Book Description

Many of the greatest stories in the Bible leave us yearning for more details. This author has written a story involving the family from the Bethlehem Inn during the year before the birth of Jesus. Jesus' birth brings about a dramatic change in the inkeeper's life, who is perhaps the first convert to Jesus. The year before Jesus is born in Bethlehem, Zaham the innkeeper hires a traveling builder to convert a feed storage room at the back of the inn to a secret room for his valuables. The oldest son, Jubal, is a traveling courier who comes upon a young woman alone at night on the road north of Bethsaida. her name is Kerith and she is the only member of an extended family to escape abduction by a band of Roman army deserters. This entire group travels by horseback east into the unknown toward Babylon, eventually bound for Egypt. Jubal and Kerith fall in love, marry and walk home to Bethlehem. They find lodging with a couple in Nazareth (Joseph and Mary), for two night. At home in Bethlehem Kerith is popular with all except Jubal's parents. by winter, Jubal reckons the band holding Kerith's family may cross the salt sea to the south heading west. he makes an excuse for business to leave home and travels south to the wells at Punon, the area's main water source south of the salt sea. He learns a band resembling the one he seeks passed by four days before. Jubal pursues the group on a camel and finally catches up to them days later at dusk. he attacks the enemy by cutting loose their tethered mounts and frightens them into stampeding over the camp of sleeping men. he frees Kerith's parents and the three of them and the camel begin walking north for Bethlehem. When Joseph and Mary arrive in Bethlehem for the census, Zaham refuses to even talk about a room for them. Kerith takes them to an animal shelter in a cave behind her house because her own house is full of travelers, some of whom are ill. Kerith makes them as comfortable as possible and calls in a midwife. The angel who first talked to Mary, then Joseph, appears to them and assures them all will be well and Jesus is born at that time. Meanwhile, Zaham had a bad day because of a promise by Johannan the census taker to reward him with extra money and a gold piece for the use of his secret room was cancelled due to a disagreement with a courtesan. She leaves Johanan abruptly, and Johanan leaves Bethlehem for Jerusalem. Zaham is beside himself with anger and self-pity. Sleepless, he decides to murder his family, commit suicide, and end everyone's misery at once. the angel appears to Zaham in his bedroom. He shows him the error of his ways and points out how all the things that he dislikes are actually projects that needed to be accomplished, including the secret room, for the safety of the holy family. Zaham finally sees the light and commits himself and his family to the well-being of Jesus' early years.