The Heroic Christ: The Hero's Journey in the Gospel of Luke

by Nickolas A Fox, Brian Zahnd (Foreword by), Megan Phillips (Illustrator)

Overview

The Hero's Journey has captured the attention of millions and has had an effect on filmmakers and authors for generations. But how might the familiar plot turns we see in Star Wars and The Matrix occur in the life of Jesus? The Heroic Christ examines the story of Jesus in Luke's Gospel through the contributions of Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey. The Call to Adventure, Supernatural Aid, the Ordeal, the Return—these and more are epic stages in the framework of a heroic narrative, and they deserve examination in the life of Christ. Come and encounter Luke's Gospel in a new—and ancient—way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798385214389
Publisher:	Cascade Books
Publication date:	09/18/2025
Pages:	156
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.36(d)

About the Author

Nickolas A. Fox is the Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Ministry and Assistant Professor of New Testament at Crown College in St. Bonifacius, Minnesota. He is the author of The Hermeneutics of Social Identity in Luke-Acts and was a contributor to the Baker Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“We live in a time where people long for a hero to follow. Nick Fox narrates the story of Jesus from Luke in captivating contours and against the backdrop of the familiar trope of a hero’s journey. The result? A lively and insightful reading of Luke. If you’re interested in entering the story of Jesus in fresh ways—if you want to set your eyes on an authentic hero—I encourage you to pick up The Heroic Christ.”

—Jeannine K. Brown, The David Price Professor of Biblical and Theological Foundations, Bethel Seminary, Minnesota



“Some of the key elements comprising Joseph Campbell’s articulation of the hero’s journey are exemplified in the story of Jesus, such as his sacrificial death and new life, and yet surprisingly there’s a lack of analysis of the Gospels in the light of Campbell’s framework. Nick Fox’s The Heroic Christ begins to fill that gap in this study on Luke’s Gospel, highlighting that such an analysis helps us understand the story Luke is telling.”

—John Anthony Dunne, Director, Doctor of Ministry, Bethel Seminary, Minnesota



“An adventurous take on the Gospel of Luke that helps readers to engage the story with the same excitement accorded modern fiction. Both new readers and those familiar with the third Gospel will want to accept Fox’s invitation to inhabit this captivating narrative and, indeed, to be captured by it: here is a chance to experience the heroic tale of Jesus from within (as opposed to simply interpreting it from without).”

—Mark Allan Powell, Professor of New Testament, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Ohio



“Nickolas Fox embarks on an epic adventure through Luke’s Gospel. He applies Joseph Campbell’s theory of a hero’s journey to the life of Jesus. Scholars, pastors, and students will be transported beyond exhausting debates over historical questions. Instead, they will discover with the Lukan Jesus the intersection of ordinary and enchanted worlds. Fox dares his readers to experience Jesus’s transhistorical adventure through promise, trial, martyrdom, and resurrection. If the Gospels seem dull and too familiar, read this book!”

—Martin Mittelstadt, Professor of New Testament, Evangel University, Missouri

Editorial Reviews

We live in a time where people long for a hero to follow. Nick Fox narrates the story of Jesus from Luke in captivating contours and against the backdrop of the familiar trope of a hero’s journey. The result? A lively and insightful reading of Luke. If you’re interested in entering the story of Jesus in fresh ways—if you want to set your eyes on an authentic hero—I encourage you to pick up The Heroic Christ.”

—Jeannine K. Brown, The David Price Professor of Biblical and Theological Foundations, Bethel Seminary, Minnesota



“Some of the key elements comprising Joseph Campbell’s articulation of the hero’s journey are exemplified in the story of Jesus, such as his sacrificial death and new life, and yet surprisingly there’s a lack of analysis of the Gospels in the light of Campbell’s framework. Nick Fox’s The Heroic Christ begins to fill that gap in this study on Luke’s Gospel, highlighting that such an analysis helps us understand the story Luke is telling.”

—John Anthony Dunne, Director, Doctor of Ministry, Bethel Seminary, Minnesota



“An adventurous take on the Gospel of Luke that helps readers to engage the story with the same excitement accorded modern fiction. Both new readers and those familiar with the third Gospel will want to accept Fox’s invitation to inhabit this captivating narrative and, indeed, to be captured by it: here is a chance to experience the heroic tale of Jesus from within (as opposed to simply interpreting it from without).”

—Mark Allan Powell, Professor of New Testament, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Ohio



“Nickolas Fox embarks on an epic adventure through Luke’s Gospel. He applies Joseph Campbell’s theory of a hero’s journey to the life of Jesus. Scholars, pastors, and students will be transported beyond exhausting debates over historical questions. Instead, they will discover with the Lukan Jesus the intersection of ordinary and enchanted worlds. Fox dares his readers to experience Jesus’s transhistorical adventure through promise, trial, martyrdom, and resurrection. If the Gospels seem dull and too familiar, read this book!”

—Martin Mittelstadt, Professor of New Testament, Evangel University, Missouri

From the Publisher