A compelling novel about Paul's life and struggle for inner freedom.

No matter where he traveled, Paul found himself face to face with conflict. From fanatical persecutor to zealous bondservant, his faith placed him at the epicenter of the battle for the very soul of the church.

And what about the battle he tried to hide-even from himself?

More than a fictional tale, In the Shadow of His Hand is a biographic dramatic commentary revealing missing elements of the backstory and context of Paul's life-elements each of us can relate to and glean from. The first-century Anno Domini world was a welter of competing cultures. The combination of social and religious forces bound in one political system provided the backdrop for a Shakespearian-like drama.

Three great cultures set the scene. Judaism provided the roots of Christianity. Roman imperialism offered Pax Romana for western expansion. And Hellenism-with Greek language, culture, and intellectual thought-united to expedite worldwide communication. The success of the Jewish Maccabees a century earlier had fueled dreams of Jewish pride and independence. The result was a deeply ingrained warrior's mentality and a legalistic drive for preserving Jewish God-given Mosaic Law.

It was inevitable that Roman justice, Jewish nationalism, and Greek culture would clash. Into this raging world order, a child was born that touched each of the cultures of the new millennium. No bright stars illuminated that night. No "wise men" came seeking the fulfillment of prophecy. No shepherds rushed to see this newborn baby, and no announcement recorded his birth. Yet a child slipped quietly into the world during one of history's most turbulent eras.

This young boy, Gaius Julius Paulus of Tarsus, entered this crazed world, with an echo from the words of Prophet Isaiah, "Before I was born the Lord called me . . . he hid me in the shadow of His hand." The birth of this Hellenistic Jew and freeborn Roman citizen began a struggle that would make him a vital catalyst in vaulting a little-known, local Jewish sect into worldwide Christianity.