Christian Symbolism in “Halo: Combat Evolved”
Left Image from Halo 2 Anniversary
Halo: Combat Evolved is one of my favorite video games of all time.
Interestingly, it seems to have many religious references. After all, the game is called “Halo,” which is a term used in religious iconography to describe a shiny ring that floats above angels’ heads. The game is titled “Halo” because it takes place on a ring-shaped planet.
Why did the game’s creators go out of their way to tie in so many religious references?
I think there’s some symbolism here that we can unpack.
Master Chief = Jesus
Everyone recognizes Halo’s armored, green hero. He’s commonly known as Master Chief, but also goes by “Spartan 117,” and hardcore fans know that his real name is actually John.
When Halo’s creators named him John 117, I think they were referencing a passage of the Bible, John 1:1–7, which reads:
In the beginning, there was the Word [Jesus]. He was with God ever since the beginning, because He was God. Everything was created through him—nothing exists that he didn’t create. Life existed within him, and that life was the light for all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can’t extinguish it.
God sent a man named John to tell humanity about that light, so that everyone might believe.
—John 1:1–7 (Simplified)
This is an epic passage that describes a man whose light overcomes the darkness and brings hope to all humanity. The Bible is talking about Jesus, but I think Halo’s developers drew inspiration from this passage when they were designing Master Chief’s character. Just like Christians look to Jesus for hope and salvation, Halo’s characters look to Master Chief to save them from the alien invasion. They view him as a beacon of hope that shines in the darkness, and everyone believes in him (like how Christians believe in Jesus).
The words “master” and “chief” are both synonyms of the word “lord,” so I think that the game’s creators intended for the Master Chief to be the savior of the universe just like Jesus.
The Flood = Sin
In the first half of the game, Master Chief fights against alien invaders known as the Covenant. But in the second half of the game, a new enemy emerges called the Flood. The flood is a gross, zombie-like parasite that seeks to infect and consume all living organisms: both humans and aliens.
I think the Flood symbolizes sin. The Bible teaches that sin corrupts everything it touches and that it leads to death. In the video game, that’s exactly what the Flood does.
343 Guilty Spark = Satan
When Master Chief is exploring Halo, he comes across a floating, robotic eye-ball named 343 Guilty Spark. Guilty Spark welcomes Master Chief with delight, but later betrays him, turns against him, and tries to kill him. Guilty Spark tries to deceive Master Chief into activating Halo which would wipe out humanity.
I think Guilty Spark represents Satan. The Bible describes Satan not only as deceptive, but even as the “Father of Lies.” Satan’s goal is to bring death and destruction, which is what Guilty Spark wanted to do. The Bible says Satan prowls around like a lion looking for people to devour, and Guilty Spark seems to give off similar vibes.
The Sacrifice
At the end of the game, Master Chief blows up the entire ring-shaped planet of Halo to make sure that it can’t be used to wipe out humanity. As he’s flying away with the exploding planet in the background, he asks his AI assistant, Cortana, if anyone else survived. Cortana scans for human survivors and regrettably informs him that no one else survived. With much heaviness, she says, “Just dust and echos.”
I have to admit that I got a little choked up the first time I watched that scene. The way they had to sacrifice so many human lives resembles the way that Jesus had to sacrifice his own life so that humanity could survive the afterlife.
It’s interesting that Cortana says that “dust” is all that’s left, because the Bible says that mankind was formed from dust, and after each person dies, they return to dust.
“It is Finished”
After they blow up the Halo at the end of the game, Cortana says, “It is finished,” and then Master chief famously says, “No, I think we’re just getting started.”
When she said “It is finished,” Cortana used the exact same phrase that Jesus did after defeating sin on the cross. This seems to have been an intentional choice that was made by Halo’s writers.
Other Religious References
Cortana (Holy Spirit?): Cortana is an intangible being who lives in Master Chief’s helmet and guides him throughout the series. This is much like the Bible’s description of the Holy Spirit.
Halo: In the video game, Halo is the ring-shaped planet where the story takes place. In religious lore, a halo is a ring that saints have above their head.
The Covenant: Halo has a number of different alien races who make up the forces known as the Covenant. They’re called the Covenant because they’ve formed an alliance with each other. The Bible uses the word “covenant” to describe God’s alliance with his people.
The Ark: In the video game, the Ark is a planet-sized machine that makes Halos. In the Bible, Noah built an ark to escape God’s flood.
The Prophets: In the video game, the prophets are a race of alien religious leaders. In the Bible, prophets were people who spoke on God’s behalf.
The Heretics: In the video game, a small group of aliens rebel against the prophets and they are called heretics. In religion, a heretic is someone who defies that religion.
The Demon: The video game’s aliens call Master Chief “the demon,” which is a religious term.
Conclusion
In Halo: Combat Evolved, Master Chief symbolizes Jesus, because he saves all of humanity from the Flood (which represents sin). 343 Guilty Spark represents Satan because he opposes Master Chief and wants to destroy humanity. In order to save humanity, Master Chief has to make a great sacrifice and end many human lives in order to save humanity (which symbolizes how Jesus sacrificed his own life to save humanity).