Of Such Is The Kingdom, PART I: Discontent and Insurrection: A Novel of the Christ and the Roman Empire

by James M. Becher

  ."What an amazing and intriguing novel!"   Can a cynical, nonconformist, dry-goods salesman, a disgruntled blacksmith, and a musing mendicant all find true fulfillment in ancient Palestine? And at what cost?  Find out in this intriguing 2020 Readers Favorites award winner.         The nonconformist, Manaheem, Herod's truth-seeking foster brother, is hired by Herod Antipas to foment an insurrection against Pontius Pilate, whom he fears.. He, in turn,  recruits the blacksmith, Barabbas, to lead it - much to the dismay of Barabbas's Godly but fearful wife.      Imagine Pontius Pilate as a weak ruler, whose wife pushes him to take over Herod's territory.Imagine a young pensive  mendicant, who joins with an older beggar unsympathetic to his musings.          Meanwhile, Manaheem reunites with his former wife, Claressa.  Then, in need of money,  after much soul searching, tries to blackmail Herod, losing Claressa in the process. Will he win her back?      Does redemption lie ahead, and at what cost to those who find it? Find out in this incredible tale filled with conflict, suspicion, and treachery.  Download your copy now by clicking the "BUY  NOW" button..-----------------------.WRITING The writing style is a unique eclectic style, combining poetry, straight dialogue and 1st person stream-of-consciousness narrative with the 3rd person narration.

130 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 28, 2020

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.