Long 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

Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton: Princeton University

Bible. English. New International. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986

The Israelites leave Egypt with the supernatural aid of God, who leads his chosen people with a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:22). God tells Moses to make sure the Israelites seem like they are wandering aimlessly, and that He will let Pharaoh become obstinate against them again. Pharaoh hears of the wandering, and so he and an army of Egyptians go out to retrieve the Israelites. The Hebrews see the Egyptians and fear death, but Moses reminds them that God will fight for them. God tells the Israelites, through Moses, to pick up and go through the sea, and that He will bring glory to Himself by means of the bad deeds of Pharaoh and Egypt. Moses lifts his hand and the sea divides, the threshold to restore the land is revealed (Exodus 14:16). The Hebrews proceed through on foot, while the Egyptians follow in their chariots, but God makes the Egyptians confused and their chariots break apart in the mud at the bottom of the sea floor. They are!

During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, because of their slavery their cry for help went up to God. God heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So, God looked on the Israelites and was concerned for them (Exodus 2:23-25). One day, after God hears the complaints of Israel, He speaks to Moses through the burning bush on Mt. Sinai. God says, "Take off your shoes, this is sacred ground." This represents the sacred spot known as the axis mundi. It is through the burning bush that God's Holy Spirit begins a transfiguration process with Moses, and he becomes a channel of grace. God's work will be done through an unlikely candidate, Moses, who represents the world navel, or life giving force. God tells Moses that He will bring Israel to the area of Canaan out of Egypt, a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:16,17). Moses doubts his ability, but God reassures hi!

m that He will be with him. Moses is to gather the elders and tell them of God's plan; they are to get Pharaoh's permission to leave "temporarily" to sacrifice to God, three days away (Exodus 3:18). Moses still doubts himself, but God gives him some miraculous signs to perform: a rod that becomes a snake, a leprous and then cleansed hand, and turning the river to blood. These are examples of what Campbell calls supernatural aid. Moses' doubts also then focus on his ability to be an

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