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Be sure to give a page number to help you locate a specific example. You will find several examples of each idea throughout the book. Give at least two examples per idea. Examples may be of the ideas OR what happens when the ideas break down. Try to find one example from the Hebrew point of view and one from the Phoenician point of view if possible.

We will be using the concepts from the role of Mythology and beliefs in a society as the basis of the questions.

1. Explain the inexplicable.

2. Justify an existing social system

noun: social system - the people in a society considered as a system organized by a characteristic pattern of relationships.^[1]

An example of a social system is the system chosen by many people in which they attend organized religion in order to create a framework for dealing with life and events, good and bad. And this system enables people to establish a relationship with God. In the Fifth Mountain this relationship is made clear through Elijah’s evident relationship to “God [the] all-powerful,” (239). As he stays faithful to his religion and customs in “...following the signs of a God...” (82). ^[2]

~Frances Hellums

3. Give basis of governments and legitimation of authority

Legitimation means, "to justify; sanction or authorize."^[3] In The Fifth Mountain, there are many examples of basis of government in Akbar. In general, the legitimation is that the ruling class is divine and chosen by the gods.

For example, the governor is the most respected man in the city and must defend his authority. The people of Akbar know that “the governor was chosen by the gods and that he always made the wisest decision (p. 74).” However, Akbar’s mind changes as the Assyrian army increases each day. Nervous, they believe the governor is “more concerned with trade than with the army (p. 65),” and that “custom forbids our bringing to power someone more efficient (p. 78).” Custom cautions, “If the families anointed by the gods were removed from power, the consequences would be grave… everyone knew they were related to the divine families (p. 80).”

Another example of a person in power who has to defend it is the high priest. He displays his power at the public judgment of the Assyrian spy. He claims he has even more authority than the governor because, “It is I who keep you in power… I know sacrifices to appease the wrath of the gods, if we… replace the ruling family (p. 107).” In that threat, the high priest warns the governor that he may not stay governor for long because he can interpret, and therefore control the will of the gods. In this way, both the governor and high priest can defend their authority by claiming that the gods chose them to rule; therefore, it would be a sin to remove a divine person from power.^[4]

-Courtney Jacobs

4. Account for a society’s rites and customs

5. llustrate moral principles

There are many major moral principles in The Fifth Mountain. The first one is the Law of Hospitality. The people of Akbar view it as a custom, as the high priest says. He also mentions how “Custom mandates that we offer hospitality to foreigners.” (p.39). This law was not in place only in Akbar though. When Elijah and the boy are hungry and thirsty after Akbar has just been attacked and destroyed, they came “to the house in the middle of the valley;” and the owner’s “gods- demanded that she honor the universal law of hospitality.” (p.176). This law seemed to be universal, that every Phoenician person would honor it so they would not disrupt their gods.

A second common moral principal that the Hebrews and Elijah honors is the Law of Moses. At the beginning of the book, Elijah is hiding with a Levite from Jezebel, who wants him killed. He is questioning God and his actions and asks, “Does God kill the faithful, the innocent, those who follow the Law of Moses?” (p.6). When he says the Law of Moses, he is most likely referring to the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses. Elijah is a devoted follower of God and really tries to follow the Law of Moses, which provides him values and morals. When Jezebel rose to the throne, she “replaced the worship of the Lord with that of the gods of Lebanon” (p.12), but Elijah “continued to worship the God of Israel and to observe the laws of Moses." This shows how he stayed true to those moral principles, even when it was forbidden, because inside he knew it was what is right.

-Victoria Lima

Citation: Coelho, Paulo. The Fifth Mountain. New York: HarperCollins, 1998. Print.

6. Basis of national identity

“National identity”- n. The depiction of a country as a whole, encompassing its culture, traditions, language, and politics.^[5]

National identity is the concept that countries have specific characteristics that separate them from others. By definition, national identity is based on culture, including religious traditions, languages and dialects, and political history. In The Fifth Mountain, there are several city-states that are defined by their national identity. Israel is depicted as a land with several features that separates it from the other nations. For a long time before the arrival of Jezebel, Israel’s religious tradition was monotheistic and unrelated to that of Baal and the gods of the Fifth Mountain. Israel also had a colorful political history, including the arrival of Ahab and Jezebel.

“After ascending to the throne, Jezebel had asked Ahab to replace the worship of the Lord with that of the gods of Lebanon,” (12).

Lebanon was also known throughout the Middle East for its deities of Baal and the other inhabitants of the Fifth Mountain. From a theological standpoint, Israel and Lebanon stood in great contrast because of this religious difference. This is an example of a characteristic determines national identity. Whereas Jezebel and Phonecia believed in Baal, Elijah and the prophets of Israel believed that, “Even in [they] felt pain, it must pass at once, and the Lord of Hosts would receive [them] in his bosom,” (20).^[6]

-Christian Maines

7. Thread that holds past and present together (Continuity)

Continuity is The unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over a period of time [1] When Elijah is in Akbar and not sure of what else can be done because the war was inevitable, "an angel of the lord comes to console him." (114) This angel was the thread that held the past and present together. The angel reminded Elijah of the lesson "which God taught moses before a battle. Make use of every moment so that later thou wilt no regret, nor lament having lost thy youth." (114) Another example of the thread that holds past and present together are the people of Akbar continuously sharing the story of the Gods that live at the top of the Fifth Mountain. The widow explains to Elijah that the "Gods have lived on the Fifth Mountain for many generations, and they have kept peace in our country." (35) She further explains the stories of the Gods: "Anyone who climbs the Fifth Mountain will die from the fire of the heavens. The gods don't like strangers." (36)

Lena Musallam

^[7]

8. Give some examples to show the development of religious thought in Elijah

As a child, Elijah was able to hear the voice of an angel, but his parents "demanded that Elijah never tell anyone what he saw and heard" (9). When he grew up to some extent, Elijah believed that God was an eternal being that only controlled good. Talking to the Levite, Elijah soon realized that God was all-powerful and represented good and evil, but when God wouldn't save him or "those who follow the law of Moses" (6) from Jezebel's wrath, Elijah began to doubt God and didn't "know... if [he] believe[d] in [the dreams]" (33) that God sent. However, as Elijah lived in Akbar, his mind became clearer and less doubtful of God. By the end of his days in Akbar, when he had finished rebuilding the destroyed city, Elijah finally realizes that "'God is all-powerful[.]... He can do anything, and nothing is forbidden to Him" (329) ^[8] .

Annie Ren

9. What is the purpose of religion as seen by the Phoenician priest?

The purpose of religion as seen by the Phoenician priest is to help him whenever he needs or wants something. For example, “the high priest said the prayers to the rising sun and asked the god of the storm and the goddess of animals to have mercy on the foolish” (63). The priest believes that they control everything and that they are going to help if he asks. “The gods had planned everything with great care so that none would perceive that they were responsible…. [they] had made rainfall ever more infrequent, and had brought an infidel to divide the city” (65). He believes that the gods control everything, including the weather. He also believes there are many different gods. The priest scorned Elijah when he said that there was only one god, saying, “You mean that, in your opinion, the same god who sends the storm also made the wheat, even though they are completely different things?” (72) He believes that different gods control different things. When war was about to break out, he said, “Let the gods’ designs be fulfilled. May the heavens not fall upon the earth, for we have acted rightly; we have obeyed tradition” (150). He believes that as long as he obeys all the traditions and does what is right, the gods will not harm or punish him. The purpose of religion as seen by the Phoenician priest is to aid him when he needs help. ^[9].

Christina Ru

10. What is the purpose of religion as see by Elijah? Does this change? How?

When Elijah was a boy he saw visions and was met by a guardian angel. He saw religion as a thing that could get you killed because he would “…have ties to the government, and that is always dangerous.”(pg.9) His views changed through age. As a young man he viewed religion as cosmetic. When he escapes Israel and summits the Fifth Mountain, he believes that religion is something for everyone. He believes that “…everything is part of God’s design.”(pg.81). His views change as matures both physically and spiritually.

Sources: The Fifth Mountain

-Hayden Simmons

11. Show the beauty of unity in human diversity

Diversity is a both beautiful and essential structure in our lives today. Diversity is “variety; multiformity.” ^[10]

In The Fifth Mountain, after the city of Akbar was destroyed, the new people struggle to work together. They believe because they are so different, some very old and some very young, it will be impossible to work together and bring the city back; however, in renaming themselves, the people of Akbar recreate their identities, welcome their differences, and bond over their similarities. Together, they adopt new names, such as “Liberation,” “Reencounter,” “Wisdom,” and “Alphabet” (213). The city’s new residents, widows and children alike, developed new names for themselves in order to start a unified community. Eljah asks them to “speak not of [their] differences but of [their] similarities" (212).

Another example of diversity in The Fifth Mountain are the cities of Sidon, Tyre, and Byblos themselves. Each city made different things “glass, cedar, weapons, iron, and ivory” (1) ^[11] and much more. With each city having a myriad of different people with diverse skill sets, the Phoenician empire was able to become the great trading power it was. Diversity can be beautiful because “Each of us has a different story; there are chapters that resonate with and overlap others’ stories, like a multi-layered, highly-textured novel.” ^[12]

Irene Vazquez

12. There is a controversy over writing at the heart of the story. What is that conflict? The conflict starts with the high priest. The high priest is worried that the new forms of writing are dangerous because now anyone can read each others' words. This would be bad for the high priest because his "Sacred rituals would become widely known...and the gods would be confused"(64). To stop the spreading of the alphabet so the priest doesn't lose his rights and power(because everyone would know the prayers required to be a priest if writing spread), the priest wants to welcome the Assyrians to destroy Akbar so no one will ever know his prayers. Elijah wants the innocent to be saved, so he wants to negotiate with the Assyrians so no one has to die, but the high priest argues against him and wants to go to war to destroy writing or the sacred prayers, which ever comes first. A lot of the conflict revolves around what the people should do about the Assyrian forces surrounding the city.

Matthew Walsh

Sources: The Fifth Mountain by Paulo Coelho

13. What are the other reasons for conflict are there? Do these reasons still apply to modern times?

In the novel, The Fifth Mountain, there are many reasons for conflict. The key reason for conflict, and the most obvious, is over religion. Jezebel, a Phoenician princess, is forcing everyone to worship Baal, and the Gods of Fifth Mountain. Of course, the worshipers of God did not want to start worshiping Baal, so a war broke out. The war breaking out is the reason why Elijah went into hiding (16 and 17). Man vs. man conflict is one of the main types of conflicts in the novel. War because of religious differences still applies to modern times. One of the key reasons, currently, for conflict in the middle east is religious differences. So, yes, man vs. man conflict because of religion is still applicable to modern times.

Another type of conflict that is experienced throughout The Fifth Mountain, is man vs. self. Throughout the novel, Elijah questions his relationship with God. When the novel begins Elijah believes in God but states, "I have served a Lord who now abandons me into the hands of my enemies"(5). Elijah is curious as to why he is being punished for doing everything God has asked of him. The Levite he is with replies, "God is God...He is everything that exists..." (5). Meaning, God is the good and the bad, if he was only the good, there would be another ruler, but because he is everything he must be the good and the bad. So, in this particular passage, Elijah believes in God, but questions his choices. Elijah, throughout the rest of the novel, believes in God wholeheartedly, until He allows the widow to die. Elijah bitterly remembers that he has served God and is angry that his "...loyalty has been rewarded by abandonment..." (185). It is unclear whether Elijah thinks this out of anger or if he actually believes these thoughts. Either way, this bitterness only lasts for a short time because Elijah proceeds to believe in God for most parts of the rest of the book. OF course, self doubt is definitely applicable to modern times. People switch religions all the time because their views change.

There are a few other types of conflicts expressed throughout the book, but these are the key ones that are most highly expressed.

SOURCE: Coelho, Paulo. The Fifth Moutain. Trans. Clifford E. Landers. New York: Harper Perennial, 1999. Print. -Caroline Witten

1. ↑ http://www.thefreedictionary.com/social+system
2. ↑ Coelho, Paulo. The Fifth Mountain. New York: Harper, 2009. N. pag. Print.
3. ↑ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/legitimation
4. ↑ Coelho, Paulo. The Fifth Mountain. New York: Harper, 2009. N. pag. Print.
5. ↑ "National identity." Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon. Dictionary.com, LLC. 26 Jan. 2013. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/national identity>.
6. ↑ Coelho, Paulo. The Fifth Mountain. New York: Harper, 2009. N. pag. Print. P.S.
7. ↑ Coelho, Paulo. The Fifth Mountain. New York: HarperCollins, 1998. Print.
8. ↑ Coelho, Paulo. The Fifth Mountain. New York: HarperCollins, 1998. Print.
9. ↑ Coelho, Paulo. The Fifth Mountain. New York: HarperCollins, 1998. Print.
10. ↑ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diversity?s=t
11. ↑ Coelho, Paulo. The Fifth Mountain. Trans. Clifford E. Landers. New York: Harper Perennial, 1998. Print.
12. ↑ http://www.osu.edu/eminence/E2ENews/Success/801.html