Rich Me! A Chronicle of Laodicea

Heartbeats of Courage #5

by David Phillips, Daphne Parsekian (Editor), Jerry Whittaker (Editor)

Oh, those fabulous cities in the Roman Empire where a few families amassed great wealth, living in luxury. People admired them for their generosity! We can still see the ruined buildings and monuments with their names engraved for all to read! Remember the stories written about their fabulous banquets? Or the historical tales of wisdom, conquest, deceit, and control calculated to bring such honor and riches to the leaders! Laodicea and Hierapolis, found in southwestern Turkey, were two of those cities. Situated on a major trade route, Laodicea welcomed traveling merchants from all the Asian provinces. Hierapolis was blessed with hot water pools from underground springs, which attracted people from all regions of the Roman Empire seeking medical cures. “Rich Me! A Chronicle of Laodicea” introduces the reader to the competition in the city. Competition is fierce in the banking system. Merchants reveal their lust for greater success. Miriam arrives at her uncle’s home, expecting to receive hospitality, but the door slams shut on her soldier husband, Anthony. And, she learns, her values differ significantly from those for whom the accumulation of more wealth is the first consideration. Each visit to her uncle and aunt’s spacious home increasingly reinforces this reality. While Laodicea is a source of discomfort to Miriam because of the nature of selfishness among competing families, Hierapolis, where Anthony serves at the local army garrison, offers other challenges. The cruelties of slavery and the deep-rooted religious beliefs about the many Roman and Greek gods go against the Christian faith that Miriam and Anthony profess. Within the home of Nicanora, the widow of the previous city mayor, comfort takes the shape of hospitality. A small congregation that meets in her house begins to grow dramatically. Anthony, a seasoned soldier, is accused by his previous military commanders of rebellion against the army’s authority and the emperor. He refuses to state the daily oath of loyalty, “Caesar is lord and god.” For this and several other charges, he is jailed and scheduled to defend himself at a court-martial. How will these early Christians cope with the difficulties of slavery or show compassion to destitute widows, orphans, and the poor? What role does music play in the life of a struggling congregation? Can followers of the Jewish Messiah live at peace in the Greco-Roman world, where worship of the emperor and Roman gods are essential for social acceptance?

Genres: Clean Romance

564 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 12, 2021

About the author

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Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

best one of the series so far

This book finally had a different basic plot than the previous ones. However, there are many instances where it reads more like a textbook than a story.
I do appreciate all the footnotes though.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am uncle I didn't like

This town brought circumstances and family that were very unpleasant. It also had some very lively people and a very lovely quote from a truly memorable person that was not that major of a character. I like how her quite was able to mean so much to Miriam in the book and to me in my life as well.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

hard to put this novel down

Fast pasted interesting view of life in these cities among Jewish, Christ Follower’s and Pagan peoples.
With the persuasion of Christians It is amazing the spreed of the Christian Faith.

[Barbara Beebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Importance

Seems like the wealthy people of Laodicea were only concerned with themselves and their money and how get to use other people's money. Sad. I enjoyed this story and will start the next one in this series soon.