List of references to religion in the Halo series

Most Bible citations are from the King James Version or the New International Version.

Bungie seems to have put many Biblical references in the Halo series, along with references to other cultures and legends. Here are some of the most obvious Biblical references.

The Covenant
Most Biblical references in Halo are related to the Covenant. In the Bible itself the Holy Covenant is the number of agreements between God and man. It is believed that the prophets and the battle of High Charity are a reference to the book of Revelation, judging by the following verses found in Revelation 11:5-10:

5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over the waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

The "days of their prophecy" are the 9th Age of Reclamation, the final Age in Halo. The "beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit" is the Gravemind. The "great city" is High Charity. The Arbiter and John both fall into "bottomless pits" (although John's was a lake) and were taken by the Gravemind, which can be be said to then reside in this "pit", which is presumably located in the Delta Halo Library. The "people and kindreds and tongues and nations" are the Covenant, while "they that dwell upon the earth" are the UNSC and the human race. The two prophets that die are Mercy and Regret, although it is important to note that the Bible only mentions two prophets in this selection instead of the multiple prophets of Halo.

The Ark
In the Bible, there are two "Arks". Firstly, there is Noah's Ark. Noah was instructed by God, who is comparable to the Forerunners in the Halo Universe, to build an Ark to save all species on earth from a Flood. Similarly, in Halo the Ark was used to save all species from the Great Flood which was said to have ravaged the entire planet killing all sinners. Second, there is the Ark of the Covenant. In the Bible, the Ark of the Covenant was a very holy object which housed the Ten Commandments, a symbol of God's covenant with Israel. Anyone who touched it would die instantly, just as if the Ark in Halo were activated it would also bring death. In the Halo Universe, this is mirrored by the Covenant viewing all Forerunner objects holy.

Master Chief
Most Biblical references relating to Master Chief are not quite as obvious or solid as the Covenant references, but there are still a few that seem likely. Two examples come from The Book of Revelation, formally called The Revelation of Saint John the Divine. The first is from Revelation 1:17-18 (the 1:17 is thought to be linked to Master Chief's Spartan Tag, John-117).

''17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:''

18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

The 'first and the last' comment may be referencing that the Master Chief was the first Spartan to be studied by Dr. Halsey. This coupled with the fact that the game manuals continuously refer to the Master Chief as the last Spartan (as all other SPARTAN-IIs were killed or taken out of action), makes him the first and the last. The comment 'I am he that liveth and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore' may refer to Master Chief being one of the 33 Spartans that survived the SPARTAN II project. Also 'and have the keys of hell and of death' most likely refers to the Indices to the Halos destructive power. It could also be a reference to Captain Keyes neural implants used to destroy the Pillar of Autumn, and Installation 04, in the first game although this is less likely. Another important thing to note is the fact that the passage states that "I am alive for evermore". In the novels it is often said that a Spartan never dies and during the novels and games Master Chief repeatedly survives many near-death situations. It has also been speculated that 'And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:' could refer to the end cutscene of the first level of Halo: Combat Evoleved. In this scene, the Master Chief puts his right hand on a Marine that is at his feet, and saving him by putting him in the Lifeboat.

The next quote is from Revelation 11:7, another reference to John 117. This verse was also part of the battle of High Charity reference, showing it may have some importance to Bungie and the Halo story.

7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

Prior to the release of Halo 3, we witnessed TV spots in which towards the end would display the word "BELIEVE". This next one, read from St. John 1:7 references to the Master Chief inspiring hope in those around him in the fight for humanity:

7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

1 John 1:7 fits the name better, and goes like this:

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

However, 1 John 2:17 fits the story better:

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

These are less likely to be references:

7 Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. &mdash;John 11:7

17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. &mdash;John 1:17

The second of these could relate to the Ark, because the Ark of the Covenant contained the laws given to Moses by God, but this is a stretch.

Additionally, his name is itself a reference to religion, being derived from Johannes, which was the Latin form of Ioannes, itself derived from the Hebrew Yochanan, meaning "Yahweh is gracious." Yahweh is the Hebrew name for God.

Probably the most obvious biblical connection to Master Chief is that John I became the seventh bishop of Jerusalem in 117 A.D.

When looking at the Halo storyline very direct parallels can be drawn between Master Chief and Jesus. The concept that the Chief is seen as a savior and the one man who can vanquish evil (the Flood and the Covenant) is reflective of this.

More evidence of this occurs at the end of Halo 3. When Master Chief is listed MIA, he disappears from humanity, much like how Jesus died on the cross. The line "Wake me when you need me." is also another reference to Jesus in that he will return someday, most likely when humanity is suffering again. After Chief had separated, during the ending video on legendary, Chief and Cortana say to each other "It's finished" which seems to refer to John 19:30

"30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost(or Holy Spirit)."

His cryotube may be compared to the tomb in which Christ was buried.

Lieutenant Melissa McKay
In Halo:The Flood, Lieutenant McKay is reminded of the psalm "Yea, I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..." as her convoy enters a pass guarded by three Covenant-controlled hills. This is a reference to the 23rd psalm of David.

Covenant Vehicles
Many Covenant ships and vehicles contain religious references. "Ghost" for example may refer to the Holy Ghost. Seraph fighters may also be a reference to the creatures described to inhabit the House of God. Also the names of many of their ships contain references to religious concepts or ideals (e.g. Truth and Reconciliation).

Transmissions
The Transmissions placed on Bungie's website before the release of Halo: Combat Evolved made several references to biblical lines or concepts. For example Cortana states that "He says I came not to send Peace but a Sword ..." which is a reference to Jesus's famous statement in Matthew 10:34: the line "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword". This reinforces the comparison of John and biblical figures such as Jesus.

Spartan Laser
Interestingly, the Spartan Laser's full name contains a biblical reference. In the name W/AV Model 6 Galilean/Grindell Nonlinear Rifle, the word Galilean does not in fact refer to Galileo, but to Galilee, the region where Jesus lived for thirty years in what is now Israel.

False Prophets
There are many references in the Bible about false prophets, such as 2 Peter 2:1, "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."

This can be related to the Hierarchs of the Covenant, for they knowingly deceived their followers into believing that Humans were evil, despite the fact that Humans were actually the Forerunner's Reclaimers. They did this to keep their religion from falling apart, even though according to their doctrines it would technically be heresy to kill them.

Number 7
As is known, there are many references to the number "7" in the game. However, something that is not as widely known is that "7" is the number of perfection in the Bible. John's gospel, for example, is made up partly of the "Book of Signs," which contains seven miracle stories and seven discourses. In the Roman Catholic Bible, and every other Christian and Jewish bible, the story of Genesis is told, where the Lord's "Holy" day is the seventh day, Sunday(or Saturday to some). In the New American Bible, Mark 8:1-10 contains the story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand. In the story, Jesus starts out seven loaves. In Leviticus, there are many rituals in which the same thing is done seven times. In Joshua, in the story of the fall of Jericho, the Lord tells Joshua to "Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times..." In Kings, there are other examples, including Elijah saying "Go back" seven times, a boy sneezing seven times, and Elisha telling a leper to go bathe in the Jordan seven times so that he may be healed. In Psalms, the Word of God is described as "silver...refined seven times," and another Psalm says "...seven times a day I praise you..." In the Book of Daniel, when Daniel's friend are about to be put in a furnace, the furnace is heated to seven times its normal heat. In Matthew, Jesus tells Peter to forgive "seven times seventy" times. The date 7/7/7 is said to be a holy day. This date unlocks a secret in Halo 2 and is also Bungie Day. Also in Daniel:13 an Angel appears before him and tells him that he has waited for 21 days. A multiple of 7.

Tsavo Highway
Isaiah 35:1-10 is full of material which forms direct parallels to the events on the Tsavo Highway in Halo 3. Specifically verses 4-10 which read, ''"4 say to those with fearful hearts; Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you; 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lames leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. 7 The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. 8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. 9 No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, 10 and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."''

Heretics and the Romans
This is not found in the Bible at all, yet Church History. After Jesus was crucified and the Apostles went out to preach and spread his word, the Roman Empire ruled the regions of which they preached. Many, including Roman soldiers converted. Being pagans they did not like this and ordered the soldiers to find the Christians' hidden sanctuaries and kill them. This can be related to Truth and Mercy having the Arbiter quell the Heretics. Also, several years after the Roman senate ordered this, emperor Constantine was given a vision by Jesus. This made him realize who Jesus was and was right, and caused him to convert. This started the Catholic Church (Who the Protestant Church later formed from). This is similar to the Arbiter finding the truth of Halo and causing him and the Elites to fight in the civil war. However, whereas with the Romans, everyone converted, only the Elites, some Grunts and Hunters broke away from the Covenant.

Pale Horse
The songs Behold A Pale Horse and On a Pale Horse could be relating to Revelation 6:8, how the English translation reads: "And behold, a pale horse, and he who sat on it, his name was Death, and Hell followed with him. Authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with famine, with death, and by the wild animals of the earth was given to him.", referring to the end of the world. Under the Dictionary definition, Behold A Pale Horse it simply testifies as Death in the written text.

Related Links

 * List of "Seven" References in Halo
 * List of Marathon References in Halo