Book Proposal
Queen Salome: Jerusalem’s Forgotten Ruler and the Mysterious Women of the Dead Sea Scrolls
by
Kenneth Atkinson
Associate Professor of Religion
University of Northern Iowa
Department of Philosophy and World Religions
154 Baker Hall
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0501
Phone: (319) 266-0400
Fax: 319-273-7095
E-mail: Kenneth.Atkinson@uni.edu
Web Site: http://www.uni.edu/atkinson
When people hear the name Salome, they immediately think of the infamous dancing girl of the Gospels. Herod Antipas—the man Jesus denounced as a “fox”¾had married his brother’s wife, Herodias. When John the Baptist denounced this illicit union, Herod Antipas cast him into prison. It was Herodias’s daughter, Salome, who danced before Herod at his drunken birthday gala. Her performance so pleased Herod that he promised her anything she wished: up to half his kingdom! At her mother’s urging, Salome asked for the head of Herod’s most famous prisoner on a platter. Fearful of breaking his word before his guests, Herod granted Salome’s request and ordered John the Baptist beheaded.
In antiquity there was a considerably more famous Salome who was revered for centuries. She was so admired that generations of mothers, Herodias apparently among them, named their daughters Salome in her honor. This Salome was the only woman to govern Judea¾a land the Bible also calls Israel and the Romans later named Palestine¾as its sole ruler. She is even mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls: the sole woman, and one of only 18 people, named in the scrolls. She presided over a number of religious reforms that shaped the Judaism of Jesus’ day as well as our own. During a time of chaos, men chose her to lead their nation and fight their battles. Centuries later, the authors of the Talmud regarded her reign as a golden age. Yet, this remarkable woman has been largely erased from history. Her name is Queen Salome Alexandra. This is the first book to document her remarkable life, and an age when women ruled men.
Biography: Based on the author’s experiences as a professor of ancient and modern religions, an archaeologist, a traveler, a factory worker, and a soldier, this book uncovers a unique period of history when women ruled ancient Israel, Palestine, Syria, and Jordan. The writer spent several years full-time excavating and travelling throughout Europe and the Middle East to unravel many of the secrets about Salome Alexandra’s life and times. Written for a popular audience, the author uses his vast life experiences to recreate Salome Alexandra’s world in an engaging narrative. Many of his findings have been presented to academic audiences in Europe and the Middle East, and published in leading academic and popular journals, including several articles in Biblical Archaeology Review.
Features: Queen Salome: Jerusalem’s Forgotten Ruler and the Mysterious Women of the Dead Sea Scrolls:
•Describes Salome Alexandra’s remarkable life and times based on the author’s historical and archaeological discoveries.
• Examines Salome Alexandra’s female contemporaries who ruled some of the greatest kingdoms in antiquity.
• Reveals the mysterious lives of female monks mentioned in ancient Egyptian documents and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
• Explores how Salome Alexandra’s family created religious martyrdom.
• Shows how Salome Alexandra’s religious and political reforms shaped the Judaism of Jesus’ day as well as our own.
Market: This book will attract readers interested in historical biography, religion, history, gender studies, and politics. Written for a popular audience, it should appeal to women of all ages, as well as students, and laypeople. School, college, and public libraries, and book clubs will find an audience for this book, especially since it is the only biography to document Queen Salome Alexandra’s remarkable life and times. It also has adoption potential in schools, seminaries, and religious study groups.
Outline:
Introduction: A Forgotten Queen, A Forgotten World
• Introduces Salome Alexandra and the turbulent world of the first century B.C.E.
Chapter 1: By Another Name
• Uncovers Salome Alexandra’s true name and explores the forgotten women of her time.
Chapter 2: A World of Divided Loyalties
• Reconstructs the Greek cultural phenomenon known as Hellenism, whose chief characteristic was cultural and religious tolerance.
Chapter 3: A Family of Warrior Priests
• Narrates the accomplishments of Salome Alexandra’s family, whose deeds are still recounted at the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
Chapter 4: Queen Salome Alexandra’s Lost Years
• Recreates for the first time Salome Alexandra’s youth and early adulthood.
Chapter 5: John Hyrcanus: The Prophet
• Describes the violent life of Salome Alexandra’s father-in-law, whose religious and political reforms she undid when she became queen.
Chapter 6: Salina Alexandra: A Judean Women Who Did Not Know Her Place
• Uncovers evidence that Salome Alexandra’s sister-in-law murdered of her spouse so that she could place a woman in power.
Chapter 7: Women Queens To The North: Cleopatra Thea and Her Descendants
• Explores the life of the Syrian queen Cleopatra Thea and her female descendants who helped Salome Alexandra attain power.
Chapter 8: Warriors Queens of Egypt: Cleopatra II & III
• Investigates the deeds and motivations of the pro-Jewish Egyptian monarchs Cleopatra II and her sister, Cleopatra III, who helped shaped, and saved, Salome Alexandra’s kingdom.
Chapter 9: Alexander Jannaeus: A Man Who Knew His Place
• Narrates Salome Alexandra’s role during her husband’s violent reign.
Chapter 10: Queen Triumphant: The Improbable Rise of Salome Alexandra
• Contains new evidence revealing how Salome Alexandra led troops in battle and took power.
Chapter 11: Judea’s Golden Age
• Uses medieval Jewish texts to reveal that Salome Alexandra’s reign was her nation’s golden age.
Chapter 12: The Mysterious Women of the Dead Sea Scrolls
• Builds upon the author’s work on the Dead Sea Scrolls to describe ancient female religious leaders.
Chapter 13: The Dancing Women of the Egyptian Desert
• Examines an Egyptian Jewish community of female and male monks.
Chapter 14: A Tale of Two Sons
• Explores the different temperaments of Salome Alexandra’s two sons.
Chapter 15: Salome Alexandra’s Final Struggle
• Presents Salome Alexandra’s valiant efforts to preserve her nation during her final hours.
Chapter 16: The Other Alexandras
• Shows how Salome Alexandra’s granddaughters preserved her legacy by creating the last independent Jewish State before 1948.
Chapter 17: Salome Alexandra’s Legacy
• Explores Salome Alexandra’s contributions to Judaism and Christianity.
Sample: A selection of material from this book has been published as:
“The Salome No One Knows: Long-time Ruler of a Prosperous and Peaceful Judea Mentioned in Dead Sea Scrolls.” Biblical Archaeology ReviewBiblical Archaeology Review 34 (2008) 60-65, 72. [Subscription required for electronic version.]