The Shepherd's Wife
Can she discover the purpose of the life she’s been given? Yeshua of Nazareth has two sisters: Damaris, married to a wealthy merchant’s son, and Pheodora, wed to a simple shepherd from Bethlehem. Damaris can’t understand why her younger sister settled for such a poor existence, but she does what she can to share her abundance. When her husband is invited to join the Pharisees, she is excited by the opportunity to elevate the family’s status, even though some aspects of the lifestyle seem contrary to what she has always been taught. Pheodora has long felt inadequate compared to her beautiful sister but has no regrets about the life she chose. When Pheodora’s husband is unexpectedly thrown into debtors’ prison, she is shocked to learn that a loan from her generous sister would jeopardize her brother-in-law’s religious aspirations. Forced to pin her hopes on two she-goats whose spotless white offspring could be sold for an upcoming Yom Kippur sacrifice, Pheodora must struggle to keep the animals—and her family—alive. When horrific reports about Yeshua reach the sisters in Nazareth, Pheodora and Damaris each grapple with their relationships to God, their radical brother, and their own questioning hearts.
