History Literature / CreationManAndTheMessiah

* RomanticismVsEnlightenment: Lampshaded by Akadiel, who also subverts it: "You find the truth in your heart rather than in your mind. Let your feelings mix with your thought, like the sun braided in clouds." And then, Enlightenment and Romanticism shall be united.

* AGodAmI: Discussed at the start. Abiriel has {{delusions of grandeur}}, wishing to create on his own. Ohebiel states that his lack of wisdom makes him distant to God, who is the only one with true creative powers.

* WorldDomination: Abiriel`s reason for ensouling Adam. He wishes to have a world for his own. Cue a number of Adam`s descendants trying the same thing, making ambition for dominance humanity`s greatest historical flaw.
** Ironically, this is a part of the "spiritual inheritage".

* GenreBusting: A cosmic poem blending {{Gnosticism}} [[Series/BabylonFive with political theory and]] ''{{Science Fiction}}''? In ''1845''? Way to go, Henrik Wergeland.
* {{Gnosticism}}: Heavily influenced, with some differences. This concerns the view of women, and that the world is not evil. All humanity have equal rights on the soul-side as well.

* Part C: '''Salvation''' - {{Jesus}} enters front stage.

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Creator/{{Plato}}, Creator/{{Aristotle}}, Zenon, some hebraic prophets, many bronze age kings, and {{Jesus}}, of course. Wergeland himself makes a cameo in the last chapter.

The "poem", which is quite a {{door stopper}}, tells the tale of humanity and its relation to God and the higher celestial beings, beginning with creation as told by Literature/TheBible, and walks through human history, the emergence of kings, nobles and clergy, and putting in some juicy social criticism on the way. After this, he presents "lights in the darkness", the philosophers and several doctrines, before going straight to {{Jesus}} and his life. This ends as expected, and Wergeland goes on to explore the growing Christian movement, and how it is hijacked by {{the powers that be}}, to be just another instrument of power. The ending of ''man'' shows the disillusioned poet sitting on a hill Easter morning. He is confronted by the highest being, [[MessianicArchetype Akadiel]], who shows him the intended way for humanity to go. The poet wakes up consoled, admitting that it will all turn out alright.

** ''First great victory of Christianity'' - with an ironic twist. UsefulNotes/{{The roman empire}} gets christianized. And history marches on.
** ''Spiritual resurrection of Jesus'': The poet goes {{twenty minutes into the future}}, or rather a thousand years, with Akadiel as a spiritual guide. So, bu 2845, it will turn out alright, or what?

* IronicTwistEnding: The penultimate chapter in the book, called ''the first great victory of Christianity'' telling the story of how the Roman Empire was christianized. And in that process, Christianity was turned into yet another instrument of power, steering it off its original path. This part is only in the 1845 version, by the way.

'''''Creation, Man and the Messiah''''' is the magnum opus of Creator/{{Henrik Wergeland}}, Norwegian poet. He finished the work in 1829, being barely 21 years old. He later abridged it somewhat at his deathbed in 1845, changing some names and editing out some of the more difficult passages -- and making a new ending for it.

** ''First great victory of Christianity'' - with an ironic twist. {{The roman empire}} gets christianized. And history marches on.

* TheObiWan: The "sage" of the golden age is this to all humanity, teaching the societies all they need to know, from heavenly mysteries to trade and politics.

* ViveLaRevolution: The poem in both versions. The hints on social freedom as well as existential and spiritual freedom are prominent, and the emergence of christianity is treated as similar to a radical social movement with republican leanings, intended to overthrow the old regime.

* {{Archetype}}: Ohebiel certainly counts, being the wise female counterpart of the ambitious Abiriel (The Anima). And since Phun-Abiriel is split, Abiriel is arguably the ShadowArchetype of the Phuniel/Abiriel pairing. Thus, we have the Anima and the Shadow. Both of them join to form aspects of the human soul. [[FridgeLogic And Carl Jung was not even born]].

* ConvenientlyClosePlanet: Abiriel`s original home planet, seen from his position hovering above the newly created Earth. Since he states it "glowes in red", we have to assume the planet is {{Mars}}, with all the astronomical speculations involved.

** This trope is also discussed by Abiriel early on. He argues that if he let his mind go, he would think he had all the power he wished for, not restrained by reason at all. In other words: ''With great insanity comes great power'' (a literal inversion).

** Akadiel has one, later some prophets, and in the end Jesus. Akadiel's speech is verging on {{awesome}}, and literal to boot, as it is designed to wake the slumbering humans to their life on earth: "Human, Awaken!" is his first greeting.

The "poem", which is quite a {{door stopper}}, tells the tale of humanity and its relation to God and the higher celestial beings, beginning with creation as told by Literature/{{the Bible}}, and walks through human history, the emergence of kings, nobles and clergy, and putting in some juicy social criticism on the way. After this, he presents "lights in the darkness", the philosophers and several doctrines, before going straight to {{Jesus}} and his life. This ends as expected, and Wergeland goes on to explore the growing Christian movement, and how it is hijacked by {{the powers that be}}, to be just another instrument of power. The ending of ''man'' shows the disillusioned poet sitting on a hill Easter morning. He is confronted by the highest being, [[MessianicArchetype Akadiel]], who shows him the intended way for humanity to go. The poet wakes up consoled, admitting that it will all turn out alright.

* ViewersAreGeniuses: This book apparently expects you to have stored up some knowledge of certain issues like Literature/{{the Bible}}, Greek philosophers, even some political history.

* ViewersAreGeniuses: This book apparently expects you to have stored up some knowledge of certain issues like {{the bible}}, greek philosophers, even some political history.

* RousseauWasRight: The work is justified on this. Wergeland was brought up on the principles of Rousseau, so the book ''is'' this trope in many respects. Subverted because the work clearly states that Humanity needs the presence of Ohebiel to make things work. With Abiriel alone on the world scene, HobbesWasRight.

* NietzscheWannabe: Abiriel suggests ironically that the spirits shall bow before "a dead god" (actually the sleeping Earth before life is introduced). Later, he denies bowing before Akadiel. The "Zarathustra" mannerisms are visible already in the 1829 version, some 15 years before Nietzsche was even born.

* RousseauWasRight: The work is justified on this. Wergeland was brought up on the principles of Rousseau, so the book ''is'' this trope in many respects.

* OhCrap: TheEmperor and the priests has one when he sees how almost everyone around them turn their backs on them for the sake of Christianity. Until the priests come up with the clever IfYouCantBeatThemJoinThem solution.

* ArchetypalCharacter: Ohebiel certainly counts, being the wise female counterpart of the ambitious Abiriel. And since Phun-Abiriel is split, Abiriel is arguably the ShadowArchetype of the Phuniel/Abiriel pairing. Thus, we have the Anima and the Shadow. Both of them join to form aspects of the human soul. [[FridgeLogic And Carl Jung was not even born]].

* ArchetypalCharacter: Ohebiel certainly counts, being the wise female counterpart of the ambitious Abiriel. And since Phun-Abiriel is split, Abiriel is arguably the ShadowArchetype of the Phuniel/Abiriel pairing. Thus, we have the Anima and the Shadow. Both joins to form aspects of humanity. [[FridgeLogic And Carl Jung was not even born]].

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: {{Plato}}, {{Aristotle}}, Zenon, some hebraic prophets, many bronze age kings, and {{Jesus}}, of course. Wergeland himself makes a cameo in the last chapter.