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The History
Cry for Jerusalem covers the seven-year period of 63 to 70 CE leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem and Herod's Temple.
Author Ward Sanford became fascinated by this time period and the fact it's not well known or often written about today compared to other events in history. Yet this period was written and reported on by contemporary historian Flavius Josephus, whose accounting of the destruction has been an invaluable historical resource to the creation of Cry for Jerusalem. Ward has spent extensive time researching, visiting, and learning as much as he can in the creation of these novels. This section is devoted to all those who would like to know more! We will be sharing timelines of events, photos of Ward's many trips to Jerusalem, and additional information into the behind the scene's that went into the creation of Cry for Jerusalem!
Jerusalem
around the temple mount
On the temple mount
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Caesarea
Yodfat/Jotapata/Yotapta
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Scroll through our galleries to see more!
Scroll through our galleries to see more!
Scroll through our galleries to see more!
Scroll through our galleries to see more!
Scroll through our galleries to see more!
The Character History
Cry for Jerusalem is based in the rich history of Jerusalem from 63 to 70 CE. This fascinating time period was marked by faces you may or may not know. While some of our characters are embellished and we filled in their plots, emotions, and development - as we do in historical fiction. All are based on real people and real events in a history often overlooked from a time period that has been discussed in length in other aspects. We hope to help bring to life these fascinating characters and give them voices.
Below you can see some of the men who's decisions directly impacted the fate of Jerusalem in 70 CE on both sides of the conflict.
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The Sicarii
The Sicarii are regarded as one of the earliest known organized assassination units of cloak and daggers, predating the Islamic Hashishin and Japanese ninja by centuries.
The Sicarii were a splinter group of the Jewish Zealots who, in the decades preceding Jerusalem's destruction in 70 CE, strongly opposed the Roman occupation of Judea and attempted to expel them and their sympathizers from the area.The Sicarii carried sicae, or small daggers, concealed in their cloaks. At public gatherings, they pulled out these daggers to attack Romans and Hebrew Roman sympathizers alike, blending into the crowd after the deed to escape detection.
Much of what is known about the Sicarii is from the writings of Josephus
More About The Sicarii
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Important historical places
The events covered in Cry for Jerusalem are based on real people in real places. Below you will find an overview of important events and locations that not only shaped the time period, but impacted the daily lives of our characters and the world both at the time - and for the future. These places were vitally important epicenters to the world as it was in 70 CE and the events that happened in them have been documented and studied over the centuries.
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