Avenger of Blood: A Novel by John Hagee

Author:John Hagee [Hagee, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, ebook, book, Historical, C429, Extratorrents, Kat
ISBN: 9781418539153
Google: bgRVIA6YVNMC
Amazon: 1595548378
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2002-09-03T07:31:56+00:00

22

January, A.D. 97

ON THE FIRST SUNDAY OF THE NEW YEAR, Rebecca sat on a cushion on the dining-room floor while John addressed the church that met at the villa. It was too cold to meet outdoors in the peristyle garden, so they had rearranged the triclinia in the dining room to accommodate the worshipers. Word had spread that the Apostle had returned to Ephesus, so the service was well attended in spite of the bitter weather and the early-morning hour before the workday began.

“I bring you greetings from your sister churches in Asia,” John said. “They gladly heard the word of the Lord, which I received on Patmos.” John gestured toward Rebecca. “And thanks to the assistance of my faithful scribe, each congregation now has a scroll containing the full Revelation.”

It pleased Rebecca to be recognized for her contribution, but she was not pleased to see that John was weaker after the six-week trip. He seemed to be more stooped than ever, and he had developed a tremor. His voice was not as strong as it had been, and sometimes it faded out in midsyllable. She noticed he tried to compensate by speaking more loudly than usual.

“Each of the churches has suffered during the recent persecution,” John reported, “although none as much as the church here in Ephesus.” One by one, he named the pastors of the other churches, beginning with Polycarp, and said a few words about the struggles of each congregation as well as the victories they had experienced. “The kingdom of God is being advanced through our adversity, and I give praise and glory to Jesus Christ, our risen Lord, with whom I walked the shores of Galilee, and whom I have served with joy and great gladness for close to seven decades.”

Although spoken in a weakened voice, John’s words still carried the imprint of apostolic authority. He began to describe the office of pastor, “the one who stands as a representative of the Great Shepherd before His sheep,” and then called for Theodorus to come forward. A long-time elder in the church, Theodorus was on the short side but still quite muscular for a man approaching forty. He had the appearance of an athlete, not a scholar, yet he was both. Before becoming a Christian, Theodorus had won prizes for both boxing and Latin poetry when Domitian, early in his reign, had introduced Greek-style games to the Empire. The Roman populace, however, was enthralled with chariot races and the gladiatorial events at the magnificent new Colosseum. The more serious athletic and cultural events of the emperor’s Greek-style games had never managed to rival the blood sport of the arena in popularity.

As Theodorus moved to take his place beside John, Rebecca looked at the congregation around her. She noticed Agatha blushing when Quintus looked her way. He smiled and then looked off.

Galen was not there this morning, Rebecca saw, and she couldn’t help being glad for that. She’d felt sorry for Galen after she had rejected his attempt at reconciliation, but the following Sunday he had done something that had infuriated her.

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