A Galilean boy sworn to vengeance against Rome confronts a traveling preacher whose message of love challenges his iron vow.

In this Newberry Medal-winning novel, Daniel bar Jamin is fired by only one passion: to avenge his father's death by crucifixion by driving the Roman legions from his land of Isreal.

For five years he has sheltered in a mountain stronghold, hammering crude weapons for an outlaw band. Bound to a fierce oath, he nurses a burning quest for revenge against the empire that shattered his home.

Yet when family duties force him back to his village smithy, a new question shakes his hardened resolve. Listening to a gentle carpenter in nearby Capernaum, Daniel finds himself torn between the blade he has forged and a message that could heal his sister and transform his world.

In the shadow of Roman occupation, one fierce youth faces a choice between armed defiance and a power greater than the sword.


- Rebellion Against the Romans: Hiding in mountain caves, Daniel works an outlaw forge and drills a clandestine company of village youths pledged to strike back at the conquerors.
- Biblical Fiction: First-century Galilee comes alive in rich historical detail, from the fishing boats of Capernaum to the lakeside crowds gathering around Jesus of Nazareth.
- Also by This Author: The Sign of the Beaver and Calico Captive.