Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem

BOOK ONE-A TIME TO MORN, A TIME TO DANCE The New Testament offers only points of truth - that Mary told Joseph she was pregnant, for instance; that they had to go to Bethlehem to register for the census - but it doesn't include the human drama that occurs between these moments. It doesn't illustrate the challenge a pregnant Mary faced in making a ninety-mile trip on foot and on donkey. It doesn't describe the anxiety of a husband traveling with his wife in her ninth month of pregnancy. A Time to Morn, A Time to Dance fills these gaps, telling a story that follows Mary and Joseph from their first meeting, through the birth of Jesus, their flight into Egypt, and back into the welcoming arms of their family. BOOK TWO-THE TRAP In the time of Jesus, the Sadducees controlled the Temple and the high Jewish council, the Sanhedrin, but had little influence among the common people. They were a conservative political group engaged in a bitter power struggle with the increasingly powerful Pharisees. The Sadducees grew concerned about the well-liked Jesus, fearful he would spawn a popular uprising and cause them to lose control to the Pharisees. Alphaeus, a rich Sadducee, volunteers to set a trap for Jesus and bring him down. But the plan is complicated when he falls in love with his servant girl, a faithful follower of Jesus.