Who is the character Rosh in The Bronze Bow?

Rosh is the leader of a group of bandits who live on a mountain. Daniel lives with Rosh at the beginning of The Bronze Bow. When Daniel ran away from his master, Amalek, to the mountain, Rosh found him and took him in, so Daniel looks on Rosh as a mentor and "a good man." Joel has heard of Rosh and says that some people believe Rosh is merely a bandit "who robs even his fellow Jews," and that others believe he takes money from the rich to give to the poor. Daniel asserts that Rosh is "raising an army to fight against Rome" and that he is the "bravest man in the world." As the story progresses, Daniel begins to see Rosh for who he is--a selfish man who has no real principles. When Rosh refuses to help free Joel from the Romans, Daniel decides he is no longer one of Rosh's men. He realizes that Rosh is not the savior he once believed him to be, and thereafter he  considers the possibility that Jesus is a better leader than Rosh. In literary terms, Rosh is a "foil" to Jesus. He is a character who contrasts starkly with Jesus, thereby helping us better understand Jesus' character. Jesus is everything Rosh is not--kind, caring, loving, and one who can truly deliver his people--although not in the way that Daniel originally thought.

What are the similarities and differences between Simon and Rosh in The Bronze Bow?

Simon and Rosh are both extremely driven by their personal beliefs. Simon is one of Jesus's twelve disciples, often titled "Simon the Zealot." It's important to note this because there were two disciples named Simon—Simon Peter, who walked on water with Jesus, and Simon, known as the Zealot. This story includes the character of Simon the Zealot.

Zealots refer to early (first-century) Jewish people who were seeking to overthrow the Roman government. They were rebel leaders who believed that the Roman government was encouraging people to stray away from God. They were so passionate about their beliefs that they were willing to do just about anything, including acts of violence, to overthrow the new political leaders.

Simon the Zealot, however, was passionate but not violent in his pursuit of political and religious change. He was striving for freedom from Rome, but his goal was to act in love, like Jesus taught, rather than through violent acts. Because he met Jesus, he no longer believed that violence was the answer. He realized that his faith, as an Israelite, was changing because of Jesus's teachings. His beliefs were radically changed because of his relationship with Jesus. Daniel, however, still wants to use violence to aim for revolution. He wants to seek revenge for the horrible acts that the Romans committed that affected his family and friends. After meeting Jesus, Simon works for love and peace. His zealousness, or passion, is turned toward spreading God's love and grace.

Rosh, too, is a leader, but he leads a group of rebels. For a while, when Daniel ran away from his master, Rosh cared for his needs. Daniel views Rosh as a good man at the start of the story, just as he views Simon the Zealot as a good man. As time goes on, though, Daniel realizes that Rosh's violent pursuit of freedom is not what he agrees with. He sees how selfish Rosh's pursuit is, especially when Rosh refuses to help free Joel from the Romans. His selfishness contrasts greatly with Simon the Zealot's love (that he adopted from Jesus's teachings).

While both leaders greatly impact the story, sometimes seek to help others, and are pursuing freedom from Roman rule, Rosh always pursues this freedom through violent rebellion. Simon the Zealot may have once thought that violence was the answer but realizes that love is the true answer when he meets and follows Jesus. Daniel, the protagonist of the story, agrees with Simon Zealot that love is the path to true freedom by the end of the novel.

In The Bronze Bow, how is Rosh comparable to Simon?

Simon is an old friend of Daniel's, but they have not seen each other in years. When Simon meets Daniel again, Daniel is living with Rosh and the bandits on the hill; Daniel is consumed by his anger and driven by revenge, and Simon is worried about him. Simon explains how he feels about Rosh:

"...Rosh and I don't see eye to eye. For one thing, I prefer to earn my own bread and meat. [...] There will be need for warriors. But just now there is always a need for a good blacksmith."
(Speare, The Bronze Bow, Google Books)

In other words, Simon regards theft from innocents, even for the cause to which he is committed, as immoral. While Rosh claims to be working towards the building of an army to take Israel back, it turns out that he is actually simply stealing for himself. He doesn't actually care about Daniel or the cause, but uses it as a buzzword to manipulate people into working for him and ignoring his thievery. Simon, in contrast, actually cares about the cause for its own sake, and later, when he becomes an acolyte of Jesus, it can be seen that he is still working towards the cause but in peaceful terms. While Rosh claims to be working towards the cause in violence, Simon works towards the cause through speech and deed, changing hearts and minds. As shown above, Simon knows that his zealotry will be useless if he is killed in pursuit of the cause; instead, he remains alive and changes minds from within.

What are some characteristics of Daniel and Rosh in The Bronze Bow?

Daniel is a passionate, strong eighteen-year-old boy who joins Rosh's band after he flees his master, Amalek. Daniel is full of hate and bitterness directed towards the Romans after the death of his parents and vows to fight them for the rest of his life. Joel and Thacia's friendship gives Daniel hope, and he begins hearing Jesus preach. Daniel's attitude gradually begins to change, and he becomes more sympathetic to his sister's needs. Although Daniel is still an intense individual, he displays his kind, caring nature towards his close friends and family. Daniel is essentially a pure soul who has suffered traumatic experiences throughout his life. At the end of the novel, Daniel finally lets go of his hate and bitterness after Jesus heals his sister.

Rosh is an equally intense character but does not display a caring nature like Daniel. Rosh is selfish and violent throughout the novel. He is a ruthless individual, and his only concern is benefiting from others. Although he is a cunning and respected leader, Daniel realizes that Rosh's plans are self-serving and refuses to be a member of his band anymore.

What is the character Rosh like in The Bronze Bow?

Rosh is consistently presented as a foil to Jesus. Both men want to usher in a new kingdom, but they have entirely different ideas of how this should be done and what it means.

Rosh is selfish and vengeful, with hard eyes. He is filled with hatred for the Romans and envisions a bloody uprising to expel them from Palestine. He takes good care of himself in terms of his physical needs but makes no provision for his followers.

Rosh believes the end justifies the means and sees his followers less as human beings than tools that he can use against the Romans. He advocates lying, plundering, and stealing, and encourages his followers to steal from the fields of the fellow Jews they are supposedly helping. He is really no different from the Romans he wants to replace and has no vision beyond being the one on top who can bend others to his will, just as the Romans now bend subject people to their will.

Daniel is attracted to Rosh because this leader mirrors his own hatred and warped desire for vengeance against Rome, but he begins to see that Rosh doesn't care about him (or anybody but himself) at all and that, in fact, Rosh puts Daniel and his friends unnecessarily in harm's way. Daniel realizes that a good leader needs to be a person of character as well as one driven by a vision other than hate. Daniel is primed by his experience with a callous, narcissistic leader to be open to Jesus's very different leadership style and way of being.