ love the boundary where worlds meet. Secondly, it iations, or (as Evangeline Walton charmingly put it) has been observed that persons who have had espec­ "It makes me feel too much like a manuscript." ially gruelling ordeals and vivid experiences of Unfortunately, unless people indicate how they rebirth often emerge with supernormal powers. want to be addressed, I can't tell which to use. Thirdly, instances of retrocognition (i.e. visions It occurred to me to go back, in such cases, to the of past events) frequently involve symbols of the term for which "Mrs," "Miss" and "Ms." were a ll Return to the Womb, but seldom do they include the once abbreviations, namely, "Mistress," Of course Happy Ending; it is as though the Adventure were the word has acquired a negative meaning since arrested in mid-course. In Williams' Descent Into then, but not as a title; and it has a pleasantly H e l l the visionary Pauline offers resolution and archaic feel to it. rebirth to a beleagered hero, but seldom in real *** life have visionaries thought to do so. May a ll your Adventures have Happy Endings. . . . Then there is psychic kinship, the sort of

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