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The Wrestler of Philippi
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
317 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1887
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 3, 2021
This was one of those books that I just couldn’t put down – the story was compelling, the characters were intriguing, and the many different story lines being masterfully woven together were begging me to figure out how they would intersect. And throughout the fictional story, I was seeing glimpses of real life heroes I recognized and knew from the book of Acts and the story of our history, which only made the story better!
I loved seeing how pagan worshipers turned from their false idols to Jesus Christ. I loved seeing how the temptations in the days when Christianity was spreading were so diverse and so complicated – like the baskets being sold to the pagan temples. Should the women support their families by selling the baskets to the priests and priestesses, since they themselves would not be involved in the worship, or should they refuse to sell them for the sake of Christ, knowing what they were used for? Questions that are still a challenge for us as Christians today, in so many ways.
The early church history and the Christians who were willing to suffer for righteousness sake have always intrigued me – it’s one of my favourite times in history. The descriptions in this story, the way this early world is brought to life, quickly captivated my imagination. I loved the description of the games – something which, to me, has always seemed horrendously gruesome was explained in such detail that I could understand more why they were such a big part of the Roman culture.
The willingness of the several characters to continue to meet in secret, knowing it was against Nero’s decree, and knowing they would be punished if caught was inspiring. The decorous way in which Elizabeth submitted to arrest, and the courageous way she, and the many other Christians, faced persecution and death was convicting – and brought up many worthy questions for consideration. Is my faith such that I know the Father holds every bit of my life in His hands? Can I submit – fully and unreservedly – to persecution and torture, if that’s His perfect will for me? While I know that those questions aren’t answered until faced with those kinds of situations, my prayer is that the Lord would continually be strengthening my faith to make me more like Him, and that He will give me grace to stand in the days that come!
I loved seeing how pagan worshipers turned from their false idols to Jesus Christ. I loved seeing how the temptations in the days when Christianity was spreading were so diverse and so complicated – like the baskets being sold to the pagan temples. Should the women support their families by selling the baskets to the priests and priestesses, since they themselves would not be involved in the worship, or should they refuse to sell them for the sake of Christ, knowing what they were used for? Questions that are still a challenge for us as Christians today, in so many ways.
The early church history and the Christians who were willing to suffer for righteousness sake have always intrigued me – it’s one of my favourite times in history. The descriptions in this story, the way this early world is brought to life, quickly captivated my imagination. I loved the description of the games – something which, to me, has always seemed horrendously gruesome was explained in such detail that I could understand more why they were such a big part of the Roman culture.
The willingness of the several characters to continue to meet in secret, knowing it was against Nero’s decree, and knowing they would be punished if caught was inspiring. The decorous way in which Elizabeth submitted to arrest, and the courageous way she, and the many other Christians, faced persecution and death was convicting – and brought up many worthy questions for consideration. Is my faith such that I know the Father holds every bit of my life in His hands? Can I submit – fully and unreservedly – to persecution and torture, if that’s His perfect will for me? While I know that those questions aren’t answered until faced with those kinds of situations, my prayer is that the Lord would continually be strengthening my faith to make me more like Him, and that He will give me grace to stand in the days that come!
February 26, 2011
The Wrestler of Philippi had the potential to be a good story. It's set in an exciting time period--the reign of the emperor Nero. It has the plot element of searching for long-lost family members, which is generally interesting. It even had a few scenes that could have been very powerful.
However, several flaws spoil the book. I might forgive the cocoa beans, though that is a serious historical error, and I might even forgive the clearly late-Victorian language of the characters, if the characters were characters at all. But they aren't. Nobody in the book is well-developed because the author tries to follow too many different threads, rather than sticking with one story. (Yes, I know Dickens could do that successfully, but few other people can.) Newberry attempts to weave in some biblical characters and events, such as the demon-possessed girl, whom Paul healed; the mesh does not work out though and only adds to the confusion of divergent story lines. The author also goes out of her way to rationalize a miracle, and then produces an ending more unbelievable than any miracle. She fails to evoke any sympathy for her characters, and in the end falls far short of any real dramatic power. Much better historical fiction for young people is out there; skip this one.
However, several flaws spoil the book. I might forgive the cocoa beans, though that is a serious historical error, and I might even forgive the clearly late-Victorian language of the characters, if the characters were characters at all. But they aren't. Nobody in the book is well-developed because the author tries to follow too many different threads, rather than sticking with one story. (Yes, I know Dickens could do that successfully, but few other people can.) Newberry attempts to weave in some biblical characters and events, such as the demon-possessed girl, whom Paul healed; the mesh does not work out though and only adds to the confusion of divergent story lines. The author also goes out of her way to rationalize a miracle, and then produces an ending more unbelievable than any miracle. She fails to evoke any sympathy for her characters, and in the end falls far short of any real dramatic power. Much better historical fiction for young people is out there; skip this one.
April 4, 2011
An enjoyable tale of the Church in the first century. I liked the way the story started with its center on the family of Hector, Salome, and Herklas, then began to spread out to the people they meet when their household is broken up. There were only two things I did not particularly care for; the first was the underlying theme that if you pray enough, God will give you exactly what you ask (which may or may not have been what the authoress intended). The second was that the Christians did not seem to struggle very much with "indwelling sin," save for a few momentary things, which made the story feel unrealistic. But I did enjoy the climax, and the way the characters were brought together.
September 5, 2023
Really enjoyed this book from the beginning, where the three siblings are separated, through their individual trials and triumphs till the end page. Interesting characters and a fascinating peep into that age.
August 28, 2012
I love this Lamplighter book! It was very Christ-centered, inspirational, and adventurous. The characters are very real, the historical accuracy is superb, and I love the suspense!
September 21, 2021
Love this book! I've loved it for years now. It might be a little bit predictable but still an amazing story. The wonderful story of Christ shines through!
November 19, 2024
Loved this book. A wonderful representation of Christian history while still adding to the story and creating/bringing to life previously barely mentioned bible characters. (i.e the demon-possessed girl) I truly enjoyed the comparison between the Wrestler and the Apostle Paul. This writing style was almost parallel to the Mark of the Lion series which I enjoyed thoroughly. I'd 100% recommend this book.
February 15, 2015
Definitely better than a lot of other historical fiction about this time. The portrayal of the historical characters seemed fitting.
April 10, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews