The World Behind the Story
History. Culture. Belief.
My novels are set in a real world—vivid, complicated, and surprising. Explore the people, places, beliefs, and everyday life that shaped them. Begin with Philippi and Acts 16. More people and places will join this collection as it grows.
Start Here
Begin in Philippi. These three readings move from the city’s Roman identity to a jailer’s crisis, then to a reflection on freedom.
1 · Enter Philippi
Philippi: Rome’s Outpost in Macedonia
See how the city’s Roman identity shaped the setting of Acts 16.
2 · Meet the jailer
The Philippian Jailer and the Earthquake That Changed Everything
An earthquake, an open prison, and a man whose duty seemed to leave him no safe choice.
3 · Consider freedom
A reflection on why Paul and Silas remained when the prison doors opened.
The following articles currently live on Substack. As I revise them, I will bring the collection to this website.
Religion & Belief
Gods, oracles, prophecy, and the rise of Christianity
Public Life
Power, law, and entertainment in the Roman world.
More to Explore
The articles below are currently the only ones here on this website. More paths through the ancient world will join them as this collection grows.
What Conversion Cost an Early Christian
In the Roman world, religion permeated households, business, friendship, and civic life. Turning from the gods could therefore cost an early Christian far more than private certainty.
Allies in Unlikely Places: When a Roman Lictor Chooses to Protect Mynestra
Clement serves the Roman officials who govern Philippi. Mynestra has every reason to fear him. Yet as the city turns against her, Rome's servant becomes an unexpected ally.
The Freedom to Stay
What the prison in ancient Philippi teaches us about the freedom no empire could give—or take away.