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.
“Slayton’s critique shows an insider’s awareness of the legal profession’s most pressing problems.”
Globe and Mail
“…smart and lively… Slayton’s credentials… make him just the man to figure out why lawyers who go bad do so.”
Toronto Star
“Slayton knows how to tell a human-interest, human frailty tale. And he seamlessly interweaves his larcenous-or-libidinous-lawyer stories with the larger legal and ethical issues at play. Lawyers Gone Bad can be read for fun, or for edification, or both.”
Winnipeg Free Press
“Mr. Slayton brings impressive credentials to this exercise and what he says should be of interest to both lawyers and the public… Lawyers Gone Bad is a well-organized, well-written and manageable text that is a welcome addition to the limited literature on lawyer self-regulation.”
Financial Post
“…the profession should take note and engage in debate about the issues Slayton has brought to light.”
Canadian Lawyer
“…authoritative and entertaining book… Slayton has provided a tremendous public service in highlighting the problems.”
Georgia Straight
“With this titillating tell-all, Philip Slayton has punctured the dignity of a stuffed-shirt profession…
Vancouver Sun
“I recommend the book to lawyers and non-lawyers alike. It is beautifully written and, at times, the stories are jaw-dropping.”
Michael Cochrane, Business News Network
Penguin Canada 2007
LAWYERS GONE BAD
Money, Sex and Madness in Canada’s Legal Profession
Philip Slayton, a renowned lawyer, legal scholar, and teacher, offers lively, cautionary tales of some of the more outrageous and colourful transgressions in the legal community.
In Vancouver, a lawyer specializing in real estate perpetrates the biggest legal fraud in Canadian history and then launches a new career as a pet food salesman…
A coal miner’s son becomes a respected lawyer and an elected MLA. Then he’s convicted of swindling the settlement money of a child orphaned by his mother’s fatal car accident…
A prairie lawyer hailed for defending Aboriginal clients is convicted of sexual assault after he admits to having sex with those same clients…
Entertaining and thoughtful, Lawyers Gone Bad also provides insight into the legal profession and how the law itself can be twisted or fail.
Philip Slayton, an award winning columnist on legal issues,divides his time between Toronto, and Port Medway, Nova Scotia, and a guest lectureship in South Africa.
