📜Biblical Figures - New Testament

Archetypes

Pillar Virtues

Character Arc

The king who slaughtered Bethlehem's infants to eliminate a rival, Herod embodies the Tyrant's paranoid grip on Power without Vulnerability. His massacre of innocents to protect his throne shows how fear of losing control becomes the very evil it claims to prevent.

Key Moments

• Meeting the Magi: Pretends interest in worshipping the new king—the Manipulator gathering intelligence for murder.
• The Slaughter of the Innocents: Orders all male infants killed—Power as absolute destruction, the Tyrant eliminating perceived threats.
• Death in Madness: Dies consumed by paranoia and disease—the Tyrant's end, Power consuming its wielder.

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Character Arc

The incarnate God who integrated every archetype in service of redemption, Jesus embodied Power through Vulnerability, washing feet and dying on a cross. His Healing came through Empathy that touched lepers; his Guidance offered Spirituality grounded in Worldliness. Ultimate Agape—love unto death.

Key Moments

• The Temptation: Refuses Power without service—rejecting Tyrant, Manipulator, and Hustler shadows offered by Satan.
• Washing the Disciples' Feet: The King as servant—Power expressed through Vulnerability, redefining leadership.
• The Crucifixion: Agape unto death—Self-Worth surrendered for others, the Caregiver's ultimate gift.

Archetypes

Pillar Virtues

Character Arc

The voice crying in the wilderness who prepared the way for Christ, John the Baptist embodies the Challenger's Confrontation of corruption and the Seeker's Allegiance to the coming Messiah. His Acceptance of his role—he must decrease, Christ must increase—balanced his fiery intensity.

Key Moments

• Preaching Repentance: Calls Israel to prepare—Confrontation of sin, Allegiance to the Flame of coming judgment.
• Baptizing Jesus: The greater comes to the lesser—Acceptance of reversed roles, Obedience to divine design.
• Death for Truth: Beheaded for confronting Herod's sin—the Challenger paying the ultimate price for Allegiance.

Archetypes

Pillar Virtues

Character Arc

The devoted follower who stayed at the cross and first witnessed the resurrection, Mary Magdalene embodies the Lover's Presence and the Seeker's Allegiance transformed. Freed from demons, her Passion became pure devotion; her Self-Worth restored enabled Agape.

Key Moments

• Healed by Jesus: Seven demons cast out—the Wounded Child restored, Self-Worth returned through divine touch.
• At the Cross: Remains when others flee—Presence in suffering, Agape that doesn't abandon.
• First Witness to Resurrection: Encounters the risen Christ—Allegiance to the Flame rewarded, the Seeker finding what she sought.

Archetypes

Pillar Virtues

Character Arc

The persecutor transformed into apostle, Paul embodies the Seeker's radical conversion and the Guide's subsequent mission. His Mastery of Jewish law became Beginner's Mind under grace; his Worldliness (Roman citizen, Greek speaker) served Spirituality as he planted churches across the empire.

Key Moments

• The Damascus Road: Struck blind and converted—Allegiance to the Flame redirected, the persecutor becoming apostle.
• The Missionary Journeys: Plants churches across the Roman world—Worldliness serving the Gospel, the Guide spreading fire.
• Writing the Epistles: Articulates Christian theology—Mastery in service of Beginner's Mind, Knowledge becoming Reverence.

Archetypes

Pillar Virtues

Character Arc

The rock on whom the church was built, Peter embodied the Warrior's heart with the Chump's impulsiveness. His Confidence declared he would die for Jesus; his failure revealed the need for Humility. Restored after denial, his Strength finally matched his Compassion.

Key Moments

• Walking on Water: Steps out in faith, then sinks in doubt—Confidence without sustained Discipline, the Chump's pattern.
• The Denial: Three times disowns Jesus—Honor failed, fear overwhelming loyalty.
• Restoration and Martyrdom: Feed my sheep, then crucified upside-down—Humility embraced, the Knight dying for his Lord.

Archetypes

Pillar Virtues

Character Arc

The adversary who tempted Christ in the wilderness, Satan embodies the Manipulator wielding Knowledge without Reverence—twisting Scripture itself. His Mischief lacks Dignity, seeking destruction through deception. The ultimate Tyrant, desiring Power over all creation.

Key Moments

• The Three Temptations: Offers bread, spectacle, and power—the Manipulator targeting hunger, pride, and ambition.
• Twisting Scripture: Uses God's words against God's Son—Knowledge as weapon, the shadow Magician's corruption.
• Departure Until an Opportune Time: Retreats but doesn't surrender—Mischief patient, the Trickster awaiting another chance.

Archetypes

Pillar Virtues

Character Arc

The betrayer who sold Jesus for thirty silver coins, Judas embodies Honor collapsed into the Mercenary shadow—Discipline without Honor, service for sale. Some see a Blind Follower who expected Jesus to establish an earthly kingdom; all see the Addict whose remorse led to self-destruction.

Key Moments

• Keeping the Money Bag: Trusted with finances yet stealing—Discipline corrupted, the Mercenary's small betrayals.
• The Kiss of Betrayal: Identifies Jesus with intimacy's gesture—the ultimate corruption of loyalty, Devotion inverted.
• Returning the Silver: Throws back the money and hangs himself—remorse without redemption, the Addict's final act.

Archetypes

Pillar Virtues

Character Arc

The Roman governor who washed his hands of Jesus' fate, Pilate embodies the Bystander shadow—Sovereignty without Responsibility. His Acceptance became the Doormat's capitulation, knowing Jesus was innocent but yielding to the crowd. Power without the courage to use it justly.

Key Moments

• Finding No Fault: Declares Jesus innocent yet continues the trial—knowledge without courage, Responsibility evaded.
• Washing His Hands: Symbolic abdication—the Bystander's gesture, claiming neutrality in injustice.
• Delivering Jesus to Be Crucified: Yields to the mob—the Doormat's capitulation, Acceptance of evil for political peace.