I received The Lost Letters of Pergamum by Bruce W. Longnecker as a Christmas present. I was eager to start reading it and finished it in a day. Longnecker is currently Professor of Religion at Baylor University. His work of historical fiction contains correspondence between Luke the evangelist and Antipas, a wealthy pro-Roman businessman. Antipas obtains a copy of Luke’s Gospel and begins writing to Luke, to whom he was introduced through a mutual acquaintance, with questions, comments, and even criticisms of Jesus’ life and teaching. I won’t say more about the story, but I will point out that this Antipas is the same man mentioned in Revelation 2 who dies as a martyr.
The Lost Letters of Pergamum is fiction, but the storyline is realistic and it’s portrayal of late first century Roman culture and beliefs is based on solid historical research. I found this short book to be a great introduction to the world of the New Testament and a fun read.
That sounds interesting. I have been wanting to find good historical fiction covering the New Testament period. I tried looking in Family Christian stores once and was directed first to Amish fiction and then to The Shack! Maybe not much exists but I’m happy to see some does–and based on solid research.
I think you would enjoy Pergamum. Let me know if you’d like to borrow it.