Discussion Questions

1. Had you ever heard of Queen Salome Alexandra before reading this book? Did you know Israel was ruled by a queen before it became a province of Rome?
2. After Sipporah dies, Kissa thinks: HaShem, it seemed to me, did not allow his people to experience joy unless it was accompanied by an equal portion of sorrow.
        Do you believe this is true? Why would God send joy as well as sorrow? Is it good for us to experience both?
3. When her mother dies, Salome thinks: I did not weep for myself. Long ago I had learned how to make my own way in the world. I wept for my mother, who wanted more than anything to see one of her daughters grow up and marry a wealthy man with power and position. She had pinned all her hopes on Ketura, and so great was her blind obstinacy that she was not aware when her dreams and yearnings were fulfilled in a totally unexpected way.
        In what way was Sipporah like the Jews a generation later? Who were they yearning for? What did they expect? And when their long-awaited Messiah came, why did so many not recognize Him?
4. If you had been Salome Alexandra, which of the two sons would you have chosen to sit on Judea’s throne? Do you agree with her decision to accept her husband’s choice and sit on the throne herself?
5. Why do you think Alexander Jannaeus asked Salome to give his body to the Pharisees to whom he had been so cruel?
6. Did you identify with any of the characters in this story? Why or why not?
7. Salome Alexandra died sixty-seven years before the birth of Christ. Before reading this novel, were you aware that many of the Jews of that day were living in great anticipation of the Messiah’s arrival?
8. Have you read the other books in THE SILENT YEARS series? How did this novel expand your knowledge of the Intertestamental Period?
9. Women in biblical times were often considered chattel with very few rights. Their husbands could divorce them for almost any reason, they could not vote, and in some cases they could not even leave the house without a male attendant. Why was Salome Alexandra granted such independence?
10. Salome often thinks about Kissa’s status as a slave. But on a basic level, wasn’t Salome as much a slave to her circumstances as Kissa was? Were any of the women in this story truly free?
11. Salome frequently looks for a savior, and God does send her a savior from her poverty and her unhappy marriage. How does this theme of a savior carry throughout the story?
12. The doctrine of God’s sovereignty declares that He’s sovereign over all His creation and implies that He works out a plan for each person. What were some of the events in Salome’s life that enabled her to become the queen she ultimately became?