The book is available through Amazon and Borders
The Apostle and the Tribune
A novel by Cornell L. Fitch
It is 58 A.D., the fourth year of the reign of Nero as Emperor of the Roman Empire. The Mediterranean world is experiencing a period during which there are no challengers to the power of mighty Rome, a period to be known as the "Pax Romana." It has been barely twenty years since Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, and the form of religious practice that emanated from his minisry is a tiny, word of mouth dogma spread by intenerate preachers. Foremost amongst these is a man named Paul.
Paul, a man afflicted with a troublesome personal compulsion, returns to Judea after many years of absence. He finds a land in turmoil, its Jewish inhabitants beset by fractiousness and ruled over by an unpopular king, Agrippa II, who lives openly in an incestuous relationship with his own sister, Bernice. The province in which Judea exists is ruled by a greedy, ambitious Roman Governor, Antonius Felix.
A small but determined group of nationalists, often bonding with local thugs and bandits, wage guerilla warfare against an occupying Roman Legion grown surly and cruel by the boredom and frustration of garrison duty, in addition to the tactics of the rebels. Sound familiar?
Paul is arrested on false charges and crosses the path of a Roman Tribune, Antonius Lysias, a man beset with anxieties about his place in life after his approaching mandatory retirement, and his relationship with his slave/concubine Atrusha, who sincerely loves her master.
While in custody, Paul evangelizes the two sufficiently to interest both in Christianity. As Paul is sent to the provincial capital to have his fate decided by Governor Felix, Tribune Lysias is ordered to suppress rebellion in the Lake Galilee region.
In the Galilee region, Lysias conducts a brutal campaign of repression against rebels and their sympathizers while simultaneously carrying out a personal inquiry of fact regarding the nature of the man Jesus, who lived and preached in the region. He also comes to grips with his feelings for the woman he had thought of only as his slave.
That's it, sound interesting, buy the book.
I'm sixty-something, I live in suburban Chicago in the USA, I'm a retired army officer, InformationTechnology salesman, insurance agent and small business operator.
Like a legion of those similar to me, weather permitting I play a lot of really bad golf and when it doesn't I write and paint.
I've published one book, several others exist in manucript form. This is the cover of my book and a synopsis follows,
But this ste is about my paintings. I've got lots of them, some good, some not so good. They cover just about every wall in my home as well as hang in the homes of my family and friends.
My paintings are of African American subjects, surprise, surprise. I don't paint on black velvet and my subject matter isn't about muscular nude figures hugging each other or Jesus as a blackman, not that there's anything wrong with that, everyone is entitled to their own taste.
At the suggestion of my wife I have been exploring the sale of some of my work. To my surprise, some people think they are worth buying.
Take a look at them, maybe you might want to buy a piece, whether you do or not, I would like your feedback in email form. I will be adding more pieces periodically.
mfitches@aol.com
Thanks for coming this far,
Regards,
Cornell Fitch
