Heroes of Esoteric Christianity and Paganism

Heroes of the underground church – Esoteric Christianity — and heroes of Classical Paganism.
These people are not saints or martyrs, but are nevertheless great
heroes and heroines

Heroes

  • Leif Erikson
  • Richard the Lionhearted

Heroines

  • Eleanor of Aquitaine
  • Mother Teresa
  • Judith, Old Testament (apocrypha) savior
    of her people

Gurus & Great Teachers

  • Aristotle
  • Shankara
  • Thomas Aquinas
  • Lao Tzu
  • Buddha

Honorable Mentions

  • Charlemagne
  • Vladimir of Kiev (988 AD)
  • Booker T. Washington
  • George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin

Honorable Warriors

  • Alexander the Great
  • King Arthur
  • Phillip Martel (halted Arab invasion of Europe, father of Charlemagne)

[Image]

Detail of JUDITH by Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1652)

Judith,
Apocryphal Old Testament heroine

Despite the warning of Achior that the Jews cannot be conquered
unless they sin against God, the proud general Holofernes
lays siege to the town and cuts off its water supply. After
asiege of thirty-four days, the exhausted defenders are desperate
and ready to surrender.

At this point, the climax of the story, Judith (the name
means “Jewess”) appears and promises to defeat the Assyrians.
You can read the original story as recorded in scriptures thousands of years ago by searching for “The Book of Judith online”. But here’s the gist of it: Having
fasted and prayed, Judith dresses in her finest garments and
proceeds to the Assyrian camp, where she succeeds in killing
Holofernes while he lies in a drunken stupor. The beautiful
hymn of the people honoring Judith (Jdt 15:9-10) is often
applied to Mary in the liturgy.

“You are the glory of Jerusalem, the surpassing joy of Israel;
You are the splendid boast of our people. With your own hand you
have done all this; You have done good to Israel, and God is pleased
with what you have wrought. May you be blessed by the Lord Almighty
forever and ever!” And all the people answered, “Amen!”  Judith
15: 9-10