
At sunset, the marble walls of Jerusalem’s Temple and its golden towers catch the last light as Naomi and her friend Klaudia walk along the Siloe River. The two young women, one a devout Jew and the other raised among the Romani, pause in a fruit‑tree orchard that borders the Kidron stream, watching the holy city glow in uneasy silence. Their conversation drifts from the beauty of the evening to the rumors of an approaching Roman army.
Naomi clings to the hope of a Messiah, her eyes bright with belief, while Klaudia, scarred by loss, urges caution and a pragmatic surrender to the invaders. Their friendship becomes a small stage for the larger clash between faith and fear, tradition and survival, as the city teeters on the brink of siege. The opening paints a vivid portrait of Jerusalem caught between reverent devotion and the harsh reality of impending war.
Language
fi
Duration
~7 hours (425K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2008-07-14
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
1806–1880
A 19th-century British novelist who wrote historical and religious fiction, she published many books under the name Mrs. J. B. Webb. Her stories often drew on dramatic settings from history, including early New England, Jerusalem, and plague-era England.
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