The book “The Centurion’s Wife” by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke is a historical novel set in the 1st century CE during the reign of Emperor Tiberius (14-37 CE), after Christ was crucified and buried according to the Christian faith, and then the miracle of the resurrection took place.
The story takes place in the province of Judea, controlled by the Romans, which is a cultural melting pot dominated by rebellious Jews. To top it all off, Parthian invasions take place in the northern lands of the province, e.g. on merchant caravans, which adds to the unrest in the region.
The main characters of the work are Alban – a Roman centurion of Gallic origin, who enjoys a good reputation among the Jewish community; and Leah – a young servant at Pilate’s court, of Jewish descent. The authors base the plot on biblical messages, locating such characters as: Mary Magdalene, Lazarus, Procula – Pilate’s wife, a soldier who stabbed Christ with a spear and many others. We also meet Pilate, who was forced to scourge Christ and then crucify him – to avoid responsibility, he supposedly washed his hands.
The main theme of the action is Alban and Leah’s attempt to learn the truth about Christ’s death. Alban, wanting to marry Leah and enter Pilate’s family, is given the task of investigating the Christ sect and finding out whether Christ really rose from the dead or whether his body was stolen. He is also supposed to get to know the moods of Christians and possibly check if they are planning a revolt against Roman power. To this end, he conducts his investigation and gets to know the Christian faith better and better. In his life, he had the opportunity to see with his own eyes how the Prophet healed his subject Jacob, which only proved his interest in the person of Christ.
A similar investigation is conducted by young Lea, who, at the request of Prokula, who is haunted by tiring dreams, enters the sect and meets, among others, Mary Magdalene and Lazarus. Both Alban and Leah prove to each other gradually that the Christian faith is what they were looking for in life. It strengthens their feeling and gives meaning to life.
There are also fights and fights to the death in the book. In addition to the adventure in the current of faith, the reader has the opportunity to follow the plot for Alban’s life, which reaches the highest levels of power in Judea.
This book isn’t for everyone because it’s mostly about faith. However, there is no denying that the book is very enjoyable to read and the time passes quickly and pleasantly. In addition, we have love, military, political aspects here. The authors try to write in accordance with biblical and historical messages. However, what gives the plot a rhythm is the mystery discovered and the transformation of the characters who discover the meaning of their lives. I can confidently recommend this book for rainy evenings.
