Cool Historical Fiction

I readily admit that I do not read for pleasure primarily. Most of the reading I do is academically oriented. It is not that I don't enjoy academic reading, I do, but for the most part fiction does not make it's way into my "free time". That might change soon, as Moyer Hubbard's Christianity in the Greco-Roman World: A Narrative Introduction becomes available in January. This to me is the best of both world's -- history meets fiction. Here is the description:



Background becomes foreground in Moyer Hubbard’s creative introduction to the social and historical setting for the letters of the Apostle Paul to churches in Asia Minor and Europe.Hubbard begins each major section with a brief narrative featuring a fictional character in one of the great cities of that era. Then he elaborates on various aspects of the cultural setting related to each particular vignette, discussing the implications of those venues for understanding Paul’s letters and applying their message to our lives today. Addressing a wide array of cultural and traditional issues, Hubbard discusses:• Religion and superstition:• Education, philosophy, and oratory:• Urban society:• Households and family life in the Greco-Roman world:This work is based on the premise that the better one understands the historical and social context in which the New Testament (and Paul’s letters) was written, the better one will understand the writings of the New Testament themselves. Passages become clearer, metaphors deciphered, and images sharpened. Teachers, students, and laypeople alike will appreciate Hubbard’s unique, illuminating, and well-researched approach to the world of the early church.

Hendrickson has released excerpts of this work including the table of contents, the introduction,
and the first chapter.

Enjoy!