Born into a priestly family, the young Joseph ben Matthias (Josephus) is selected by the Grand Council of Jerusalem to undertake a mission to free several of his countrymen who have been held captive in the city of Rome for over a decade. The trip by merchant ship into the heart of the Empire is fraught with danger, as life on the Mare Nostrum is perilous at best, besieged by pirates and unpredictable storms. Attacked by brigands, shipwrecked, and...