Tension among the Jewish people, their religious leaders and their imperial Roman overseers lurks behind the scenes Flerlage effectively dramatizes. Young James tells the story of normal small-town life spiked with social and political unrest simmering just under the surface. Set in early first-century Palestine, Flerlage’s historical fiction debut is narrated by James, the son of Nazarene carpenter Joseph, who, after his first wife died, went on to wed a young girl named Mary and have with her their more famous son, Jesus.

And it may just change yours, as well.A historical novel set on the eve of the birth of Jesus Christ. As his family’s faith and hopes are threatened by scandal and scorn, James struggles between the boy he is and the man he must become.īefore Bethlehem is an eye-opening account of the Nativity story told in a suspenseful, historical context that dares to ask the question: If Joseph should have turned Mary over to be stoned, why didn’t he? His profound answer is one that forever changes the life of his son, James. He and James witness abhorring violence at the hands of the Romans, and outlandish abuses of power by their own religious leaders. Joseph fights to maintain his spiritual integrity while trying desperately to keep his family together and his farm alive. By accepting the Rabbi’s request, Joseph unknowingly thrusts himself and his family into a bitter and emotionally draining life-or-death conflict. With crisp prose, tangible description and thought-provoking insights, Before Bethlehem takes readers on a vivid journey to the dusty Galilean village of Nazareth, where Joseph is summoned by Rabbi Boethus, a Sadducean high priest, to marry an orphaned virgin in Jerusalem. This spellbinding work of historical fiction offers the eyewitness account of 15-year-old James, son of Joseph bar Jacob, and the dangerous and heartrending choices his family must make in the days leading up to Joseph’s relationship with Mary, and the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.

Before Bethlehem by James Flerlage