Hold the Faith is the first in a series of novels and, so far, the only one published. My editor asked me the other day when he was going to receive the chapters for the next book in the series.
That is coming…
In the meantime I notice I have not written anything about the book that the blog is about, so this post is to rectify that ommission.
By the late first century AD Christianity had spread throughout the Roman empire. The book series finds the Apostle John living and working in Ephesus and, in the first book, travelling around the churches in what was then called Asia Minor.
History is available about this 1st century period of Christianity, some, unfortunately, is contradictory.
Trying to ‘walk in the shoes’ of my Christian ancestors has been illuminating, to say the least. As far as possible, I have used words appropriate to their time. This has limited the vocabulary used, but so also has the fact the gospel of John was written in Greek which has made direct translation difficult. (No, I don’t read Greek. I still remember some of the alphabet letters though, and recognise a few words from the one attempt I made to learn.)
I have chosen to go with the Bible as a guide, where facts are documented.
The apostle John, has a well documented ‘history’, and many traditions associated with his latter years. Although he travels around the churches in this book, amusing though it is, I have not included the ‘tale’ of him ordering the bedbugs out, and that they asked permission to return to their home in the morning. One tale that is included, briefly, is the one about the apostle leaving the bathhouse because Cerinthus was there.
In this series of books, I have ‘given the apostle’ a family and followed the tradition that places him in Ephesus. He, his family, and the brethren are shown keeping the Sabbath and God’s Holy Days because until times and seasons were changed this is how, these first Christians, described in the Bible as followers of the Way, lived.
You are welcome to explore my embryonic website at http://holdthefaith.net
Shalom,
Susan
Hold the Faith 