Love vs. Vengeance
In The Bronze Bow, Daniel bar Jamin, a first-century Jewish Galilean, lives under oppressive Roman occupation. Daniel has a black-and-white view of the situation in Palestine: Romans are enemies to be fought, and Jews are victims to be avenged. However, because of his inflexible outlook, Daniel fails to see either Romans or Jews as human beings; instead, they become just symbols of occupation and subjugation in his mind. This symbolic view blinds Daniel…
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Trust, Dependence, and Friendship
Daniel’s early life is marked by independence. After his parents are killed by the Romans, Daniel is apprenticed to an abusive blacksmith and finally runs away. Rosh, leader of a group of Galilean rebels, grants Daniel a new life as one of his fighters. When Daniel grows used to this free and relatively secure life, he balks at returning to his home village and his younger sister, Leah. But after their grandmother…
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Leadership: Power vs. Service
In the first half of the book, Daniel idolizes Rosh, leader of the rebel band that took him in after he was orphaned. In Daniel, Rosh sees a potential champion for Israel, and Daniel comes to see Rosh as the ideal kind of leader. After Daniel meets Jesus, however, his view of what constitutes good leadership is challenged and finally overturned. The difference between Rosh and Jesus is their contrasting ways of seeing…
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Earthly Hopes vs. Heavenly Values
In The Bronze Bow, the people of Galilee are both enthralled and puzzled by Jesus. For centuries, the Jewish people have longed for a leader who will rise up against their oppressors—most recently the Romans. When Jesus begins preaching in the synagogues, offering hope to the poor, and healing the sick, many hope that he is the long-expected messiah who will deliver them from Roman bondage. But the more Daniel and his friends hear…
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