THE CENTURION'S WIFE, THE HIDDEN FLAME, THE DAMASCUS WAY

THE CENTURION'S WIFE, THE HIDDEN FLAME AND THE DAMASCUS WAY by DAVIS BUNN & JANETTE OKE are books in the Acts of Faith series.  I can highly recommend them.  They take us through the period when Christ walked on the earth with His disciples, His crucifixion and resurrection, right up to the time when His disciples left Jerusalem to take the Gospel into Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth.  The novels follow the Scriptures closely and really give us an idea of life during that period. 
The Centurion's Wife starts in Caesarea with Leah, the daughter of a wealthy family who have lost everything, who now works for Pilate's wife, Procula.  She is a relative of Pilate's, and he makes arrangements for her to marry Alban, a Roman centurion who is looking for advancement in the Roman army by aligning himself with Pilate.  Herod and Pilate give Alban the assignment of finding out what actually happened to Jesus, as they are worried that His followers will cause trouble for Rome.  Once he has done this he will be given Leah as his bride.  Pilate moves his household to Jerusalem.  Procula, who has had terrible nightmares on account of Jesus, sends Leah to infiltrate the believers in Jerusalem and bring her back all that she can find out about the prophet.  Both Alban and Leah bring back the news that Jesus is alive and that He was raised from the dead. This is not what their superiors want to hear! Alban and Leah learn this from disciples who witnessed His resurrection, and at first they find it hard to believe.  They enter into a betrothal according to Judean custom, as Herod and Pilate feel that they will be better able to infiltrate the believers in this way.  Leah hears that the Temple leaders want to kill Alban, and she is tempted at first to let it happen so that she does not have to go through with the marriage. However, she has come to know the truth and become a follower of Jesus and warns him of the danger he is in, thus saving his life.  She is pleased to find that he has also come to follow the Lord, and now knows that she will not be unequally yoked with an unbeliever.
We come across Martha, Mary, Lazarus, the apostle Peter, Joseph of Aramathea, and many other biblical characters, and we get an idea of the close knit relationships between the followers of The Way.  We also get an idea of the viciousness of Herod, the ruthless ambition of Pilate, and the wickedness of Caiaphas and the Temple rulers.  We see their ostentatious wealth as opposed to the poverty of the believers and the bitterness and hatred of those in power, as opposed to the love and generosity of the followers of The Way.
Leah is afraid of marriage, as her sisters have been forced into lives of slavery having been married off to unloving and wicked men, but  she eventually finds love with Alban who is now a fellow believer.  Their marriage is a joyous occasion and takes place in the courtyard of the believers.  At the wedding feast, Alban's young charge Jacob is reunited with his sister Abigail.  They each thought the other dead, as their family was killed by bandits.  Alban saved Jacob's life, and they are devoted to one another.   Alban gives Jacob his freedom, but Jacob doesn't want to leave him.  Jacob's ambition is to become a legionnaire like his guardian, but Alban tries to dissuade him now that he has come to know the Lord.
The Hidden Flame starts at the marriage celebration of Alban and Leah.  They are warned that they have to flee Jerusalem immediately as Herod's men are on their way to seize them.  They leave Jacob with Abigail and don't tell them where they are going, in order to protect them.  Jacob is very upset and angry that he can't go with Alban and finds life with the believers rather boring, especially as he has to work for a carpenter when all he wants is to become a legionnaire.  He is befriended by Linux, a friend of Alban's who encourages him in his ambition.  He takes Jacob to the games. This upsets the young man terribly and makes him realize that a life of brutality and fighting is not for him.  
Alban becomes a caravan guard and takes Jacob to work with him, after the young boy has worked out his resentment and has had a word from the Lord that the believers must be ready for whatever transpires.
In this book we come across Gamaliel, Anananias and Sapphira, and Stephen, amongst other biblical characters.  The persecution of the followers of The Way becomes more intense and Saul of Tarsus comes into the picture.  
Abigail is very beautiful and two men seek her hand in marriage.  The first is Linux, the Roman legionnaire, and the second is Ezra, a Pharisee and friend of Gamaliel.  Ezra is a widower and needs a mother for his young children.  He is proud and very rich, and is willing to overlook the fact that Abigail limps due to an injury and is thus "unclean", and that she is an orphan.  He is horrified when he is turned down as a suitor by Peter.  He feels something when he is in the disciples' company, but his pride and anger win out in the end when his sister Sapphira and her husband are struck down by the Lord for lying to the Holy Spirit.  He makes it his business to find a way to attack the believers.  He engages the help of Saul of Tarsus and together they incite the crowd to kill Stephen when he is speaking at the Temple.
Linux becomes convicted by the Lord as he spends time with the believers, and is taught by Stephen when he finally becomes a follower of The Way.  The Lord helps Linux to forgive his brother, which is a miraculous sign to him that Jesus is real and alive.
He had been about to steal treasure from the Temple, using Jacob as a spy, in return for his brother's death at the hands of the new prelate's men.  Instead he goes back to Umbria and tries to lead his dying brother to the Lord.
Stephen and Abigail get married and Abigail helps Stephen in his ministry to the widows and orphans in Jerusalem.  Abigail and Martha have always been close and Abigail is a great help to Martha in her duties.  Abigail is healed by the Lord, which is cause for great celebration.
Both Abigail and Stephen have a premonition that there is much suffering ahead, and Stephen asks Linux to look after Abigail if anything should happen to him.  Stephen and Abigail's love story is beautifully portrayed and we see them encouraging one another to keep the faith as the persecution of believers becomes more intense.
Leah and Alban and their young son are based in Galilee and want Abigail to come and live with them as they are afraid for her safety, but Abigail feels closer to Stephen in Jerusalem and wants to carry on their work there.  Also she is expecting his child, which is a great joy to her.
In this book we see the believers steadfastly holding on in faith, in spite of their fear and horrific persecution from both the Romans and their fellow Judeans.  In fact, the latter have become even more of a threat.
In The Damascus Way we come across Julia, the daughter of Jamal, who is Greek, and Helena, who comes from Judean stock.  Alban and Jacob work for Jamal.  Julia, who is devoted to her father, is shocked to find out that Jamal has a wife and sons in Damascus, and that he and her mother are not married.  Helena is devoted to Jamal and to her daughter, but keeps to herself because of the shame of her situation.  Zoe, their maidservant takes Julia to meetings of believers and Julia comes to know the Lord.  She is determined to take her mother to the meetings so that she too may become a believer and know the peace of Christ in her heart.  She realizes that she has been trying too hard in her own strength, and it is only at a time of crisis and very real danger that her mother makes a commitment and becomes a follower.  Zoe is more of a friend to the two women than a servant, and the three of them pray together for Jamal and for their situation.  
Alban and Jacob travel to Jerusalem with Jamal's caravan and Alban is taken to the carpenter's house to stay with Abigail, Martha, Linux and the other believers, as he is very ill with a fever.  They are warned to leave the city as the persecution is very bad, and they set off early the next morning.  Abigail is tempted to stay on in Jerusalem to carry on with the work she and Stephen did, but she realizes that she is placing her little daughter, Dorcas' life at risk.  On their journey they meet up with Philip and his ministry to the Ethiopian, the Ethiopian's baptism, and Philip's subsequent translation before their very eyes.  
The miraculous power of God is seen in healing and deliverance from harm at the hand of the Almighty.  Abigail and Martha are particularly active in ministry to the Samaritans.  We also come across the Samaritan woman whom Jesus met at the well, and eventually Jacob, Julia and Helena meet up with the dreaded Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus road, and witness his dramatic conversion.
The dangers of travel, the life of traders and that of  Roman legionnaires, are vividly described in this book.  The characters and their struggles are beautifully portrayed as they live the life of the Spirit in very troubled times.  We see how they overcome fear as they trust in the Lord, and their determination to give Him glory at all costs.  
These three novels, in staying close to the truth of the Gospel, give us a lovely picture of Christianity at the time of the book of Acts.  Each book can be read as a stand alone novel, but I feel they should be read in sequence in order to get the most out of them.