Seduction of Mariamme

By: Tracy Thorpe

In 37 BC, Herod the Great, King of Judea, married a Hasmonaean princess named Mariamme. For Herod, it was an auspicious match: Mariamme was descended from Judas Maccabaeus, a Jewish hero whose defeat of the Seleucid inspired the holiday of Hanukkah. After being elevated from his post as governor of Galilee, Herod hoped the union would solidify his authority in the eyes of his people. Little did he know that in the future, the stories told about his life would be used to position him as one of the most hated villains of Christian tradition. Nearly a century after Herod's death, Jewish historian Flavius Josephus penned a series of books chronicling Jewish history. In those pages he created the Herod we know today: violent, corrupt, and all-too-willing to massacre innocents in his quest for supremacy. But whatever the true face of Herod, his death launched a struggle for power between his sons, a conflict that left his people desperate for the long-prophesied Golden Age when a messiah would arrive to lead them. Eager for stability, a powerful council of Jews secretly arranged a marriage. This time the bride was another Mariamme and her groom a priest called Joseph. Their marriage would unify the Jews and eventually give birth to the largest religious establishment in the world: Christianity. Based on historical events surrounding the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten, the Biblical Exodus from Egypt, and the reign of King Herod, The Seduction of Mariamme is an epic combination of history and legend. Long-accepted beliefs are called into question---the origins of Judaism and Christianity, the heritage of the Virgin Mary and Joseph, and the motivation behind the Exodus from Egypt. This daring novel is an unapologetic work of fiction that will inspire readers to ask a timeless question: what is truth?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1439270473
• ISBN13: 9781439270479
• Release Date: October 2010
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 442 Pages
• Weight: 1.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"