Book Review : Lost Letters of Pergamum

The world of Christian fiction isn't typically filled with a host of substantive, biblical, and obedience-provoking titles these days, at least so far as my impression of the landscape goes. If a book isn't about the Amish, it might as well stay off the fiction racks. Sadly, theology and a compelling story rarely seem to have a place together in the Christian publishing world. Reading through Bruce Longenecker's book The Lost Letters of Pergamum, however, proves to be an exception. Here's why:

• The book, while not strictly "fictional," is historical fiction - which basically means that the license taken to put words in the mouths of characters is a license taken with great attention to the probability that such characters would say what the author has them say. In the case of Longenecker's book, the dialogue mainly consists of a series of fictional letters sent back and forth between Antipas of Pergamum and Luke the Physician (and chronicler of Luke-Acts). What's fascinating about the interchange is that the characters are based on real men, with good biblical scholarship informing the content and style of their correspondence. It's not an historical stab in the dark, but a very real presentation of what an interaction between a first century Christian and pagan may have looked like, particularly those in the higher ranks of society. While the book is clearly fictional, nothing in it reads anachronistically. This needs to be done well for a book written as historical fiction and Longenecker does an excellent job of it.

• The attention to historical accuracy sets up the characters in a compelling way. Though I knew these letters were fictional, I remained interested to find out what would happen to the characters (some of whom, like the main characters themselves, were very real people in the first century).

• The evangelistic tone of Luke's letters to Antipas and the church's relationship to Antipas both made a significant impression on me. The way in which Luke respectfully and clearly engaged the pagan Antipas is a model for the kind of evangelism that usually happens in the workplace. Luke persisted in holding the truth before a man whom he initially knew through "professional" channels in a way that is highly instructive for those tempted to neglect speaking Scripture truth in favor of aimless "relationship building." Equally instructive is the way in which the church at Pegamum (at the fictional Antonius' house) openly received Antipas, while displaying genuine Christian living in their interactions. Both serve to convince Antipas of the truth of the gospel. I would not hesitate to suggest that Longenecker intentionally designed these interactions to instruct, which they do well.

• The first and twenty-first century risk of compromising the gospel is clearly in view, as one church shows a preference for comfort at the expense of their faithfulness to the Lord Jesus. It should not be overlooked that this was a real temptation for the apostolic church facing increasing persecution and lingers today. This, along with Antipas' eventual martyrdom, provide a sobering tone to the book that could otherwise be avoided in a fictional account. Those, along with other sobering moments, provide depth to the book.

 If you're looking to get a better picture of life in the first century church and don't care to read "textbook" type books, The Lost Letters of Pergamum is a sure choice to inform and entertain. It's relatively short at under 200 pages and reads very quickly. I would also recommend the book as a supplement to any Early Church History course, from Sunday School to seminary level. It does a very good job of bringing facts about the first century church together in a way that those familiar with that period of history can generally agree with and those wanting to be familiar can receive a helpful guide.

(The folks at Baker Academic kindly supplied me with a complimentary copy for review. I was not required to provide a positive review of the book.)