I, Saul by Jerry B. Jenkins

 The premise behind I, Saul, by Jerry B. Jenkins, is fascinating. 

Through a series of inter-related storylines, the reader travels through the Apostle Paul's early memories, his experience as a prisoner in ancient Rome's Mamertine prison to be executed, and a modern-day storyline of a university professor who stumbles upon a previously-hidden (and completely unexpected discovery) of Paul's memoir. 

What a fascinating concept! 

That is what kept me reading, as I felt like the novel had a slow start, and I found it difficult to connect to the modern-day characters. When I finally realized what 'incredible discovery' had been found, that's when I found myself invested in the story. I wanted to know more! And the way it ends makes it seem like it's part of a 2-part series. Unfortunately, when I looked on Amazon and saw a title for one called I, Paul, it didn't look like a readily available book even though it was supposed to be published in 2014. I'm unsure if it was ever released—but I'm going to keep looking for it. I want to know what else is in that fictional memoir!

The premise of this novel reminded me a lot of Paul L. Maier's The Constantine Codex and because I just read that novel a few weeks ago, I couldn't help comparing the two. For me, I, Saul fell short, simply because it felt... smaller... than Codex, which felt more global and high-stakes in scope. That being said, it's definitely worth the read!

Click here to find it on Amazon!

The scariest book I've ever read

In 1998, I was 14 years old and visiting my best friend for 3 weeks where she lived in Germany, and randomly picked a book over her family's shelves. It looked interesting because it had to do with history, archeology, and Israel. 

It was the scariest book I've ever read.

The book was A Skeleton in God's Closet by Paul L. Maier, and while I knew it was fiction, its ramifications were terrifying. It wasn't paranormal or horror (although I felt sick with horror, and it did involve a skeleton); it was regular Christian fiction. I remember staying up until 2am to finish it because I had to know. The sinking pit in my stomach, my racing heart (and mind), wouldn't let me go to sleep until I reach the end and verified that even in this fiction.

Without giving away what the book is about, the reader follows a Biblical scholar/professor and archeologist after they make an "impossible" find in a tomb in Israel. Over the course of this year-long journey, its implications rattle the faith of millions around the world and have far-reaching impact—shaking economies and religious followers the world over. 

I recently re-read this book, which is why I'm reviewing it here. While written in an older style, I loved "revisiting" Israel in this book, as the hero travels from Galilee to Masada, to Jerusalem, Jordan, Egypt, the Vatican, the UK, the US, and back again. While I did enjoy that, the romance that builds throughout those visits is distracting, as well as unrealistic (even though stereotypical). To me, it detracts from the story. As for the story itself, I also (because I knew how it ended, haha) was better able to deal with the story from an objective perspective, letting me fully grasp the breadth of this narrative. It really is incredible - and best of all, while fiction, still supports what I know to be true with every fiber of my being. 

You can purchase this book here on Amazon! And come back next week, where we'll talk about it's sequel!

Ciao, Roma!

That's all for now on my trip to Rome (unless I remember something else, haha).

I'm so thankful I finally got to see that beautiful, historic city.

Also, I just wanted to share a favorite series based in the Roman Empire (and also have scenes in Israel). Francine Rivers' Mark of the Lion series is incredible, and I highly recommend it. It's 3 books, but the first 2 are the best. They give in depth insight into what was going on in the world, what the games were like, the lives of the Romans and those also in the Empire—and what it was like for early Christians.

Walking through Rome

I talked in this post about my walk from the Vatican to the Colosseum. It was a cloudy, January day, and ended with me in a lot of pain, but I don't regret it. 

I saw so much as I wound my way along the Tiber River and then through the alleys of Rome, using only my map for guidance. It was fun to explore and go off the beaten path. 

And I got to see more statues, a castle, beautiful views, and so much more!

Visiting the Vatican

One morning, I woke up early and travelled across Rome and the Tiber River to visit the Vatican. Since it's considered a sovereign state, that meant it was a new country for me! Yay!

The hours I spent (and the miles I walked) inside the Vatican, outside of it, down in the catacombs, and then up into the basilica, were breathtaking. So much history. So much priceless art—sculptures, paintings, mosaics, tapestries, and sooooooo much more—and there's so much more that wasn't even available to see. 

They say that if you spend 1 minute in front of every piece of art, it would take you 4 years to see everything. 

It was art overload, and it was stunning.

Then, came time for the Sistine Chapel. Cameras aren't allowed, so I don't have pictures of it. It was beautiful. It left me speechless.

But honestly, I would have rather have spent more time here, than even in the Sistine Chapel, as beautiful as it is.

I'll never forget that day... it was simply too much to take in. I left so thankful, very tired, already limping because of my foot problem. Time for gelato!

The Pantheon

The sun was starting to set as we walked up to the Pantheon. Even though it was in the middle of restoration, it was still so striking—especially since I was going to visit the Vatican the next day. 

I don't have much to say about it, because by then my feet hurt pretty bad and I was tired. It was, just like everything else, an incredible building with great beauty inside. 

Fountains of Rome

One afternoon, I went on a tour walking the streets of Rome and visiting the different fountains and buildings.

This really had nothing to do with Biblical history, other than that fact that a lot of the fountains were commissioned by the Church to be made.

Honestly, Rome herself is a work of art.

Mamertine Prison

So, aside from the Colosseum, the 2nd biggest reason was because I wanted to see Mamertine Prison.

Said to be the place where both Peter and Paul were imprisoned (and the place where Paul wrote several New Testament letters), it was foremost in my mind. I'd hoped my tour guide would point it out, however, he was unable to—just the general area where it was located.

Not to worry, I thought. I'll find it tomorrow.

After my tour of the Vatican (posts to come!), I walked across Rome in hopes of finding this place. I didn't have cell phone service; I only had a map given to me by the hotel and a general area of where the prison might be.

However, it was not to be. All the tours I went on meant I'd been walking and standing for too long. I have some kind of undiagnosed foot problem where I can't stand/walk for too long without extreme pain... which I was already in.

Halfway there, I started having to stop and sit in shop windows and on benches, just to take pressure off my feet. Finally, I gave up and hailed a taxi, even though I knew it would be expensive. It was worth it to be able to walk around the prison, I thought. I paid 8 euro to go 1 mile. He dropped me in the area, because he didn't know the prison either. So I limped to a tourist booth, where they told me I needed to go back to where the taxi had dropped me and turn right (a quarter of a mile). After resting, I went back and turned right, and walked again, up a cobbled hill and down another. It was clear I was in a residential area. It started to rain. I went inside a Cathedral to rest my feet and sit for a few minutes, and the priest told me I couldn't be there—or even outside leaning against the wall. I had to leave the property, even though I could barely walk... and by now it was raining harder.

Finally, I walked back down the way I'd come and found an empty doorway in a busy area to rest my feet and wait out the rain. It was after 6pm, I was hungry, wet, discouraged, and in pain. Finally, I walked to a taxi stand and took a taxi back to my hotel, where I found a local restaurant and then went to my room. By the end of the night, I couldn't even stand and had to crawl to get anywhere in my room.

It was only then that I was finally able to google Mamertine prison (because I finally had wifi). It turns out I saw it the day before, while I was in the Roman Forum. I even have pictures of it. Basically, when the tourist information booth guy told me to go back and turn right, he should have said left.

(the prison is the white building on the right)

But it wouldn't have mattered, because the prison closed at 5pm, and it was around that time when I arrived.

And, after more research, I found out that it's highly unlikely that that particular building is the prison. Honestly, I didn't need google to tell me that. After speaking to so many people in the tourism industry in Rome who had no clue where the place was (and it is their job to know these things), it means that it isn't the legit place.

I still, however, am very disappointed in the priest who couldn't find the compassion to let a weary, wet traveller in pain find rest just for a few moments in his church. 

Statues of Rome

The statues of Rome are so beautiful they deserve their own post.

Formed with such grace and beauty, these statues from the Roman Forum caught my eye even more than all the ruins all around. Look at how the robes of these statues drape on their bodies, so much so that they are almost lifelike. 

I'm getting ahead of myself, but this bust of Athena from the Vatican (below) teaches us something very important—many (if not all) of the statues were painted. Check out her eyes. After spending a lifetime reading books and seeing movies about ancient Rome, suddenly I'm picture the statues in the gardens with new—color-filled—eyes. I wonder what vibrant beauty these "ladies" had back in their day?

The Colosseum

My first priority for my trip to Rome was to see the Colosseum—of course! And it did not disappoint.

To say it was... colossal... is pretty redundant. It was so big, I kept having to back up to get it all in my viewfinder. And the truth is, this is only part of the Colosseum; it was actually much taller.

A plaque inside the Colosseum says that it was built by Titus and was funded by the spoils of war (which were the spoils from the war with the Jews) in the first century. The arch of Titus outside clearly shows images of Titus bringing back the spoils from Israel, including the Temple. (Edit on Feb 2020): see Amir Tsfarti's teaching from Behold Israel here for more reference)

this is my friend, Julius

The inside was just as impressive. From the second tier, you could see all the way around and across of the amphitheater, as well as down into the area below the partially reconstructed arena floor (the areas where the gladiators and the animals stayed). As my tour guide talked about the different types of "shows" that were here and described the customs of the day—from how the games were sponsored to some of the rituals, it was incredible to imagine what it had been like.

It was also very sobering. These games were games of death. Those fighting for their lives were prisoners fighting for their freedom (if it was possible at all). And for those who weren't fighting, who were being crucified or eaten by animals or some other horrible thing, endured the worst of nightmares in front of a yelling, taunting crowd.

I specifically asked my tour guide if he knew if Christians were martyred here, since I know they were in other arenas throughout the empire... and also the Nero liked to light his garden parties with their burning corpses. He said that to his knowledge, none were ever killed here, but I honestly am not sure I believed it.

We'll talk about this more in another post, but the Colosseum is just steps away from the Roman Forum (the center for commerce and governing of the day, as well as prisons) and Palatine Hill. It's too convenient for me, when we know that Christians were martyred here—and Peter and Paul were imprisoned here in the city—to think that this didn't happen. 

ROME

Okay, I'm going to change gears here just a little. As I mentioned in my first post, I love any and all kinds of history, especially when it comes to Israel and the Bible.

In fact, outside of actual Biblical history, my favorite time period is definitely the Roman Empire—which influenced and impacted the New Testament world in so many ways. You can clearly see Roman remains today in Israel, and of course, the Romans played a huge role in the Gospel story... since Jesus was crucified on a Roman cross.

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Rome. It was everything I'd hoped it would be and more. It completely ruined my feet (story to come), filled me with the most delicious food and entranced me with her beauty.

So for the next few weeks, I'm going to share stories of that trip here. But not to worry—more posts about Israel are still to come!

BIG NEWS!!!

I have big, exciting news!

Next week I'll be going to ROME!!!!

I cannot wait; I've always wanted to go and explore this beautiful city personally. I'll also be able to visit the Vatican, and I am so excited!

For now, I'll continue with stories of Israel, but be looking for updates from Rome after.