Moses's Staff and Areneas's Shield - 05 edition

Summary: ''Moses' Staff and Aeneas' Shield uses two emblems to symbolize the important differences between the tragic but triumphant heroism of Virgil's Aeneid and the kenotic heroism of Moses in the Exodus story of Aeneas' shield and Moses' staff. The shield of Aeneas represents Rome's imperial destiny to rule the earth's peoples by strength, and Aeneas' personal destiny to end in triumph as a warrior. In contrast, the staff of Moses represents the saving wonders the Lord works through him t ...show moreo save the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt and bind them to himself in covenant, and his mission to go beyond being simply a wonder worker to ''a man of words'' who preaches the Lord's Torah.'' ''This study uses the plot structure of the two stories to argue that Aeneas's character as a warrior who has pietas never changes. He simply needs the vision to use his heroic capacities to found Rome. The whole of the Aeneid is structured for Aeneas to end in triumph in his combat with Turnus. Moses, however, as the Lord's chosen prophet and servant, undergoes profound character changes. In Exodus the Lord transforms him from an exiled outsider to a wonder-working prophet and servant. Then, at the pinnacle of the narrative on Mount Sinai, he becomes a transfigured covenant mediator and kenotic hero who selflessly intercedes in behalf of sinful Israel. But in Numbers, Moses faces apparent tragedy when he and the Exodus generation fail to reach the Promised Land. The Exodus story ends with Moses, the once stammering shepherd, becoming in the speeches of Deuteronomy ''a man of words'' who divests himself of authority and proceeds to preach the Lord's Torah to a new generation.''--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved ...show less