About the Bookstore Browse Aisles Search Desk Shopping Basket Book Trade Terms Just Released! Return Policy Help Here is the full reference card for this book... If you'd rather place an order by talking to one of our cheerful order desk clerks, please call 1-888-232-4444 (USA and Canada only) or 250-383-6864. From Europe, ring our UK order desk clerk at local rate number 0845 230 9601 (UK only) or 44 (0)1865 722 113. A Cry in the Wilderness by Marie Guay & R.L. Cook 348 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #02-0926; ISBN 1-55395-212-X; US$28.50, C$33.00, EUR23.50, £16.50 John the Baptist: desert madman or prophet of God? Complex, plausible novel about the life and death of the charismatic and controversial preacher. Read more! about the book      about the authors      reviews      sample excerpt      catalogue info About the Book John the Baptist: desert madman or prophet of God? John is charismatic and controversial. A rugged looking Nazarite, his hair and beard have never been cut and he wears a goat hair tunic. He speaks with authority. His dais is a rocky knoll. Annas, the dethroned Chief Priest knows a secret from John's past. How and to whom he preaches and baptizes till his death at Macchaerus, Herod's stronghold in the desert comes with many surprises. There he was, standing on a large knoll above the river's edge. He had a head of thick black hair that had not felt a razor in years. His body was lean. The veins looked like ropes attaching the limbs together with the muscular body. Coal black eyes expressed his determination of his mission. He wore animal hides and a leather belt with well-worn sandals on his feet. Many called him a 'desert madman', others, a 'desert prophet'. His voice was sharp and there was an air of urgency about him. "...a familiar story but with many twists and turns." -Sally Stuart of the 'Writer's Edge' "The Novel was first written in the late 70's and resurrected in the late 90's by Ms. Guay. Now in '02, with the collaboration of Guay and Cook, the novel is published. A plausible story of the historical Baptist. Very well thought out. Great reading!" - riemcguy, poet and free lance writer About the Authors Ms Guay and Ms Cook are both RN's with nursing degrees. They met in the Air Force and have been friends these past many years. They both have attended writing courses and seminars. Ms Cook also has a B.R.E. with a minor in English. She has spent time in Costa Rica as a missionary. Ms Cook was a prolific free lance published writer for many nursing and medical magazines. Ms Guay has a life long love of ancient Middle Eastern history and archeology of the Paletine. Her library includes many of her past readings and was fortunate to have access to many fine libraries for further reading and research. Ms Guay has been published in various anthologies and on the web. Reviews A Cry in the Wilderness is a fascinating account of the life of John the Baptist. As historical fiction it gives the reader a fresh and thoughtful look into the life and times of one of God's choice servants. The authors have done a real service to students of the bible. Gayle Ryle, Th.M, D.Min, Wilmington, DE Marie Guay and R.L. Cook have used imagination, Scripture, and extensive research of New Testament times to weave an arresting historical fiction of John the Baptist. It did, in fact, captivate the interest of this reviewer who is not normally into reading historical fiction! The description of prison conditions is so graphic that some more sensitive souls may find those parts difficult and others may not like the sensuous, though feasible, description of Salome's dance before Herod and his guests. As in any work of fiction that embellishes the scriptural record, there may be a departure from that record in some instances. One such case in "A Cry in the Wilderness" is the question of who issued the order for John's arrest. The book has Herodias plotting and carrying out his arrest, but Scripture states that Herod had him arrested on account of Herodias: "For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her" (Mark 16:17). However, this fictional account of John's life and ministry is so compelling that one may gain a tremendous appreciation of John's selfless dedication to his calling and the fact that following the Lord does not guarantee a life without suffering. Eugene Priddy, M.A., D.D. Founder-President Bible Basics International A Cry in the Wilderness by Marie Guay and R.L. Cook makes you feel as though the writers had lived in the days of John the Baptist. The writers demonstrate exciting creativity, remarkable research, and inspiring Biblical respect. I can wholeheartedly recommend A Cry in the Wilderness for all who would desire interesting reading, expanding knowledge and better Biblical insight. Jesus had a high opinion of John the Baptist and we desire to learn all that we can about him. This book will be a great aid in accomplishing that. Donald Drake, LLD, Bible Teacher, Author Pfafetown, NC

Sample Excerpt

INTRODUCTION

Palestine provided the only land link between Asia and Africa. Because of that strategic position, world powers over the centuries sought to control it. From Egypt and Assyria to Greeks and Romans, Palestine represented a highly desirable asset. Though small, it was of great political value to whomever possessed it.

In 168 BC, Jewish Maccabeans, also known as Hasmoneans, revolted against the Syrian hegemony. That revolution failed. Following many years of Syrian oppression, crop failures and famine, Maccabean families again demonstrated resolve and led a successful civil war against Syria, but a friendship treaty was created between Jerusalem and Rome without the offer or request of military assistance.

Unfortunately, the Maccabeans who took positions of leadership were as ruthless as their foreign predecessors had been. In fact, they eventually took the positions of both high priest and king for themselves, which led to further discontent among their Jewish subjects. During that time a religious sect, known as Essenes, found peace in the Judean wilderness. They expectantly awaited the coming of the righteous King and High Priest promised in the Holy Writings of Jewish prophets. Others, called 'zealots', defected from Maccabean control and also made their way into the wilderness.

In 67 BC, Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II, sons of the last Hasmonean king, and Queen Salome Alexandra struggled for succession. After four years of civil war the brothers requested Rome's intervention. General Pompey the Great, having just defeated the Parthians, commanded the Legion nearest to Palestine and was directed to intervene and pacify the country. Pompey's war-seasoned troops had no difficulty eliminating all resistance from the northern border of Palestine southward. Jerusalem fell in 63 BC and Roman domination, the Pax Romana, began.

Rome established Antipater II of Idumea as puppet king over Palestine. The king's death by poisoning in 43 BC led to lengthy conflict and deadly intrigue among his four sons. When the air cleared, Herod had won the throne. He traveled to Rome to seek official sanctioning of his position. Having gained the sponsorship of General Marc Antony and Emperor Augustus Caesar, the Roman Senate granted Herod the title 'King of the Jews' in 30 BC, seven years after he had taken power. He eventually became know as 'Herod the Great' in historical annals written of that time period.

Herod the Great united all of Palestine. He was a harsh ruler, cruel, unrelentingly paranoid, and disliked by his Jewish subjects. However, he became one of the greatest builders in the world at that time. Besides palatial residences in different parts of Palestine, he also built the great Antonia Fortress in Jerusalem, overlooking the Temple Mount, and named it for his patron, Marc Antony.

In the fifteenth year of his reign, Herod began the most monu- mental building project of all: rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem on the same site as Solomon's Temple.

The first Temple had been built by King Solomon and was said to be the most fabulous structure ever seen. That Temple was destroyed by a succession of conquering armies, with the Babylonians laying it in total ruins during the summer of 586 BC.

Most of the Jews were relocated from Palestine to conquering countries. The ten tribes of Samaria were 'lost'‹assimilated into their captors' civilizations. Jews of the remaining tribes, Judah and Benjamin, were taken to Babylon, where they remained for seventy years. When Persia defeated Babylon, the Jews began returning to rebuild their devastated homeland, especially Jerusalem; its walls, gates, and the Temple. The 'second' Temple, built on the original site but with far less grandeur than Solomon's or Herod's, was completed in 515 BC.

In an effort to appease the people, Herod the Great insured that the new Temple would be built in such a manner that would not interrupt the sacrifices, rituals and worship conducted at the Temple, nor violate the sanctity of the place considered holy by the Jews. The plan for Herod's Temple was so detailed and vast that construction was not totally completed until years after his death and shortly before it was totally destroyed by Titus in 70 AD.

By the turn of the millennium, Jews found themselves once again under the rule of a foreign power. This time it was Rome that managed the territory through military prefects who were appointed to administer the affairs of Palestine. Animosity toward Rome ran high. One and a half million Jews resented having an equal number of foreigners in their land‹complete with their alien cultures and pagan religions. Many Jews hoped and sought for some way to again free themselves from foreign domination.

Rome allowed, and even encouraged, the religious practices of the people they ruled. But Rome's presence and power were stifling to the Jews. Taxation was a heavy burden, especially when added to a tax liability for the new Temple.

It was the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar's rule as Emperor of Rome. Since the death of Herod the Great in 4 BC, Palestine had been a hotbed of turmoil and concern for Rome. Pontius Pilate, the fifth Roman procurator controlled the territories of Samaria, Judea and Idumea, while two of Herod's sons, Herod Philip II ruled Iturea and Traconitis, territories east of Galilee as Ethnarch, and Herod Antipas ruled Galilee and Perea as Tetrarch.

Intrigue and conflict among Herod the Great's offspring often played out in the courts of Rome. One son, Archelaus, once Ethnarch over the areas now under direct Roman control, had been banished in 6 AD. Another Herod, Philip I, totally disinherited because his mother had displeased Herod the Great, lived in Rome bitterly enjoying his inheritance and developing friendships with members of the Roman Senate.

Antipas made a political marriage with an Arabian princess in order to insure a peaceful border between Perea and Arabia. The marriage was not always congenial, but it did produce a child over the few years of the marriage.

To protect his interests, Antipas often traveled to Rome. He developed close ties with members of the Roman Senate. As it turned out, he also developed close ties with his niece, Herodias, who was Herod Philip's I wife. Herodias' brother, Agrippa I, cavorted with Caligula and tended to overextend himself in debt. More than once, Uncle Antipas bailed his young nephew out of prison by paying his debts.

Back in Galilee, Antipas decided to build a city on the western bank of the Sea of Galilee to be called Tiberias in honor of the Emperor. During construction, workmen uncovered an ancient Hebrew burial ground, which caused such an uproar among the Jews that they refused to have anything more to do with the new city. They would not risk defiling themselves or their dead.

Determined to carry out his plans for the new city, Antipas imported 15,000 people from other cultures to populate Tiberias. The new citizens, who were given a fresh start in the city, brought their heathen practices and pagan religions with them to the shores of the beautiful Sea of Galilee. Jews continued to survive on meager wages and suffered the onslaught of additional foreign influences. From Rome's perspective, Palestine, its most tumultuous territory, seemed relatively quiet. But Pontius Pilate, the rigidly militaristic prefect of the southern regions, had managed to ruffle the feathers of his Judean subjects. He had used Temple treasury money to build a new aqueduct for Jerusalem. He had secretly negotiated with Jewish leadership for the funds; but on the day the aqueduct officially opened, the secret was leaked wrongly to the general public. Such an immediate outcry startled Pilate, who thought the people would welcome the convenience of an additional water supply. But it was not so.

A delegation objected directly to the Great Sanhedrin, the Jewish body that handled Jewish religious and political matters with the approval of the Roman prefect.

The Sanhedrin, in turn, presented the Jews' objections to Pilate. To restore order, Pilate reimbursed the Temple funds, and a seemingly peaceful atmosphere returned to Palestine.

As a new prefect, Pontius Pilate was under severe scrutiny of the Jews under his administration. He triggered an uproar when he transferred the Augustan Cohort from Caesarea, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, inland to the Antonia Fortress at Jerusalem. When the cohort arrived, they hoisted their regimental flags over the tower of the fortress.

The image of Augustus Caesar was emblazoned on the flags and brazenly fluttered in full view of the people in the Temple. 'Abomination!' was the cry raised by all the Jews, from priests to servants, who saw the image waving from the fortress tower by the first light of morning. Pilate had not known about the religious prohibition of any images within the city; but he quickly remedied the situation in order to maintain a semblance of order.

Amid the uncertainty and insecurity of being Roman subjects, many Jews began to delve into their history and to study the words that had been written by their ancient prophets. Their God, YHWH, Whose Name was considered so holy they could not speak it, had delivered them many times in the past. Would He do it again? It had been centuries since He had sent a prophet with a message for them.

In the process of searching and studying the Scriptures, many Jews realized that they did not need more prophecy. The message was clear. God had promised a Messiah who would rescue their nation and rule over them forever. Expectations ran high in many quarters. The time seemed right for the coming of their longawaited Messiah.

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