Moses
Moses and Campbell's Journey of a Spiritual HeroLong ago, in the desert of Egypt, Hebrew slaves known as Israelites escaped from the tyranny of the pharaoh. This story has a common theme that an unlikely hero leads people out of a wasteland and into a place of new life. The Israelites heroes' name was Moses. There are several attributes that his quest shares with Joseph Campbell's theme of the journey of the spiritual hero, found in The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Departure, initiation, and return are all part of the journey. Moses' journey will take him away from his familiar surroundings, separating him from all that he knows, so that he can return to perform the tasks God commanded him to complete. Moses' journey begins in Egypt. This is a land where the Pharaoh has ultimate control and power over the people. Campbell refers to this greedy, egocentric, possessive leader as the tyrant. At this time, Egypt is noticing a huge increase in the number of Hebrew slaves (Exodus 1:9). In order to maintain possession of the land, Pharaoh must stifle the future threat that the increasing population of Israelites represent. To do this he orders the first born son of every Hebrew to be thrown into the Nile. However, baby Moses
Later, God gives Moses the laws by which all Israelites are to follow if they choose to remain in God's good grace. The crossing of the threshold is the first step into the sacred zone of the universal source (Campbell 81). Israel puts its faith in God and in Moses. Pharaoh hears of the wandering, and so he and an army of Egyptians go out to retrieve the Israelites. Moses becomes aware of the woundedness of the Hebrew slaves, as well as his own pain felt through his doubt in himself and his ability to lead. One day, after God hears the complaints of Israel, He speaks to Moses through the burning bush on Mt. He learns how to become soldier for his Pharaoh, but something is always troubling him. Unfortunately, when Moses drops his staff and it transforms into a snake, Pharaoh is not impressed because his magicians can do it as a trick. The next day he sees two Hebrews struggling, and tries to intervene, but he discovers that his murder of yesterday is known. Moses was successful in communicating and obeying God's word throughout his journey, because he never sought to control or possess the land or the people, unlike Pharaoh. " This represents the sacred spot known as the axis mundi. By leaving his familiar surroundings, Moses finds himself crossing a threshold into a foreign land. In Midian, he befriends and then marries the daughter of Jethro, priest of Midian. God reassures Moses again, and says that He will let Pharaoh's heart remain obstinate in failing to let the Israelites go.
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Acceptance Essays
