Chapter 9 of The Humanity of Jesus and the Rebellion of John

Jesus and James talk about an actual historical event that touches their town

Introduction

This next chapter is fairly straight forward. Jesus is grown, turning 21, still feeling that this is not the life he is supposed to lead, but also still not sure what God has in store for him. His mind often goes to the Essenes, but he knows this is not what his father, Joseph, wants for him. He is not even sure himself!

One thing happening in this chapter, that might interest the reader is some recorded history inserted into the novel. There was an actual revolt led by a man from their own province against the Romans years previously. The Jewish historian Josephus writes about it. In the year, 6 AD, Judas, the Galilean, led several hundred men in a tax revolt against the Romans. This Judas was killed and most of the others were rounded up and taken captive to Rome. In the novel, the men of Nazareth have just heard recent news that these men or sons of these men and other Jews, 4000 of them had recently been sent to Sardinia to work as slaves in a war there because of their belief in a soon coming Messiah who would liberate the Jews from the Romans. The news of the 4000 Jewish prisoners sent to Sardinia is also historically accurate, recorded by Josephus. Whether or not the people of Galilee, including Nazareth, actually got the news about this event, we don't know, but it's entirely possible that they did. People who were well off did travel great distances from time to time and could have heard the news and shared it via the "grapevine."