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ALL GOD'S CHILDREN Casts New Light on Epic Era
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April 2000 - Did Rome's first century rulers know of Jesus? Why and how did Rome force the Jewish heartland into a suicidal rebellion? Why did Rome almost destroy itself so soon after the height of its glory? How did the first Christians survive and even grow? The years AD. 31-71 were among the most turbulent in human history, and All God's Children is the most complete account ever assembled of how the Christians and Jews challenged the Roman world -- and why the degeneracy of their political overlords paved the way. "The historical background has been thoroughly researched by author James D. Snyder," notes Dr. John Freely, a University of the Bosphorus (Istanbul) professor and international authority on ancient Aegean history. "It makes a wonderful read, and I think it's the best book on this subject and period that I have ever encountered." All God's Children is a factual history, but one using a fictitious narrator and the historical novel genre in order to reach beyond scholars to a mass audience. By seeing the first century through the eyes of Attalos, a Greek ex-slave and Roman immigrate who writes in A.D. 80, the reader is drawn into first century life -- before the existence of popes, crusades and cathedrals -- to the narrator's world of Olympic gods, rigid aristocracy and tormented masses. The result is a griping, inspiring tale of courage and compassion in a world of debauchery and despotism. Yet, All God's Children also breaks new ground in scholarly research, revealing new insights into a 40-year period that was as confusing as it was critical to the formation of western civilization's two most prominent religions. Author-journalist James D. Snyder aids the reader by: - Organizing chapters into two year periods, including the most detailed chronology of the period ever compiled.
- Including 37 pages of endnotes, original maps, and illustrations of people and places of the mid-first century.
- Casting new light on the close interaction between Roman, Christian and Jewish societies and showing how profoundly each one influenced the destinies of the others. Thus, one learns, for example, how the debaucheries of emperors Caligula and Nero depleted the Roman treasury, why this caused a "raid" on the Jewish temple, and why desperate Jewish authorities felt compelled to crack down on the newly-emerging "sect" called Christians. And as readers come to understand why the Jews rebelled against Roman oppression, they learn why and how the Christians went their separate way.
Dr. Gary J. Johnson, a Biblical scholar and Chairman of the History Department, University of Southern Maine, notes that "As much as possible, author Snyder has let the ancient sources tell their own stories, entwining them with relatively few fictional characters, an approach that offers readers a useful introduction to the surviving literature of the period. I especially appreciate his understanding that the polytheistic Romans were religious people, too."
Details about All God's Children: The tumultuous story of A.D. 31-71: Publisher: Pharos Books, April 2000; ISBN: 0-9675200-0-2, 680 pages, Original Trade Paper, $28.95. Distributed nationally by BookWorld Services, Christian Distribution Services Inc. Book trade wholesalers: Ingram, Spring Arbor, Quality Books, Baker & Taylor. Internet distribution: Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Bookmasters.com, Borders.com, BookZone.com and others. Phone orders: 800/247-6553. About the author: For over 20 years James D. Snyder has traveled the Mediterranean world and studied first century authors in this effort to shed new light on one of history's most crucial, dramatic periods. Writing and reporting have been at the heart of Snyder's life since graduating from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in 1958. While studying for his master's in political science at The George Washington University, he served as a Washington correspondent for several business magazines. Over the next 25 years he would edit and contribute to more than 100 magazines ranging from business newsmagazines and medical journals to Parade, Smithsonian and Harvard Business Review. During 1985-97, as Chairman/CEO of Enterprise Communications Inc., he founded seven national magazines and several related conferences. All God's Children is the first book in a series that will cover historic milestones during the first 2000 years of Christianity. For further information, and for full press packets, review copies or an author interview, contact: Sharon Castlen, Integrated Book Marketing, (800) 949-4416. Email: bookmarketer@compuserve.com
Sharon Castlen
Integrated Book Marketing
(800) 949-4416
bookmarketer@compuserve.
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