FOR THE TEMPLE: A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem "In all history there is no drama of more terrible interest than that which terminated with the total destruction of Jerusalem." This all-time great Fulfilled Eschatology novel was written for all ages, using the events of the Roman-Jewish war as a backdrop for our hero John of Gamala's coming of age.

"In all history there is no drama of more terrible interest than that which terminated with the total destruction of Jerusalem. Had the whole Jewish nation joined in the desperate resistance made by a section of it to the overwhelming strength of Rome, the world would have had no record of truer patriotism than that displayed by this small people in their resistance to the forces of the mistress of the world. Unhappily the reverse of this was the case. Except in the defense of Jotapata and Gamala, it can scarcely be said the the Jewish people as a body offered any serious resistance to the arms of Rome. The defenders of Jerusalem were a mere fraction of its population, a fraction composed almost entirely of turbulent characters and robber bands, who fought with the fury of desperation, after having placed themselves beyond the pale of forgiveness or mercy by the deeds of unutterable cruelty with which they had desolated the city before its siege by the Romans. They fought, it is true, with unflinching courage, a courage never surpassed in history, but it was the courage of despair, and its result was to bring destruction upon the whole population as well as upon themselves. Fortunately the narrative of Josephus, an eye-witness of the events which he describes, has come down to us, and it is the store-house from which all subsequent histories of the events have been drawn. It is no doubt tinged throughout by the desire to stand well with his patrons Vespasian and Titus, but there is no reason to doubt the accuracy of his descriptions. I have endeavoured to present you with as vivid a picture as possible of the events of the war without encumbering the story with details, and except as regards the exploits of John of Gamala, of whom Josephus says nothing, have strictly followed in every particular the narrative of the historian." (Introduction: For the Temple)

WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID

"Product Description: Mr. Henty weaves an admirable and attractive story from the record of Josephus. The troubles in the district of Tiberias, the march of the legions, the sieges of Jotapata, of Gamala, and of Jerusalem, for the impressive and carefully studied historic setting to the figure of the lad who passes from the vineyard to the service of Josephus, becomes the leader of a guerrilla band of patriots, fights bravely for the Temple, and after a brief term of slavery at Alexandria, returns to his Galilean home with the favor of Titus."
 

From the Publisher
"Young people across America are rediscovering G. A. Henty, the 19th century literary genius whose historical adventures inspire boys to honesty, courage, diligence, and duty. Writing from a Christian perspective, Henty weaves the adventures of a fictional boy hero together with real-life events. His stories are as accurate as they are exciting, so children get important lessons in history which they remember long afterward. Just as important, these lessons come without the immoral overtones of modern novels. For the Temple descends into the turmoil that ended with the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in A.D. 70. John, a 15-yearold Glilean, fears that the Jewish revolt against Rome could bring disaster upon his people--and the Temple. Then, his bravery in a storm attracts the attention of the governor, Josephus. Suddenly, he finds himself in the forefront of events. After escaping from the massacre at Jotapata in A.D. 67, John, with his loyal band, becomes a hero to the Jews and a scourge to the Romans. He disrupts Roman work parties. . .showers arrows and boulders onto troops. . .burns Roman camps. . .rescues his betrothed from slavery. . .even fights Titus himself in hand-to-hand combat: "John's knife fell from his hand. He tried to rise to his feet; then everything seemed to swim round, and he fell insensible. Titus rose to his feet; he was shaken by the fall, and he, too, had lost much blood. Panting from his exertions, he looked down upon his prostrate foe, and the generosity which was the prevailing feature of his character, except when excited in battle, mastered him. 'By Hercules,' he exclaimed, 'that is a gallant youth, though he is a Jew, and he has well-nigh made an end of me! What will Vespasian say when he hears that I have been beaten in a fair fight and owe my life to the mercy of a Jew!'" In the final defense of the Temple, John is delivered yet again, only to be enslaved. But his slavery leads him to Caesar's court and finally home, not just to Glilee, but to that Galilean preacher his father had recognized as a prophet forty years before. BONUS! Includes a Build-Your-Vocabulary Glossary of 460 words. Each word is cross-referenced to its page number so children can easily go back and see how it is used in the story. Other G. A. Henty Books Available from Lost Classics Book Company: With Lee in Virginia, A Tale of the Western Plains, In the Heart of the Rockies & The Young Carthaginian. " (Synopsis)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

George Alfred Henty (December 8, 1832 - November 16, 1902), was a British novelist.

He studied at Westminster School and at Gonville and Caius College in Cambridge, where he was an avid sportsman. His physical prowess made it possible for him to be selected for duty in the Crimean War. Later he became a war correspondent for the London Standard and witnessed the revolt of Giuseppe Garibaldi in Italy, the Franco-Prussian War, the civil war in Spain and the opening of the Suez Canal. He travelled in Africa, India and California.

Henty's storytelling skills allegedly grew out of tales told after dinner to his own children. He wrote 122 books and many short stories for magazines. His fiction typically revolved around a fictional boy (or boys) living in "troubled times". These ranged from the Punic War to more recent conflicts such as the Napoleonic Wars or the American Civil War. The protagonists were uniformly intelligent, courageous and devoted without reserve to their country or cause. They also hold on steadily to Christian values (where applicable).
George Alfred Henty, the Prince of Storytellers

G. A.Henty's life (1832-1902) was filled with exciting adventure. Completing Westminster School, he attended Cambridge University. Along with a rigorous course of study, Henty participated in boxing, wrestling, and rowing. The strenuous study and healthy, competitive participation in sports prepared Henty to be with the British army in Crimea, as a war correspondent witnessing Garbaldi fight in Italy, being present in Paris during the Franco-Prussian war, in Spain with the Carlists, at the opening of the Suez Canal, touring India with the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) and a trip to the California gold fields. These are only a few of his exciting adventures.



G.A. Henty lived during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) and began his story telling career with his own children. After dinner, he would spend an hour or two in telling them a story that would continue the next day. Some stories took weeks! A friend was present one day and watched the spell-bound reaction of his children suggesting that he write down his stories so others could enjoy them. He did. Henty wrote approx. 144 books plus stories for magazines and was dubbed as "The Prince of Story-Tellers" and "The Boy's Own Historian." One of Mr. Henty's secretaries reported that he would quickly pace back and forth in his study dictating stories as fast as the secretary could record them.

Henty's stories revolve around a fictional boy hero during fascinating periods of history. His heroes are diligent, courageous, intelligent and dedicated to their country and cause in the face, at times, of great peril. His histories, particularly battle accounts, have been recognized by historian scholars for their accuracy. In fact, the only criticism Henty faced by the liberals of his day was that his heroes were "too Christian." There is nothing dry in Mr. Henty's stories and thus he removes the drudgery and laborious task often associated with the study of history.

Henty's heroes fight wars, sail the seas, discover land, conquer evil empires, prospect for gold, and a host of other exciting adventures. They meet famous personages like Josephus, Titus, Hannibal, Robert the Bruce, Sir William Wallace, Sir Francis Drake, Moses, Robert E. Lee, Frederick the Great, the Duke of Wellington, Huguenot leader Coligny, Cortez, King Alfred, and Napoleon just to mention a few. Henty's heroes live through tumultuous historic eras meeting the leaders of that time. Understanding the culture of the time period becomes second nature as well as comparing/contrasting the society of various European and pagan cultures.

Date: 07 Jan 2006
Time: 09:12:57

Comments:

I think there is a lot that we don't know about biblical times and never will.We are led by the blind because they have set up a heirarchy and plan to keep it that way.I as well as others think that most churchs of today are only money making businesses.What are they teaching the children of today.I don't believe anyone,unless they study it, really knows anything.I read what I can and keep an open mind.I tend to believe that a lot was imbellished when it comes to Jesus.It just doesn't mesh when you know that most of what we read about the man was written long after he was dead.I honor the thought that he could have died for me but I think as others do that he started(if he even existed) a different belief because he was mistreated.Most of what he supposedly says comes from the old testament.So if Judaism was good then why send soemone to save those that didn't need it.Was he base born or was he a real threat as in born of Royal birth and posed a threat.
There is a lot of questions that are out there with no answers.My fondest wish is that someone will place his head on the chopping block so to speak and bring things to light about him and his new found religion.As you can see I am not a christian but would be if anyone can prove without a doubt that he was the living son of God and not a person that is called the son of Gad as the priest and Kings were allowed to call theirself.

Date: 05 Feb 2006
Time: 09:14:12

Comments:

From a close reading of the above "MY DEAR LADS" we can see that George F. Henty's stories are ALL BASED ON FICTIONAL CHARACTERS. The story is woven around REAL HISTORICAL EVENTS. So, this is well established! A "REAL" John of Gamala is non-existent, except in the "IMAGINATION OF EACH OF THE READERS", WHO, "DO BUY INTO THE STORY" As, depicting a "REAL EVENT.
As noted in the last paragraph of G. Henty's "INTRODICTION LETTER", ...and except as regards the exploits of John of Gamala, OF WHICH JOSEPHUS SAYS NOTHING, (I)have strictly followed in every particular the naritive of the historian.
Now, maybe we can put to rest the wide-spead supposition that the "Life of Jesus Christ" may have been "BASED UPON THE LIFE OF THIS JOHN OF GAMALA.

Date: 08 Jul 2006
Time: 08:14:08

Comments:

As you are aware, there is currently a lawsuit filed by an Italian atheist accusing the Catholic Church of inventing Jesus around the character of John of Gamala. Do you think this argument has any merit since as you know John of Gamala is a fictitious person? Amazingly, the European Court of Human Rights has agreed to hear the appeal of the atheist (Luigi Cascioli) but on what grounds? If the main character in his book is fictitious, then how can pursue his case? It doesn't make sense!

Date: 24 Oct 2006
Time: 10:42:32

Comments:

Luigi Cascioli's book, "The Fable of Christ" suggests that the life of Jesus was compiled from a variety of sources, but most importantly, from the exploits of a Jewish revolutionary who he claims was the son of Jude the Galilean, a very real historical character. Cascioli calls this person "John" which was a very common name, "of Gamala" which is indeed where Jude the Galilean lived. Cascioli makes no reference to Henty's book and there is no indication that he's ever heard of it. And regardless of whether or not Cascioli's character was actually named "John of Gamala" is irrelavent. His argument is compelling (although not definitive as he claims), and very much in line with other "Jesus Myth" theories.