The Shadow of the Galilean Essay

In the novel “The Shadow of the Galilean,” Gerd Theissen’s character Andreas undergoes a transformation in terms of his belief in God. At the beginning of the book, Andreas has somewhat selfish views in terms of what his duties are as a wealthy Jew. But at the end of the novel, Andreas finds that it is not his own actions that will change a society, but God’s will. Through his own self-discovery, Andreas transforms into a true follower of God and a believer in Jesus. At the beginning of the book, Andreas deems it his duty to change the political injustices in Jerusalem. Andreas claims that like “Abraham the fugitive, Jacob the persecuted one, and David the bandit leader,” (p.25) he had to fight for those who could not fight for themselves. Andreas believes that “if Pilate worked with blackmail, [Pilate] deserved to be cheated.” (p.24) And in Andreas’ dream, he saw the image monsters: “The Roman empire was the last monster. This kingdom, too, was bestial. A really human kingdom had still to come…now the beast still ruled over me. It had power over my body, which lay in fetters. But it had lost power over the person within.” (p.26) Andreas believes that God has given all men the task of helping the weak. Andreas puts himself in the ranks of Abraham, Jacob, and David, which he has no right to do. God sent Abraham, Jacob and David direct messages about the tasks in which God needed each of the three men to complete. Andreas’ task—undermining Roman authorities in order to protect the weak—is self-appointed. Andreas, in the beginning of the novel, believes in God, bud does not trust the power of God. Instead, Andreas uses God’s message of helping the less fortunate to fuel his self-righteous journey: “I am an exception. That is why I stay here. I have a lot to do. My idea is that we should punish the rich, all the judges and officials who act unjustly…once people realize that their evil deeds will no longer go unpunished, they’ll think before they exploit little