Jonathan Tomes' imaginatively created tale of the lives of Joseph and Mary from the biblical account in the gospels is very insightful. The narrative holds the reader in suspense from the first chapter to the end of the book. The intellectual structure is also a unique takeaway of the story of Joseph and Mary.
-Jack Walter
Pastor of Connections and Family Care, World Revival Church, Kansas City, MO
A papyrus begins with Yosef's early life. Yosef tells what it was like to be notified that, as an elderly widower, he must go to Jerusalem where he may be selected to marry a young temple virgin. Not thrilled when chosen, but being unwilling to gainsay Yahweh's will, he takes her home. He recounts how he felt when he discovered her pregnancy, his disbelief of how she became pregnant, his fear that if he divorces her, she may be stoned, and his acceptance of the Lord's will. They travel to Bethlehem. Yosef recounts the birth, the appearance of the shepherds, the Magi, and his reaction to learning that they must flee Herod's murder of the firstborn males. He recounts the trip to Egypt, their stay there, and the return home. He recounts his Jesus's youth from the circumcision, through the presentation in the temple, to Jesus being missing and the desperate search for him before finding him teaching the temple priests, to his leaving for the wilderness. He accompanies Jesus on his ministries and learns of his miracles. Too old and infirm to travel, Jesus comforts Yosef on his deathbed. The holy family celebrates seder before Yosef's peaceful death.
Jonathan P. Tomes is a retired army lieutenant colonel who served in the Infantry in Vietnam, in Military Intelligence in Germany, and as a Judge Advocate General's Corps officer, including serving as a military judge. He is the author of more than sixty nonfiction books and an equal number of articles, focusing on military legal issues and healthcare compliance. His most recent book, Ghost 6 and the Bright Blue Blade, was published by Christian Faith Publishing. He has completed the companion book to Yosef, I Am Miryam bat Joachim, the Wife of Yosef and the Mother of the Messiah and the sequel to Ghost 6, Ghost 6 and the Valkyries.
