At the end of the banquet in honor of the arrival of students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang at Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament, Dumbledore carries a "great wooden chest encrusted with jewels" that "looked extremely old" into the Great Hall (Goblet 254). The Headmaster then taps the top of the box three times with his wand, reaches inside, and pulls out a "large, roughly hewn wooden cup" (Goblet 255). Harry thinks that the goblet "would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames" (Goblet 255). Called by Dumbledore an "impartial judge" (Goblet 188), the Goblet of Fire is a powerful magical object that selects worthy witches and wizards to compete in the legendary Triwizard Tournament. Students write their names on pieces of paper and slip their entries into the magical flames. Dumbledore further explains to the students, "The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract." (Goblet 256) Witches and wizards deemed worthy by the Goblet are bound to take part in the Tournament.

As the cup of a poor carpenter, the Holy Grail from which Jesus Christ and His disciples drink during the Last Supper is made of wood just like the Goblet of Fire (Colbert 111-112). As written in Matthew 26:27-28, Jesus fills the Grail with wine and says to His twelve followers, "..."Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." The covenant to which Jesus refers is His promise to die in exchange for the forgiveness of the sins committed by humankind.

Although sometimes misportrayed as silver, the wooden Grail magically heals faithful Christians just as the phoenix heals through its tears and Jesus heals through His miracles (Colbert 112). However, only true believers in Christ profit from the magical Grail since the Grail too can sense worthiness (Colbert 112). Similar to the magical contract with the Goblet of Fire, the covenant Jesus creates through the Grail benefits Christians who have made a contract with God to worship no other deities and follow Biblical doctrine. Christians who genuinely repent their transgressions are granted forgiveness for their sins. As the cup Jesus uses to grant forgiveness to His disciples and ultimately humankind, the Holy Grail becomes a symbol for Christ. Because of its similar ability to impartially detect worthiness, the Goblet of Fire is also a Christological symbol.

Colbert, David. The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter: A Treasury of Myths, Legends, and Fascinating Facts. Berkley Books: New York, 2004.

Holy Bible. New International Version. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. New York: Scholastic, 2000.