Crime thriller starring John Cusack, Rebecca Da Costa and Robert De Niro. Assassin Jack (Cusack) is given a new assignment by his ruthless boss Dragna (De Niro): he must collect a bag without looking inside it and stay at a motel until Dragna arrives. At the motel there are many suspicious characters who all seem to want to get their hands on the bag and the murder count rises as Jack protects its contents. He meets prostitute Rivka (Da Costa), who is hiding out in his room, and is unsure whether he can trust her but allows her to stay because she knows too much. When Dragna eventually comes to the motel Jack learns that there is more to the mission than he first realised...

A conflict that erupted between Roman legions and some Judaeans in late AD 66 had an incalculable impact on Rome's physical appearance and imperial governance; on ancient Jews bereft of their mother-city and temple; and on early Christian fortunes. Historical scholarship and cinema alike tend to see the conflict as the culmination of long Jewish resistance to Roman oppression. In this volume, Steven Mason re-examines the war in all relevant contexts (such as the Parthian dimension, and Judaea's place in Roman Syria) and phases, from the Hasmoneans to the fall of Masada. Mason approaches each topic as a historical investigation, clarifying problems that need to be solved, understanding the available evidence, and considering scenarios that might explain the evidence. The simplest reconstructions make the conflict more humanly intelligible while casting doubt on received knowledge.

A conflict that erupted between Roman legions and some Judaeans in late AD 66 had an incalculable impact on Rome's physical appearance and imperial governance; on ancient Jews bereft of their mother-city and temple; and on early Christian fortunes. Historical scholarship and cinema alike tend to see the conflict as the culmination of long Jewish resistance to Roman oppression. In this volume, Steven Mason re-examines the war in all relevant contexts (such as the Parthian dimension, and Judaea's place in Roman Syria) and phases, from the Hasmoneans to the fall of Masada. Mason approaches each topic as a historical investigation, clarifying problems that need to be solved, understanding the available evidence, and considering scenarios that might explain the evidence. The simplest reconstructions make the conflict more humanly intelligible while casting doubt on received knowledge.

This is a collection of essays focusing on the threads in Josephus (a first century Jewish historian and apologist whose works provide valuable insight into the background of first century Judaism and early Christianity) that are of particular interest to people studying the background and development of Christianity.
"Some of our most basic analytical categories, such as 'religion, ' 'Judaism, ' and even 'gospel, ' do not map onto ancient conceptions or language." This insight, gained from long study in the biblical world, governs "Josephus, Judea, and Christian Origins." Steve Mason combines recently published essays with new studies to produce a coherent, sequential exploration of "methods and categories" important for the study of Roman Judea and Christian beginnings.
This book takes up basic but often overlooked questions of historical method in studying first-century Judea and the origins of Christianity. Many of these questions concern the use of Josephus (the first-century Jewish historian whose work is of crucial importance for this period) for reconstructing this history. Chapters deal with Josephus' authority, his method of publication and audiences, "Judaism," Pharisees, Essenes, "gospel," and much else.