Doctor Jonathan ben Mordecai (Hebrew: יְהוֹנָתָן בן מָרְדֳּכַי) is a member of the the four detectives, and is a friend of Flavia, Nubia, and Lupus. Jonathan is Jewish. He was born in Jerusalem, but was brought to live in Rome during the First Jewish-Roman War (66-73 AD), the repercussions of which would heavily impact Jonathan and his family for years to come.
Jonathan is a trained gladiator (a retiarius), and is skilled in the use of a sling and bow and arrow. Like his father before him, Jonathan is also a doctor.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Jonathan's father, Mordecai ben Ezra
Jonathan ben Mordecai was born on 15 September AD 68 in Jerusalem, Judaea, the second child of Susannah bat Jonah, a priest's daughter, and Mordecai ben Ezra, a physician. Jonathan's elder sister,Miriam bat Mordecai, is three years his senior. Although he was born into a Jewish family, from childhood Jonathan was raised in his father's faith, as a Christian. Jonathan was named for a former paramour of his mother's, Jonathan the Zealot.
Whilst still a baby, Jonathan was caught up in the AD 68 siege of Jerusalem, as headed by Titus, son of the Roman Emperor Vespasian, in response to the First Jewish Revolt of AD 66-70. Fearing for his family's safety, Jonathan's father Mordecai evacuated both children from the city and fled to Pella, in Macedon, Greece. Mordecai was unable to convince his wife Susannah to leave with them, and it was generally accepted that Susannah died, along with the rest of her family, during the siege. As Mordecai always found this event painful to talk about, Jonathan and Miriam were raised with almost no knowledge of why their mother had remained behind, and Jonathan grew up knowing very little of his mother.
Personality[]
Jonathan is down-to-earth and steady. He can sometimes look on the dark side of life, especially after the events in The Enemies of Jupiter, tending to think that everything is his fault. This also affects his sense of humor; he is funny throughout the series, however, his humor becomes progressively darker.
Jonathan is very intelligent and often uses his wit and intuition to get the detectives out of scrapes.
He is courageous, risking his life for his friends and family. In the later books, he becomes reckless with his life, putting its worth far below his loved ones'.
Skills and Abilities[]
Jonathan can play the barbiton, and often accompanies his friends when they play music.
He is shown to be talented at mathematics and engineering, for example when he devises the "float-rope" for Lupus in The Dolphins of Laurentum. In addition, he is proficient with a sling, a bow and arrow, hand-to-hand combat, and in retiarius style combat.
As Jonathan grew up in Jerusalem, Rome, and Ostia, he can speak and read fluent Latin and Hebrew, and he has a strong grasp of Greek. He also speaks Aramaic, the language of his mother Susannah.
Jonathan is a trained doctor, and his medical expertise and practices are very similar to those of his father, Mordecai ben Ezra.
Physical Appearance[]
Childhood[]
Jonathan training as a gladiator
Jonathan is described as "good-looking"[1], with a square face, dark eyes, a "strong, straight nose", olive skin[1], and "masses of curly black hair"[2], his most distinctive feature. Jonathan's hair is cut short multiple times over the course of the books.
Brand given to Jonathan by the Emperor Domitian, visible on his left arm.
He is quite muscular, especially after training as a gladiator[3], but before then he had put on weight and was rather pudgy.
Jonathan is asthmatic, and as of The Secrets of Vesuvius, usually wears a pouch of the herb "ephedron" (probably Ephedra sinica) around his neck, which brings him relief.
He has a brand on his arm given to him by the Emperor Domitian[4], but is marked as a free citizen by his bulla and a ring given to him by the Emperor Titus.
Adulthood[]
L-R: Harry Stott (Lupus) and Eli Machover (Jonathan ben Mordecai) in 2016, aged 21 and 24 respectively
In adulthood, at age 28, Jonathan is described as having "kind brown eyes" in the same squarish face, with curly black hair[5]. Still haunted by the events of The Enemies of Jupiter, Jonathan is melancholic and serious, and rarely smiles. He dresses in a tunic and cloak.
As a doctor, Jonathan carries a medical bag everywhere he goes. Like his father Mordecai in the later books, Jonathan is also an alcoholic, and relies on a mixture of wine and opium during depressive phases[6].
Relationships[]
Pulchra[]
Polla Pulchra takes a liking to Jonathan the moment they meet.
Polla Pulchra shows love to Jonathan by giving him a free, priceless ruby ring.
Eli Machover as Jonathan
Etmology[]
- Jonathan is a male given name of Hebrew origin and means 'has given'.
Trivia[]
- Jonathan has asthma.
- He is the sole introvert of the four detectives.
- He is the second eldest of the four detectives, the eldest being Nubia.
- He is the only uncle of the four detectives (Flavia is a cousin to the same boys, namely Popo and Soso).
Appearances[]
Jonathan appears in, among others, the following novels:
- The Thieves of Ostia
- The Secrets of Vesuvius
- The Pirates of Pompeii
- The Assassins of Rome
- The Dolphins of Laurentum
- The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina
- The Enemies of Jupiter
- The Gladiators from Capua
- The Colossus of Rhodes
- The Fugitive from Corinth
- The Sirens of Surrentum
- The Charioteer of Delphi
- The Slave-girl from Jerusalem
- The Beggar of Volubilis
- The Scribes from Alexandria
- The Prophet from Ephesus
- The Man from Pomegranate Street
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lawrence, Caroline. 2004. The Gladiators of Capua. London, England. Hachette Children's Group.
- ↑ Lawrence, Caroline. 2001. The Thieves of Ostia. London, England. Hachette Children's Group.
- ↑ Lawrence, Caroline. 2005. The Colossus of Rhodes. London, England. Hachette Children's Group.
- ↑ Lawrence, Caroline. 2002. The Assassins of Rome. London, England. Hachette Children's Group.
- ↑ Lawrence, Caroline. 2017. Death in the Arena. London, England. Orion Children's Books.
- ↑ Lawrence, Caroline. 2018. Return to Rome. London, England. Orion Children's Books.