Joseph L Cavilla

Simon of Cyrene: a Christian Novel Joseph L Cavilla

Publisher Marketing: While on a family holiday in Jerusalem, Simon, a carpenter from Cyrene, is singled out by Roman soldiers and forced to carry Christ's cross. A miraculous conversion ensues, and Simon's life is forever transformed. Returning home, Simon is shadowed by a member of the Jerusalem Sanhedrin, and is soon unwittingly thrust into the perilous world of the nascent Christian religion. Like Simon their father, Rufus and Alexander are carpenters. After helping Simon retrofit Captain Marius' Corbita cargo vessel with a new and revolutionary passenger cabin, they become enamoured with the sea and are soon travelling to Jerusalem and beyond. While the nineteen year old Rufus pursues the forbidden love of a beautiful young Roman woman, Alexander travels to the Holy Land to meet with the great apostles. In Judea, Alexander meets and falls in love with an alluring Christian maiden, only to be initiated into the trials and tribulations so common to the followers of Jesus at the time. Back in Cyrene, Simon works diligently at "fishing men," and plays an invaluable role in the emergence of the early church. Set in the historical world of the Roman Empire, Simon Of Cyrene is a warm tale of family bonds, romantic love, adventure, miracles, and unbridled faith. It follows a fictitious family of endearing characters as they meet and interact with historical biblical personages, and poses an intriguing question: Could one of the bible's most humble characters have helped to shape the structure of the Christian faith as we know it?