FOR TWO THOUSAND YEARS HISNAME WAS UNKNOWN. HIS STORY WAS UNTOLD.
When members of Rome’s most despised religious minority are accused by Emperor Nero himself of starting the Great Fire, will any man have the courage to stand up for them?
ONE MAN WILL.
His name is Marcus Quintus Publius . . . a brilliant lawyer, a confidant of Emperors, a fearless soldier, and a man of integrity – a rare combination in the Roman Empire! His journeys have taken him from the windswept shores of Britain all the way to the Parthian capitol of Ecbatana, with many adventures along the way. He crosses paths with crooked governors, barbarian invaders, monstrous beasts, maniacal tyrants, and the apostles of the Empire’s newest faith: Christianity. Hailed as imperator by his troops on the field and called “The Scourge of the Provinces” by corrupt politicians, he now faces his greatest challenge – defending Rome’s Christians against a mad Emperor. He might finally earn the name given him by Paul of Tarsus – Theophilus, the “Lover of God” – but just how much would that stand cost him?
This novel will grab you by the front of the shirt and pull you in face-first! No one does ancient Rome better than Lewis B. Smith.-Dai-Keag-Ity. Amazon Reviewer
A true son of the Lone Star state with Texas roots that go back six generations, Lewis was born in the heart of Texas on December 13, 1963, and graduated from Ford High School in Quinlan in 1982.He is the father of daughters, Rachel and Rebecca, husband since 1984 to love of his life, Patty. A veteran of four years in the US Navy during the Cold War as a radioman with a top secret clearance, Lewis was involved in the USS Lockwood incident in December 1985, when the frigate on which Lewis was serving collided with a Filipino freighter near Yokosuka, Japan. After serving his country, Lewis attended East Texas State University, from which he received his BA in 1990, and his Master’s in 1993. He is now in his third decade teaching history at Greenville Christian School, northeast of Dallas. Every spring as graduation draws near, Lewis writes a personalized letter to each senior, reflecting on their time together, and gifts each with a flint arrowhead, as an enduring token of affection toward the students who have passed through his classroom.
