Come unto Me (Volume 2 of the Kingdom and the Crown series) by Gerald N. Lund

 The plot thickens in Volume 2 and resolves a lot of the issues that were pending in Volume 1. I enjoyed watching how the strategic Simeon was able to outwit the thieving robber's band. The military maneuvers got too complicated and I frequently got lost in the detail, but I read on and was able to grasp the outcomes easily.

Much of this volume happens in Rome, at least the second half of the story. Miriam is in Rome with her father, and as she experiences Rome and its striking culture, in contrast to her own Jewish culture, we are captivated right along with her. It really made me want to remember my Western Civilization history and to put some of the pieces together. There is so much to this culture and I am pretty ignorant of it at this point in my life! I'm motivated to explore more of that.

Now that we're at the end of Volume 2, and the robber band has been dealt with, we are left with Miriam and Simeon (and the former slaves Livia and Drusus) traveling back to Israel from Rome. 

Christ is teaching, and David's (Simeon's father) family frequently discusses his parables and other teaching. We see the famous biblical stories played out and we hear what the people are asking and wondering. There are some very enlightening discussions about what these parables actually mean, They often deal with difficult issues and paradoxes, and as the family members wrestle with their meaning, we are enlightened by their interpretations.

One thing that I especially liked was Simeon's friend noticing how much he was impressed by Jesus' miracles. And what about his teaching? It's a good reminder about how faith is built--not by miracles, but by trying out the ideas and living them.. There are many discussions about the violence proposed by the Zealots in contrast to Jesus' peaceful teachings... many contradictory moments that the author deals with beautifully, I think that was the part I appreciated the most about this book. Despite the characters' superficiality and lack of development. I could still appreciate their interpretation of Christ's doctrine. Now it's on to Volume 3!