“There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” Genesis 6:4

In ancient Greece, during the Hellenic period, heroes were cited in a space between gods and humans. Swimming between the divine and the human, they were the subject of cults and rituals after their deaths due to the extraordinary actions and qualities that characterized, distinguished, and set them apart from all other ordinary human beings during their lives.

The heroic universe is incredibly diverse: demigods (Heracles, Theseus), warlords (Achilles), city founders, former kings, ancestors, athletes, healers—the heroes are predominant but not exclusive. They often use strength and skill to uphold the values of civilization against chaos and injustice.

The definition of a hero also changes depending on the discipline, and it must be acknowledged that many users of this term have sometimes overextended or reduced its meaning. For psychologists, a hero is primarily a model for a child’s psychological development. Many heroes populate the imagination and universe of children: Harry Potter, Hercules, the Avengers heroes, Superman, etc.

In the eyes of philosophers, a hero is a moral figure of good; anthropologists consider the hero to be a legendary ancestor, essentially a totemic figure. In literature, the hero, with well-constructed typologies, has become synonymous with the protagonist of a work through a semantic impoverishment known since the mid-17th century.

Heroes since Genesis

“The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies.” Isaiah 42:13

The Hebrew word used for hero in the Bible is “Gibbowr,” meaning strong, valiant, mighty warrior. Thus, the word Gibbowr is used for men endowed with extraordinary faculties commonly called Gibbowrim, human beings with impure blood due to the union between the daughters of men and fallen angels. But this word is also used for God, El-Gibbowr, to speak of this mighty and strong God in battles.

Biblical accounts are not spared from the impact of heroes in post-Adamic civilizations. Since time immemorial, God has worked through people to establish His will on earth. He uses humans, in whom He invests His nature, as heroes, valiant ones, channels of glory.

“The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but He has given the earth to the sons of men.” Psalm 115:16

A hero can be understood in several ways; a hero can be perceived as:

• A person chosen by God and on whom He invests to accomplish a specific task.
• A person who embodies the hope of a people, a model, a symbol of justice.
• A person who stands out in a practice, distinguished by their exploits or extraordinary courage (in the field of arms).
• A person with particular potential; on whom God counts due to the special anointing placed in them to accomplish exploits.

Heroes are found throughout the Bible; to deliver the Israelites from the Egyptian yoke, God raised Moses; facing the influence of the Philistines, God delivered the Israelites by raising Samson. You will discover that to create His people on earth, God raised Abraham; the deliverance of the Israelites from the terror of Goliath came through God raising David.

Passing through the valiant men in the service of David: Adino the Eznite who killed 800 at once, Eleazar son of Dodo who killed an incalculable number of Philistines until his hand stuck to his sword, to Shamgar who was one of the judges and killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad. When wanting to speak to kings and nations, God did not hesitate to raise prophets and judges. All received a particular call and accomplished unique tasks to fulfill the mission given by God.

To this day, God continues to raise men and women to establish His will on earth and transmit His thoughts to creation.

“Through God, we shall do valiantly; for it is He who shall tread down our enemies.” Psalm 60:12

Because exploits are no longer limited to a category of people as in the Old Covenant, everyone, including you, can carry God’s standard in the workplace, in your immediate environment, in your city, in your country, on your continent, and even have a planetary impact.

Remember that every son of God is an actor somewhere in the world; for the Christian walk is not static but a dynamic walk in which you are called to go from victory to victory.

“We are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

In rewriting the title of this book, you might agree with me that one could say: how have the people in whom God invested fallen? However, the problem is often not about having victory or entering glory; it lies in maintaining your position in the face of a dimension granted by God, your Father.

In both ecclesiastical and secular environments, people who have had an impact in one of the spheres of influence (media, politics, family, economy, …) end up falling; leading the young generation to question how those elevated by God, who were models and in whom God invested anointing, wisdom, and power, have fallen.

This text is an excerpt from the book “HOW HAVE THE HEROES FALLEN?” written by Paul Zozo Minu.

We invite you to read the following article “The Hero: A Chosen One of God.”