BIBLE TOP TEN HEROES:DAVID,JOSEPH OF NAZARETH,JOSEPH OF EGYPT,MOSES,GIDEON,SAMSON,NOAH,MORDECAI,PAUL;SUGGEST A TENTH AND WIN PRIZE;JUST KIDDING

	RETURN TO HOME PAGE INTERESTING WEBSITES TOP TEN - HEROES
	NOAH JOSEPH (EGYPT) MOSES GIDEON DAVID		SAMSON MORDECAI JOSEPH (NAZARETH) PAUL DO YOU WANT TO SUGGEST A TENTH?
	____________________________________________________________________________________ SCROLL DOWN FOR IMAGES
	DAVID
	David's story is one of the great sagas of the ancient world. In many commentaries he is talked of as the ideal king and man, but if you read the story itself instead of relying on commentaries, you find a very different character. David has a lot in common with flawed heroes like Achilles in the Iliad, or Lancelot in the Arthurian legends. He is one of the most remarkable personalities in the Bible, a man with outstanding ability and very human failings. He was a brave fighter, a wily politician, a gifted musician and poet. He was also sexually unrestrained and the father of a tragically dysfunctional family whom he made little effort to control. The Bible describes David as a good-looking man, redheaded and with beautiful eyes, and he certainly had the wit to charm and manipulate people. The two words that spring to mind when describing David are 'unscrupulous', and 'charismatic'. David had relatively obscure beginnings, but by the end of his life he had established a monarchy that united the twelve tribes of Israel under one leader. He captured the fortress of Jebus then made it his capital, Jerusalem. He founded a dynasty that lasted for four hundred years and created a sense of national identity for the Jewish people, that has lasted to today. For more on David, see BIBLE PEOPLE: DAVID		The David and Goliath story has an enduring fascination for people everywhere
	_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
	JOSEPH (EGYPT)
	Joseph's father and mother are Jacob and Rachel. He is his father's favorite, and as a mark of this favor Jacob gives him a long-sleeved coat, a garment of multi-colored strips unsuitable for day-to-day work. Joseph dreams he will be greater than any of his eleven older brothers, and when he tells them this they are angry at what they see as vanity. One day their anger spills over into rage, and they trap him and sell him to passing slave-traders. He is taken to Egypt, where he soon has success, rising to the senior position in the house of his Egyptian owner. Unfortunately he attracts the attentions of his owner's wife, who takes a passionate fancy to him - Joseph is also exceptionally handsome and attractive. When he rejects her advances she accuses him of trying to rape her, and Joseph is imprisoned. Even in prison, however, his ability cannot be hidden, and he succeeds in gaining the trust and admiration of all around him. He interprets the dreams of fellow-prisoners, and one of them, years later, recalls how good Joseph was at this, and tells Pharaoh about him. Since Pharaoh is plagued by a recurring dream he sends for Joseph, who is able to tell him exactly what the dream means - that a terrible famine is coming. Pharaoh decides to prepare for the famine, and puts Joseph in charge of the task. Joseph is of course successful, and Egypt is saved from famine. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Joseph's family is also suffering from the famine. They decide to go down into Egypt to buy grain, and of course they meet up with Joseph - except that they do not recognize this Egyptianized official as the brother they sold long ago. But he recognizes them, and plays tricks on them - but in the end he is reconciled with them all, and is reunited with his father before the old man dies. For more on Joseph, see BIBLE PEOPLE: JOSEPH OF EGYPT		This Egyptian mural from the tombs at Beni-hasan may show Hebrew travelers from the period of the Patriarchs/Matriarchs
	_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
	NOAH
	Noah was a good man in a wicked world. He was married, with three sons who were also married, and he and his family lived somewhere in ancient Mesopotamia, the Land of the Two Rivers. Floods were common, but there was one flood that was far worse than any ever before, and most of the people and animals were wiped out. Noah and his family were not - Noah had sensed that the flood was coming and had gathered his family and many animals into a safe place, where they were able to sit out the unprecedented storm and wait for the earth to return to normal. When it did, Noah and his family gave thanks to God for saving them - the very first thing they did was give thanks to God for saving them. He and his family started afresh in a new, washed-clean world. They became tillers of the earth - farmers, in fact. Among other things, they grew grapes, and Noah is credited with making the first wine. Unfortunately he misused this gift and got drunk, making himself an object of ridicule to his family. Then when he sobered up and realized what an idiot he had been, he cursed his son Ham, the son who had laughed at him most, instead of admitting his own failing. So although Noah saved humans and animals during the great flood, he also seems to have been a very human hero. For a fuller version of Noah's story, see BIBLE PEOPLE: NOAH
	_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
	MOSES
	Moses established one of the central themes of Judaism: its concern for social justice. This unique leader freed his people from slavery in Egypt, and led them to freedom, setting a template for later generations of Jews. Moses was in effect the founder of a nation, and organizer, law-maker, and defender of his people. Perhaps the most remarkable quality of this modest man was his solicitude for his people, in spite of their failings and ingratitude. Moses was the greatest of the prophets, the only person in the Bible who spoke to God face to face, in contrast to the other prophets to whom God spoke only in visions and dreams. But he was also something of a tragic figure. He grew up in a foreign court and was rejected at first by his own people when he tried to help them. He became a fugitive when he intervened on behalf of a Hebrew slave and killed an Egyptian. His own people complained when he tried to free them from Pharaoh and slavery. After they escaped from Egypt, the people constantly complained, and there was opposition from his brother and sister, Aaron and Miriam, and attempts to dislodge him from his position as leader. After all this, God did not allow Moses to enter the Promised Land when he finally arrived there - he glimpsed it from Mount Nebo, but did not live to enter it. He was, it seems, quite sensible in being reluctant to take on the job in the first place - see his hesitation in Exodus 3:11 - 4:16. For Moses' story, see BIBLE PEOPLE: MOSES
	_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
	MORDECAI
	Mordecai was a descendent of King Saul, but he lived far away from Israel - in Shushan (Susa), the capital of the Persian Empire, during the Exile. He had a young cousin, an orphan, whom he looked after. Her name was Esther, and she was unusually beautiful and intelligent. When she was chosen to be the new queen of King Ahasuerus, the Persian king, he advised her not to tell people she was Jewish. She took his advice. He was instrumental in foiling a plot to assassinate the king, and this was duly noted. He also made a bad enemy in Haman, the king's top minister, who became obsessed with hatred not only for Mordecai, but for the whole Jewish population. Haman did not, of course, know that Esther was Jewish. Eventually Haman persuaded King Ahasuerus to conduct a nation-wide pogrom against the Jewish people living in his kingdom, and this would have happened had not Mordecia suggested a way that Esther could save her people. It was a dangerous plan but it worked, and Haman was defeated and hanged on the very gallows he had erected for Mordecai - as were his ten sons. Mordecai became the king's chief minister, and the events are celebrated each year at the festival of Purim. For more on this story, see BIBLE WOMEN: ESTHER		Mordecai honored by King Ahasuerus
	_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
	GIDEON
	Gideon set the pattern for a type of warfare that the Israelites used to gain control over land dominated by the Canaanites, who were superior in number and technology, and who seemed to be an unbeatable enemy. He introduced the technique of guerilla warfare, and is credited with being the military leader who defeated the Midianites, one of Israel's enemies at that time. He was an unlikely hero, from an obscure clan, and at first he doubted his ability to win any battle against superior forces. But God kept nudging him into action, and eventually Gideon gathered quite a large group of soldiers to attack the enemy. 'No,' said God, 'you've got it wrong. There are too many men in your army, making too much noise and needing too much military equipment' - or words to that effect. Gideon cut down the numbers until he had only a small force, and then he attacked at night, surprising the enemy and panicking them, so that they were easy to kill. This became the pattern of battle for the under-equipped and ill-trained Israelite soldiers when they faced a superior enemy - and it seems to have worked well for them over and over. They would attack when and where they were least expected, harassing the enemy and then drawing back into the hills where a large army could not follow them. Gideon had invented the military version of the David/Goliath strategy.		The confusion and panic of Gideon's night-time attack is captured in this engraving by Gustav Doré Modern soldiers engaged in guerilla warfare
	_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
	SAMSON
	Samson was the son of conservative, godly parents in Zorah, a town in the Sorek Valley. He was consecrated as a Nazirite at his birth - which meant that he was consecrated to God, would never drink alcohol and would leave his hair uncut, to show his calling. He was marked as special by his parents, since his birth had been heralded by the appearance of an angel of Jahweh. Samson grew up to be an exceptionally strong man, but he was never a 'gentle giant'. He never seemed to negotiate with an enemy when there was a chance of fighting instead. He does not seem to have fought in the army, as other ancient heroes such as Achilles did, in the Iliad. Rather, he used his personal strength to take on and vanquish an enemy, whoever they might be. He caused mayhem on numerous occasions. Some of his feats include: the wedding riddle used at his marriage to the Philistine girl from Timnah, where Samson killed thirty Philistines in Ashkelon to revenge himself on the Philistine men who bribed his wife to obtain the answer to the riddle; setting on fire the tails of three hundred unfortunate foxes he caught and released in the wheat fields of the Philistines, just before harvest, as revenge for his wife-to-be being given away in marriage to his best man at the cancelled wedding; and his final escapades with Delilah, who deceived him to learn the secret of his strength. When the Philistines learned the reason behind his prodigious strength, they captured Samson and put out his eyes making him, they thought, utterly helpless. He was led into the temple of Dagon and made sport of as part of the entertainment. But unnoticed by the Philistines, his hair had begun to grow back. Thus, in one last effort, he pulled the two supporting pillars of the temple down and destroyed himself and up to three thousand Philistines as it collapsed. For more on Samson, see BIBLE PEOPLE: SAMSON		This is a reconstruction of the Temple of Jerusalem, which was built on the Phoenician model - so the Temple of Dagon, described as having two large supporting columns, probably looked something like this
	_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
	JOSEPH (NAZARETH)
	Joseph was an unlikely hero, an ordinary man from an obscure village in rural Galilee. He could never have guessed how many millions of people would know about his life and speak of him with respect and affection. He remains the model of the ideal husband and father - though given the time and place, it cannot have been easy for him. He lived in a society that demanded virginity in a bride, and yet he was prepared to marry a girl who was already with child, a child whom he knew was not his. Someone never mentioned in the story is Joseph's mother: being a traditional Jewish mother, one wonders what she said about Joseph's marriage to Mary, a girl who was clearly no longer a virgin. Joseph believed in his dreams, but perhaps family disapproval was also part of the reason that Joseph took his wife and child and moved to Egypt for a time. Perhaps there was also more work there. But when he returned he settled down in Nazareth to the task of supporting and looking after his little family. He may have found work at the nearby town of Sepphoris, which was being rebuilt by the ruler of the area, Herod Antipas. If that was so, he probably took the boy Jesus along to learn the trade of carpentry/building. Nothing is known of his later life or eventual death, but he has been revered through the centuries for the quiet devotion he showed to Mary and Jesus, and has been seen as a role model for husbands and fathers everywhere. For Joseph's story, see BIBLE PEOPLE: JOSEPH OF NAZARETH
	_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
	PAUL
	Paul was a fierce, passionate man. His dominant characteristic must have been courage, both intellectual and physical, since he never hesitated to stand up for his beliefs, not matter who or what opposed him. It is because of his dedication that Christianity was able to find a foothold in the ancient world and eventually grow into a religion that changed the world. Paul never met Jesus face to face, but he believed he had seen Jesus in a vision (see right), and so knew his Savior at a deeper, truer level. This idea, that Jesus was Savior, took hold of Paul, so that he saw it as an overpowering mission to tell other people about Jesus. Paul was a doer, and an organizer, and he travelled around from city to city, talking to whomever would listen. The people he talked to were not always hospitable to Paul's new ideas, and he often ended up in trouble - serious trouble. But he also had an growing band of followers and supporters, and he does not seem to have allowed himself too much time to be dispirited by setbacks. His novel idea was that Jesus had come not just to the Jewish people, but to everyone, or every social level, religious background or nationality. This meant he clashed with the more traditionally-minded Jerusalem Christians, and on several occasions Paul was arrested and imprisoned. None of this fazed him. Paul was a man with a vision of how the world could be, and he gave his life to making this vision come true. For more on Paul, see BIBLE PEOPLE: PAUL		The Conversion of St Paul, by Caravaggio
	INTERESTING WEBSITES - stories, pictures, reconstructions DAVID Archaeological finds connected to the story of David BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: DAVID Bandit leader then king, David was almost constantly at war BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: WAR Jerusalem, the city that became David's capital BIBLE ARCHITECTURE: JERUSALEM See how the boy David uses lateral thinking when he confronts the giant Goliath BIBLE TOP TEN: YOUNG PEOPLE: DAVID David blots his copy-book with Bathsheba BIBLE WOMEN: BATHSHEBA JOSEPH OF EGYPT Slavery in the Bible, with a case study of Joseph BIBLE TOP TEN: SLAVERY Famous paintings of the seduction scene BIBLE ART: POTIPHAR'S WIFE NOAH Paintings that capture the terror of the Flood BIBLE ART: NOAH Noah as First Farmer BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: AGRICULTURE MOSES Reworking the Ten Commandments for the modern world BIBLE TOP TEN WAYS TO GET TO HEAVEN Ten ways to ruin your life: the Ten Commandments reversed BIBLE TOP TEN WAYS TO GET TO HELL Graphic (well, gross really) photographs illustrating the Ten Plagues of Egypt BIBLE TOP TEN: PLAGUES The Stone Tablets of Moses - were they stelae? BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: STONE TABLETS MORDECAI The story of Esther and Mordecai in more detail BIBLE WOMEN: ESTHER Esther as one of the great heroines of the Bible BIBLE TOP TEN HEROINES The Palace of Persepolis BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: PALACES Paintings of Esther and Mordecai at the court of the king BIBLE ART: ESTHER SAMSON Samson as one of the Bible's Top Ten Warriors BIBLE TOP TEN WARRIORS: SAMSON Delilah as one of the Bible's Top Ten Bad Women BIBLE TOP TEN BAD WOMEN: DELILAH Born to be bad: Delilah's story BIBLE PEOPLE: DELILAH JOSEPH OF NAZARETH Living in a village like Nazareth BIBLE ARCHITECTURE: HOUSING Archaeology shows the type of work men did BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: WORK Nazareth and Sepphoris, the village and nearby city that Joseph knew BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY: CITIES Mary and Joseph in modern films BIBLE TOP TEN FILMS
	Custom Search ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Bible Top Ten: Bad Women, Buildings, Films, Heroes, Heroines, Murders, Perversions, Plagues, Paintings, Slavery, Warriors, Ways to Heaven and Hell, Ideas about God, Young People, Kings and Queens, and Villains; Bible Resource for Old and New Testament Studies