Shadow of God

Using the medium of historical fiction, The Shadow of God covers six centuries of Jewish history, from the Babylonian exile to the destruction of the Second Temple. Fifteen stories, each centered on a historical event, explore typical Jewish characters of the era. Women and men, some historical, some fictional, grapple with changing views of God, Torah, and the attraction of Hellenism. The narrator, Leontius, weaves the stories into an organic saga that answers the ancient call to be a Jew and worship the Most High God. Here, students will unearth up-to-date scholarship on early Judaism, teachers of Bible backgrounds will discover a supplemental text that engages while it instructs, and lovers of fiction will be delighted by the good story of The Shadow of God.

“This book is a wonderful exercise in historical imagination. It recreates the life of ancient Jewsnot those of the ruling class, but 'lesser persons' from the Babylonian exile to the time of Herod. The stories are vivid and engaging, and the situations convincing. The scholarship that underlies these stories is solid and reliable and is made available in the notes, which give full references to primary sources. Sandgren has given us an excellent resource for teaching and understanding Second Temple Judaism.”
Frederick J. Murphy, Professor, Religious Studies Program, College of the Holy Cross