Sarah and Zipporah and Lilah
I am not a "religious" person. I tend to be more spiritual than anything. Lately, I have had this fascination with the Bible and finding the hidden truths and meanings written between the words. I remember when I was in the eighth grade my religion teacher (yep, I survived Catholic school) exclaimed that she had read one of the most fascinating books ever written. As 13 year old girls who lived and breathed Right On! Magazine and erected locker shrines to the members of New Edition, we thought either she had lost her mind or could finally understand the greatness of Ralph Tresvant's high pitched vocals as he belted out "Is This the End". What was not to love about him. However, our brief euphoria of the teacher finally understanding our obsession was shattered when she held up the Bible as if she had just won an Oscar; declaring its greatness.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when I am perusing the shelves of Coliseum Books. The name "Zipporah" caught my eye. My interest was peaked, especially since Zipporah is my sister's middle name. Zipporah is the story of Moses' wife. She is a Cushite (black) woman who was adopted by Jethro, the High Priest of Midian. She has a dream of an Egyptian Prince coming to save her at the bottom of the sea. One day, while she and her sisters are at the well drawing water, Zipporah is attacked and Moses, who fled Egypt, comes to her rescue. Although Jethro and Zipporah are afraid she will never find a husband because of her dark skin, Moses does not let this inhibit his love for her...and she becomes his rock when he doubts his abilities to free the Jews from Pharoah's clutches. I finished the book in about 4 days and ran to Barnes and Noble to pick up "Sarah". Sarah is the story of Abraham's wife who was the daughter of one of the most powerful Lords of Ur. When she is twelve, she is pledged to marry a man that she has never met. On her wedding day, she flees into the city and bumps into Abram. He takes care of her through the night, however, in the morning she is dragged back to her father's home. Upon hearing that another marriage has been arranged for her, she flees again to find Abram but his family has moved. So she seeks out a woman that gives her herbs to make her barren and later is made a high priestess of Ishtar, Ur's goddess of war. Six years go by when Ur is about to erupt into war. She is reunited with Abram, her childhood love.
Although both of these stories are fictional accounts, Marek Halter makes these two women and their experiences leap off the page with every word. Sometimes people forget that the novels ARE Historical Fiction and hold the author accountable for misinterpreting the "truth" and introducing sex and passion into the stories. To them I ask, have you really read the Bible?
Lilah is the last installment in Marek Halter's Canaan Trilogy and is based on the book of Ezra. I have not read this book yet. I was side tracked by The Song of Hannah, the story of the mother of the Prophet Samuel.
Perhaps it's the lesser known stories of the women in the Bible that drives me to seek these novels out. Combined with my love for history, my appetite seems insatiable. I sat down and made a list of other Biblical Historical Novels that I want to read. Here are my top 5:
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