Priscilla

Even if I'm no really religious I've been a fan of novels set in the early century of Christianity since I read Quo Vadis and I was really happy to be approved for this book.
I started to read as soon as I get the copy and I was hooked as soon as I started to read it.
It's a vivid, details and well researched story of the seminal person of Christianity seen through the eyes of a woman.
I loved the well written characters, the vivid description and the attention to the historical details.
Priscilla is a great character and her memories are both interesting and engaging.
Highly recommended to fan of Ancient Rome fiction and inspirational books.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

What was life like in the decades after Jesus' death? For this, we have little information. There is the New Testament of course, as well as legends and findings from archaeology. Within this, one of my favorite things about Paul's letters are all the people he mentions: Apollos, Priscilla, Aquila, Junia, Phoebe, Silas, etc. All of these people certainly had stories of their own, but only show up as supporting characters in the story of Paul.

This book imagines what life may have been like for one of those people: Priscilla. Withingerton writes from his deep knowledge of this era, which is the best thing about the book. There are probably a whole host of people who will never read a commentary or theology book, but they will read a biography or a story. In telling Priscilla's story, Witherington sneaks in a lot of first-century knowledge. The reader will come away knowing a bit more. Further, the footnotes are very helpful in this regard.

At the same time, perhaps in an effort to teach more than entertain, this book sounds wrong at times. A good story sucks you in. There were times in this story when I was pulled out, reminded I was reading a story. For example, at one point Priscilla points out that the remedy to bad religion is not no religion, but good religion. Seriously, did anyone say that before the last century or so? These points throughout remind us that while there is a story being told, the story is not primary.

Along with that, I personally did not find the extensive scripture quotations. There are more than a few times where Priscilla tells Julia (the person she is telling the story to) to get out Peter's letter or Paul's letter or Luke's gospel and read a portion. Again, it simply takes you out of the story.

I think where this story succeeds best is where Priscilla talks about real life events from the persecution of Nero to the destruction of Pompeii. If anything, the book would have been better had Witherington imagined even more story and built up more of the history around it, and preached less. Perhaps a scholar does not like just making stuff up, but in the end this almost reads more like a dialogue than a story.

All that aside, it is still a good read. The best part of it is that we recognize the huge role women played in the early church. Priscilla of course was a leader and she tells us of Phoebe and Junia. Within this we get the argument that the Joanna who visited the empty tomb with Mary is the same as the Junia of Romans 16:7. Priscilla also reminds us that Acts was not about Paul, but about the gospel getting to Rome. She fills us in (and certainly not all scholars agree) that Paul traveled to Spain, then back east, before being arrested and executed. Any book that brings more first-century knowledge to Christians, or anyone, is good. So despite any flaws, this is highly recommended for any Christian or fan of ancient history.

I received a free advanced copy of this book from NetGalley for purposes of review.

"Priscilla" is educational biographical fiction about what life was like for the early Christians. Priscilla (wife of Aquila) recounted her life from when she was visiting Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit came down (in Acts) through historical events like the Jews (and Christians) being expelled from Rome, the deaths of Peter and Paul, and the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.

The author wove historical information and what daily life was like into the story along with events mentioned in the New Testament that she would (or could) have witnessed or participated in. He also included his views and explanations about things like why Priscilla in mentioned before Aquila and if women were allowed to teach. I didn't always agree with his take on things (like the first gospel being finished after the fall of the Temple), but they aren't uncommon views.

There were footnotes explaining where quotes or certain information came from. There were some nice black-and-white pictures of archaeological finds that illustrated information in the story. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting book, especially to those who know little about the historical backdrop of the first 60 years of early Christianity.

I received an ARC of this boom in exchange for my honest review. What an amazing book. I read Phoebe, also published by IVP, last year and it was one of my favorite books of the year. Priscilla has the potential to be that in 2019. It is filled with historical and biblical evidence and fact, but paints the picture of Priscilla and her importance of the church in a way that I've never heard before. Priscilla is made to seem personable and a character genuinely invested in. Of course, the way the author fills in some details is imaginative and fictional, but I appreciate that - it got me thinking outside the box and surmising about history. Highly highly recommend.

I am always interested in Ben Witherington's work, and "Priscilla: The Life of An Early Christian" was an involving read. I anticipated the book would be similar to a textbook, and while there are some archeology photos, along with detailed footnotes, this reads more like a historical novel.

Blended with the story of Priscilla in Scripture and that of a bit of creative license on the author's part, the book was informative and gripping. If you are a history buff or interested in researching the life of the early followers of The Way, you will be drawn in to the story. This reimagining of Priscilla's day to day life and how she responded to Jesus' call on her life are worth the read.

I was able to be an early reviewer of this title thanks to #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: Priscilla
Any careful reader of the New Testament would have noticed that Priscilla is one of the important figures in the early church. Her name is scattered throughout the NT writings especially amongst Pauline corpus.

But who is she? Do we know anything else about her? Many of us know her as the spouse of Aquila, Paul’s fellow-worker, or the woman who with her husband explained the essential elements of the faith to Apollos. But does this do justice to her whole story? Is there more that we might know, if so, what?

Ben Witherington takes on this challenge head-on to fill the gaps in the story of Priscilla by marrying excellent scholarship with imaginative storytelling. Witherington is known for his insight into the NT world. Thus, he is uniquely qualified for this task.

This work, Priscilla, is a historical fiction. In it, Priscilla looks back over her life and calls to mind the times of infancy of church. Through her flashbacks, we see her journeying to Ephesus, Corinth, and Rome. Moreover, she narrates to us her story of partnership with St Paul.

This storytelling genre makes the NT world come alive to modern readers. Reading this book is like watching a beautiful documentary that gently guides us and speaks to us on gut level. This book creatively and cleverly teaches history, cultural phenomenons, structures of society and the early church in an unconventional form of storytelling.

Readers will greatly benefit from vivid storytelling that is mixed with excellent scholarship

I thank IVP Academic for an advance copy.

I had been anticipating the new book Priscilla: The Life of an Early Christian by Dr. Ben Witherington III for most of the last year since I first saw it in the IVP catalog. Witherington takes his knowledge as a Professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary and spins a story surrounding the character of Priscilla in the Bible who is most often mentioned in conjunction with her husband Aquila. Through the story Priscilla is telling her story to her adopted daughter Julia who is serving as her scribe. In this narrative, Priscilla tells the behind the scenes stories of the life of early Christians. Throughout her story, Priscilla eludes to many scripture passages and events as well as historical events. Witherington uses his background in New Testament and the history of the time period not only to fill in myriad details of what actually happened. He also introduces each chapter with quotes from various primary sources of the time period and includes numerous images to illustrate the story as well. Copius footnotes are included so that readers can follow-up on interesting items.

Finishing the book, I found that I enjoyed it and recommend it to others, but I didn't love the book like I anticipated I would. The story was well-researched and interesting and having the narrative "what if" of early Christian life will send many readers back to their Bibles to re-read passages. However, the story line as told by Priscilla was not as gripping as I had hoped. It read more like a biography than as historical fiction.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received Priscilla via NetGalley and purchased a copy to donate to the library where I am employed. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.