#myriel

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Conventionnel G./Bishop Charles-François-Bienvenu Myriel Characters: Bishop Charles-François-Bienvenu Myriel, Conventionnel G. (Les Misérables), Favourite (Les Misérables), Fantine (Les Misérables), And the gang Additional Tags: Theologian AU, Modern Era, Pre-Slash, Rivals to Lovers, of sorts, Crack Treated Seriously, Somewhat Summary:

“Without liberation, there’s no reconciliation but conciliation. So newsflash, Bienvenu. There has been turmoil inside of the church for quite a while. You just haven’t noticed it because the people suffering from said turmoil have been quiet and polite, patiently waiting to be noticed.”    “You’re having your ass handed to you”, Favourite said helpfully.

Or: Myriel, a priest and a professor of pastoral theology, writes a Facebook post. Another professor revels in dragging him publicly.

Week one of the Les Mis Araithon! This week, we're reading :

April 1-4: Book 1, Chapters 1-3 [Ch 1-3]

South Bend News-Times, 13 December 1913

The bound essay on "The Bishop of D", written and published by Rabbi Cronbach, proceeds from the sale of which will go to the Orphans' home, have been placed on sale at Herr and Herr's book store, Freyermuth's art store, Ellsworth's dry goods store and Miller's book store. The books are attractively bound in cathedral blue cloth engraved with silver candlesticks. One thousand of them have been printed and will sell for 50 cents each. The proceeds will be Rabbi Cronbach's Christmas gift to the Orphans' home. The essay is one of the most popular which Mr. Cronbach has delivered in South Bend. Its subject is the famous "Bishop of D" of Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables".

About Abraham Cronbach: "If Cronbach had the power, he would destroy all jails and prisons, which he regards as instruments of societal vengeance which corrupt both the prisoners and society itself, and he would confine law-breakers to new institutions for psychological treatment and social retraining. [Source]

After reading this little newspaper article, did I travel to a different city in order to go to a library that holds one of these 1,000 copies? Yes I surely did and I thank whoever donated a copy of this book to the LA library, you are a hero.

Priest-on-a-horse is not an actively malicious guy! He just sort of doesn't care. He says, offhand, about Petit-Gervais: "He is a little stranger. Such persons pass through these parts. We know nothing of them." And when a hysterical Valjean says something that alarms him, he races off. He wants to "know nothing" of strangers passing through; he is unwilling to risk his own comfort or safety to help.

This seems like a pretty deliberate nod to the Bad Priest of the parable of the Good Samaritan, who "happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man [in need], he passed by on the other side." Not a man he knew; unpredictable and distressed; ignorable. (Hugo is really not subtle on this point; see also Jesus, saying "Depart from me, you who are cursed, [because] I was a stranger and you did not welcome me.")

Myriel is only present in Valjean's memory. But the memory of Myriel's care and mercy toward him, a stranger, a criminal, is so transformative for Valjean that Myriel is raised into the place of Christ in his mind. Parts of this chapter read like the very best of conversion literature — Saul blinded, Augustine turning — with the Bishop quite literally acting in persona christi.

"As the Bishop grew great and resplendent in his eyes, so did Jean Valjean grow less and vanish. After a certain time he was no longer anything more than a shade. All at once he disappeared. The Bishop alone remained; he filled the whole soul of this wretched man with a magnificent radiance."

compare Colossians 3:3: "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."