A Week in the Life of a Roman Centurion

Enter a world of warfare and treachery, of duty and honor, of love and loyalty, interwoven with the inner workings of a Roman centurion's household. And then trace it as the road curves toward little Capernaum. Follow the story of Appius, a proud centurion, and Tullus, his scribe and slave. From a battle with the Parthians, through a tragic personal crisis, to the gladiator arena at Caesarea Maritima, their tale finally leads to the backwater village of Capernaum on the shores of Galilee. There, in a culture not their own and during a week they will never forget, they encounter a Jewish prophet from Nazareth. A Week in the Life of a Roman Centurion gives us a first-century view of the world of the Gospels. In entertaining historical fiction, splashed with informative sidebars and images, we capture a view of Jesus' world from the outer framework looking in.

Gary M. Burge (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of New Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. His passion in teaching, research and writing is how the unique world of the Middle East in antiquity shapes how we read the New Testament today. Among his many published books are Theology Questions Everyone Asks (with coeditor David Lauber), The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary (general editor with Andrew Hill), The New Testament in Antiquity (coauthored with Lynn Cohick and Gene Green), John: The Gospel of Life and the award-winning Whose Land? Whose Promise? What Christians Are Not Being Told About Israel and the Palestinians.