Against the shattered holiness of Jerusalem under Antiochus Epiphanes, this historical novel follows the Maccabean struggle with reverence, urgency, and tragic grandeur. From the desecrated Temple to secret burials, hidden Passover rites, and the first sparks of revolt, the story traces a people fighting to preserve their faith, their dead, and their hope of deliverance. At the center is Lycidas, a cultured young Greek poet drawn into the world of the Hebrews after witnessing acts of martyrdom that shake his understanding of courage, sacrifice, and the "heroism of virtue." He is confronted by the steadfast witness of seven brothers, a mother, and other faithful sufferers, while the compromised Syrian courtier Pollux reveals the moral decay of the tyrant's world. Around them, mourners, leaders, and women of faith carry grief with biblical dignity, even as danger closes in. The novel deepens into a drama of persecution and conscience, where Zarah's compassionate longing reaches beyond Israel toward a universal mercy, only to be answered by betrayal, slaughter, and captivity. As Judas Maccabeus's coming victories loom in the background, the book becomes a powerful tale of faith tested by violence, and of hope that refuses to die. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.
