I do not know why everyone was so excited about the recent book Zealot. (OK I do--he was not a Christian carping from within). The Roman Siege of Jerusalem said the same things years before, cited the same sources (lots of Josephus) and because it was written by a military historian it has some nifty details, like the shape of helmets the Romans wore, how far they could throw their lances and the way they did troop movements. The Jewish zealot and moderate leaders are shown bumping each other off when the Romans were at the gate. Jesus' brother James, who ran things Christian-wise until he got offed in the Roman conquest, is big in the book. And Ballsy Paul who reinvented Christianity is in there too. The whole gang. Plus some great tactics to use when a bunch of rebels is hiding in an impregnable fortress. ( )