by Francine Rivers, 1993
Excellent Christian Historical Fiction. Set in Jerusalem, Rome, Ephesus in about 70 A.D. Destruction of Jerusalem. Young Jewish Christian girl, Hadassah, sees her family die, is taken captive to Rome – sold as a house slave to rich Ephesian family in Rome. The Valerians – Decimus (Dad), Phoebe (Mom), Marcus (Son) and Julia (Daughter).
Marcus is about 21, Julia is about 16, Hadassah is Julia’s servant. She loves her like a sister and serves her well, despite the path to destruction Julia takes. Hadassah never stops praying for her. The whole family comes to rely on her calming presence and her songs and stories. Marcus fall in love with her.
Gladiator, Atretes, is taken captive in Germania, where he is a fierce warrior. He hates Rome. They train him to be a gladiator. He becomes the most famous – famous for his looks and his many kills.
Julia falls in love with him when she sees him training on the road while at her first husband’s country villa. (Claudius – a kind, gentle, elderly Roman who Julia was forced to marry by her father.) Julia wants so bad to see Atretes again that she rides to see him all by herself and Claudius falls off his horse and dies trying to rescue her (very dangerous for women to be on the road alone).
Julia then falls in love with an evil man, Caiaus, who abused her and spends almost all her money. Julia poisons him at the suggestion of Calabah – an evil woman who befriends her. Calabah also convinced Julia to have an abortion of Caiaus and her child. Hadassah has to bury the child. Hadassah had saved Julia’s life one night when Caiaus was whipping Julia in a jealous rage. Hadassah ran in and covered Julia with her body and took all the lashes.
Hadassah recovers and the whole family moves back to Ephesus. That is also where Atretes is sent. Julia seduces Atretes and he earns his freedom and wants to marry her; she is pregnant with his child. Julia loves him but Calabah convinces her not to marry him, instead to keep him as her lover while Julia pretend marries a homosexual, Primus. Atretes will have none of it and destroys the villa he had purchased for her and goes to live in a cave. Julia wants the baby to be taken away and set on rocks by the sea. Hadassah takes the baby to the Apostle John who rejoices because a new widow had just lost her child. Hadassah never stops loving and praying for this family. Marcus finds out she is a Christian but loves her and asks her to marry him. She loves Marcus but won’t marry him because she knows he would eventually lead her away from God. Julia overhears the conversation and hates Hadassah for spurning her beloved brother. She brings Hadassah to a feast of an Ephesian who hates Jews. He confronts her and asks her to worship the emperor – she refuses and he sells her to be thrown to the lions. She bravely goes out to the lions singing softly to God – no longer afraid – and she is the first one attacked by the lions. Julia has brought Marcus as a surprise. Marcus is horrified – he disowns Julia – casts her to Calabah’s influence totally and leaves as Hadassah is being attacked by 2 lions.
Ch. 1 of An Echo in the Darkness, Book 2: Hadassah is not dead though. The doctor brings her to his table to dissect her but decides not to. Have to read Book 2 to find out what happens!
Hadassah’s gentle, loving, forgiving spirit doesn’t seem to change anyone – except Decimus – on his death bed, he asks for forgiveness, “I have sinned greatly” and Hadassah knows he is with God. “The troubled look left Decimus’ eyes.”