Tired of Netflix yet? With Easter approaching and (perhaps) some extra reading time on your hands, I have two books I would love to recommend to you. Both books are historic-fiction and both approach the story of Jesus through the eyes of a Roman character. If historic-fiction is your cup of tea, I think you’ll really enjoy them both.
The Advocate by Randy Singer
Randy Singer, a lawyer by trade, imaginatively steps into the sandals of Theophilus in his historic-fiction The Advocate. Theophilus is the man (or perhaps group of people) who Luke writes Luke and Acts to. Luke begins his account this way, “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus…” Acts begins similarly, “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach…”
Randy Singer imagines that Theophilus was a Roman advocate, tutored in Rome by the Roman philosopher Seneca who then takes his first post under Pontius Pilate where he stands behind Pilate during the trial of Jesus of Nazareth. Part III (there are nine parts in the book) where Singer let’s us view the last week of Jesus’ life through Roman eyes alone is worth the price of the book.
At the end of Theophilus’s life, he is placed in the crosshairs of this Nazarene again, this time as the advocate for Paul. It is here that Theophilus asks for legal briefs from Luke to provide a defense for his client, Paul. This is Singer’s creative backstory for the writing of Luke-Acts.
Singer has done his research and it shows. The storyline takes the reader through the reign of four Caesars. Singer has to plant his flag on his interpretation of a number of debated issues during this period, but does so in a compelling and interesting way. Even if you disagree with Singer’s interpretation, you’ll find Singer an enjoyable person to disagree with.
I highly recommend the book and have only the tiniest quibbles with it, the most significant being the final pages of the book (but I won’t ruin that for you here). One note to set your expectations is that quite a bit of the narrative involves the intermediate years between Jesus’ crucifixion and Paul’s trial, so if you pick up the book expecting a book that only traces the pages of scripture be prepared to spend quite a lot of time in Rome.
A Week in the Life of a Roman Centurion by Gary Burge
Gary Burge’s A Week in the Life of a Roman Centurion has been on my bookshelf for several years and for some reason kept getting passed over. I’m so glad that I finally got to it. Burge’s book was a surprise to me on a number of levels. Burge’s book is an historic non-fiction account of the centurion in Matthew 8 and Luke 7 and yet only the final chapter of Burge’s novel records the centurion’s encounter with Jesus. Burge uses the bulk of his book to build a backstory of the centurion, who he names Appius. This backstory allows the reader to get a glimpse of the broader Roman empire and a taste of what the life of a Roman soldier and his familia would have been in the first century.
Burge builds the story and the characters well. There is good movement, three-dimensional characters, and nice tension in his telling. Every few pages Burge gives the reader an inset with an explanation of Roman life in the first century. There are plenty of drawings and pictures to accompany Burge’s description of everything from how the Roman army was organized, to Roman worship of their gods, to what a Roman villa would have looked like, to photos of the sites. It a nice facet to the book. There is no question that this is historic fiction. Burge’s tale is grounded in what the life of a Roman soldier really would have felt like in the first century. Burge, a New Testament scholar, truly delivers the historic goods.
The story itself is engaging. Told through the eyes of Appius’s slave and scribe, Tullus, it delivers some powerful moments. That said, if there is a weakness, it is in the fiction writing itself. There are moments the dialogue is thin or the pace lags. But overall, it is still quite good.
If you have any interest in having the New Testament come to life, I highly commend Burge’s A Week in the Life of a Roman Centurion to you. It’s a book that will make the pages of the gospels come to life and give you a sense of what it meant for the power of the gospel to penetrate the Roman world.
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