King of Flesh and Blood

by Moshe Shamir

הספר הוא רומאן היסטורי אודות המלך החשמונאי אלכסנדר ינאי (מלך 103-76 לפנה"ס) אחרון המלכים הגדולים של בית חשמונאי. כמי שהמקורות ההיסטורים מוכרים לו אני סבור ששמיר הצליח לעשות עבודה טובה בלכידת רוחו ואישיותו של המלך החשמונאי - תאוותו לכיבושים ולתהילה ביחד עם אכזריות חסרת רחמים ועורמה פוליטית מקאווילית.

Genres: War, Historical Fiction, Historical

560 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Moshe Shamir (Hebrew: משה שמיר) was born in Safed. He went to the Tel Nordau School and graduated from the Herzliya Hebrew High School in Tel Aviv.

In the Israeli War of Independence he served in Palmach. He began his political career as a member of the movement Hashomer Hatzair, in which he filled a leadership role. He was one of the editors of their official newspaper Al Ha-Homa from 1939 to 1941. From 1944 to 1946 he was a member of kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek. He was founder and editor of the Israel Defense Forces official newspaper Bamahane ("In the Camp") from 1947 to 1950. During the 1950s he was a member of the editorial board of the newspaper Maariv and the editor of its literature section.

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This dramatic novelization of the first five years of the reign of Hasmonean King of Judea, Alexander Yannai (106-73 BCE), was originally written in Hebrew in 1954, and translated into English in 1957 by David Patterson, Cowley Lecturer in Post-Biblical Hebrew at the University of Oxford.

This book has been acclaimed as one of the greatest historical novels in modern Hebrew literature.
It is set against the backdrop of the spectacular conquests and the humiliating defeat of Judea's Hasmonean kings, bitter strife between the Pharisees and Sadduccees, and the clash between Greek and Hebrew civilization.
Yannai was imprisoned by his elder brother Aristobulus but released by the latter's young widow Salome Alexandra, on Aristobulus' death.
Yannai was ambitious and self-aggrandizing, but Salome prevented him from persecuting the Pharisees (the popular group which was loyal to both the Written and Spoken Torah), for a short while, and excessivly oppressing
the people of Israel. But not for long.
As king he battled against Egyptian Prince Ptolemy (Lathyrus) and signed a treaty with the latter's mother and arch-enemy Cleopatra III.
He conquered the area around Israel's North Coast, as well as Gaza and territories east of the Jordan, but his ambitious campaigns and dreams of world conquest could not be sustained by the small agricultural kingdom of Judea and the people eventually rebelled against him.
The novel ends with Yannai's massacre of the Jews of Jerusalem, and the rebellion against him.
It has all the ingredients of a great historic novel, including intrigue, murder, romance and miracles.

[Avraham Anouchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished reading the English translation of THE KING OF FLESH AND BLOOD six months ago and I finally found the time to write my opinion in February 2011. I read the original Hebrew version twenty years ago. Most probably it is the best book that Moshe Shanir wrote. I recommend it highly to anyone interested in the Judean history which predates the arrival of the Romans to Judea.

The King of Flesh of Blood is one of the most exciting historical novels I ever read. It depicts the struggle between the cruel king Alexander Yannay and his brother-in-law, Shimon Ben Shetach, the brother of Queen Shlom-Zion, also known as Salome Alexandra.

The battles between the Judean army and the forces of Cleopatra's son is described in a masterful way, but its excellence is dwarfed by the description of how the Queen managed to outfox her husband's forces and save the members of the Sanhedrin.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

THis book was a major find for me. Recommended by a mentor and from what I understand highly acclaimed years before i was born, it encapsulates in a novel fashion what may have transpired during what the hIstorians refer to as the 'lost years' in the second Temple era of ancient Israel. THe author displays critical knowledge of ancient ritual and uses it in a targeted fashion to highlight tensions and bring out the ultimate tragedies and conflicts, both inner and external of the leading personalities of that time and place. THis is must reading for those who have interest of this era and genre.

[Anat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating piece of Jewish history… with historical language to match- it was quite a challenge to read it in Hebrew, but the old language definitely made it feel more authentic. It ends on a cliffhanger though?!

[Ido Hadanny · Rating 4 out of 5]

ספר מתפורר שהלוויתי מרות, עם כריכה מתפוררת ומפה של מלכות החשמונאים בימי אלכסנדר ינאי.
הדבר הכי חשוב בו זה כמובן העברית המישנאית המעולה, אבל אולי זה גם חלק מהסיבות שלקח לי כמעט 3 חודשים לגמור אותו, או זה מה שהייתי מעדיף לחשוב...

הסיפור עצמו הוא גדול בהרבה מהחיים, מהסוג שכבר כמעט לא יוצא לי לקרוא. תככים ומזימות בנוסח "משחקי הכס" שעבר גיור. נזכרתי בימי מבוכים ודרקונים כשמישהו הוסיף דמות של "רבי" לצד הכוהנים הקוסמים והמכשפים. קשה קצת להזדהות עם כל האידיאליסטים הקנאים הבוערים האלה, ואבשלום החנון והגווילים שלו הוא היחיד שאיכשהו עבר.

מאד אהבתי את העיסוק בנוכרים. בשונה מבתנ"ך, יש עוד עמים סביב היהודים! וגם להם יש יתרונות וחסרונות, והיהודים תלויים בהם ולהיפך במסחר במלחמה ואפילו בידע ובחוכמה. קטע חזק בו ינאי נתקל בפתגם יווני ונזכר בטעם המוזר של הדו-משמעות שטמונה בו והעומקים שאליהם הוא מגיע בכזאת תמציתיות, או הקטע בו דיודרס מנסה לאמוד את גודל הצבא שרודף אחריהם, ולוקח בחשבון את ציפוף השורות שהמצביא השני בוודאי נוקט בו, כדי לתחבל את האומד מהצד השני...
הסוף הבלתי נמנע גם כתוב חזק מאד.

באתי אל הסיפור תמים מאד עד כדי סחי, וכרגיל קראתי אותו כפשוטו.
פרטים פה על הקישור לאריק שרון שחמק ממני, ואפילו זהותו של אנטיפס:
http://pashoot.wordpress.com/2005/01/...

לא קל בכלל אבל מפנק = אהבתי.