"The time I was born for is here. I will wage war against these Christians, and I will emerge victorious. My name is Saul." St. Paul the Apostle is a towering biblical figure, but almost nothing is known about his early life as Saul of Tarsus. As death loomed over him at Mamertine Prison in Rome, under the watchful eye of his jailer and final follower Aurelius, he wrote: I will die tomorrow. In the morning, around sunrise. There are two things for which I am eminently grateful: That I have been permitted to have fought the good fight and finished the race marked out for me; and that I will not have to endure another winter in this place. Starting from that pivotal moment, blending historical fact with audacious creativity, the author of the award-winning I, Claudia propels us back through the life of the man who would become St. Paul. Her vividly imagined, well-founded tale of loss, transformation, and divine intervention will captivate believers and non-believers alike who yearn for the human truth and drama behind the scriptures. "I am convinced that Saul is a man for our times," explains Wilder, "primarily because he was interested in just one thing: truth."

The Story: We know next to nothing of the man Saul of Tarsus. Sauls home was Tarsus. He was a Jew and proudly a Pharisee. More importantly, he was a zealot. He studied under the great rabbi Gamaliel. We know nothing of his father, not even his name, except he was a Roman citizen. Since Sauls living came from tent-making, we can speculate that his father was a tent-maker I have endeavored to recreate Sauls early life and experiences on the basis of what we do know from the scriptures and from first-century Jewish culture. To this are added logical suppositions. This is a fictionalized history of Saul up to the beginning of his ministries to the Gentiles, when he became the Apostle Paul. The book introduces Sauls family and presents a theory of why Scripture is silent about them. Its narrative explores his early developing of zeal for the Law. It suggests early romance and why Saul never married. It explores his early training under the great Rabbi Gamaliel. It shows Sauls growing hatred of Christians and his zeal at persecuting them. It examines Sauls conversion and the changed and disruptions that entails. It speculates his being in the school of Christ during three years in Nabatean desert. It follows Saul in his first evangelistic ventures. It looks into his tentative approach to the Disciples of Jesus. It speculates on initial meetings and development of relationships with Barnabus and Silas. It explores some of the chastisements Saul received as a result of preaching the Gospel.

This narrative critical study offers a bold and comprehensive analysis of the relationship between David and Saul's heirs. Tushima inquires into whether Saulides' tragedies were due to continuing divine retribution, pure happenstance, or David orchestration. Focusing on the story of David and its interconnections with the fate of the Saulides, and employing the criterion of justice, the author presents the other side of King David, who is generally depicted as hero. Tushima argues that David was, most often, unjust and calculating in his dealings with the vanquished house of Saule. Thematic and motific threads arising from this study are considered within their contexts in Israel's traditions for their biblical-theological and redemptive-historical import.