Written by: Rich on February 4, 2025

The reading for the week is Hero of a Thousand Faces.[1] Joseph Campbell details his insights in finding a common pattern throughout the heroic stories of myths, legends, and religious writings. As he defined the formula of the monomyth, Departure—Initiation—Return, I found myself reading along with examples from contemporary works, whether Lucy blundering through the back of the wardrobe, Fluffy guarding the threshold of the trapdoor at Hogwarts, or Elton John singing “The Circle of Life.” The work is thorough. His examples are diverse and strong. I made a note recognizing that I was caught up in the facts but lost in the meaning. What do I do with this book?

I’m on a ship this week. Running on the treadmill gave my mind a chance to wander with Campbell. How does he relate to Critical Thinking & Research? Does this work have bearing on my NPO? How would I answer Adler and Van Doren’s four basic questions?[2] Staring out at the sea, I was reminded of its symbolic meaning in myths, legends, and the Bible. The waters began to part.

Water as Chaos

Genesis is an ancient text. It was written for us but not to us.[3] It is the revelation of God to a people rather than a historical account. To my linear, Western brain, it doesn’t make sense that Genesis 10 offers an account of Noah’s descendants scattering across the land prior to Genesis 11 telling how the Lord scattered the people after the Tower of Babel. Weren’t they already scattered? The original recipients of Genesis wouldn’t have expected linear, exact details.

There are two creation accounts in Genesis. The first presents God against the backdrop of the Egypt, Canaan, and Babylon creation stories.[4] It is possible for Campbell to pull a common thread through the ancient texts because nothing is written in a vacuum.

Genesis begins with water.  “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” (Gen. 1:1-3 [NLT]). This formless and empty water was symbolic of danger and of chaos. God changed that. He brought order to chaos. This is the message of Genesis 1.

God is the hero of Genesis. The story is about him.

Water as Death

I love the book of Jonah. It is often portrayed as a story for children, though it has much to say for all ages. The storyline and character development are remarkable. The Jewish oral tradition would have told and retold Jonah over generations, each giving a bit more refinement of the message before it was finally written down.

To the casual reader, Jonah fits nicely into Campbell’s formula for a hero. His departure is a great example of the call unanswered, though God had other ideas. Jonah makes it through departure into initiation and to the apotheosis step where he gains true understanding … well, maybe not. Jonah never progresses to the return stage.

Is Jonah one of the thousand heroes?

We are often in a hurry to ask what a passage means to me. This is a great way to become confused or misguided. What does the text actually say? [5]

In oral tradition, repetition is used to catch the attention of the audience. Count how many times the Lord is referenced. In chapter one, it is split between Jonah and the Lord. As the book progresses, the Lord is referenced more and more.

Another storytelling technique can use expectations to make the point. Jonah, a prophet of God, has little interest in following God. The heathen sailors exhibit faith in God and the hated Ninevites repent—even their cattle. In chapter four, an angry Jonah is concerned about a plant he did nothing to get. God is concerned for the people of Nineveh.

Chapter two shows Jonah confessing that God is the hero. Jonah sank deeper and deeper in the sea while his life slipped away. The deep waters symbolize death. Yet God heard Jonah’s prayer, snatched him from the jaws of death, and commanded the fish to spit him onto land.

The book of Jonah is not about Jonah. God is the hero of Jonah. The story is about him.

Water as Separation

The Bible ends with another reference to water. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.” (Rev. 21:1) Why is John glad? His present circumstances are in exile on an island. The sea separates him from those he knows and loves. That would be a fairytale outcome if John is the hero. However, the macroscopic triumph of an epic hero brings the means of regeneration to society.[6] In this case, the sea is separation between the creator and the created. No more sea means restoration with God.

God is the hero of Revelation. The story is about him.

Jonah: Real or Myth

It could be unsettling to read Campbell’s formula and see the parallel with a biblical character like Jonah. The book of Jonah is so well-written that the question of fiction comes naturally. Campbell could argue that Jonah is merely one example from a thousand heroic legends. If that is true, then what are the implications for the rest of scripture?

If the point of Jonah is Jonah, then its value is determined in part by its authenticity. Details of the hero matter. If the point of Jonah is God, then the writing fits within a much larger body of work describing God. The weight of that body of evidence is much larger.

God is a hero unlike any other.

[1] Joseph Campbell. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Electronic Edition. United States of America: Joseph Campbell Foundation, 2020.

[2] Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren. How to Read a Book. Revised and Updated edition. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1972, 46-47.

[3] John H. Walton. The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate. Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Academic, 2009, 7.

[4] Tim Mackie, “Does the Bible Borrow From Other Creation Stories?” May 24, 2021, in Bible Project,1:20:21, https://bibleproject.com/podcast/does-bible-borrow-other-creation-stories/.

[5] Ray Lubeck. Read the Bible for a Change: Understanding and Responding to God’s Word. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2010.

[6] Campbell, 49.

About the Author

Rich