A Week in the Life of Rome

by James L. Papandrea

Publisher:

IVP Academic

, 2019

Overview

In first-century Rome, following Jesus comes at a tremendous social cost.

An urbane Roman landowner and merchant is intrigued by the Christian faith—but is he willing to give up his status and lifestyle to join the church? Meanwhile his young client, a catechumen in the church at Rome, is beginning to see just how much his newfound faith will require of him.

A Week in the Life of Rome is a cross section of ancient Roman society, from the overcrowded apartment buildings of the poor to the halls of the emperors. Against this rich backdrop, illuminated with images and explanatory sidebars, we are invited into the daily struggles of the church at Rome just a few years before Paul wrote his famous epistle to them. A gripping tale of ambition, intrigue, and sacrifice, James Papandrea’s novel is a compelling work of historical fiction that shows us the first-century Roman church as we’ve never seen it before.

Key Features

• Provides a glimpse into ancient Roman society
• Explores the daily struggles of the church at Rome
• Includes historical images and explanatory sidebars

Contents

• The Main Characters
• The Day of the Moon
• The Day of Mars
• The Day of Mercury
• The Day of Jupiter
• The Day of Venus
• The Day of Saturn
• The Day of the Sun
• Map of First-Century Rome

Top Highlights

“For many Romans the workday was only about six hours long.” (Page 22)

“For most Romans, religion was a matter of participation in good citizenship and meant keeping up the rituals for the sake of the gods’ protection. What we might call personal devotion was not a part of traditional Greco-Roman religion but did come into Rome with the mystery religions from the East. In time, Christianity was seen as one of these suspicious mystery cults that advocated ‘personal religion’—that is, religion based on individual or small group conversion and commitment.” (Pages 71–72)

“The priests of Roman religion wore a hood or covered their heads to prevent them from seeing bad omens. Bad omens often came in the form of lightning, birds flying in an unfavorable direction, or other phenomena in the sky. The hood prevented the priest from looking up at the wrong time. Apparently, if the priest didn’t see it, it didn’t count.” (Page 71)

“in the event of a divorce the dowry would have to be returned so that the woman would not be destitute” (Page 34)

“finding a real snake in the pantry was thought to be a good sign since snakes kept rodents away” (Page 71)

James L. Papandrea’s imaginative narrative builds on a substantial amount of strong historical scholarship, yet it is presented in a fresh and unique way. Contemporary readers will sense both continuity and discontinuity between the earliest church and their own lives. When looking back at first-century Christians in Rome, current practices of the faith amid modern cultural challenges appear both familiar and strange at the same time. One does not need to agree with every aspect of Papandrea’s imaginative narrative to benefit greatly from his historical recreation. I occasionally teach a course in Rome and this is now a required textbook; any Christian visiting this great city should read this book before they go!

—Kelly M. Kapic, professor of theological studies, Covenant College

Jim Papandrea has done it again. An eminent scholar and theologian of the church fathers, who has also written about Christianity in popular cinema, blends his love of history with his passion for narrative tales. This unique work punctuates a wonderful fictional story with pithy lessons about the life of early Christians. Dr. Papandrea’s style makes this a great read for anyone from age twelve to 112. Bravo!

—Anthony Gill, author of The Political Origins of Religious Liberty

A marvelous read!

—Rodney Stark, codirector, Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University

Product Details

• Title: A Week in the Life of Rome
• Author: James L. Papandrea
• Series: A Week in the Life
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 223
• Resource Type: History
• Topic: Bible Backgrounds

About James L. Papandrea

James L. Papandrea (PhD, Northwestern University) is a teacher, author, speaker and musician. He is currently serving as associate professor of church history at Garrett-Evangelical Seminary at Northwestern University, as well as a consultant in the area of adult faith formation and a regular speaker in parish and lay formation programs in the Chicago area. He is the author of The Earliest Christologies, The Trinitarian Theology of Novatian of Rome and Reading the Early Church Fathers. Also a published songwriter, professional musician and teacher of songwriting, Papandrea has written and arranged music for church choirs and has written two musicals. After graduating from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor's degree in music and theatre arts, he received his MDiv degree from Fuller Theological Seminary with a concentration in youth ministry, then spent several years in full time youth and music ministry. He went on to receive a PhD in the history and theology of the early Christian church from Northwestern University, with secondary concentrations in New Testament interpretation and the history of the Roman Empire. He has also studied Roman history at the American Academy in Rome, Italy. Papandrea is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the North American Patristics Society, and the Catholic Association of Music. When he's not teaching or performing music, he can be found traveling with his wife, Susie, taking photographs and making pilgrimages to places like Rome and Assisi.