MY THIRD NOVEL, CAPSA, IS DUE OUT IN 2025...
My third novel, currently being written and due out in the fall of 2025, was inspired by my grandfather's and grandmother's passports, and trips they took when I was boy. My grandfather owned and operated two 40-acre farms in Fayette County, Georgia, which was then very rural. While they had formerly been farmed for cash crops (corn in particular), by the time I came along, he was no longer row farming, but raising cattle. The farms themselves were, by then, largely pastures used to graze cattle and gather hay. A trip to the doctor resulted in him being sent to a heart specialist up in Atlanta, whom he befriended. Long story short, that physician soon became interested in farming and purchased several tracts of land in the same county as my family’s farms, upon which he also raised cattle. My grandfather became the manager of these farms in addition to his own.
Through this acquaintance, my grandfather met the physician’s father, a man his age who was a retired photographer in Atlanta. Soon, along with their wives, they became close friends. Not long afterward, my grandparents took a trip to North Africa with their newfound companions.
To this day, I remember when the entire family gathered at their home after their return to be treated to a Kodak Carousel slide show of their trip. I sat in amazement as I viewed exotic places, people, animals, and adventures. From the Casbah of Algiers to the cities of Marrakesh and Casablanca in Morocco to that of ancient Tunis in Tunisia, I was enthralled by the impressive array of bazaars, tents, flocks of sheep, herds of goats, and heavily laden camels set amidst a backdrop of desert sands that flashed before my eyes up on the screen. Even at the tender age of eleven, I vowed to myself that I would be going to these places myself one day.
Not long afterward, my grandparents planned a second trip – this time to Egypt and Israel. Sadly, before they could make this trip, my grandfather passed away with his second heart attack. Several months later, at the insistence of the family, my grandmother decided to go ahead with the trip. She was accompanied by my aunt.
Thereafter, there was a second slide show. And seeing pictures of my grandmother atop a camel at the base of the Great Pyramid in Giza, touring the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, and riding on a boat on the Sea of Galilee were forever burned into my memory. But what caught my eye above all else were slides of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the caves of Qumran where they were found. Over the next few decades, I fulfilled my vow and visited not only these sites, but many others in and around the Mediterranean world and the Middle East.
During this time, I also earned three degrees in Biblical Studies. To this day, I remember sitting utterly enthralled in an introductory New Testament Greek class at Princeton Seminary as Dr. Cullen Story related the account of how, back in 1844, the German biblical scholar, Constantin von Tischendorf, first happened upon multiple leaves from a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible in a waste basket at St. Catherine’s monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai in Egypt. He was horrified to hear that they were there to be used for lighting fires. He was allowed to take a few of them for further study. Years later, he returned to the monastery in search of any remaining leaves. Dr. Story then read to us the following passage later penned by Tischendorf:
"On the afternoon of this day I was taking a walk with the steward of the convent in the neighborhood, and as we returned, towards sunset, he begged me to take some refreshment with him in his cell. Scarcely had he entered the room, when, resuming our former subject of conversation, he said: "And I, too, have read a Septuagint" – i.e. a copy of the Greek translation made by the Seventy. And so saying, he took down from the corner of the room a bulky kind of volume, wrapped up in a red cloth, and laid it before me. I unrolled the cover, and discovered, to my great surprise, not only those very fragments which, fifteen years before, I had taken out of the basket, but also other parts of the Old Testament, the New Testament complete, and, in addition, the Epistle of Barnabas and a part of the Shepherd of Hermas."
Thoroughly intrigued upon learning about this and numerous other modern-day rediscoveries of ancient biblical and extra-biblical texts such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi codices, I began to ponder whether or not any actual original biblical autographs might one day be discovered as well.
Thus it was that, later on, in a doctoral seminar on the New Testament, I asked my professor, Dr. James Blevins, if he thought anyone would ever make such a discovery. To my surprise, he said it was entirely possible. He referenced the fact that there were numerous mounds in Turkey lying upon the ruins of New Testament cities that had yet to be thoroughly investigated by archaeologists. Among them are Colossae and Laodicea. In both these places, the earliest Christians were actually recipients of letters sent from the Apostle Paul.
Referred to as “tells” in Arabic and as “tepes” in Turkish, these earthen mounds are actually artificial topographical features consisting of the stratified remains of a succession of consecutive settlements built atop one another upon the same site. The accumulated debris includes a combination of the refuse of generations of people who built and inhabited these sites along with natural sediment.
Dr. Blevins was convinced that any original New Testament autographs that might remain, particularly any actual letters actually composed by the Apostle Paul, would inevitably be unearthed in such places in Turkey, and not in Israel or Egypt where so many other ancient manuscripts have already come to light. Years later, as I stood atop the ruins of these two mounds, I began seriously pondering just how such a rediscovery might actually unfold. And even more important, just what such a rediscovery might mean, not only to the two plus billion people on this planet who purport to be followers of Jesus Christ, but to all of humanity as well.
A great many people would surely be thrilled at such a rediscovery. Just as a great many people would surely be distressed. Others would be willing to take extreme measures in order to obtain and possess the find. Still others would do much the same in order to suppress or even destroy it. Given the incalculable consequences involved, the intrigue unleashed as a result of such an archaeological and religious treasure being found would doubtless prove gripping and suspenseful.
In time, I cobbled together a story, which was destined eventually to grow into a full-length novel. I invite you now to come on this adventure with me. Here, you will have a front row seat as a pastor and his wife, traveling with a couple of close friends, stumble upon an incredible adventure – one that is full of both worldly suspense and eternal significance!
Through this acquaintance, my grandfather met the physician’s father, a man his age who was a retired photographer in Atlanta. Soon, along with their wives, they became close friends. Not long afterward, my grandparents took a trip to North Africa with their newfound companions.
To this day, I remember when the entire family gathered at their home after their return to be treated to a Kodak Carousel slide show of their trip. I sat in amazement as I viewed exotic places, people, animals, and adventures. From the Casbah of Algiers to the cities of Marrakesh and Casablanca in Morocco to that of ancient Tunis in Tunisia, I was enthralled by the impressive array of bazaars, tents, flocks of sheep, herds of goats, and heavily laden camels set amidst a backdrop of desert sands that flashed before my eyes up on the screen. Even at the tender age of eleven, I vowed to myself that I would be going to these places myself one day.
Not long afterward, my grandparents planned a second trip – this time to Egypt and Israel. Sadly, before they could make this trip, my grandfather passed away with his second heart attack. Several months later, at the insistence of the family, my grandmother decided to go ahead with the trip. She was accompanied by my aunt.
Thereafter, there was a second slide show. And seeing pictures of my grandmother atop a camel at the base of the Great Pyramid in Giza, touring the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, and riding on a boat on the Sea of Galilee were forever burned into my memory. But what caught my eye above all else were slides of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the caves of Qumran where they were found. Over the next few decades, I fulfilled my vow and visited not only these sites, but many others in and around the Mediterranean world and the Middle East.
During this time, I also earned three degrees in Biblical Studies. To this day, I remember sitting utterly enthralled in an introductory New Testament Greek class at Princeton Seminary as Dr. Cullen Story related the account of how, back in 1844, the German biblical scholar, Constantin von Tischendorf, first happened upon multiple leaves from a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible in a waste basket at St. Catherine’s monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai in Egypt. He was horrified to hear that they were there to be used for lighting fires. He was allowed to take a few of them for further study. Years later, he returned to the monastery in search of any remaining leaves. Dr. Story then read to us the following passage later penned by Tischendorf:
"On the afternoon of this day I was taking a walk with the steward of the convent in the neighborhood, and as we returned, towards sunset, he begged me to take some refreshment with him in his cell. Scarcely had he entered the room, when, resuming our former subject of conversation, he said: "And I, too, have read a Septuagint" – i.e. a copy of the Greek translation made by the Seventy. And so saying, he took down from the corner of the room a bulky kind of volume, wrapped up in a red cloth, and laid it before me. I unrolled the cover, and discovered, to my great surprise, not only those very fragments which, fifteen years before, I had taken out of the basket, but also other parts of the Old Testament, the New Testament complete, and, in addition, the Epistle of Barnabas and a part of the Shepherd of Hermas."
Thoroughly intrigued upon learning about this and numerous other modern-day rediscoveries of ancient biblical and extra-biblical texts such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi codices, I began to ponder whether or not any actual original biblical autographs might one day be discovered as well.
Thus it was that, later on, in a doctoral seminar on the New Testament, I asked my professor, Dr. James Blevins, if he thought anyone would ever make such a discovery. To my surprise, he said it was entirely possible. He referenced the fact that there were numerous mounds in Turkey lying upon the ruins of New Testament cities that had yet to be thoroughly investigated by archaeologists. Among them are Colossae and Laodicea. In both these places, the earliest Christians were actually recipients of letters sent from the Apostle Paul.
Referred to as “tells” in Arabic and as “tepes” in Turkish, these earthen mounds are actually artificial topographical features consisting of the stratified remains of a succession of consecutive settlements built atop one another upon the same site. The accumulated debris includes a combination of the refuse of generations of people who built and inhabited these sites along with natural sediment.
Dr. Blevins was convinced that any original New Testament autographs that might remain, particularly any actual letters actually composed by the Apostle Paul, would inevitably be unearthed in such places in Turkey, and not in Israel or Egypt where so many other ancient manuscripts have already come to light. Years later, as I stood atop the ruins of these two mounds, I began seriously pondering just how such a rediscovery might actually unfold. And even more important, just what such a rediscovery might mean, not only to the two plus billion people on this planet who purport to be followers of Jesus Christ, but to all of humanity as well.
A great many people would surely be thrilled at such a rediscovery. Just as a great many people would surely be distressed. Others would be willing to take extreme measures in order to obtain and possess the find. Still others would do much the same in order to suppress or even destroy it. Given the incalculable consequences involved, the intrigue unleashed as a result of such an archaeological and religious treasure being found would doubtless prove gripping and suspenseful.
In time, I cobbled together a story, which was destined eventually to grow into a full-length novel. I invite you now to come on this adventure with me. Here, you will have a front row seat as a pastor and his wife, traveling with a couple of close friends, stumble upon an incredible adventure – one that is full of both worldly suspense and eternal significance!
ADDITIONAL NOVELS EITHER ALREADY COMPLETED
OR ELSE IN THE WORKS...
OR ELSE IN THE WORKS...
