In this historical novel, David deSilva paints a vivid portrait of Ephesus and brings to life the compelling struggles faced by early Christians. Supplemented by historical images and explanatory sidebars, this imaginative novel digs into the early Christians' conflict with the religious cults of the day as well as the Roman empire.

In first-century Ephesus, life is not easy for women. In this gripping novel, Holly Beers introduces us to the first-century setting where Paul first proclaimed the gospel. Illuminated by historical images and explanatory sidebars, this lively story not only shows us the rich tapestry of life in a Greco-Roman city, it also foregrounds the interior life of one woman—and the radical new freedom the gospel promised her.

In this work of historical fiction, Ben Witherington III provides a one of kind window into the social and cultural context of Paul's ministry.

The capital city of the province of Asia in the first century CE, Ephesus played a key role in the development of early Christianity. In this book Paul Trebilco examines the early Christians from Paul to Ignatius, seen in the context of our knowledge of the city as a whole. Drawing on Paul's letters and the Acts of the Apostles, Trebilco looks at the foundations of the church, both before and during the Pauline mission. He shows that in the period from around 80 to 100 CE there were a number of different communities in Ephesus that regarded themselves as Christians -- the Pauline and Johannine groups, Nicolaitans, and others -- testifying to the diversity of that time and place. Including further discussions on the Ephesus addresses of the apostle John and Ignatius, this scholarly study of the early Ephesian Christians and their community is without peer.

Paul's epistle to Philemon is one of the shortest books in the entire Bible, and it certainly leaves plenty to the imagination. From the pen of an accomplished New Testament scholar, this vivid historical fiction account follows the slave Onesimus, fleshing out the lived context of first-century Ephesus and providing a social and theological critique of slavery in the Roman Empire.

*Includes pictures *Profiles Palmyra's origins, its relationship with Rome, its culture, and more *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built the temple of the Lord and his own palace, Solomon rebuilt the villages that Hiram[a] had given him, and settled Israelites in them. Solomon then went to Hamath Zobah and captured it. He also built up Tadmor in the desert and all the store cities he had built in Hamath." - The Bible's reference to Palmyra (as Tadmor) in II Chronicles 8 Recently, the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra has become a major source of news because the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has embarked on a campaign to destroy the temples and art of the pre-Islamic city. For many people throughout the world, ISIS's campaign was the first time they heard about the city, but Palmyra's importance and history can be traced back to well before the Roman Empire. In fact, Palmyra was unique among the many important cities of the ancient world because, like Carthage before it, it was a city that was also a culture. Palmyrene culture, from the arts to religion, borrowed from numerous other peoples throughout the ancient world to create a culture that was uniquely "Palmyrene." Palmyra became a city like no other, and its culture shined bright for several centuries before it was finally extinguished. The people of Palmyra truly developed a vibrant culture that eventually placed the city among some of the greatest of the ancient world. Palmyra's influential position in world history was largely due to its economic prowess, which was achieved not through conquest or exploration but through its position as the preeminent trading center in the ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern regions. Donkey and camel caravans brought precious commodities from both the west and east through the gates of Palmyra, which eventually resulted in the city becoming an oasis of wealth in the middle of the Syrian desert. For hundreds of years, Palmyra's wealth was a testament to its greatness, and its leaders displayed their political acumen by playing the middleman between the powerful Roman and Parthian Empires. As a result, the Palmyrenes built an eclectic culture that was as sophisticated as any of their contemporaries, but eventually the leadership of Palmyra overestimated their power and the greatness of their city quickly came crumbling down. Ancient Palmyra: The History and Legacy of One of Antiquity's Greatest Cities looks at the influential Semitic settlement that flourished for thousands of years. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about Palmyra like never before, in no time at all.

In this new volume, renowned scholar Jerome Murphy-O'Connor does for Ephesus what he did for Corinth in his award-winning St. Paul's Corinth. He combs the works of twenty-six ancient authors for information about ancient Ephesus, from its beginnings to the end of the biblical era. Readers can now picture for themselves this second of the two major centers of Paul's missionary work, with its houses, shops, and monuments, and above al the world-renowned temple of Artemis. After presenting the textual and archaeological evidence, Murphy-O'Connor leads the reader on a walk through St. Paul's Ephesus and describes the history of Paul's years in the city. Although Ephesus has been a ruin for many hundreds of years, readers of this book will find themselves transported back to the days of its flourishing.