The Pillar of Fire; or, Israel in Bondage

A series of imagined letters frames this vivid portrait of ancient Egypt, told through the eyes of a young Phoenician prince named Sesostris. At twenty‑eight, he sets out from Tyre to study the laws, arts, and religion of the empire that now dominates the Nile. The narrator’s voice blends historical research with personal observation, inviting listeners to glimpse a world where divine promises and royal decrees intersect.

Sesostris carries his mother’s missive to Queen Amense, stepping aboard a royal galley as tensions flare between Egypt’s native Theban rulers and the earlier Syrian‑linked dynasty that once favored the Israelites. The letters reveal how shifting alliances affect the descendants of Abraham, casting their bondage in Egypt against a backdrop of political intrigue. Listeners are drawn into the cultural richness of a civilization on the brink of change, while the fate of Israel remains poised for deliverance.