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The Bronze Bow is a book by Elizabeth George Speare that won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1962.

Plot introduction

Set in Israel of the first century, the lead character, a young man named Daniel Bar Jamin, grows up at the same time as Jesus of Nazareth is on the scene. Daniel's father was crucified in front of him by the Roman occupiers, so even at the age of eight, he takes immediate hate and distrust to the Romans and vows that he will avenge his father. His mother dies over the grief of her husband's death and his younger sister Leah was emotionally traumatized because of these events and had never gone out of the house. Since then, the children are both taken in by their grandmother, but as she became ill and more poor over the years, she sells Daniel to Amalek the blacksmith. However, Daniel escapes to the mountains because of his cruel master and meets up with Rosh, the leader of an outlaw band of rebels in the mountains. Five years after these events, he meets two old childhood friends; Joel bar Hezron and his twin sister Malthace. Their meeting causes a series of events, including when Daniel was to go and help his sister when their grandmother passes away and the time when he meets up with a fictionalized version of Jesus Christ.

Critical views

The book has been criticised by some Jewish groups for a hostile depiction of Judaism and an idealized version of Christianity. Written by a Sunday School teacher, it arguably represents missionary literature and its use in classroom instruction remains controversial. For more details, please see:

• The Bronze Bow: A Critical Website and
• The Bronze Bow in public schools: issues and insights

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