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Publius’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? I can’t think of a single young man who is all that.”

  “Of course you can. It’s Decimus Lentulus.”

  Publius smiled as he shook his head. “No, I don’t think he’d suit you. Decimus is all that, except maybe the kind part, but you couldn’t find a man more driven by political ambition. He’ll need a wife from a family with great political influence, and ours is exactly the opposite. Even if we were what he needs, would you want to be a political wife with your husband always focused on something other than you and your children?”

  Claudia shrugged. “Well, maybe not. I’d rather be a scholar’s wife so we could talk about the things I love.” Her eyes clouded. “I’d never do what my mother did. I’ll be the best wife and mother a man could ever want.”

  As her smile faded, Publius stood and took her in his arms.

  “I know you will. I just need to find the right man for you.” He stepped back and rested his hand on her cheek. “I’ll keep your list in mind as I look for him.”

  She flashed him a fresh smile and strolled into the atrium.

  Publius sighed. His little girl was a woman now. As much as he hated the thought, it was time for her to marry and start her own family. But how was he ever going to find a husband who would protect and care for her like he had?

  Chapter 3: Time for a Change

  It isn’t fair. Fathers shouldn’t live as long as mine has.

  Lucius Drusus swirled another bite of peacock in the red wine sauce and placed it on his tongue. It had been a superb banquet so far, but he wasn’t enjoying it.

  His closest friend, Marcus, was celebrating becoming head of the Corvinus family and inheriting its fortune with an extravagant banquet for only his most trusted friends. Celebrating his father’s demise would be considered shameful, were it generally known. Under the Roman law of paterfamilias, the father owned all the property and could dictate everything his sons could do, no matter how old they might be. Only a father’s death gave true independence to a son.

  Lucius flipped his frown into a smile when Gaius Barbatus strolled toward him. Barbatus was no friend. He’d always resented the great wealth of the Drusus family. He took perverse delight in taunting Lucius since his father, Publius, put an end to his orgies of drinking and womanizing three years earlier.

  “Lucius, I saw your father in the forum last week with his philosopher friends. He looks almost as young as you. Should be a long time before you give a banquet to mourn his death.”

  Lucius’s fake smile masked his fury at the snide laugh that followed Barbatus’s prediction before he sauntered away. It was best if no one suspected what he was thinking at that moment.

  He glanced around the room at his friends. Many were now masters of their own lives. He was tired of living on an allowance and being subject to his father’s will. He was thirty-three and ready to be in control. He’d begun planning for that years ago.

  Father always thought the death of his older brother had been a fluke accident when the wheel came off his chariot during a friendly race between brothers. He thought it was grief that made Lucius kill the slave who was supposed to care for the chariots.

  The corner of Lucius’s mouth lifted. He covered his mouth and drew his hand down to wipe off the smile that might draw questions. He’d promised that slave freedom if he tampered with the wheel so it would come off in a sharp turn. He kept his promise. He freed him with a sword thrust to his heart.

  That had been almost ten years ago. It wasn’t fair that he was still under his father’s thumb. Father was almost fifty, but he was as vigorous as many men only two-thirds his age. He could easily last another ten or twenty years. Lucius didn’t want to wait.

  Money wasn’t the problem. His allowance earned the envy of his friends since the Drusus fortune was more than five million denarii. He lived with his wife and children at the villa east of Rome that was better than the ones his friends had inherited. The problem was his father.

  Father hadn’t cared how he spent his allowance. His friends all enjoyed wild living, and their parties often lasted past dawn. He’d already produced three boys as future heirs, so he no longer felt he had to waste his evenings with the high-born woman he’d married.

  Then Father became a God-fearer and followed the Jewish rules for living. The things Lucius enjoyed were condemned by the Jewish god, and Father cut off his spending on the long nights of too much wine and loose women. He’d been told to restrict his activities to that plain, passionless woman he’d married and to at least try to stay sober at banquets.

  He’d obeyed, but it convinced him it was time to replace his father as head of the Claudius Drusus family. The problem was how to do that without being executed for killing his own father. Rome was a city where almost anything goes, but patricide was one thing that still remained beyond the pale.

  Chapter 4: Dilemma Resolved

  It wasn’t considered dignified for a man of his status to scurry, but Publius could hardly wait to get home to share with Claudia what he’d just learned at the synagogue. It solved the conundrum that had disturbed his peace of mind for many months.

  He found her sitting under the grape arbor with the codex of poetry he’d left as a surprise for her that morning.

  She looked up at his approach. “Father, I love this new poet.” She pressed the open codex to her breast. “His phrases are exquisite. Thank you for finding this for me.”

  “I’m glad you like it.” Publius kissed the top of her head before he sat down beside her. “I learned the most wonderful thing at synagogue today.”

  “What, Father?” Claudia closed the codex and focused her full attention on him.

  “I don't have to worry any more about the end of the sacrifices in Jerusalem. How anyone could approach God when there was no way to pay for sins―that has haunted me. Well, today I met someone who explained it all.”

  She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I’ll never understand why you worry so much about paying for your sins.” Her eyes warmed as her smile returned. “I think you’re the perfect father, and all our slaves would tell anyone what a wonderful master you are. No one is wiser or kinder. I don’t think anyone could be less of a sinner than you are. Your god should be happy to have a wonderful man like you as his worshipper without any sacrifices.”

  Publius took her hand. “You don’t understand what sin is, child. It’s anything that separates someone from Holy God. That can be as simple as thinking I’m good enough when my life is less than totally perfect. God requires perfection. It’s not enough to just be very good or even better than other people.”

  “Well, you’re as close to perfect as anyone could be, and that should be good enough for your god. I don’t understand why the most wonderful man in the world would ever think he’s a sinner.” An encouraging smile graced her lips as she patted his arm.

  Her response saddened him. She wasn’t interested because she didn’t understand him or God. She’d been so heartbroken when her mother abandoned her, so he’d showered her with his love and tried to shield her from life’s ugliness. Now she couldn’t see that people were naturally sinful even when they were doing their best. His sweet, brilliant daughter didn’t feel she was a sinner. But she was choosing to be separated from God, and that made her a sinner no matter how she felt. Until she understood that, what he learned today wouldn’t mean a thing.

  She kissed him on the cheek and opened her codex of poetry again. “Would you like me to read to you? I have a new favorite. The phrases are so elegant and the images extraordinary.”

  “Later, my dear.” He stood and kissed her again on the top of her head. He received a loving glance and sparkling smile in return before she turned her eyes back on her codex.

  How could he excite her interest in the solution? Perhaps, if he started with one of their discussions of philosophy that she loved, he could lead her toward God. It was too important to drop the subject for long
.

  He left her in the garden and walked to his bedchamber. There he unrolled the scroll of his Greek version of the Jewish Scriptures that included the writings of Isaiah. He wanted to read again all the prophesies about the Messiah that foretold how He would be the sacrifice for the sins of all men and the reconciler of man with God.

  Those parts of Isaiah used to confuse him, but now he understood them clearly. At long last, he knew who the Messiah was. God had placed the right man in his path today to resolve his dilemma.

  What had started as a discussion of the state of the Roman economy with the Greek merchant, Aristarchus, had turned into something of much greater importance. It was Aristarchus who finally knew the solution to the riddle that had plagued Publius for many months. As a result, he had just taken the next logical step in his faith and accepted Jesus of Nazareth as the Jewish Messiah, the Son of God, and his own Savior.

  Chapter 5: The Newest Brother

  Publius burned with anticipation as he set out the next morning for his first Christian worship service. Malleolus, steward of his house in Rome and overseer of all the Drusus estates, had not returned from Lucius’s villa when Publius retired for the night. That was disappointing. Next to Claudia, there was no one he was more eager to tell about his life-changing discovery.

  As he was walking through the vestibulum on his way out, Malleolus was admitted by the door slave.

  Publius clasped Malleolus’s upper arms. “I may be gone for most of the day, but I have the most amazing thing to tell you when I return from the house of Aristarchus of Thessalonica.”

  “If I need to find you, master, who is that and where does he live?”

  “Aristarchus owns a fleet of merchant ships and estates in several eastern provinces. His house is just south of the Gardens of Maecenas this side of the Porta Esquilinas. We had a fascinating discussion about his views on the financial state of the Empire yesterday. He’s also a scholar of history, and I count him among my close friends now.”

  Publius left Malleolus standing in the vestibulum as he hurried out the door. He had some distance to walk, and he didn’t want to be late for the start of the worship.

  Malleolus concealed his surprise at his master’s destination. He’d never heard of Aristarchus before, and he was certain he knew the names of all the master’s good friends. Master Publius was very selective about whom he chose to call a close friend. There were only a handful, and Malleolus had known them all for years. What could have so suddenly made a wealthy Greek merchant a member of that elite group?

  When Publius knocked on the door at Aristarchus’s house, a small window in the door opened rather than the door itself.

  “Whom shall I say is seeking admittance?”

  The question struck him as odd. The synagogue was open to all without question.

  “Publius Claudius Drusus. Aristarchus invited me yesterday.”

  “Please wait a moment.” The window closed.

  Publius waited longer than he expected before the door finally opened. Aristarchus himself stood before him with a delighted smile and outstretched arms.

  “Come in, come in. I am so glad you decided to join us today, Publius.” He closed and bolted the door behind them. “I am sorry to have kept you waiting. We have to be careful here in Rome these days. Next time my doorkeeper will recognize you and admit you right away. You picked a very good day to join us for the first time. Come meet my son. He will be teaching today.”

  Aristarchus led Publius toward a brawny young man who was standing with his back toward them. “Philip, I want you to meet our newest brother, Publius.”

  When Philip turned, Publius was unprepared for what he saw. A warm and welcoming smile spread across the young man’s face, but Publius’s gaze fixed on the hideous scars covering his right cheek and extending down his neck to disappear beneath his tunic. More scars swirled where his bushy eyebrow should have been and around the patch over his right eye. He was, without doubt, the ugliest young man Publius had ever seen.

  Philip offered his arm, and Publius grasped it. “Father told me how God led you two into your discussion yesterday. You made the wisest choice when you decided to believe in Jesus as God’s perfect sacrifice for our sins. You’ll never regret that decision.” The enthusiasm in the young man’s deep voice was contagious.

  Aristarchus placed his hand on his son’s shoulder and beamed at him. “Philip leads a house church in Perinthus. He will be returning to Thracia in about three weeks. We will miss him here in the fellowship. When he teaches, we truly hear the word of God.”

  Philip’s fleeting smile betrayed his discomfort with his father’s effusive praise. “Please excuse me, Publius. I need to prepare since we’ll be starting shortly.” With another welcoming smile, he moved away.

  Aristarchus’s eyes glowed as he watched his son. “Philip is my youngest son, but God made him the smartest of them all. He is only twenty-five, but he is wise beyond his years. I am glad you will hear his teaching today.” He placed his hand on Publius’s shoulder. “I would be honored if you would sit beside me.”

  The two men sat down and waited for Philip to begin. Publius had never felt such intense anticipation for any lecture at the forum or teaching at the synagogue.

  An odd fire lit the eye of the ugly young man standing before them. Philip picked up a codex and held it close to his chest as he closed his eye. Then he lifted it up and faced the open sky above the garden where all were seated.

  “Dear Father, may my words be inspired by the Holy Spirit and bring honor to You and to my Lord Jesus.”

  Publius was transfixed as Philip began to teach from the gospel written by the apostle John. He spoke about God’s love for the world shown by the Father sending His only Son in the body of a man as the perfect sacrifice for sin so that everyone who believes in Jesus would have eternal life with Him. Publius’s heart swelled with inexpressible joy as Philip spoke of God’s love and sacrifice. His mind knew and his heart burned with the knowledge that God had done it for him. It seemed too soon when Philip concluded his teaching.

  “Brothers and sisters, there’s no need to live in fear once we choose to follow Jesus. Remember that He said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.’ This very week, some of our fellow believers will face the lions in the emperor’s arena for refusing to call Trajan lord and god, but our God is greater than any emperor. Jesus has promised us that the man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternity. Jesus has promised that He will be with us always, and we can live free from the fear of death.”

  Publius leaned forward in his seat, hanging on every word as Philip continued. “Remember Jesus’s words, ‘But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.’ So, in spite of the dangers of living among men who would destroy us because we love our Lord, we can rest on Jesus’s promise of eternal life and not be afraid.”

  When Philip finished, Publius turned toward Aristarchus. His beaming smile was mirrored by his friend.

  Aristarchus raised his eyebrows. “Are you ready to declare your faith in Lord Jesus before us today?”

  “Yes! Today and for the rest of my life.”

  Philip stepped close and offered Publius his hand. “Come.”

  Publius knelt before the gathered believers as Aristarchus and Philip placed their hands upon his shoulders. Philip spoke, “In the presence of all gathered here, tell our Lord your decision to love and serve Him, and receive the Holy Spirit as He promised.”

  As Publius spoke his heart, the indescribable presence of God surrounded him, and he offered praise to his new Lord in a language he never knew be
fore. When he finished, the whole congregation rose to offer their praise and thanks to God. Publius didn’t know all the words yet, but he sang along as best he could. As he listened to the closing songs, it was as if he were listening to the choirs of heaven itself.

  Chapter 6: Fathers and Daughters

  As the food for the fellowship meal was being carried out to the serving tables, Aristarchus turned to the beaming Publius.

  “It does my heart good to see such joy on your face, my brother, but I must warn you.”

  Publius’s brow furrowed. “Warn me?”

  “Yes. You will want to tell everyone you see about our Savior, but you must be careful. Rome is an enemy of the followers of Jesus. It is very dangerous for the wrong person to know you are one of them. If they report you, you will be asked to deny Jesus and offer sacrifice to Caesar before they will let you go. Refusing could put you in the arena, so do not tell just anyone. The Holy Spirit Himself will reveal whom you should tell and whom you should not.”

  Publius nodded. “I understand. I can see where discretion is needed. I’ll be careful.”

  Aristarchus waved at a girl to get her to come over. “Publius, this is my daughter, Penelope. She is my youngest, only sixteen, and to have her as my daughter is truly a blessing from God.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as he smiled down at her.

  “The true blessing from God is to have you as my father and Philip as my brother.” She kissed her father’s cheek before smiling at Publius. “I’m so glad you came to worship today, Publius. I love to be there when someone joins us following Jesus.”

  Publius beamed at her. “Today is the best day of my life. Nothing, not even the birth of my children, has given me such…such sheer joy!”

  Aristarchus placed his hand on Publius’s shoulder. “It was a blessing for us all to be with you today.”