The Roar of the Lions

This is a story about Daniel’s and Amel-Marduk’s (the crown prince of Babylon) struggle to hold together the 6th century BC Neo-Babylonian Empire during a seven-year vacuum of leadership created when King Nebuchadnezzar suffered a God-ordained mental breakdown and could no longer rule. The pressures are intense as they are attacked on all fronts by pretenders to the throne, by foreign enemies, by illness, by crippling accidents, and ultimately by a mutinous rebellion led by the prince’s brother-in-law aided by the high priest of the Temple of Marduk. It is also a love story. A story of God’s love and care for those seeking his sovereignty; and a love story of two people who come from two very different worlds but are brought together by a tumultuous series of events not of their own doing. Their love prevails and grows from their mutual trust and respect of each other’s inner character. Amel, the prince, and Dorcas, the Jewish servant, are finally able to see each other as peers, allowing love to blossom. Above all, it is a story about the deep friendship and respect among three very differing, strong personalities each subject to the sovereign power of God: an aggressive, arrogant, hard-driving king . . . a crown prince trained to be victorious in war by his ruthless father but tempered in spirit by the accidental deaths of his wife and children which drove him to escape into the world of design and architecture . . . an exceptionally wise and unyielding administrator and former Jewish captive driven by Godly principles. For all three, there is no compromise. Each is committed to excellence, and a growing mutual respect paves the way to a successful ruling partnership.