The Hem: Jesus healed me when I touched His hem.

As my mother Mariah escapes Bethlehem with my eighteen-month-old brother to avoid King Herod's death squad, she secretly sends me to the safety of Jerusalem. I was only 6 weeks old.

The Jerusalem Temple becomes my sanctuary. With Dinah my mentor I immerse myself in service and learn master camel riding alongside the Roman infantry. Life seems idyllic.

At twenty, I am banished from the temple with an incurable illness. Despite my affliction, I find solace in serving others with Sophie, Dinah's...