Our family has loved listening to the audio dramas from Heirloom Audio ever since we first discovered them, and so we were so happy to receive the two CD production For The Temple for the purpose of this review!
With a wonderful original score by John Campbell and Daniel Philpott, we were swept into history as this production swirled around us! I have always said that scoring really brings a story to life.
The story “For The Temple” follows the Jews and the Romans during the time up to the destruction of the temple which was in Jerusalem. In particular, we follow the life of John, the son of a vintner whose home is on the Sea of Galilee. He wants only to live there, and produce the best grapes in Israel, but war between the occupying force of Rome and the Jewish army opposing them are making this an impossible goal for the time being.
John ends up in the Jewish army and has to leave the vineyard behind, as well as his mother and the girl he is planning to marry.
John ends up being something of a legend as a rebel leader, so much so that when he next sees his loved ones they tell him that along with praying for him, they are praying for the great leader John who is making such a difference!
While out for a walk while his men watch the Roman camp, John meets the Roman General and they fight. When John has the upper hand he learns who the man is, and he makes him swear on his life and his gods that he will not destroy the temple. Then John passes out from a head injury. The General becomes his friend and cares for him for ten days before letting him leave.
While recovering after leaving the Roman camp, John stays in a small poor village on the coast of the dead sea. There he meets someone who says they knew the Nazarene Jesus. At this point, John begins to question his beliefs.
When John learns that the Romans are planning to take the holy city of Jerusalem, he leads six hundred men into the city to protect it, not only from the Romans, but also from three zealot groups who claim to be protecting the city but are in reality stealing from widows and orphans and desecrating the holy temple by staining the altar with blood. John must make a difficult decision. But, you must listen to the story to discover how this all turns out!
Along with the two CD production, we received a wonderful study guide. This study guide has helped to guide our discussions while listening to For The Temple with questions under the following headings:
- Listening Well. Here, your child will be asked about what he has heard or what he remembers.
- Thinking Further. in this area, he will be asked to draw conclusions from the actions of various characters, or to speculate about the intentions, mindset and personal character of the people in the story.
- Defining Words. This is an area to aid in expanding your childs vocabulary. He will be asked to look up and learn words specific to the story.
There is also a recommended reading list given which will help parents and older
children who to know and understand more about the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, Three Bible studies, and two essays which gave us a lot of really good background of the time involved in this story.
As always, I do recommend this audio drama to you, along with all of Heirloom Audios other productions! To read what our family thought of the other productions which we reviewed, please read here.
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