The Life of Herod the Great

Zora Neale Hurston''s unpublished novel revealing the historical Herod the Great--not the demon the Bible makes him out to be but a religious and philosophical man who lived a life of adventure. ?In the 1950s, after the publication of Moses, Man of the Mountain , Zora Neale Hurston set out to write a novel that would set the record straight about one of history''s most maligned figures. If Hurston''s Moses challenges the Old Testament version of the ancient Hebrew leader by suggesting that Moses was actually an Egyptian, Hurston''s Herod challenges the New Testament version of the tyrant who supposedly ordered the deaths of many children in order to save the Christ-child, as recorded in the book of Matthew, by suggesting that he was actually a forerunner of Christ. From the peaks of triumph to the depths of human misery, the historical Herod "seemed to have been singled out by some deity and especially endowed to attract the zigzag lightning of fate." The intimate friend of both Marc Antony and Julius Caesar, Herod lived in times of war and expansion, where political assassinations and bribery were commonplace as the old world gave way to the new. Breaking his legacy out of a single paragraph in the Bible and into the vivid, breathing world he lived in, Hurston''s unfinished manuscript brings a full person with an adventurous life into view for the first time. Scholar and literary critic Deborah Plant brings this bold, spirited novel to readers for the first time with a new introduction and editorial additions that demonstrate Hurston''s point about how reimagining figures from the past addresses the troubles we experience today.

About the author

Zora Neale Hurston wrote four novels (Jonah’s Gourd Vine; Their Eyes Were Watching God; Moses, Man of the Mountains; and Seraph on the Suwanee) and was still working on her fifth novel, The Life of Herod the Great, when she died; three books of folklore (Mules and Men and the posthumously published Go Gator and Muddy the Water and Every Tongue Got to Confess); a work of anthropological research (Tell My Horse); an autobiography (Dust Tracks on a Road); an international bestselling ethnographic work (Barracoon); and over fifty short stories, essays, and plays. She was born in Notasulga, Alabama, grew up in Eatonville, Florida, and lived her last years in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Deborah G. Plant is an African American Literature and Africana Studies Independent Scholar and literary critic specializing in the life and works of Zora Neale Hurston. She is editor of The Life of Herod the Great (2025) by Zora Neale Hurston and author of Of Greed and Glory: In Pursuit of Freedom for All (2024); editor of Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” (2018), a New York Times bestseller, by Zora Neale Hurston; and author of Alice Walker: A Woman for Our Times (2017), a philosophical biography. She is also editor of The Inside Light: New Critical Essays on Zora Neale Hurston (2010); and author of Zora Neale Hurston: A Biography of the Spirit (2007) and Every Tub Must Sit On Its Own Bottom: The Philosophy and Politics of Zora Neale Hurston (1995). She holds a BA from Southern University, an MA from Atlanta University, and MA and Ph. D. degrees in English from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She was instrumental in founding the University of South Florida’s Department of Africana Studies and chaired the department for five years. Plant resides in Florida.

Summary

A never before published novel from beloved author Zora Neale Hurston, revealing the historical Herod the Great—not the villain the Bible makes him out to be but a religious and philosophical man who lived a life of valor and vision.
In the 1950s, as a continuation of Moses, Man of the Mountain, Zora Neale Hurston penned a historical novel about one of the most infamous figures in the Bible, Herod the Great. In Hurston’s retelling, Herod is not the wicked ruler of the New Testament who is charged with the “slaughter of the innocents,” but a forerunner of Christ—a beloved king who enriched Jewish culture and brought prosperity and peace to Judea.
From the peaks of triumph to the depths of human misery, the historical Herod “appears to have been singled out and especially endowed to attract the lightning of fate,” Hurston writes. An intimate of both Marc Antony and Julius Caesar, the Judean king lived during the first century BCE, in a time of war and imperial expansion that was rife with political assassinations and bribery, as the old world gave way to the new.
Portraying Herod within this vivid and dynamic world of antiquity, little known to modern readers, Hurston’s unfinished manuscript brings this complex, compelling, and misunderstood leader fully into focus. Hurston shared her findings about Herod’s rise, his reign, and his waning days in letters to friends and associates. Text from three of these letters concludes the manuscript in an intimate way. Scholar-Editor Deborah Plant’s "Commentary: A Story Finally Told" assesses Hurston’s pioneering work and underscores Hurston’s perspective that the first century BCE has much to teach us and that the lens through which to view this dramatic and stirring era is the life and times of Herod the Great.

Report

"Full of adventure, glamour, and historical figures, including Herod's close friends Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, this is a fascinating addition to the Hurston canon." - Booklist (starred review)
"Showcases both [Zora Neale Hurston's] training in cultural anthropology and her storytelling brilliance. ... A valuable edition to Hurston's canon that will appeal both to her fans and to new readers of her work." - Library Journal
"In the 1950s, Zora Neale Hurston spent many years writing a historical novel about the biblical King Herod as follow-up to her 1939 book, Moses, Man of the Mountain. When Hurston died in 1960, the manuscript remained unpublished and was almost destroyed in a fire. But Plant, a Hurston scholar, painstakingly combed through the surviving singed and smoke-stained pages to bring The Life of Herod the Great to readers for the first time. The result is a stunning and layered work of imagination and scholarship." - Esquire
"If you're looking to delve into a different perspective of this historical figure while revisiting the writing of Hurston, this book should definitely be on your TBR list." - Essence
"It's narrated by two extraordinary performers, Blair Underwood and Robin Miles. It makes for a bracing, enlivening audio experience, as Hurston lays out the case for the defense of Herod-arguing that his portrayal throughout history has played fast and loose with the evidence and overlooked his record as a benevolent leader. Underwood and Miles read with great gusto and conviction, mirroring Hurston's ability to weave folklore and mythology into story, and to animate figures both familiar to us and utterly unknown." - Financial Times
"Plant, who offers commentary throughout, has done a valiant job ... [Hurston's] belief in the work is apparent and, frankly, breathtaking." - Washington Post
"Hurston's novel is the saga of a man on a hero's journey within a rich cultural landscape full of passion, deceit, and political turmoil. Filled with noble purpose and eloquent in speech, Herod's story unfolds in grand style. ... A larger-than-life narrative that feels like a sweeping 1950s Hollywood epic. ... Hurston brings Herod's life to light with an emphasis on the precarious world in which he lived. Beloved king, notorious villain, handsomest of all men? The Life of Herod the Great presents Hurston's own strongly researched analysis in dramatic detail." - Historical Novel Society
"Herod is an important piece, and the newly published edition (as well as the excellent scholarly commentary by editor Dr. Deborah Plant) is an invaluable artifact for Hurston specialists and historians of American literature. ... What we have in these pages is a monument to Hurston's passionate, piercing intellect, fired by curiosity and persistence. It is invaluable to Hurston scholars, offering a glimpse into her creative process, her abiding academic and artistic passions, her unflagging drive to keep creating art and scholarship." - Chicago Review of Books
"A never-before-published novel from the arguable literary doyenne of the Harlem Renaissance-and inarguable queen of the first line. ... [Hurston] nearly completed this detailed, revolutionary rethinking of Herod, presenting a man usually seen as one of the bloodiest villains in the Bible as a charismatic ruler who led his people toward peace and prosperity. To complete the unfinished manuscript-nearly destroyed and partly burned in a fire-editor Deborah Plant includes excerpts from the author's letters and an insightful commentary." - Oprah Daily
"There is much here for any reader to enjoy, whether they are fans of Huston's fiction or eager for a deep dive into a subject rarely seen outside religious texts or histories." - BookPage
"The Life of Herod the Great-like Hurston herself-is a masterpiece, a miracle, and a marvel. In other words, treasure for the whole world." - Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage, Silver Sparrow, and Leaving Atlanta

Product details

• Authors: Zora Neale Hurston, Deborah G Plant, Deborah G. Plant
• Assisted by: Deborah G Plant (Editor), Deborah G. Plant (Introduction)
• Publisher: Amistad
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 07.01.2025
• EAN: 9780063161009
• ISBN: 978-0-06-316100-9
• No. of pages: 368
• Dimensions: 140 mm x 210 mm x 27 mm
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; FICTION: Action & Adventure, FICTION: Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology, LITERATURE: GENERAL FICTION, FICTION: Classics, FICTION: Cultural Heritage, FICTION: African American & Black / Historical, FICTION: Biographical, AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES: LITERATURE, LITERATURE: AFRICAN AMERICAN, FICTION: African American & Black / Christian, FICTION: Southern, LITERATURE: MYTHOLOGY & BIBLE, FICTION: Historical / Ancient