Originally published in 1960, and the first of three volumes on the history of the Jews during the dispersal, this book covers briefly the period from the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in the year 70 down to Hadrian’s suppression of Simeon’s insurrection in 135. It sketches the political and religious background to the conflict between the Jewish and Graeco-Roman cultures, and the final separation of the Christian religion from its original Judaic stock; it vividly describes the general historical events involving the homeland of the Jews and portrays the principal characters in the struggle between them and the Empire, especially the insurrectionist leader Simeon Bar-Cochbar, the Son of a Star himself.
1.Judea Capta 2. He That Should Come 3. Caesarea 4. A New Day Dawns 5. In the Dispersion 6. The Horizon in Flames 7. A Sceptic on the Throne 8. A Rock in Israel 9. In the Balance 10. The Son of a Star 11. In the Valley of the Shadow of Death 12. As the Stars of Heaven.
Biography
Poul Borchsenius was a Danish pastor and author. During the Nazi occupation of Denmark in the Second World War, Borchsenius was an active member of the underground resistance. He escaped to Sweden, where he engaged in welfare work among his Christian fellow-refugees.
Original reviews of The Son of a Star:
‘This well-produced eminently readable translation of a Danish best-seller is well worth reading…informative and entertaining.’ Time and Tide
‘The author has a fine narrative gift and is well served by his translator. The style is lively and reads more like a novel than the serious historical work which it is.’ Jewish Chronicle
‘Guides the reader wisely through a fascinating period of history and helps him to see all the different elements in their relation to one another.’ The Observer
