What if the Bible we read today was not only shaped by divine inspiration-but by forgotten debates, burned scrolls, and the blood of martyrs?

Ashes and Oil: The First Bible is a powerful historical novel that takes readers deep into the fourth century-when the Church stood on the edge of division, and the canon of Scripture had not yet been sealed. In this turbulent era of emperors and bishops, martyrs and scribes, one question burned through the halls of councils and the caves of monks: Which books are truly the Word of God?

Through vivid, emotionally rich storytelling, A.A. Castor paints the dramatic world of early Christianity-where men and women fought not just for survival, but for the preservation of sacred truth. From Rome to Carthage, from Antioch to Alexandria, the novel weaves together theological conflict, political intrigue, and spiritual devotion as figures like Pope Damasus, Jerome, and unnamed believers clash over the inclusion or rejection of texts like Tobit, Barnabas, Revelation, The Shepherd of Hermas, and more.

This is not a sanitized church history. This is a story of scrolls buried under blood. Of bishops who wept. Of debates that divided cities. Of a Church that dared to bind the Word of God-and faced the eternal consequences.

Ashes and Oil is for readers who hunger for faith, truth, and fire.