The Faith and the Power: The Inspiring Story of the First Christians & How They Survived the Madness of Rome - A First Century History (Paperback, 1st ed)

When Jesus left this world he left behind a faith and power that sustained his followers in a treacherous, turbulent world. This stirring account of the first forty years after the crucifixion digs into the bedrock of early Christianity, rediscovering the strengths that empowered the apostles in the darkness of a debauched Roman Empire.The Faith and the Power brings readers face to face with the period?'s most powerful personalities - Peter, Paul, Caligula, Nero, Herod Agrippa, Josephus - and how they influenced each other?'s destinies. It illuminates Acts of the New Testament by unearthing such important new insights as why emperors purged the early Christians and why Nero?'s insatiable greed forced the Judaism into a suicidal rebellion. And it shows why Rome itself nearly self-destructed and in that process gave rise to a more powerful message of a loving, gracious God.