I, Saul
Authors: Jerry B. Jenkins
“Jerry Jenkins is a masterful storyteller. Only Jerry can transport readers from modern-day Texas to the early days of Christianity, breathing new life into familiar biblical characters. In
I
,
Saul
Jerry has crafted an epic thriller that left me on the edge of my seat hollering, âSweet Mercy!'”
âTodd Starnes
Fox News
“I,
Saul
has everything a great thriller needs: page-turning action, intrigue and mounting suspense, plot twists that really work and, above all, characters worth caring about. The chapter-to-chapter shift from present day to the first century is both clever and effective. The best part? Spending time with Saul of Tarsus. A brilliant concept and a great read.”
âLiz Curtis Higgs
New York Times
best-selling author of
Mine Is the Night
“
I
,
Saul
combines the historical with the contemporary, and the outcome is compulsive reading. Vintage Jerry Jenkins!”
âChris Fabry
Novelist and host of
Chris Fabry Live!
“If Jerry Jenkins would be but one thing (which he assuredly is not), it would be a story teller. He is worth reading for this alone, but he also manages purpose without preaching.
I
,
Saul
is plausible fiction, astute reflection, and a flat-out good read.”
âWallace Alcorn, Ph.D.
Biblical scholar and author
“Jerry Jenkins has compressed his vast talents as a biblical researcher, biographer, mystery writer, and thrill master in
I, Saul.
Hang on, friendsâit's all in one breathless package!”
âDr. Dennis E. Hensley
Author of
Jesus in the 9 to 5
Director of the Professional Writing Program, Taylor University
“I, Saul
is one of the finest books I have ever read. I not only believe it is a good book; I believe it is an important book. I laughed. I cried. And, yes, I found myself wanting to learn even more of the life of the Apostle Paul. In the end, I don't think Jerry could ask any more of a reader.”
âJim Pryor
“The best of stories bring truth to life. The best of stories engage the imagination of the soul. The best of stories help one see the dynamic, real-time possibilities of one's own life.
I, Saul
is one of those best of stories that invites you to see and live into your own future, no matter your past. I could not put this one down!”
âWes Roberts
Leadership Mentor/Organizational Designer, Leadership Design Group
“Jerry Jenkins mixes a dose of international intrigue with historical information and douses it with biblical inspiration to create one of the most riveting stories I've ever read. A masterpiece. If you liked the Left Behind series, then you'll love
I, Saul.
I think it's Jerry's best.”
âSammy Tippit
International evangelist and author
JERRY B. JENKINS
A NOVEL
with
JAMES S. MACDONALD
Copyright © 2013 by Jerry B. Jenkins and James S. MacDonald
Published by Worthy Publishing, a division of Worthy Media, Inc., 134 Franklin Road, Suite 200, Brentwood, Tennessee 37027.
H
ELPING PEOPLE EXPERIENCE THE HEART OF
G
OD
eBook available wherever digital books are sold.
Audio distributed through Brilliance Audio; visit brillianceaudio.com
_____________________________________________________
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jenkins, Jerry B.
I, Saul : a novel / Jerry B. Jenkins ; with James S. MacDonald.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-61795-006-3 (hard cover)
1. Paul, the Apostle, SaintâFiction. 2. BibleâHistory of Biblical eventsâFiction. 3. Apostles--Fiction. 4. Christian fiction. 5. Biographical fiction. I. MacDonald, James S. II. Title.
PS3560.E485I4 2013
813'.54--dc23
2013011238
_____________________________________________________
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherâexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
For foreign and subsidiary rights, contact Riggins International Rights Services, Inc.; rigginsrights.com
ISBN: 978-1-61795-006-3 (hardcover w/ jacket)
ISBN: 978-1-61795-194-7 (international edition)
Cover design: Kirk DouPonce, DogEared Design
Interior typesetting: Susan Browne Design
Printed in the United States of America
13 14 15 16 17 SBI 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my brothers
Jim, Jeoff, and Jay
1
Torn
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7
“call now. desper8.”
The text appeared on Dr. Augie Knox's phone at 8:55 a.m., seconds before he was to turn it offâprotocol for profs entering a classroom at Arlington Theological Seminary.
Augie could have fired off a “give me a minute,” but the message was not signed and the sending number matched nothing in his contacts. The prefix 011-39-06 meant Rome. He'd traveled extensively in his thirty-eight years and enjoyed many visits to the Eternal City, but such a text could easily portend one of those I've-been-mugged-and-need-money scams. Whatever this was could wait until he got the Systematic Theology final exam started and could step into the hall with his phone.
Augie had long been fascinated by his students' nervous chatter before
final exams. One announced, “I looked you up in
Who's Who
, Doc, and I know your full name.”
“Congratulations for discovering something you could have found in your student handbook four years ago.”
“No! That just says Dr. Augustine A. Knox! I found out what the
A
stands for.”
“Good for you. Now, a few instructions â¦.”
“Aquinas!
Augustine Aquinas Knox! Man, what other career choice did you have?”
“Thank you for revealing the thorn in my flesh. If you must know, that moniker was my father's idea.” Augie mimicked his dad's monotone basso. “âNames are important. They can determine a life's course.'”
Many students chuckled, having sat under the elder Dr. Knox before he fell ill the year before.
“It also says you were adopted. Sorry, but it's published.”
“No secret,” Augie said.
Another hand shot up. “Was that a hint about the exam? Will we be speculating on Paul's thorn in the flesh?”
“He's only mentioned that mystery every class,” another said.
Augie held up a hand. “I trust you're all prepared for any eventuality.”
“So, what's your dad's name?”
“Ed!” someone called out. “Everybody knows that.”
“Look it up,” Augie said. “You may find it revealing.”
With blue books distributed, Augie slipped out and turned on his phone. The plea from Rome had already dropped to third on his message list. At the top was a voice mail from Dr. Moore, who had been filling in as acting department chair since Augie's father had been hospitalized with a stroke.
Augie would have checked that one first, but next was a voice mail from Sofia Trikoupis, his heart. It was eight hours later in Athens, after five in the afternoon. “Call me at the end of your day,” her message said. “I'll wait up.” It would be midnight her time by then, but she apparently needed his undivided attention. That would bug him all day. How he longed for them to be together.
His phone vibrated. Rome again. “urgent. call now, pls!”
Augie pressed his lips together, thumbing in, “who's this?”
“trust me. begging.”
“not w/out knowing who u r.”
Augie waited more than a minute for a response, then snorted.
As I figured.
But as he headed back into the classroom, his phone buzzed again.
“zionist.”
Augie stopped, heat rising in his neck. He quickly tapped in, “90 minutes OK?”
“now! critical.”
Few people had been more important in Augie's life than Roger Michaels, the diminutive fifty-year-old South African with a James Earl Jones voice and a gray beard that seemed to double the size of his pale, gnomish face. Augie would never lead a tour of an ancient city without Roger as the guide.