Asher’s Eye
Ebook
Asher, a young Israelite, lives exiled in ancient Babylon. Born with one eye brown and the other blue, he has endured a lifetime of mockery and rejection. No wonder he despises YAH, the god of Israel, for being too weak to save his people from disaster. Asher becomes houseboy to a wealthy Babylonian lady, who tempts him to adopt the faith and culture of his oppressors. He is present when his uncle, the prophet Ezekiel, receives a vision of YAH, commanding him to speak judgment against Israel. Ezekiel's right eye turns blue--just like Asher's. Both men are prophets, but Asher resists that call with all his might. After all, prophets bring bad news of coming doom. Some, like Ezekiel, do crazy things. Prophets are persecuted. No! Far better, Asher reasons, the promise of luxury and power as a Babylonian.
But then, some Israelites, including Asher's brother and best friend, Josiah, plot the Babylonian King Nebuchadrezzar's overthrow. Will Asher betray them or join the fight for his people's freedom? More important, will he accept the prophetic burden and pay the price for being a faithful servant of YAH--a price higher than he could have imagined?
“Asher’s Eye is the thrilling story of a young man struggling with his faith (and his family) during the Babylonian exile of the Jews. A timeless tale of a boy growing to manhood and coming to terms with the beliefs of his people, the novel offers a historically detailed and believable rendering of ancient Babylonia. Asher is an endearing and inspiring character who will live in the imaginations of his readers long after the novel is finished.”
—Caren J. Town, Georgia Southern University
“Dudley weaves an enchanting midrashic narrative of the struggles of life in exile, where longing for home and a sense of divine abandonment are woven into every moment. All who read this novel will be touched by the universal themes of belonging, family, and one’s calling in life. Set in the Babylonian exile, Asher’s Eye has a particular currency, where hope finds its truest form in the midst of fear, violence, and otherness. This is a story for all ages!”
—Hemchand Gossai, Northern Virginia Community College
“Following the rich Solomonic world portrayed in Joel and the Egyptian Cat, David Dudley takes us closer in time and farther afield to the Babylonian Empire and the captives living within it after the fall of Jerusalem. The stirring story told is one of intrigue and desperation, where questions of loyalty, identity, and strange visions confront a young man faced with weighty decisions. A captivating read.”
—Daniel Pioske, Georgia Southern University
“Dudley has created a masterpiece of biblical mystery: How does one become a prophet? And what marks a prophet and sets him or her apart from the world? Dudley is a talented storyteller. He not only mines the world of Israel and Babylonia but fashions an allegorical, even magical, answer to the question ‘What makes a prophet?’ In so doing, he transforms the biblical story into a modern mystery. I recommend this marvelous story.”
—Richard Lischer, author of Our Hearts Are Restless: The Art of Spiritual Memoir
- Title: Asher’s Eye
- Author: David L. Dudley
- Publisher: Resource Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2022
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666796230, 9781666796223, 1666796220, 9781666737127, 1666737127, 1666796239
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666796230
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-06-20T22:58:58Z
David L. Dudley served as a minister in the Lutheran Church before becoming a Professor of Literature at Georgia Southern University, where he served on the faculty for thirty years. He retired in 2019. Dudley is the author of The Bicycle Man, Caleb’s Wars, and Cy in Chains. His novel Joel and the Egyptian Cat has recently been published by Wipf and Stock.