There's a lot of ways people can hear the story of Moses. Ever been to Sunday school? That's one. Heard about the Ten Commandments? Two. Seen films such as "The Ten Commandments", "Prince of Egypt", or "Exodus"? Three, four, and five.
But how about reading or watching anything to do with Superman?
That's right. DC Comics' character of Superman is a pretty good introduction to the Biblical character of Moses – and Superman's creators made that connection purposely.
Superman made his debut during a time of great conflict in the real world. It was 1938, and Nazi Germany was on the rise. World War II was only a year away, and already Jews were being horrifically persecuted. Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were safe in America, but they felt the plight of those whose religion they shared. That religion heavily influenced the origin story of a superhero who could take on Nazi Germany and win – a superhero some would call the greatest of all time.
Though the story has changed several times since then, Superman's origins usually remain about the same. He was born onto a world about to be destroyed. To save his life, Superman's parents put him into a little space-cradle and sent him away. The cradle took him all the way to Earth, where he was found by humans who adopted him as their own child. As we all know, Superman grows up to become a hero – one who saves the earth countless times.
Now, let's look at the similarities to the book of Exodus, which tells the story of Moses. Egypt's Pharaoh had enslaved the entire Jewish population around the time Moses was born. Despite their servitude, the Jewish people's numbers grew. The Pharaoh eventually began to fear a revolt, so he ordered all male children under a certain age to be killed. Knowing that Moses would die if he stayed with her, his mother put him into a basket and floated him down the river. Baby Moses was found by the daughter of the Pharaoh, who took him into her family and raised him. Eventually, Moses grew up to save his people.
I first heard about the Jewish roots of Superman's origin story through a documentary some years ago. It made a powerful impact, and it's stuck with me ever since. I think it's fantastic that a hero created to bring hope against a regime of terror has since made a stand against racism, sexism, and just about every other sort of social injustice. From the very beginning, Superman's message has been one of hope – and I hope that's a message which sticks around.
