The Lost Letters of Pergamum: A Story from the New Testament World

Longenecker certainly came up with a creative idea when he wrote this book. Two New Testament figures predominate - Luke the famous (at least in our day) physician and author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles exchanges correspondence with a lesser known NT individual Antipas (the faithful witness of Revelation Chapter 2).

The only perhaps more creative "what if and maybe so" story would be a 12 year-old Paul and Jesus (they were about the same age) discussing theology together in the temple together -perhaps at Gamaliel's feet.

Buy this - it is fascinating

Bruce Longenecker's "The Lost Letters of Pergamum" is a fictional exchange of letters between Luke (the writer of the New Testament books of "Luke" and "Acts") and Antipas (a little-known martyr mentioned only in Revelation 2:13), written within the period of a year and depicting the development of an unusual friendship between these two men. Though the events are not known to have happened, Longenecker is a master storyteller and scholar of the New Testament world, creating a scenario that is entirely plausible and utterly fascinating.

The power of the book is many-fold. It helped me understand the nature of a world where hand-delivered letters were a primary means of communication. It helped me understand the cultural background that facilitated the writing of the New Testament canon and explained the means by which these biblical documents were copied, disseminated, read, and interpreted. It helped me understand the implications of converting to Christianity in the first century, in the midst of a Roman-ruled society that was often suspicious and increasingly outright antagonistic to this new faith of "anti-social miscreants." It presented me with a new and fascinating depiction of how the gospel might be communicated to non-Christians. It showed me the power of the faithful witness of the church, demonstrated by sacrificial love and unity. To these and so many other things, my heart and mind have been opened to a richer understanding of the Bible and how it can and should impact the life of the church and my life.

I have never read anything quite like "The Lost Letters of Pergamum." It is accessible, intellectually stimulating, and completely captivating. I am not usually prone to such unabashed praise, but this is surely a book that I plan to recommend to anyone who will listen, as I am confident that this story has much to teach us all.

This book is just wonderful. It was recommended by a Christian friend who studies with the author at the University of Aberdeen. The fiction drew me in so that I had trouble putting the book down.

This was a marvelous way to be presented a perspective on the life of the early church and with a way of interpreting various parts of the book of Luke. I wish that all exposition could be presented in such a wonderful and enjoyable manner.

The basis of the story is the fictional discovery of a correspondence between gospel author Luke and Antipas (the martyr referenced in Revelation 2:13). The recovered letters unfold the account of how Antipas, a highly respectable Roman citizen and businessman, came to salvation and martyrdom.

The main weakness of the novel is its epistolary format. While this device sets up the original basis for Luke's connection with Antipas, it severely limits the action of the story and the development of secondary characters. By telling the story exclusively through the letters, historical details are only presented as a report and sometimes reads more like a history textbook than a historical novel.

Although this story provides excellent insight into early Christian history and the perception of Christians in ancient Roman culture, I believe this story would be more appealing to New Testament students or those attracted mostly to history. For readers of other Christian historical fiction, such as the writings of Francine Rivers or Tim LaHaye, I think this story would prove less engaging.

This book is a compelling demonstration of what a fertile and well-cultivated imagination can do to advance our understanding of the New Testament world. Packaged as a compilation of New Testament-style fictional letters revolving around the faith journey of Roman nobleman Antipas towards becoming a Christian and then offering himself as a martyr (cf. Revelation 2:13), the book aims both to entertain and educate its readers through a story set in the historical context of the early church.

To this end, the book brings to life the actual world of the New Testament in a way that an academic treatise could probably never do; much like how a good period drama might educate a given audience better than a documentary. We are offered a rigorous yet accessible commentary on the historical context to the gospels, particularly the pervasive undercurrents of social honour codes and bonds of patronage and benefaction, as well as extreme segregation between social classes, that lay beneath the gospel narratives. While many of these historical details are alluded to in the letters, Longenecker also finds ways to give certain key issues explicit and lengthier treatment, through Antipas' "historical reconstructions" on issues of interest like the Samaritans, or more in-depth responses from Luke on topics such as the Pharisees, Pontius Pilate or the great fire in Rome. This background information serves as a powerful antidote against anachronistic projections of modern perspectives into the first century world.

Also valuable are Antipas' periodic digests of Luke's gospel after he starts corresponding with Luke. Through these digests, he interacts closely with the scriptural text and wrestles with the implications of Jesus' teachings in his context, as a first century Roman aristocrat. We quickly learn that the "empire of the Jewish God" that Jesus proclaimed was diametrically opposed to the existing social order. His actions of eating with tax collectors and sinners broke radically with social codes of honour and shame. His chastisement of the Jewish leaders stemmed from their self-serving alignment with these codes. Yet the manner of his death (e.g. Pilate's treatment of him) suggests that he was not a social revolutionary. These points overturn one-dimensional modern stereotypes of "gentle Jesus meek and mild" and tease out the complexity of Jesus' identity and ministry, while also offering useful insights on how Christians should live counter-culturally today.

It is in the area of storytelling that Longenecker's work is found slightly wanting. The book is not always a page-turner, and certain didactic portions of the letters are contrived. This is especially the case when Luke goes into encyclopedic detail on historical minutiae in response to factual questions posed by Antipas. Other portions of the letters just seem unnatural in to the flow of normal correspondence. Antipas' and Calpurnius' discussion on the pros and cons of gladiatorial games, informative as it is, seems out of place in an introductory exchange of letters. Hence the 4 stars instead of 5 for this review.

To be fair, these quibbles pertain only to isolated portions of the book. On the whole, Longenecker does a great job of constructing a believable, historically-accurate narrative that traces Antipas' personal transformation and eventual conversion to Christianity. As such, I very much recommend this book.

Thought the style may occasionally be anachronistic, the frame of using correspondence to explore the world of early Christianity covers any problems. Thought provoking, insightful and a good read on top of it all.

I liked it. It gave an accurate picture of Rome during the time of the early church and really makes you think about the context of scripture.

Historic Fiction that does a great job relating ancient times and ideas

most interesting book..not well known as I can tell..I enjoyed the discourse and learned much about Roman society and governance.

I found this book to be very accurate to the knowledge I learned from a study of Paul's letters. It is a good book.