At first glance, The
Matrix appears to be merely a futuristic, science-fiction thriller, but a
second look reveals an allegory to the life and works of Jesus Christ. The most
obvious and significant connections center around the main character, Neo. The
prefix "neo" means "new" or "beginning," and
Jesus was the beginning of salvation and a new life with God. Neo's last name
is Anderson, which can be broken into two parts, "ander-" and
"son." Since "ander-" is a German root for "man,"
Neo's last name means "son of man." Throughout the movie, several
characters call Neo "The One," and one character says that Neo is
"his savior, his own personal Jesus Christ." Several times during the
movie, Neo asks why things are happening to him, why he is "The One."
This questioning is reminiscent of Jesus' passion when he asks several times
why he must suffer such horrible pain for the good of others. Just as Jesus
lived two lives (one human, one divine), Neo lives two lives (one in the Matrix
and one outside of the Matrix). Neo gains followers (who believe he is
"The One") as he shows more and more possibility of defeating the
Agents (of evil). Neo's followers on the ship are all social outcasts, just as
Jesus' followers were often those ostracized from society. Neo's actions follow
a plan to fulfill the oracle's prophecy, just as Jesus' life followed a plan
which ultimately fulfilled Biblical scripture. Once Neo knows the truth about
the Matrix, he cannot go back to ignorance. Similarly, once Jesus knew his
fate, he could not turn back or pass his burden to anyone else. In the end,
both Neo and Jesus die, but come back to life to save the world from evil and
destruction.
Two other main characters bear
striking resemblances to Biblical figures. Morpheus, the leader of the group
resisting the Matrix, plays the part of John the Baptist. His name contains the
root "morph-" which means "shape" or "change,"
which could reflect the way John the Baptist changed people from having original
sin to being cleansed and purified. Also, just as John the Baptist baptized
Jesus, Morpheus "baptizes" (initiates) Neo when he gives him the
secret of the Matrix. Furthermore, Morpheus searches for Neo ("The
One") and believes in his power long before Neo himself believes. John the
Baptist similarly believed Jesus was the Messiah and even told Jesus he was the
Savior before Jesus was aware of his destiny. The other obviously symbolic
character is Cypher, who turns Neo over to the Agents in exchange for
compensation, just as Judas turned Jesus over to his persecutors in exchange
for a reward. Cypher also asks Neo why Neo couldn't save himself from Cypher's
attacks, just as the Pharisees asked Jesus why he couldn't save himself from
crucifixion.
Several other singular Biblical
symbols stand out as well. One character is named Trinity (as in Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit), and another is named Apoc (as in Apocalypse). All the
characters who enter the Matrix can only return to the ship by answering a
ringing pay phone (which could symbolize answering God's call). The
headquarters for Morpheus and crew are stationed at Zion (Biblical place), and the ship is named Nebuchadnezzar (Biblical king). Throughout the movie, no one
really knows what year it is, just as no one truly knew what year it was before
Christ came to Earth. Finally, the Matrix was designed to be a utopia, but a
malfunction caused the Matrix to be programmed as the "evil that keeps
people from knowing they were born into bondage of the mind." This utopia
is very much like Eden in the Bible because Eden was designed to be perfect
until Adam and Eve sinned and brought evil into the world. The first man in the
Matrix (the Creator, i.e., God) was the only person who had the power to change
the Matrix, but instead he freed the first few people and allowed the rest of
humankind to suffer until his second coming (or until the arrival of his son,
"The One" who could save the world).
