The years A.D. 31-71 may have been the most tumultuous yet least understood period in human history. How did a small band of Jesus followers spring from Judaism and expand across the Roman World? What made the Jews rebel against Roman rule despite impossible odds? And why did Rome itself almost self-destruct just a few years after reaching the height of its glory? How did this upheaval set the stage for more than 2000 years of history to follow?
Using the historical novel as its rostra and a Greek ex-slave as its narrator, All God's Children compresses the works of ancient writers into a factual history that is at the same time riveting and inspiring.
These critical-but-confusing 40 years -- from the crucifixion of Jesus to the destruction of the mighty Jewish temple at Jerusalem -- are explained in chronological order to help you understand how people and events in the Roman, Jewish and Christian worlds all shaped each other's destinies. And through these pages you'll come to know powerful figures such as Caesar Augustus, Herod the Great, Herod Agrippa, Tiberius, Caligula, Nero, Seneca, Peter, Paul, Mark and John.
Along the journey, you'll learn about how the first churches were formed and the earliest New Testament works compiled in a world of competing temples and idols. Most of all, you'll gain insight into why ordinary people were driven to embrace a message that spoke of God's grace and man's worth.
Author James D. Snyder has won several awards for his historical novels. While diverse in subject matter, they are similar in their approach. "I adhere slavishly to the actual dates and places of dramatic periods in history, then place fictitious characters in those settings to show how they affected the lives of the people who lived through them," he says. "In he case of All God's Children, the only fictitious character is the ex-slave who offers a personal story to accompany those of major historical figures."
Snyder, raised in Evanston Illinois, graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and received a master's degree in political science from The George Washington University. During nearly forty years as a Washington-based editor and publisher, he traveled extensively through the Mediterranean world and became convinced of the need to show how the ancient Jews, Romans and Greeks affected the story of early Christianity. The result was All God's Children and, since then, ten other histories and novels.
Today Jim Snyder lives on the Loxahatchee River in Tequesta, Florida and is active in several causes to protect and promote the area's rich history. He has served on the boards of The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum, the Loxahatchee River District, and the Florida Historical Commission.
