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In this riveting drama of the early church, Jacob, a young caravan guard, delivers messages among the new followers as he learns what it means to be a Christian--and to love and trust the young Greek girl who is neither accepted by the Jews or the Gentiles. Julia has everything money can buy...except for acceptance by either the Gentiles or the Jews. Her Greek father already has a wife and family, leaving Julia and her Hebrew mother second-class citizens. But when they are introduced to followers of the Way, they become part of that community of believers. Abigail's brother, Jacob, now a young man, is attempting to discover his own place as a Christian. He is concerned that being more serious about his faith means trading away the exhilaration of his current profession as a caravan guard. Hired by Julia's father to protect the wealthy merchant's caravans on the secretive "Frankincense Trail"--undercover transport of this highly valuable commodity--Jacob also passes letters and messages between various communities of believers. He is alarmed to find out that Julia, hardly more than a girl, is also a messenger. Can their immediate mistrust be put aside to finally bring their hearts together?… (more)
User reviews
Meanwhile, Abigail (book 2) flees from Jerusalem as persecution increases in intensity while her younger brother Jacob finds himself drawn into a mysterious and dangerous web of intrigue on two disparate fronts. How is God going to connect these believers together in their journeys to serve Him, and what monumental events will they witness along the road to Damascus?
The Damascus Way is the closing installment in the Acts of Faith series – a collaboration between well-known authors Davis Bunn and Janette Oke. Both a rich and satisfying conclusion to this series of biblical fiction, this novel takes readers alongside the lives of first-century Christians who are witnesses of some of the watershed events of the churches early years.
The only ‘off note’ that I found was some odd references to a burning in the breast of some of the characters. Having come from a Mormon background I felt a bit odd reading this and I’m not sure why it was included. I don’t know if either of the authors are LDS, and maybe I’m being oversensitive, but it did strike me as odd and unnecessary.
Like the other books in the series, characters that readers have become acquainted with in past books resurface in this one to play minor supporting roles in the story’s weave. However, it is still possible to read this work as a stand-alone novel. I found for myself that being familiar with the faith stories of Abigail and Alban (from the second and first books respectively) added to the depth and richness of this novel.
It is here that I glimpsed the fullness of the vision that Bunn and Oke have created with this series. Though it moves more slowly than much of the fiction that I read I could more clearly see the webs of community, the closely woven bonds of companionship and love amongst the believers depicted in the pages of these books. That full, rich, emotive writing is truly delightful and makes this book well worth the read.
Reviewed at quiverfullfamily.com
Although the Spirit's work is life-changing and dramatic, I was a bit put out by the instant decisions of
Also the "surreal," "unearthly" directives of the Spirit, again totally possible, but left a "not-so-real" feeling. It's like the halo over Mary at the nativity. The process of character change (for some) seemed instant, without working through. (And again there is that instant obedience to the Word, but it seemed unexplained.)