Aslan’s Breath: Seeing the Holy Spirit in Narnia

Reviewed by:

G. Connor Salter, Professional Writing alumnus from Taylor University, Upland, IN.

Title:

Aslan’s Breath: Seeing the Holy Spirit in Narnia

Author:

Matthew Dickerson (illustrated by Ned Bustard)

Publisher:

Square Halo Books

Publication Date:

March 6, 2024

Format:

Paperback

Paperback‏: ‎

128 pages

OVERVIEW

Most readers familiar with the Chronicles of Narnia pick up on the fact that Aslan’s death in the first book resembles Christ’s death on the cross. Close readers may notice mentions to “the Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea” who is Alan’s father. Putting those hints together, it’s easy to see two members of the Trinity (Aslan is God the Son, Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea is God the Father) in Narnia. But what about the third member, God the Holy Spirit? Matthew Dickerson makes a strong case that Lewis does include this third member in the Narnia stories, but often in subtle ways. He unpacks the many references to Aslan’s breath (encouraging or blessing people when he breaths on them) to show they can be read as references to the Holy Spirit.

While Dickerson writes at the outset that he’s not trying to write an academic book, it’s clearly not for lack of training. Along with fantasy novels and theology works, Dickerson has also written books on AI, fishing, and several groundbreaking books on the Inklings. So, what readers get is a well-written overview that covers almost everything an academic book would. He summarizes how Aslan’s breath (and the related phenomenon, Aslan’s voice) appears throughout the Chronicles of Narnia. He provides careful explanations of how the New Testament describes the Holy Spirit and how its ideas inform Narnia (why does Aslan appear so much more rarely, and subtly, after his resurrection?). He doesn’t quote much from other scholars (the big step that makes something an academic work), although he mentions he had a hard time finding any work that discussed Aslan’s breath as the Holy Spirit. So, readers get an intelligent book that could have easily been an academic work (and probably a groundbreaking one) but chooses something else. Dickerson aims for a more popular tone to get everyday readers interested in what Narnia can show them about the Holy Spirit. The insights he gives will inspire readers who have explored Narnia many times as well as first-time readers.

A wise, thought-provoking book about the theological riches of Lewis’ Narnia stories.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5 stars):

5 out of 5 stars

Suggested Audience:

Readers exploring how Christianity, and particularly the doctrine of the Trinity, inspire the Chronicles of Narnia.

Christian Impact:

Dickerson shows how an understanding of the Holy Spirit’s nuances informs the Chronicles of Narnia (for example, why does Aslan’s breath or voice affect some people but not others?). He also shows these ideas without talking down to readers, which is a rare task. Too many Narnia discussions mention its religious themes and give the impression the stories only matter as packets of lessons for us today. Dickerson clearly shows things that readers can learn from the books but he never talks down to them. His love for good storytelling is always clear, and he leaves readers excited to explore Lewis’ stories.

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