This exciting adventure gives fascinating insight into the workings of the Roman legal system in a page-turning court room drama. As always, Caroline Lawrence springs new surprises for all the characters and provides motives, means and opportunity for one determined felon. And, as ever, it's up to the four young detectives to crack the case . . .

Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia, and Lupus work together within the rules of the ancient Roman legal system to prove the innocence of Hephzibah, a slave in a wealthy household who has been accused of murder, but the witnesses are killed before they can testify before the magistrate.

Is the Torah true? Do the five books of Moses provide an accurate historical account of the people of ancient IsraelOCOs origins?. In The Original Torah, S. David Sperling argues that, while there is no archeological evidence to support much of the activity chronicled in the Torah, a historical reality exists there if we know how to seek it. By noting the use of foreign words or mentions of technological innovations scholars can often pinpoint the date and place in which a text was written. Sperling examines the stories of the Torah against their historical and geographic backgrounds and arrives at a new conclusion: the tales of the Torah were originally composed as allegories whose purpose was distinctly and intentionally political. The book illustrates how the authors of the Pentateuch advanced their political and religious agenda by attributing deeds of historical figures like Jeroboam and David to ancient allegorical characters like Abraham and Jacob. If Abraham had made peace with Philistines, for example, then David could rely on a precedent to do likewise. The Original Torah provides a new interpretive key to the foundational document of both Judaism and Christianity."

Slaves and Slave Agency in the Ottoman Empire offers a new contribution to slavery studies relating to the Ottoman Empire. Given the fact that the classical binary of 'slavery' and 'freedom' derives from the transatlantic experience, this volume presents an alternative approach by examining the strong asymmetric relationships of dependency documented in the Ottoman Empire. A closer look at the Ottoman social order discloses manifold and ambiguous conditions involving enslavement practices, rather than a single universal pattern. The authors examine various forms of enslavement and dependency with a particular focus on agency, i. e. the room for maneuver, which the enslaved could secure for themselves, or else the available options for action in situations of extreme individual or group dependencies.

In The Classics and Children's Literature between West and East a team of contributors from different continents offers a survey of the reception of Classical Antiquity in children’s and young adults’ literature by applying regional perspectives.

The women in Jesus' life are a raucous and rowdy bunch, including "riotous" foremothers, "loose women," and "distressed daughters of Israel." Reading these new ways of interpreting women in the Gospels, male New Testament scholars have discovered liberating perspectives. In seven scintillating studies, Spencer explores among others the genealogy of Matthew's Gospel to discover the riotous yet righteous nature of Jesus' foremothers, slave girls and prophetic daughters in Luke-Acts, and women leading men in the Gospel of Mark 5-7. Scott Spencer, a virtuoso young New Testament scholar, provides his own lively forays into reading the Gospels through women's eyes. He shows what it is like for a man to read stories about the women in Jesus' life from a new perspective. Spencer is an able and inventive scholar whose broad-ranging insights and engaging style make his work very accessible.

“Ishiata” is a captivating biblical fiction novel that delves into the life of Ishiata, a resilient slave girl laboring within the hallowed walls of the temple in Jerusalem. Set against the backdrop of the tumultuous events leading up to the Crucifixion, Ishiata’s narrative weaves a compelling tale around the enigmatic figure who spoke to Peter in the temple courtyard. Through a richly evocative prose and meticulous historic detail, the novel immerses readers in Ishiata’s world, offering a poignant exploration of faith, courage, and the indomitable human spirit in the face of adversity.