In the 1950s, after the publication of Moses, Man of the Mountain, Zora Neale Hurston penned a historical novel reconsidering the life of one of the most well-known Biblical figures, Herod the Great, reimagining him in a very different light than his villainous portrayal in the New Testament. In Hurston’s retelling, Herod is a forerunner of Christ, a religious and philosophical man who enriched Jewish culture and lived a life of adventure. Setting him within this vivid, colorful world little known to modern readers, Hurston’s unfinished manuscript brings this complex, compelling, and misunderstood leader fully into focus. Scholar and literary critic Deborah Plant contributes 'Commentary: A Story Finally Told' as an end note underscoring Hurston’s point about how reimagining figures from the past can address the troubles we experience today.