In 701 B.C. the Assyrian empire was in its ascendancy. It had already vanquished the kingdom of Israel to the north including the capital at Samaria. It then prepared an assault on Judah and its capital at Jerusalem.
But in one of those significant events that changes the course of world history, Assyria was repelled. Jerusalem was saved until 586 B.C. when the Babylonians sacked the city, forcing its leadership class into exile.
Henry Aubin, in a major feat of scholarship, determines that Jerusalem was aided by a Kushite army from Africa which had marched northeast from the Nile valley. While the Bible attributes the Assyrian retreat to an angel and secular commentators cite pestilence, Aubin, in a meticulously documented work, demonstrates that an alliance with the African nation of Kush bolstered Jerusalem’s defences.
Kush, also known as Nubia, was located in what is now southern Egypt and northern Sudan. A monarchy that existed for more than 1000 years, from 900 B.C. to A.D. 350, Kushites held sway over Egypt from 712 B.C. to about 660 B.C. Of Egypt’s 31 dynasties, this, the 25th Dynasty, is the only one that all scholars agree, was black.
The commander of the Kushite expeditionary force was Taharqa (or as the Bible calls him Tirhakah). This Kushite prince, who had his own interests in halting Assyrian expansion, likely caught the aggressors by surprise as they prepared their siege of Jerusalem.
Aubin offers a thrilling military history and a stirring political analysis of the ancient world. He also sees the event as influential over the centuries.
The Kushite rescue of the Hebrew kingdom of Judah enabled the fragile, war-ravaged state to endure, to nurse itself back to economic and demographic health, and allowed the Hebrew religion, Yahwism, to evolve within the next several centuries into Judaism. Thus emerged the monotheistic trunk supporting Christianity and Islam.
Don Gutteridge, acclaimed poet and novelist, has completed 12 novels in this landmark series starring the dashing Marc Edwards. They will appeal to fans of Patrick O’Brian orBernard Cornwell.
“Praise to Don Gutteridge for bringing so skilfully to life this important piece of our past: the long, hard struggle for responsible government”
-Saskatoon Star Phoenix
Don Gutteridge
Dubious Allegiance
Autumn 1837, Lieutenant Marc Edwards is sent with his British regiment to subdue increasingly hostile French rebels in what later became Quebec. The brutality causes Marc to question whether the sacrifices he has made for the British Crown have been worth the cost.
On his return to Toronto, Marc is accompanied by a group of seemingly innocent civilians. It becomes clear that some fellow travellers are not who they claim and Marc is the target of an unknown assassin. When a member of the group is found murdered, Marc realizes that he may have more than one killer to worry about.
