C.S. Lewis believed that Jesus Christ embodied, in historical fact, a mythic pattern of dying and rising exemplified by deities such as Balder and Osiris. Taken from James Frazer's Golden Bough, an enormously influential work of early anthropological scholarship, the idea of a generalized ‘dying and rising’ motif is now substantially outmoded. Resting specifically on the resemblance between that motif and the story of Christ, and not (unlike Tolkien's argument from myth) on the gospel's general qualities as a story, Lewis's argument from myth thus presupposes an incorrect vision of actual ancient pagan religion. That shortcoming is not fatal, however. In contrast to Chesterton in The Everlasting Man (another formative influence), Lewis used an aesthetic or ideal, rather than a historical, conception of myth, which he carefully distinguished from the word's ordinary senses. Although Lewis did believe that ancient myth-makers worshipped ‘dying and rising’ gods, the core of his case is ‘our’ apprehension of a mythic quality in such stories and the Gospels, independent of the beliefs of ancient writers or hearers of myths. That conclusion should discourage overly sanguine appropriations of Lewis's arguments, which never developed into a general theory of mythology and, once the historicity of the ‘dying and rising’ motif is set aside, can be developed into a case much like Tolkien's.
About this Journal
The Journal of Inklings Studies provides a forum for rigorous academic engagement with the work of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, and their literary circle.
The journal’s two principal aims are
- to lead and support the growing field of C.S. Lewis and Inklings Studies, and
- to test and develop the potential of C.S. Lewis and his circle to be serious intellectual conversation partners for scholars in literature, philology, theology, and philosophy more widely.
The journal pursues these aims by
- publishing original source materials by its subject authors, together with high-quality scholarly commentary and analysis,
- developing and publishing cutting-edge academic engagement with the thought of C.S. Lewis and his circle by scholars both within Inklings Studies and in other disciplines, and
- publishing free, open access book reviews of academic books published in the subject area.
Further information about the journal, including a shop for purchasing 2011-2017 back issues, can be found here.
Editors and Editorial Board
General Editor (and Subject Editor for C.S. Lewis):
Prof. Judith Wolfe (University of St Andrews)
Managing and Reviews Editor:
Norbert Feinendegen (Independent scholar)
Subject Editor for Charles Williams:
Dr Holly Ordway (Word on Fire Institute)
Subject Editor for Owen Barfield:
Prof. Jacob Sherman (California Institute of Integral Studies)
Subject Editor for J.R.R. Tolkien:
Dr Giuseppe Pezzini (Corpus Christi, Oxford)
Editorial Advisory Board
Stephen Barber (Treasurer, Charles Williams Society)
Owen A. Barfield (Executor, Owen Barfield Literary Estate)
Prof. Mark Edwards (Christ Church, Oxford)
Prof. Eric Gregory (Princeton University)
Dr Brian Horne (President, Charles Williams Society)
Dr Michael Ward (Faculty of Theology and Religion, Oxford)
Dr Brendan Wolfe (University of St Andrews)
Dr Suzanne M. Wolfe (Author and Editor)
Society
The Journal of Inklings Studies is the official journal of the Oxford C.S. Lewis Society and can be subscribed to directly from Edinburgh University Press or as part of society membership.
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Journal of Inklings Studies is abstracted and indexed in the following:
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Journal of Inklings Studies

Sample Issue
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