Clash of the Superpowers

A Comparative History Curriculum to Accompany the novel, The Brotherhood of the Scroll, this course is designed to introduce you to the history, geography, and biblical references of the exile of Judah to Babylon, and how we can learn and apply this knowledge to present day events.

Clash of the Superpowers uses the parallels in the geopolitics of 600 B.C. to events happening in today’s world to engage the student in a conversation about geography, history, politics and religion. If we expect young people to be engaged in the process of self-government, we must awaken their innate curiosity to see how all these seemingly dry subjects relate to their daily lives. This course will allow you to help students explore the history of 600 B.C. when Babylon and Egypt vied for world domination, and apply the lessons learned to the modern clash of the superpowers.

Please review the video and download the introduction to the course, as well as a review provided by The Old School House, a Home School Curriculum Magazine.

In creating this course, it is assumed that a group of students will take the course under the direction of an adult teacher. Attached please find a suggested syllabus. You are able to modify it as you wish. For example, you may decide that you only wish to assign the suggested essay assignments. Or, if working with a younger age group, you may wish to only use the assessments we've created - terminology matching, vocabulary, timeline of events.

I have provided the course and lesson descriptions, as well as the syllabus.

The syllabus has suggested teaching strategies for each lesson, as well as point values for assignments.  You may wish to modify this course for use as a section of another course (.i.e., survey of the Old Testament, or use in a history course covering World War II or the Cold War.).  

Additionally, you may wish to use this as an Adult Sunday School course, dispensing with taking the quizzes and doing the assignments.

In 1997, I came up with the idea for a “Tom Clancy” like novel set in bible times. I envisioned a group committed to preserving the Word of God as Babylon threatened to destroy Jerusalem. And so, following the time line of the Book of Jeremiah in the Old Testament, I conceived of a plot line in which Jeremiah, along with his two trusted disciples, Daniel and Ezekiel, worked to preserve God’s word in a world at war. Since finishing the The Brotherhood of the Scroll in 1999, I have now created a home school curriculum titled Clash of the Superpowers and a sequel, The Sword of the Scroll. Through these pages, I invite you to take a few moments to learn about it and see if you might find it of use in working with young people to learn the truth of the bible.

Judah was on a main trade route known as “The Way of the Sea.” It was for this reason that the great powers fought over control of that area. Along with places like Ashkelon, Ammon, and Moab, these nations were what we would call “buffer states.” Thus, the religious practices of foreign nations were introduced to the Jews living in Judah, including the Assyrian practice of child sacrifice to their gods. In this lesson, students learn how several of Judah’s kings adopted these pagan religious practices as we investigate how small nations caught between larger superpowers have suffered in both ancient and modern times.

Please access the accompanying video and session reading for this lesson.

Lesson One takes the student through the first three chapters of the novel and considers three key events that occurred in 605 B.C.: Jeremiah’s prophecy that Judah would be taken into captivity to Babylon, Babylon winning a key battle against the Egyptians at a place called Carchemish, and Nebuchadnezzar becoming king of Babylon. Carchemish lay on an important trade route that even today is in disputed territory in the ongoing civil war in Modern Syria, where the ruins of Carchemish lay. In this lesson, the student is introduced the role trade routes have played in ancient and modern times.

Lesson Two explores the historical fact that Egypt began to construct a canal to connect the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. Students will examine how nations build international alliances to accomplish geopolitical goals. We will consider how the construction of a canal in 600 B.C. would have been a project of international significance, just as building the Suez Canal in 1869. Additionally, we will begin to explore how different ethnic groups with diverse religious backgrounds interacted with one another when living next to each other in the city of Babylon.

In Lesson Three, students explore how nations and their allies have worked to open multiple fronts of attack during times of war against a mutual enemy. We’ll consider how religious world view shapes how we consume, understand, and respond to information. In both ancient and modern times, God’s people have had to reconcile living by God’s laws and man’s sinful desires. And so, we’ll ask the question: Does our faith shape our response to conflict in the world, or will events and different ideas shape our faith?

In Lesson Four, we learn how King Jehoiakim began to seek to build an alliance with Egypt. This led to the use of secret coded messages, as spies were sent to learn the secrets of their adversaries. Students will explore how nations throughout history have used secret codes to pass messages, and will be encouraged to create their own message as part of a class assignment.

In Lesson Five, we explore how the sins of Judah were twofold. First, she had abandoned God. Second, she had turned from trusting God to trusting in her own abilities, as well as the strength of Egypt. The student will also examine how shifting alliances in ancient and modern times often take place in the context of changing world views. We’ll consider how, often times, these world views are influenced by the spiritual beliefs of a nation’s leaders.

In Lesson Six, we explore how Daniel’s friends did not compromise on their core beliefs, but instead worshiped God even when it could have meant their deaths. We also examine how the timing of Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry in Babylon coincided with the Jewish priests forbidding Jeremiah to communicate with the exiles there. Student’s will consider how people in biblical times were called upon to stand for a vital moral principle, and how we and our day are sometimes called to do the same.

In Lesson Seven, we continue to examine the circumstances in which people feel called upon to make a stand for some moral principle. In the novel, we consider how Daniel stood for moral principle, praying to God even though it was against the law. We then ask students to research two famous Supreme Court Cases, Dred Scott v. Sanford and Roe v. Wade. In both cases, the Court made a ruling that sparked social movements to undo the Court’s decision. Students will be asked to consider how God might be calling them to stand for His truth in our day.

In Lesson Eight, students learn of how Jeremiah had to stand against the false prophets of his day in the midst of the crowning of a new king, Zedekiah. We will see how it is always difficult to stand for truth when one is in the minority when the culture changes around us. The concept of “standing stones” is introduced, as well as the need to find a Godly mentor who can help one develop a sense of one’s purpose in life.

In Lesson Nine, one of the factors that plays a role in the conclusion of the novel is the role of geography in determining military strategy. Students learn about the terrain of the territory south of Jerusalem and how the lack of water would have affected troup movements. Modern examples of how generals have used a superior knowledge of terrain to combat their enemies are also explored. Finally, we see how Jeremiah may have reacted to the political failure of Judah’s leaders, and in so doing, God allowed him to glimpse His future plans of sending the Holy Spirit to instruct the hearts of the faithful.

In Session 3, I want to provide you a closing message i call "Next Steps" in which i tell you about the other courses I have at Simpliv and provide some coupon codes for them.

Also, I want to provide you with the answers to the vocabulary tests, short answer essay questions, place / name / event matching quizzes and the novel timeline of events in assessment. I am assuming "you" are the instructor who is teaching a home school group or some other sort of course.

If you are NOT the instructor, please don't look at the answers until after you take the assessments - you're on your honor!

Please be sure to download the answers to the various quizzes. This lesson is really designed for the INSTRUCTOR, so if you happen to be a STUDENT - please don't cheat yourself by looking at the answers before taking all the quizzes!

I want to give you a free e-book that I call "Discovering Courage Like Jeremiah's At the Movies." This is an anthology of my newsletter, Conversations with the Culture, that are related to my novel, The Brotherhood of the Scroll.