by Angela Hunt
Third, Josephus refers to Hyrcanus II as the son of Salome Alexandra and Alexander Jannaeus. If theirs had been a Levirate marriage, Hyrcanus II would have been the legal son of Salome Alexandra and Judah Aristobulus.
Finally, Josephus writes that Judah Aristobulus married Salina Alexandra, a different person altogether. Alexandra and Alexander were common names in the generations following Alexander the Great.
Readers always want to know how much of a historical novel is fact and how much fiction. First, the story about Salome Alexandra stopping a banquet because the dishes had been touched by a menstruating woman—this is true. She was held in high esteem because she once melted down silver plates in her quest for ritual purity. Her palaces all had mikvahs, where women could easily bathe in running water, and many stories about her piety were recorded.
The stories about Cleopatra III and Cleopatra Thea are true—in fact, the success of those two queens probably paved the way for Salome Alexandra’s reign. If the Cleopatras had not existed, Jannaeus might have left the throne to one of his sons, both of whom were old enough to reign, but neither of whom would have made a good king.
We do not know much about Shelamzion’s parents or if she had siblings, so I took liberties there. We do have reason to believe she was somehow part of the Hasmonean family, so it is likely she knew John Hyrcanus and his sons.
John Hyrcanus did change the way sacrificial animals were handled at the Temple.
The story about Judah Aristobulus and his role in his brother’s death is historical, as is the information about the prophecy by Judah the Essene.
The people really did pelt Jannaeus with citrons during a water ceremony. And he did commit all the atrocities described in this novel.
If you are familiar with Herod’s Temple (commonly known as the Second Temple, though it was actually the third), you may have arched a brow to read that Kissa and Salome were together in the Temple. But the “Court of the Gentiles” and the “Court of the Women” were not instituted until Herod’s Temple. Before that time, Solomon’s and Zerubbabel’s Temples had only two courts—one for the people and one for the priests.
The ancient historian Josephus tells us that Jannaeus died in Ragaba, but contemporary scholar Kenneth Atkinson maintains that Jannaeus probably died at home. Josephus was related to the Hasmoneans and tended to portray them as more illustrious than they actually were. The story about how Jannaeus asked Salome to give his body over to the Pharisees comes from Josephus, so I mingled the two stories into an account that pays homage to both.
Much of what we know of Salome Alexandra is speculation, yet this much is true: she lived a devout life, she reigned over Jerusalem, and within a generation of her death the long-awaited Messiah was born and did live in Galilee, just as the prophets had predicted. Whether or not she realized it, her peaceful, pious reign did much to prepare the way of the Lord.
Discussion Questions
Had you ever heard of Queen Salome Alexandra before reading this book? Did you know Israel was ruled by a queen before it became a province of Rome?
After Sipporah dies, Kissa thinks: HaShem, it seemed to me, did not allow his people to experience joy unless it was accompanied by an equal portion of sorrow.
Do you believe this is true? Why would God send joy as well as sorrow? Is it good for us to experience both?
When her mother dies, Salome thinks: I did not weep for myself. Long ago I had learned how to make my own way in the world. I wept for my mother, who wanted more than anything to see one of her daughters grow up and marry a wealthy man with power and position. She had pinned all her hopes on Ketura, and so great was her blind obstinacy that she was not aware when her dreams and yearnings were fulfilled in a totally unexpected way.
In what way was Sipporah like the Jews a generation later? Who were they yearning for? What did they expect? And when their long-awaited Messiah came, why did so many not recognize Him?
If you had been Salome Alexandra, which of the two sons would you have chosen to sit on Judea’s throne? Do you agree with her decision to accept her husband’s choice and sit on the throne herself?
Why do you think Alexander Jannaeus asked Salome to give his body to the Pharisees to whom he had been so cruel?
Did you identify with any of the characters in this story? Why or why not?
Salome Alexandra died sixty-seven years before the birth of Christ. Before reading this novel, were you aware that many of the Jews of that day were living in great anticipation of the Messiah’s arrival?
Have you read the other books in THE SILENT YEARS series? How did this novel expand your knowledge of the Intertestamental Period?
Women in biblical times were often considered chattel with very few rights. Their husbands could divorce them for almost any reason, they could not vote, and in some cases they could not even leave the house without a male attendant. Why was Salome Alexandra granted such independence?
Salome often thinks about Kissa’s status as a slave. But on a basic level, wasn’t Salome as much a slave to her circumstances as Kissa was? Were any of the women in this story truly free?
Salome frequently looks for a savior, and God does send her a savior from her poverty and her unhappy marriage. How does this theme of a savior carry throughout the story?
The doctrine of God’s sovereignty declares that He’s sovereign over all His creation and implies that He works out a plan for each person. What were some of the events in Salome’s life that enabled her to become the queen she ultimately became?
References
Atkinson, Kenneth. A History of the Hasmonean State: Josephus and Beyond. New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2016.
Atkinson, Kenneth. Queen Salome: Jerusalem’s Warrior Monarch of the First Century B.C.E. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2012.
Charlesworth, James H. “Honi.” In The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary. Edited by David Noel Freedman. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992.
Dąbrowa, Edward. The Hasmoneans and Their State: A Study in History, Ideology, and the Institutions. Krakow, Poland: Jagiellonian University Press, 2010.
Eastman, Mark. “Chapter Five—Messiah: Son of God?” In Search for Messiah. https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/eastman_mark/Messiah/sfm_05.cfm, accessed August 14, 2017.
Green, Joel B., and McDonald, Lee Martin, eds. The World of the New Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2017.
Hagee, John. His Glory Revealed: A Devotional. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999.
Postell, Seth D., Bar, Eitan, and Soref, Erez. Reading Moses, Seeing Jesus: How the Torah Fulfills Its Goal in Yeshua. One for Israel, 2017.
Rajak, Tessa. “Roman Intervention in a Seleucid Siege of Jerusalem?” University of Reading and Center for Hellenic Studies, 1980.
Regev, Eyal. The Hasmoneans: Ideology, Archaeology, Identity. Journal of Ancient Judaism. Bristol, CT: Vadenhoeck & Ruprecht, LLC, 2013.
Rich, Tracey R. Torah. http://www.jewfaq.org/torah.htm, accessed August 14, 2017.
Schiffman, Lawrence H. Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls: The History of Judaism, the Background of Christianity, the Lost Library of Qumran. Philadelphia and Jerusalem: The Jewish Publication Society, 1994.
Stern, David H. Jewish New Testament Commentary: A Companion Volume to the Jewish New Testament, electronic ed. Clarksville, MD: Jewish New Testament Publications, 1996.
Telushkin, Rabbi Joseph. Jewish Wisdom: Ethical, Spiritual, and Historical Lessons from the Great Works and Thinkers. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1994.
Vermes, Geza. The Dead Sea Scrolls in English, 4th ed. Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Academic Press, 1995.
Yamauchi, Edwin. “722 חצר.” In Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Edited by R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1999.
Angela Hunt has published more than one hundred books, with sales nearing five million copies worldwide. She’s the New York Times bestsellin
g author of The Tale of Three Trees, The Note, and The Nativity Story. Angela’s novels have won or been nominated for several prestigious industry awards, such as the RITA Award, the Christy Award, the ECPA Christian Book Award, and the HOLT Medallion Award. Romantic Times Book Club presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. She holds both a doctorate in Biblical Studies and a Th.D. degree. Angela and her husband live in Florida, along with their mastiffs. For a complete list of the author’s books, visit angelahuntbooks.com.
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
Facebook: Bethany House
Twitter: @Bethany House