Following a few individuals a couple of thousand years ago
on the banks of the River Jordan, this interesting tale can
be approached as historical fiction or as a metaphor, or a
Biblical study. IN THE SHADOW OF DAVID introduces Miriam
and Yohanan who worry that the Jewish people are divided
and tribes don't communicate. Miriam complains about the
sexist ways of their culture. We don't read this term in
the Bible, but then we wouldn't, since it was mostly
written by men.
At the time of telling, Miriam is living in a cave with the
preacher Yohanan, unwed, a state which would be called
prostitution by their elders. It's commonplace for someone
to describe himself as a Messiah, and every now and then
the Romans lock up the more troublesome ones. Kind,
convincing Yohanan tries to stay out of the Romans' way but
sometimes large crowds come to hear him speak. Miriam grew
up in Alexandria, a bustling city of trade, and she's more
aware of the politics and history of their folk than some
who just live day to day. But speaking as she does, for
rebellion against Roman rule and taxes, is dangerous.
Names like Yohanan, Yeshua, Yosef and Yehuda are so similar
as to be a little confusing, but other names like Thomas
and Lazarus occur, rounding out a cast list which also
includes Romans like Pilate. I was amused by the mention of
Essenes as 'End Is Nigh' obsessed people who live in remote
areas and bury their scriptures in amphorae. The Jewish
people are presented as leading lives under their own
culture, even a rich tin merchant impoverished by taxes and
bribe payments, just another of the groups conquered by the
Romans, like the Egyptians.
Some of the familiar stories are retold in a way that makes
untruth or scheming plausible. If revolutionaries believed
they were fooling people for a greater purpose, to achieve
a greater good, would they do it? Is this any worse than
violent overthrow of a government? And would a woman assist
the schemes if she thought it would lead to a more equal
stature for women? We are reminded that the Jews stoned
people to death occasionally; nobody was blameless two
thousand years ago.
Not all readers will want to shake out of the comfortably
familiar presentation of the New Testament. For those who
want to learn more about Biblical times, and to gain an
appreciation of the clever people who took on an Empire,
Martin Baggen has written a tale which could be called a
conspiracy thriller of the ancient world. IN THE SHADOW OF
DAVID will reward the curious reader and may leave you
cheering.
A young, rightful queen returns from exile to her homeland.
Her mission is to reclaim her country from the grip of an
oppressive foreign occupation. To achieve her goal, she must
find a king. Her quest leads to a charismatic and gifted man
who possesses the ability to help her lead a nation to
freedom. But the mission comes at a cost greater than anyone
can predict, and the misunderstood legacy of their secret
rebellion will endure for thousands of years. A failed
political movement that gave birth to a new religion.
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