Why Write About Persecution?
Think of Paul’s writings! Millions have read of Paul being in Attalia at the end of his First Missionary Journey. The New Testament is available in 80% of the world’s population. Millions of Christians read his letters. Christian Churches owe much to Paul, and all the writers of the Old and New Testaments. Words travel through space and time. Words matter. Phrases hold people together. Writings come back to people. Sometimes in dreams. In conversations. In music and in poems.
Although words may be the most fragile “things” in the world, thoughts speed from one person to another at the speed of sound. Strong men wield power with a single word. The Lord told Daniel, “But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” (Daniel 12:4) Like him, all the other authors of the Bible received a mandate to write.
Each novel can be read independently of the others, but the first paragraph of each novel follows immediately upon the heels of the previous one. Each novel explores the life and culture of the seven cities in depth at the end of the First Century, how the cultural life impacted the growth of, and struggles of, the Early Church, how persecution actually made the Early Church a stronger vital force.
Major themes throughout the set of my seven novels correspond to current conflicts in the church (but don't seek to provide answers to current situations). Some of the themes: leadership development, fellowship in the midst of conflicting personalities and expectations, multiplication of copies of the scriptures for other churches, discipleship, care of the poor, social concerns, relationship to the government, slavery and freedom from slavery, thorny relationships between Jews and Early Believers (Christians).
I have had a lot of positive feedback from early readers, especially men who seem to enjoy the variety of conflicts between the characters. (business men vs guilds; Roman officers and centurions vs. a soldier who is a new believer; seven varieties of priests and temples vs. one stubborn believer - Antipas; individuals committed to return to pre-Roman culture vs. Rome's dominant law system in Asia Minor.
The connecting story between the books is the romance that takes place between Miriam, a Jewish woman, and Anthony, a new believer, a Roman legionary. This "impossible romance" brings about an intense search of the scriptures (Old Testament) that Antipas goes through before - at the end of the first novel - agreeing to their marriage, and then in the next six novels ... their life together as life in the Roman army makes it more and more difficult for Anthony to serve.
Anthony is sent from one of the seven cities to another on various assignments, until he too, like Antipas, comes before the Roman authorities ... but unlike Antipas, its a case of treason for Anthony. So, the final book takes us to Ephesus, where the Temple of Artemis is so central, where Anthony's final trial takes place ... and many of the characters in the first six novels reappear at his trial ... in the cultural milieu ... or in the military trial in the final great conflict of the saga.
The next question for my next blog in this series, is: “Why write about Wealth and Poverty?