Wednesday, August 29, 2007

The Identity of Kiel Lorenz

There is no proof that the character Kiel Lorenz from Gainax's "Neon Genesis Evangelion" is based on any figure from myth or history. However, there is a good chance that the Gainax crew ran across the name Rabbi Joseph della Reina during their research of the sephiroth (tree of life), Lilith, elemental angels (as opposed to guardian angels), and Kabbalism in general.

In the myths, della Reina is a powerful mystic who uses Kabbalistim with good intentions, but fails. One version tells of della Reina trying to trap Samael (Satan) and Lilith to bring for the Messiah. Though mighty in magic, the demons trick him into breaking his asceticism (which in needed to harness the spiritual energy for the ritual) or interrupting the ritual. The demons then corrupt the Kabbalist and make him their minion. Another version has della Reina attempting to create a superbeing. [1] This superbeing is reminiscent of the joining of minds, the oneness that is the human complement project. There seems to be a general consensus that this oneness is drawn from a Buddhist tradition, but this does not preclude influences from della Reina's legend.

Joseph della Reina's stories warn against hubris. Modern Kabbalist Rabbi Chaim vital from Kabbala Online writes this warning:

"This is the significance of the Practical Kabbalah. It is forbidden to make use of it, since evil necessarily attaches itself to the good. One may actually intend to cleanse his soul, but as a result of the evil, he actually defiles it... Learn a lesson from Joseph Della Reina and Rabbi Shlomo Molcho, who made use of the Practical Kabbala and were destroyed from the world." [2]

Mystic Judaic and Christian imagery and references are used throughout the series, so it is easy to read too much into the mash of Western symbols. "Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water", which was also written by Hideaki Anno and Gainax, mentions (Red) Noah, the Tower of Babel, and Adam, though these references bears little resemblance to the original source material. [3] There are connections, but the references are mainly for visual impact, as opposed to exploring Judeo-Christian themes or using a Judeo-Christian framework to explore other themes. It is widely agreed that the ideas behind Evangelion came from Hideaki Anno's personal crises, the accompanying psychology, science fiction, and other sources. [4]

A very rough analogy would be the campy TV show "Hercules", which used an ancient Greek setting, but featured little of the violent ethos that characterized the time.

With that being said, there was a method behind Gainax's madness. The original series came out in 1995. The new millennium inspired apocalyptic fiction and cults that even infected science. News stories speculated about the Y2K bug creating mass disaster. The post-apocalyptic milieu of "Evangelion" was reinforced by the Judeo-Christian imagery and the strong emphasis of these traditions on the endtime. The popularity of "Evangelion" shows that this imagery and atmosphere were striking to the Japanese viewer. Likewise, it would be easy to read too much into the potential connection between della Reina and Lorenz.

Nevertheless, the connection informs us of how to view Lorenz's failure. In episode 21, Prof. Fuyutski tells us that 2nd impact is a disaster for humanity. He intended to unmask Seele as criminal against all of humanity. Kaji reveals a more personal view of the tragedy in the manga Vol. 7 stages 3-4 to Shinji, but echoes the younger Fuyutski's sentiments. Yet in the movie, Lorenz's final moments paint him sympathetically, as he creates these tragedies not for personal gain, but to save humanity. That is the downfall of della Reina. Though he tried to save humanity by bringing forth the Messiah, his venture is ultimately of human will, not divine, and therefore doomed to fail in the end.


[1] "Reimagining the Bible: the Storytelling of the Rabbis" by Howard Schwartz, pg. 70 from NetLibrary.
[2] http://www.kabbalaonline.org/Meditations/jewishmeditation/Practical_Kabbala_Today.asp
[3] Noah is a spaceship that became an island, the Tower of Babel is an energy cannon, and Adam is a giant prototype of man.
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_Genesis_Evangelion_%28TV%29