In
the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
There are now, as there have always been, an array of people in this
world who might be styled a “messiah” – a savior from this,
that, or the other. Sometimes such a messiah's scope is rather
limited – he will save his people from their taxes. Other times,
the messiah comes to save his people from all that ails them. The
particulars vary from case to case, but the general theme is nothing
new. In fact, it is one of the oldest tropes in classical literature.
For an ancient example, consider Hercules. He was born of Zeus, the
king of the Greek gods. His mission was to bring peace and justice to
the people by accomplishing a series of seemingly impossible tasks,
jobs which only he could do. By accomplishing these things, he
brought freedom and peace from the tyranny of the infamously fickle
gods. Finally, when Hercules was killed, it is said that he was
assumed up into the company of the gods.
