A Week in the Life of Rome by James L. Papandrea

A Week in the Life of Rome by James L. Papandrea ISBN-13: 9780830824823 Paperback: 160 pages Publisher: IVP Academic Released: Feb. 19, 2019

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In first-century Rome, following Jesus comes at a tremendous social cost. An urbane Roman landowner and merchant is intrigued by the Christian faith—but is he willing to give up his status and lifestyle to join the church? Meanwhile his young client, a catechumen in the church at Rome, is beginning to see just how much his newfound faith will require of him.

A Week in the Life of Rome is a cross section of ancient Roman society, from the overcrowded apartment buildings of the poor to the halls of the emperors. Against this rich backdrop, illuminated with images and explanatory sidebars, we are invited into the daily struggles of the church at Rome just a few years before Paul wrote his famous epistle to them. A gripping tale of ambition, intrigue, and sacrifice, James Papandrea's novel is a compelling work of historical fiction that shows us the first-century Roman church as we've never seen it before.


My Review:
A Week in the Life of Rome is partly fiction and partly nonfiction. The novel is set in 50 A.D. in Rome. It followed characters in the various churches in Rome and included people from different backgrounds and economic levels. The main characters were a freedman and his family. His wife and his stepson are Christians, and he's interested. However, his patron asks him to do things that would be against the Christian faith. He must choose between advancement in Roman society or his family and new faith. Cultural and historical details were woven into the story which show what it would've been like for a Roman mindset confronted with Christian values.

There were nonfiction sidebars that discussed certain topics from the story, like the Vestal Virgins. This helped to further explain things happening in the story and help readers understand some of the issues talked about in the New Testament. The book contained some interesting photographs of Roman ruins and archaeological artifacts which illustrated information from the nonfiction sidebars and events in the story. I found both the story and the nonfiction interesting and informative. Overall, I'd recommend this book to people who aren't very familiar with this type of Bible background information.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.