War in Heaven, by Charles Williams

Even better on the reread. This book has so many things I love all in one place—a murder mystery, mysticism, and a quest for the Holy Grail. No one with interests in these veins will be disappointed. Fans of C.S. Lewis could start their journey into Williams here.

This also is Thou. Neither is this Thou.

This book captures one of Williams’ central ideas—the Ways of Affirmation and Rejection in the faith. The tension between these Ways centers around the Holy Graal, which turns up in a sleepy little parish. When the Archdeacon discovers what he has in his possession, his first instinct is to protect, preserve, and honor the artifact. When it is stolen from him, he is rightly distressed—but for the wrong reasons, as he must discover. Though he initially sees the Graal as an Affirmation of the presence of God—“this also is Thou”—he must come to release that Affirmation and actively accept the Way of Rejection in the Graal—“neither is this Thou.” His careful, patient pondering gently leads him through that journey to his ultimate end of being caught up into the vibrant presence of the Graal Lord.

As the Graal slides into the Way of Rejection, Prester John takes a more active role in the Way of Affirmation. Each of the characters recognizes him; recognition is universal, though the connection that each character creates regarding him varies significantly. This beautiful image of God meeting each individual in the way and in the place where they need Him becomes the climax.

This is the light side of the story. On the dark side, the characters parallel the same lessons. While the protagonists learn to tread the Way of Rejection, concerning themselves more with rightness than with possession, the disciples of the dark seize more and more onto the Way of Affirmation, depending their acts more and more on the Graal. Because they refuse the second half of the tension of the Ways—“neither is this Thou”—they, ironically, become limited by the object they initially viewed as a source of their power. This scene illustrates the profound truth of the Ways, that even in Rejection, there is power, because in Rejecting the symbol, you have made room for more than the symbol.

The dark side also demonstrates that sin is laborious. All the scheming, incantations, signs, plotting, sub-plotting, distrusting takes up so much of the characters’ energies. In contrast, the protagonists following the light find their way easy, though certainly not effortless (especially when they are exerting themselves in prayer to protect the undoing of the Graal). In addition, the inner lives of the characters demonstrate that the Powers—of both Light and evil—are actively present and at work in the world. To ignore this reality is brash and naïve, as Mornington discovered. Adrian embodies this lesson, as he is equally receptive to both the dark and light sides of spirituality. 

Lastly, the murder mystery storyline creates a loose frame that the rest of the story returns to. In the end, all the threads collide in the policemen’s hands, but they have no understanding of the reality of the situation.