Description
His brother, the high priest Honiah, enjoyed the authority of the high priesthood, and all important decisions needed his approval. But it was Jason who was shaping the future of Jerusalem and, with it, all Judea. He breathed in again, imagining that he could feel the wave of destiny impelling him forward toward his vision as he exhaled . . .
The Greeks have taken over the world, but Jerusalem is still the same backwater city Jason has always known. He wants to help his hometown rise to a new age of prosperity and influence. If that means stretching the terms of the city's divine covenant, so be it. But how far is he willing to go to achieve Greek greatness for this Jewish city? It will take the willingness of a handful of Jews to die rather than violate the covenant in order to turn the tide back to God.
Written by an internationally recognized expert in the period between the Testaments, Day of Atonement invites readers into Judea during the tumultuous years leading up to the Maccabean Revolt. It was this pivotal decade that reminded Jews of the centrality of the covenant to their national security and taught them that the covenant was worth dying for. The story is so foundational, it is still told every year at Hanukkah. The lessons learned during this turbulent time also shed light on just what was at stake in the ministry of Jesus, whose radical message seemed to threaten the covenant once again.
Day of Atonement joins the perennially successful novels Pontius Pilate and The Flames of Rome by renowned historian Paul Maier on Kregel's premier list of captivating and historically accurate biblical novels.
"David deSilva combines his superb historical knowledge with deep religious understanding and literary sensitivity to create a story that does more than reconstruct the circumstances leading to the Maccabean rebellion. Day of Atonement compellingly explores issues that continue from antiquity to the present: the relationship between faith and politics, the struggle between national identity and cultural assimilation, the zeal of the martyr, the power of faith."
—Amy-Jill Levine, professor of New Testament and Jewish studies, Vanderbilt University
"Moving from the Mediterranean coast to Jerusalem, I pass Modein in the low foothills. Here I contemplate, and mystically relive, some dramatic events in our history. I look back westward to the coastal plain and imagine the foreign armies being defeated by Judas Maccabeus. Looking ahead to the Judean hills rising to the east, I often ponder the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple and the inauguration of Hanukkah. All these events spring to light in deSilvas magisterial novel, crafted after decades of walking these hills and reading the historical accounts. History without imagination is dull; with informed sensitivity ancient heroes take on flesh. Echoing now is Aris question: 'Where are heroes like that now?'"
—James H. Charlesworth, director and editor of the Princeton Dead Sea Scrolls Project
"When it comes to the history of Israel or early Christianity, historically sound novels are few and far between. Sometimes a good writer doesn't know his religious history well enough; sometimes a good historian is not a skilled enough writer to pull off page-turner that both educates and entertains. David deSilva's new novel reflects a high level of skill on both counts. Applying his considerable expertise in intertestamental literature, deSilva provides us with a winsome tale about how Hellenized Jews sought not merely to recover their land from foreign rulers but to 'plunder the Greeks' when it came to art, education, and language. Highly recommended."
—Dr. Ben Witherington III, Amos Professor of NT for Doctoral Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary