Fall blew in with a vengeance, bringing to Corinth an unusual cold snap. It could not last. But the chill in the air was enough to suggest that winter was looming and might be hard. Suddenly, the heat of summer was a distant memory, chased away by frosty mornings and lashing rains. People who, weeks [...]
Archive for the ‘The Mission’ Category
Chapter 46: The Mission
Monday, August 9th, 2010 | No CommentsI thought I would teach you many things,” Paul said softly, looking around at the faces focused so intently on him. “But the Lord told me there is only one thing you need to learn.” Paul sat on a cushion, his back propped against an expensive mural. The others sat around him, squirming on the [...]
Chapter 45: The Mission
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010 | No CommentsLate in the evening on the first day of the week, the believers gathered at Gaius’s house for worship. The group was growing, Paul noted happily. They met at night because Corinth recognized no regular day of worship. Her holy days were scattered across the calendar, dictated by the rituals of various temples and the [...]
Chapter 44: The Mission
Saturday, July 31st, 2010 | No CommentsBefore the rains set in and the weather turned cold, before he changed his mind entirely, Paul walked Timothy and Silas to the Long Wall and sent them north with his letter for the Thessalonians. He’d delayed their journey longer than he should have, reluctant to send them away so soon after turning to the [...]
Chapter 43: The Mission
Monday, July 26th, 2010 | No CommentsThey washed up on Paul’s shore like so much driftwood. Slaves and merchants. Soldiers and housewives. Gaunt beggars and muscled stevedores. They arrived without meaning to, driven by unknown currents, drawn by something they could not explain. Each had a different shape and a different story. Some were still sharp-edged and bright when they floated [...]
Chapter 42: The Mission
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010 | No CommentsGaius spent most mornings receiving clients, an exercise he found deeply satisfying and, like his time at the barber’s, endlessly instructive. They gathered in his courtyard for the chance to extend their well-wishes, to ask his advice on business or politics, and to share news about large events and gossip about small. They gathered—mostly—to seek [...]
Chapter 41: The Mission
Friday, July 16th, 2010 | No CommentsPrisca and Stauria knocked on the door of Gaius’s house. They knocked repeatedly. The house was so cavernous, it took Paul a while to hear and make his way to the entrance. “Ladies,” he said when he opened the door, bowing in a courtly manner. “Welcome to my humble abode.” He ushered them into [...]
Chapter 40: The Mission
Monday, July 12th, 2010 | No CommentsAbi made the dangerous journey to Hester’s house a few days after their meeting at the kosher market. Though she was eager to see her friend, Abi knew to be cautious, sneaking from the alley through the servants’ entrance and straight to Hester’s quarters. Hester looked up from her household books, surprised to be interrupted. [...]
Chapter 39: The Mission
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 | No CommentsPaul knew the kinds of places she was likely to frequent—the seediest taverns, the sort of dark hell-holes in which the poorest laborers could afford to get roaring drunk. He found one that night and sat on a stool in the corner, nursing the cup of foul wine they insisted he buy. He had to [...]
Chapter 38: The Mission
Saturday, July 3rd, 2010 | No CommentsPaul stayed late at Stephanas’s house and ended up spending the night in his guest room. Very early the next morning, he stopped by the shop to quietly pack his few belongings and then walked across the city to Gaius’s house. The offer of a new home was a kindness. But it was the thought [...]
