I'm always delighted to have a chance to review audio dramas from Heirloom Audio, and the newest in their collection, For The Temple, looked especially intriguing. We were invited to listen in on an exciting audio adventure story about the siege of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
Heirloom Audio has become a favorite of ours, as the exciting audio dramas they produce definitely appeal to a broad age range! These are dramatic productions based on the stories written by G.A. Henty in the 19th century. Not just an audio book, with someone reading the story to you, but a rich production of talented actors voicing the characters and a realistic soundtrack that makes you feel like you are there in the middle of the action. Henty's books reflected masterful storytelling, and his fictional characters involved in real historical events were great examples of courage, loyalty, and faith of these young heroes. Heirloom Audio makes the stories even more appealing to modern audiences, by acting them out so we can listen at home or on the go, and get a taste of the excitement and adventure.
We received the 2 CD set of For The Temple, which is about 2-1/2 hours of listening time. The CDs come in a beautiful full-cover case, and I always appreciate the fact that there's a defining quote from the story featured in the center panel of the case.
Story summary: The story-teller, Mr. George, gets into a conversation about beautiful buildings with a young man in Vienna, and is inspired to share the story of the temple of Jerusalem and how it came to be destroyed. His story begins in AD 67, with a young man named John and his parents and fiancee. John plans to carry on his father's vineyard and live quietly, but a chance encounter with Josephus (Titus Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian and resistance fighter) leads to his joining the Jewish army. While attempting to defend the city of Jotapata against Roman siege and attack, he befriends another young man named Jonas. When Jotapata eventually falls to the Romans, John and Jonas manage to hide and survive, and later escape the city.
John gathers a small force of men that harass the Romans in a sort of guerilla warfare. He becomes somewhat of a legend and folk hero among the Jews. On one occasion, John is on a solitary walk when he meets an armed Roman and engages in one-on-one combat.The Roman, who turns out to be none other than General Titus (who later becomes the Emperor), respects the valiant young fighter and the two strike up a rather unlikely friendship that culminates in Titus swearing an oath to avoid destroying the temple if possible and promising aid to John if he is ever in need.
John's band of fighters disperse to their homes for a time, deciding that they will come together again only to defend the temple itself. When that day finally comes, they head to Jerusalem to try and forge a truce between the infighting factions of Jews who are defiling the temple and preying upon the innocent people in Jerusalem. When General Titus lays siege to Jerusalem, John finally succeeds in bringing two of the rebel leaders to an uneasy agreement to work together to defend the city. But when the Romans break through and reach the temple, John concludes that the Jews themselves have defiled the temple and that God is using the might of Rome to bring judgement on the Jewish nation. Once again, he is able to escape the city and tries to return home.
And once again, he is captured, this time by Arab slave traders. So his road home is detoured as he is taken to Egypt and sold into slavery. He is able to gain an audience with Titus, using the ring given him years earlier along with an oath of friendship, and thus is able to return home where he finally marries and settles down on the family farm.
The theme of duty to defend the temple is prominent, and John's courage and integrity are also highlighted. John also meets followers of The Way, and learns from an eyewitness about Yeshua and comes to believe that he was the promised Messiah.
We received the 2 CD set of For The Temple, which is about 2-1/2 hours of listening time. The CDs come in a beautiful full-cover case, and I always appreciate the fact that there's a defining quote from the story featured in the center panel of the case.
The time is coming when every Jew who can bear arms will be needed in the service of his country. Your hopes cannot stop it.This quote sums up what we on this side of history know will happen - the temple in Jerusalem will be destroyed by the Romans. The lead character in this drama, John of Gamala, has been brought up to believe that it is the duty of every Jew to defend the temple, giving his life if necessary, and he does go to great lengths to keep the temple from destruction. However, even he and his loyal band of fighters reach a point when they must wrestle with whether they should concede the battle.
Story summary: The story-teller, Mr. George, gets into a conversation about beautiful buildings with a young man in Vienna, and is inspired to share the story of the temple of Jerusalem and how it came to be destroyed. His story begins in AD 67, with a young man named John and his parents and fiancee. John plans to carry on his father's vineyard and live quietly, but a chance encounter with Josephus (Titus Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian and resistance fighter) leads to his joining the Jewish army. While attempting to defend the city of Jotapata against Roman siege and attack, he befriends another young man named Jonas. When Jotapata eventually falls to the Romans, John and Jonas manage to hide and survive, and later escape the city.
John gathers a small force of men that harass the Romans in a sort of guerilla warfare. He becomes somewhat of a legend and folk hero among the Jews. On one occasion, John is on a solitary walk when he meets an armed Roman and engages in one-on-one combat.The Roman, who turns out to be none other than General Titus (who later becomes the Emperor), respects the valiant young fighter and the two strike up a rather unlikely friendship that culminates in Titus swearing an oath to avoid destroying the temple if possible and promising aid to John if he is ever in need.
John's band of fighters disperse to their homes for a time, deciding that they will come together again only to defend the temple itself. When that day finally comes, they head to Jerusalem to try and forge a truce between the infighting factions of Jews who are defiling the temple and preying upon the innocent people in Jerusalem. When General Titus lays siege to Jerusalem, John finally succeeds in bringing two of the rebel leaders to an uneasy agreement to work together to defend the city. But when the Romans break through and reach the temple, John concludes that the Jews themselves have defiled the temple and that God is using the might of Rome to bring judgement on the Jewish nation. Once again, he is able to escape the city and tries to return home.
And once again, he is captured, this time by Arab slave traders. So his road home is detoured as he is taken to Egypt and sold into slavery. He is able to gain an audience with Titus, using the ring given him years earlier along with an oath of friendship, and thus is able to return home where he finally marries and settles down on the family farm.
The theme of duty to defend the temple is prominent, and John's courage and integrity are also highlighted. John also meets followers of The Way, and learns from an eyewitness about Yeshua and comes to believe that he was the promised Messiah.
Overall, there's much more to this audio drama than the excitement of a great story of warfare and honor. Listeners will learn a lot of history and find plenty of opportunity to engage in further discussion about the prophecies regarding the temple, and about proper worship.
And to aid in further study and discussion, there is a beautiful full-color 51-page Study Guide available to accompany For The Temple. We received the pdf version of the Study Guide, and although we didn't use it for in-depth study or as a curriculum guide, I did wind up printing a few of the pages for myself because the information was so valuable and interesting.
I was particularly interested in the map and explanation of the Siege of Jerusalem in the year 70. This is an historic event that I know about, but listening to this dramatic story made me especially interested in looking at the map and understanding the sequence of events a little more clearly.
In most of Henty's stories, the fictional lead characters come into contact with real historical figures. Josephus is one such historical figure. I recognize Josephus as a very important Jewish scholar and historian, but I didn't know that he was also a leader of Jewish forces in Galilee!
 |
| Study Guide featuring information about Josephus |
The Study Guide provides comprehension questions (called Listening Well), discussion and follow-up questions (called Thinking Further), and vocabulary (Defining Words) for each of the chapters of the story. And at the end there are three Bible studies on the themes presented in the story. Throughout the guide, you'll also find sidebars like the one giving background on Josephus. These provide some extra historical or Biblical context to the story. For example, there's a reference to Gideon in the story, and the Study Guide explains a little more about Gideon's Army. The Thinking Further questions often direct students to look up maps of the places mentioned in the story, draw conclusions about the actions or decisions in the story, or consider possible motives for character's behavior.
 |
| Study guide page featuring information about Gideon's Army |
For this story, I especially recommend making use of the Study Guide if you're also studying Roman history or Biblical history and prophecy. The Study Guide does a great job of summarizing the prophecies and background for the belief that God would remove his glory from the temple and allow its destruction if his people failed to keep his covenant, and relating the fall of Jerusalem to these prophecies.
 |
| Study Guide pages explaining the end of the covenant age and destruction of the temple |
 |
| Study Guide pages explaining the end of the covenant age and destruction of the temple |
 |
| Study Guide pages explaining the end of the covenant age and the destruction of the temple |
What we liked best:
- as always, the voice actors, sound effects, and soundtrack come together to put the listener right in the action - like watching a movie except that there's nothing to see except in your imagination!
- exciting and dramatic story that is interesting for the whole family, and is likely to inspire some interest in the historic events portrayed.
- positive character traits like courage, humility, loyalty, and integrity are highlighted
- the Study Guide provides a lot of extra information and discussion starters to add plenty of educational value.
What I need to mention:
- the battle and combat scenes are realistic and intense, so I'd recommend previewing before having very young or sensitive children listen.
Our bottom line: We have never been disappointed in an Heirloom Audio Adventure, and For The Temple was another exciting ride through history that entertained us while teaching history and some important Bible and character lessons as well. I continue to recommend all of these stories for intriguing add-ons to history study, and for entertaining the whole family on road trips!
Yes, we have reviewed all but one of the previous Heirloom Audio adventures! You are invited to check out our full review of In Freedom's Cause: An Extraordinary Adventure in Scottish History; our full review of With Lee In Virginia: An Extraordinary Adventure With Lee In Virginia; our full review of The Dragon and the Raven: An Extraordinary Adventure With Alfred the Great; our full review of Beric the Briton: Beric the Briton - Another Extraordinary Adventure from Heirloom Audio Productions; our full review of The Cat of Bubastes: An Extraordinary Adventure in Ancient Egypt; our full review of In the Reign of Terror: An Extraordinary Adventure During the French Revolution; our full review of Captain Bayley's Heir: Captain Bayley's Heir - A New Audio Adventure; our full review of Wulf the Saxon: Wulf the Saxon - An Extraordinary Adventure with Heirloom Audio; and our full review of St. Bartholomew's Eve: An Extraordinary Adventure on St. Bartholomew's Eve.
Would you like to join in this latest audio adventure? Here's what you need to know:
Visit the website: www.HeirloomAudio.com/ or the Live The Adventure Club homepage: www.LiveTheAdventureClub.com/home/
Find out more about the audio drama For The Temple here: www.ForTheTempleHenty.com/ (This website is still under construction, so if you get a placeholder site instead of seeing the CD cover and info, check back later, as it has been intermittently unavailable.)
Pricing: The two CD set is available for $29.97.
Age recommendations: Ages 6 and up. (But see my note above for young or sensitive listeners)
Visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog for more information and to read other reviews.
©2006-2019 Homeschool Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
I have done my best to provide accurate pricing and links at the time this post originally appeared. Please be aware that these may change.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment
I love comments! It's like visiting over a virtual cup of coffee.