Elliott Rabin

Heroes are often thought of as passé today but great societies of the past idolized them for the lessons they could teach and especially inspire children to emulate them. Children today awash in social media usually are at a loss for authentic heroes who can inspire them to right actions, habits, and behavior.

The author considers heroes from a refreshing perspective by considering the three paradigms of heroes: Otto Rank, Lord Raglan, and Joseph Campbell. The crucial point by these 20th Century paradigms is: "all three essentially regard heroes as human beings who successfully break through the fetters imposed by family, nature, and society" (p. xiv). The task according to the author is to reclaim Biblical heroes for their moral accomplishments, and perhaps even more important, relatable as they are also deeply flawed.

The most important hero of the Bible is Moses who is both complex but also significantly flawed. In subsequent chapters various heroes are examined: Samson, strongman; Esther, queen; Abraham, pilgrim; Jacob, trickster; and David, king. A final examination considers who is the true hero of the Bible, is it God? And helpfully, there are five takeaways about heroes for today: through their thoughts and actions, we can glimpse the qualities of God; all biblical heroes are collective heroes; Biblical heroes are as human as we are; many different people can be heroes, and heroes can embody different roles; and, the Bible's heroes are meant to serve as forerunners of our own tortuous lives.

The five takeaways can be profitably examined in various settings including youth education, college instruction of religion, and comparative literature. I highly recommend the volume for the critical balance it maintains between being authoritative without being pedantic, and while straightforward it is not offering simplistic biblical analyses. The notes are sufficient without being intrusive and there is a comprehensive bibliography.… (mere)