For The Temple by G. A. Henty: Radio Theater from Heirloom Audio
Our family has been listening to For The Temple, the latest radio theater production from Heirloom Audio. We were provided with a copy of the 2 CD set as part of the Homeschool Review Crew. All opinions are our own.
Have you listened to a radio theater production?
For several years, this is how people were entertained in their homes.
As much as we enjoy a good TV show, there is something wonderful about radio theater which has you engaging imagination to paint a picture of what is happening.
About For The Temple from Heirloom Audio
This production takes you to the 1st century after Christ.
Unrest in Israel is building. Different Jewish leaders are plotting ways to get out from under Rome’s rule. But, not all want to fight with Rome. Rather, they seek a way to co-exist with the Romans while preserving their heritage and most importantly protecting the Temple in Jeruselum.
The main protagonist of the story is John. When you meet him, he is a young man who has been mastering the skills needed to run the family farm where they grow grapes for wine that is sought out by those both near and far.
John is already pledged to marry a young girl named Mary. She resides with the family since the death of her parents.
It is through an impetuous action by Mary that John and his family find their lives changed forever. Her desire to have a few minutes alone with him lead to them being stranded on the water. A rescue by a larger vessel leads to their meeting Josephus, the Jew put in charge of the area by the Romans.
Josephus does not want to fight with Rome. Rather, he seeks to prepare should a fight ensue while striving to bring peace to the region. John’s father already had a high opinion of Josephus, so when John is asked to join his men it is an easy decision for him.
Thus starts a journey that will lead John into situations he never imagined as a boy on the family farm. He faces dangerous situations, but through his wit and devotion to God is able to survive and guide others in the process.
Along the way, he meets followers of Christ who introduce him to the teachings and why they believe him to be the long awaited Messiah.
Our Thoughts on For The Temple
Like past Heirloom Audio productions, this one takes the G. A. Henty novel and modifies it for the radio drama style. The actors coupled with interjections of sounds to evoke the setting make it easy to bring the story to life.
For my boys, the battle scenes are favorites. But, they also enjoy talking about what is happening and why different characters made the choices they did. Like how Rome had the strength, yet some of the leaders of Jewish sects were so focused on their own gain that they sacrificed the lives of others and ultimately the Temple.
These discussions happen easily when integrating the use of the study guide for this production. Each track of the audio production has a series of questions that help younger students get more from their listening. These can be done orally while older students could use them as a launching point for written assignments.
Each group of questions is broken down into three categories: Listening Well, Thinking Further, and Defining Words. Listening Well focuses on comprehension checking if they caught key facts while listening. Thinking Further ones are less defined for a perfect answer as they require your child to dig deeper than the story. Finally, the Defining Words section helps them to develop vocabulary.
Would your family enjoy listening to this new radio drama based on a G. A. Henty novel?
Don’t just take my word for how we found this to be. Visit the Heirloom Audio post on the Homeschool Review Crew website to see what other homeschooling parents thought about this resource.
