Of Such Is the Kingdom PARTS I & II: A Novel of the Christ and the Roman Empire

by James M. Becher

What do a cynical, non-conformist dry-goods salesman, a disgruntled blacksmith, and a musing mendicant all have in common? Down deep, they all seek for something better; and eventually, they all find the childlike humility and faith required for true fulfillment.

The non-conformist, Manaheem, Herod’s foster brother, helps Herod foment an insurrection against Pilate, using the blacksmith, Barabbas as leader, to the dismay of the latter’s Godly but fearful wife. The Mendicant, a young man named Timotheus, joins with an older beggar completely unsympathetic to his musings. Meanwhile, Pilate’s wife pushes him to take over Herod’s territory.

When the insurrection fails, Manaheem turns to blackmail, and Barabbas turns to robbery, enlisting the aid of our two beggars. Manaheem almost loses his one true love, his former wife, Claressa, with whom he is trying to re-unite. The robbery goes bad, and Barabbas and the beggars get caught and are sentenced to death.

238 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2003

About the author

James M. Becher was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on June 8, 1943 to a Christian family and accepted Christ at an early age. He was an avid reader in his youth, especially interested in stories about other time periods and also science fiction. In Jr. High school, he became interested in writing and drama. He wrote several poems, articles and a few short stories, plays and novelettes.
While attending St.Petersburg Jr. College, he won second prize in a short story contest with the Biblical short story, "Beggarman-Thief."
He graduated from Clearwater Christian College in 1970, with a B.A. degree in Bible-literature, and Biblical School of Theology (now Biblical Seminary) in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, in 1974 with a M.Div.

He was ordained in November of 1974, and has served as assistant or associate pastor or Bible teacher in several churches. He also served in a foreign student ministry, which is where he met his wife, Berenice from Venezuela. It was there also that he began working on the novel Of Such Is The Kingdom, based on his short story, "Beggarman-Thief." In 1984, James and his wife spent a year and a half in Venezuela, where, while teaching English, he also worked on his second novel, IMPOSSIBLE JOURNEY A Tale of Times and Truth. Upon returning from Venezuela, he completed and revised his Biblical novel, OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM, which was published by PublishAmerica on September 7th, 2003. He completed and revised IMPOSSIBLE JOURNEY and it was published in June of 2005.