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It Should Have Been The Golden Age For Judaism - A Star Shone Forth: Hasmonean Judea is the tale of the Hasmonean Kingdom of Judea. Beginning just after the story of Hanukah ends, A Star Shone Forth: Hasmonean Judea dramatizes the events leading to the establishment of the Jewish monarchy, the challenges faced by a young nation unaccustomed to self-rule, and its lasting effects on the Jewish religion.
In this ambitious book, Jonathan Degani tries to make sense out of a complicated yet critical slice of Jewish history - one which played a major role shaping Jewish life for the following two millennia. The characters come to life as Degani explores the intertwined and charged political forces and religious battles raging during the era. Degani weaves philosophical exploration, religious insights, and Rabbinic stories into a seamless narrative where fact dances with fiction, providing an accessible gateway to begin exploring the dangers of when power, politics, and religion mix - a challenge as relevant today as ever. A fascinating read. (Zvi Grumet, Director of Education at The Lookstein Center for Jewish Education; Tanakh teacher at Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi)
Degani’s first novel has earned a place on the Jewish bookshelf. Orchestrating traditional Jewish sources and Josephus with maps imparting understanding even to the uninitiated, the intrigues and realpolitik of negotiating between the Romans, the Jews and the Hasmonean family in the Jewish kingdom’s heyday become brilliantly alive. Real and memorable characters; painful treacheries and murders; palpably dangerous risks and consequences, woven with masterful in-context inclusion of Talmudic snippets by the dozen. An unparalleled historical novel for this period; challenging the quality of every Jewish historical novel written to date. (Barnea Levi Selavan, Co-director, Foundation Stone Archaeologist and Guide, MA Ancient Israel Studies, Tel Aviv University)
