Student Question

Why does Daniel leave his family in chapter 4 of The Bronze Bow?

Quick answer:

Daniel leaves his grandmother and sister in chapter 4 to go and hear Jesus speak in the synagogue. Daniel hasn't been to the synagogue for five years, but he's persuaded by Simon that it might be a good idea to go and listen to Jesus. After all, he could be a Zealot like Daniel.

Expert Answers

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It's fair to say that Daniel's far from happy with his current domestic arrangements. To tell the truth, his home life's pretty miserable. His sister Leah is still scared of her own shadow—Daniel says she's possessed by demons—and his grandmother does nothing but sleep. So when Simon comes to visit him one Sabbath morning, Daniel gladly takes the opportunity to get out of the house.

Simon's on his way to the synagogue, and he'd like his friend Daniel to go with him. Daniel hasn't been to a synagogue for five years and doesn't think that foregoing another Sabbath will make much difference. But Simon persuades him to go with him by telling Daniel that a man from Nazareth is due to speak at the synagogue that morning.

As they walk to the synagogue, Simon tells Daniel that this man's name is Jesus and that he is the son of a carpenter called Joseph. Daniel is curious about him, not least because Simon hints that Jesus, like Daniel, is a Zealot, a member of a Jewish sect committed to driving the Romans out of Israel. Daniel is suitably intrigued as to what kind of man this Jesus is, especially when he sees the large crowds making their way towards the synagogue.

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