Marcellus Gallio, a Roman tribune stationed in Palestine, participates in the execution of Jesus of Nazareth and wins the condemned man’s seamless robe in a dice game. Following the event, Marcellus suffers from a mental breakdown and physical illness, which he attributes to the garment. To find a cure and investigate the growing rumors of a resurrection, he travels through Galilee and Judea to locate Jesus’s followers. He meets Simon Peter and other early believers, eventually adopting the Christian faith and facing execution under Emperor Caligula.
Readers interested in the historical intersection of the Roman Empire and the origins of Christianity study this narrative to visualize the domestic and political life of the first century. The text provides a fictionalized recreation of the social environment that facilitated the spread of the early church. Readers walk away with a specific psychological portrait of a Roman convert and a chronological sequence of how the gospel message moved from rural outposts to the imperial capital.
Clear-cut; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1942
- Language
- EN
