!Hero
Encyclopedia
!HERO is a rock opera
about Jesus
. It is based on the question, "What if Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
?". After the original tour in 2003 ended, it was released on DVD
, CD
, and was written into a trilogy of novel
s and series of comic book
s.
modernizing Jesus's
last two years of life, as described in the Bible
. The story takes place in New York City
, in Brooklyn
. The world's government in this near-future dystopic
Earth
is centered under the International Confederation of Nations, aka I.C.O.N. Under the iron fist of I.C.O.N., nearly all religion
in the world has been wiped out, except for small occult and mystic sects. Only one synagogue
in Brooklyn exists. Currently, New York City is a police
-occupied warzone between ethnic gangs and small, isolated revolutionary groups fighting I.C.O.N. Of all the ancient world religions, only Judaism
survives and flourishes, at least, as much as it can.
In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
, a child named Jesus but referred to as HERO (a derivative of Jesus, as described in the gospel
s of the Bible) is born and forced to flee with his family to the small Jewish section of Brooklyn. Jesus grows up and begins to preach and teach the principles of Christianity
to the people of New York City, teaching people to love their enemies and care for each other. Immediately, I.C.O.N. realizes HERO is a threat, and the Chief of Police Devlin, with the help of chief Rabbi
Kai, conspire to end the threat of HERO's revolutionary teachings.
The Opera is narrated by "Agent Hunter", a former I.C.O.N. agent who met HERO and was soon thrown into prison for joining him against I.C.O.N. The three main characters are Jesus/HERO, Petrov (a derivative of Peter from the Bible), and Maggie (a derivative of Mary Magdalene
from the Bible). The three are also joined by Jude, a derivative of Judas
, who conspires with Kai (a derivative of Caiaphas
, the high priest at Jesus' trial) and Devlin (a derivative of The Devil or Satan
) to betray HERO. The storyline progresses through several stories about Jesus's miracles and sermons, using references from the Bible's four gospels, continues through Jesus's execution at the hands of an angry mob that I.C.O.N. turned against him, and eventually ending with the resurrection
.
Rock opera
A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...
about Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. It is based on the question, "What if Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
?". After the original tour in 2003 ended, it was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, CD
!Hero (album)
!Hero is an album featuring the songs from the rock opera, !Hero. It is based on the question, "What if Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania?" The rock opera modernizes Jesus' last two years on earth and features a cast of many well-known Christian artists with Michael Tait, Rebecca St...
, and was written into a trilogy of novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s and series of comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s.
Plot
!HERO is a rock operaRock opera
A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...
modernizing Jesus's
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
last two years of life, as described in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. The story takes place in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. The world's government in this near-future dystopic
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
is centered under the International Confederation of Nations, aka I.C.O.N. Under the iron fist of I.C.O.N., nearly all religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
in the world has been wiped out, except for small occult and mystic sects. Only one synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
in Brooklyn exists. Currently, New York City is a police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
-occupied warzone between ethnic gangs and small, isolated revolutionary groups fighting I.C.O.N. Of all the ancient world religions, only Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
survives and flourishes, at least, as much as it can.
In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
, a child named Jesus but referred to as HERO (a derivative of Jesus, as described in the gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
s of the Bible) is born and forced to flee with his family to the small Jewish section of Brooklyn. Jesus grows up and begins to preach and teach the principles of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
to the people of New York City, teaching people to love their enemies and care for each other. Immediately, I.C.O.N. realizes HERO is a threat, and the Chief of Police Devlin, with the help of chief Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
Kai, conspire to end the threat of HERO's revolutionary teachings.
The Opera is narrated by "Agent Hunter", a former I.C.O.N. agent who met HERO and was soon thrown into prison for joining him against I.C.O.N. The three main characters are Jesus/HERO, Petrov (a derivative of Peter from the Bible), and Maggie (a derivative of Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
from the Bible). The three are also joined by Jude, a derivative of Judas
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
, who conspires with Kai (a derivative of Caiaphas
Caiaphas
Joseph, son of Caiaphas, Hebrew יוסף בַּר קַיָּפָא or Yosef Bar Kayafa, commonly known simply as Caiaphas in the New Testament, was the Roman-appointed Jewish high priest who is said to have organized the plot to kill Jesus...
, the high priest at Jesus' trial) and Devlin (a derivative of The Devil or Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
) to betray HERO. The storyline progresses through several stories about Jesus's miracles and sermons, using references from the Bible's four gospels, continues through Jesus's execution at the hands of an angry mob that I.C.O.N. turned against him, and eventually ending with the resurrection
Resurrection of Jesus
The Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus states that Jesus returned to bodily life on the third day following his death by crucifixion. It is a key element of Christian faith and theology and part of the Nicene Creed: "On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures"...
.
Recording Cast
- Michael TaitMichael TaitMichael DeWayne Tait is a Contemporary Christian Music artist. Michael Tait met Toby McKeehan and Kevin Max while attending Liberty University in the late 1980s, and formed four-time grammy winning band DC Talk, with whom he released 5 acclaimed studio albums...
as Jesus/HERO - Mark StuartMark Stuart (musician)Mark Allen Stuart is a Christian rock musician, and is best known for being the vocalist for the now-retired Christian rock band Audio Adrenaline.-Early life:...
of Audio AdrenalineAudio AdrenalineAudio Adrenaline was a Christian rock band that formed in the late 1980s at Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky. During the band's 17-year existence, they were awarded two Grammy awards, multiple Dove Awards and they released 17 number one singles. They were regular performers at the...
as Petrov - Rebecca St. JamesRebecca St. JamesRebecca St. James , is a Christian pop rock singer, songwriter, musician, author, and actor. She began performing in Australia in the late 1980s and released her first full-length studio album in 1991. In 1993 she was signed to the record label ForeFront Records and released her major label debut a...
as Maggie - Paul WrightPaul Wright (rapper)Paul Wright is an American musician originally from Eugene, Oregon. His debut LP, "Fly Away", was recorded in Oregon with Christopher Stevens and released in 2003...
as Special Agent Hunter - Nirva Dorsaint as Mama Mary
- John CooperJohn Cooper (musician)John Landrum Cooper , professionally credited as John L. Cooper, is an American musician. He has been the lead singer and bassist of the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band Skillet since 1996.-Seraph:...
of SkilletSkillet (band)Skillet is an American Christian rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1996. The band currently consists of husband and wife John and Korey Cooper , along with Jen Ledger and lead guitarist Seth Morrison. The band has released eight albums, two receiving Grammy nominations: Collide and Comatose...
as Chief Rabbi Kai - Michael Quinlan as Jude
- Matt Hammitt of Sanctus RealSanctus RealSanctus Real is an American Christian rock band formed in Toledo, Ohio, in 1996. The group is composed of Matt Hammitt , Chris Rohman , Dan Gartley , Pete Prevost , and Mark Graalman...
as Blind Cripple - T-BoneT-Bone (rapper)T-Bone is a Christian rapper. His father is Nicaraguan and his mother is Salvadoran. His name came from being called 'Bones' as a youngster because he was very skinny...
as Jairus - Donnie Lewis as Jairus' Wife
- Pete StewartPete StewartPete Stewart is a singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer from Washington state. He is the lead singer and guitarist of Grammatrain, was the lead singer for The Accident Experiment, and is the former guitarist of Tait....
as Police Chief Devlin - Bob Farrell as GovernorGovernorA governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Pilate - John Grey as PreacherPreacherPreacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
Rabbi at the wedding - Nathan Lee as JanitorJanitorA janitor or custodian is a professional who takes care of buildings, such as hospitals and schools. Janitors are responsible primarily for cleaning, and often some maintenance and security...
AngelAngelAngels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an... - GRITS as the Wedding Party
- PetePete StewartPete Stewart is a singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer from Washington state. He is the lead singer and guitarist of Grammatrain, was the lead singer for The Accident Experiment, and is the former guitarist of Tait....
& Donna Stewart as the bride and groom at the wedding
External links
- !Hero Universe.com
- !Hero Tour Dates
- Hero! Live On Stage DVD review at Jesus Freak HideoutJesus Freak HideoutJesus Freak Hideout is a Christian music website. The website specializes in reviewing, previewing, and selling Christian albums. The website is known for its album reviews, independent music, artist interviews, concert dates and ministry through devotionals and prayer...