Hannah and Miriam

Chapters 1 – 5

Hannah is a skilled physician and surgeon who maintains a clinic at her home. Her daughter, Miriam, is apprenticed to Hannah, learning the medical arts, and apothecary skills. Hannah’s husband, Joachim, is a timber merchant.

Because of the incursion of self-serving warlords and bandits in the countryside, Joachim must constantly defend his ox trains while hauling the timbers to market. Joachim and the Roman Tribune Cornelius join forces to ambush the principal, notorious bandit Judas ben Hezekiah. After the ambush, Miriam performs difficult surgeries in the field, and saves the life of a severely wounded friend.

Chapters 6 – 11

Miriam reveals to Hannah, that she has been visited by the Angel Gabriel. The angel has announced that Miriam will give birth to a son, Joshua, and that he will be an exceptional child, dedicated to a great purpose. When Joachim is informed by Hannah of the Annunciation of Gabriel, he immediately warns Hannah that Miriam is in great danger. Unscrupulous competitors of Joachim in Sepphoris will bring the ultra-orthodox authorities down on Miriam’s head if she reveals that she is with child, and not lawfully betrothed or married. The authorities will laugh her to scorn if she reveals her visitation by Gabriel. They will have her flogged for adultery, and sent to a madhouse or even stoned.

To protect his daughter, Joachim suggests that a long-time business associate of his, Yosef of Nazareth, a carpenter and house builder, might be interested in a betrothal. Miriam is apprised of her father’s plan, and agrees to withhold judgment until she has had a chance to meet Yosef and see what kind of person he is.

Joachim, Hannah and Miriam travel to Nazareth under the pretext of visiting Yosef’s medicinal herb garden. The garden belonged to Yosef’s wife, Deborah, who died in childbirth. Yosef welcomes them to his home. He reveals that he has been visited in a “special” dream, by the Angel Gabriel, who told him that Joachim and Hannah and Miriam would be coming to visit, and they would ask him to consider a betrothal with Miriam.

Miriam has been watching Yosef closely since they arrived at his house. She is greatly drawn to him, both physically as a mature, handsome man, and also as a very spiritual person. She announces that she agrees to be betrothed and married to Yosef, if he is willing. Yosef is likewise greatly attracted to the young, beautiful girl, Miriam, and admits he has been so very lonely since his Deborah died three years previously. He agrees to a betrothal — which is a lawful trial marriage that includes the possibility of children and that will protect Miriam from the ultra-orthodox authorities.

Yosef, with Miriam and her parents, visits Rabbi Shmuel ben Zeroah in Nazareth, to be betrothed.

Chapters 12 – 16

Yosef with Miriam, and Joachim with Hannah, and their other children, Chavah and Yeshai, travel to Jerusalem for the Passover Holiday. Miriam and Joseph are wedded in Jerusalem.

Chapters 16 – 23

King Herod has begun to seize every prominent man in the cities all through Judaea. He has not harmed them but has imprisoned them. None of the men has opposed Herod in any way. The economy of Judaea becomes greatly depressed and the flow of taxes to Rome is reduced to a mere trickle of gold. Herod does not care — he is dying. He knows th