Read I, Saul Online

Authors: Jerry B. Jenkins

I, Saul

“Jerry Jenkins is a masterful storyteller. Only Jerry can transport readers from modern-day Texas to the early days of Christianity, breathing new life into familiar biblical characters. In
I
,
Saul
Jerry has crafted an epic thriller that left me on the edge of my seat hollering, ‘Sweet Mercy!'”

—Todd Starnes

Fox News

“I,
Saul
has everything a great thriller needs: page-turning action, intrigue and mounting suspense, plot twists that really work and, above all, characters worth caring about. The chapter-to-chapter shift from present day to the first century is both clever and effective. The best part? Spending time with Saul of Tarsus. A brilliant concept and a great read.”

—Liz Curtis Higgs

New York Times
best-selling author of
Mine Is the Night


I
,
Saul
combines the historical with the contemporary, and the outcome is compulsive reading. Vintage Jerry Jenkins!”
—Chris Fabry

Novelist and host of
Chris Fabry Live!

“If Jerry Jenkins would be but one thing (which he assuredly is not), it would be a story teller. He is worth reading for this alone, but he also manages purpose without preaching.
I
,
Saul
is plausible fiction, astute reflection, and a flat-out good read.”

—Wallace Alcorn, Ph.D.

Biblical scholar and author

“Jerry Jenkins has compressed his vast talents as a biblical researcher, biographer, mystery writer, and thrill master in
I, Saul.
Hang on, friends—it's all in one breathless package!”

—Dr. Dennis E. Hensley

Author of
Jesus in the 9 to 5

Director of the Professional Writing Program, Taylor University

“I, Saul
is one of the finest books I have ever read. I not only believe it is a good book; I believe it is an important book. I laughed. I cried. And, yes, I found myself wanting to learn even more of the life of the Apostle Paul. In the end, I don't think Jerry could ask any more of a reader.”

—Jim Pryor

westofthemind.blogspot.com

“The best of stories bring truth to life. The best of stories engage the imagination of the soul. The best of stories help one see the dynamic, real-time possibilities of one's own life.
I, Saul
is one of those best of stories that invites you to see and live into your own future, no matter your past. I could not put this one down!”

—Wes Roberts

Leadership Mentor/Organizational Designer, Leadership Design Group

“Jerry Jenkins mixes a dose of international intrigue with historical information and douses it with biblical inspiration to create one of the most riveting stories I've ever read. A masterpiece. If you liked the Left Behind series, then you'll love
I, Saul.
I think it's Jerry's best.”

—Sammy Tippit

International evangelist and author

JERRY B. JENKINS

I,Saul

A NOVEL

with

JAMES S. MACDONALD

Copyright © 2013 by Jerry B. Jenkins and James S. MacDonald

Published by Worthy Publishing, a division of Worthy Media, Inc., 134 Franklin Road, Suite 200, Brentwood, Tennessee 37027.

H
ELPING PEOPLE EXPERIENCE THE HEART OF
G
OD

eBook available wherever digital books are sold.

Audio distributed through Brilliance Audio; visit brillianceaudio.com

_____________________________________________________

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Jenkins, Jerry B.

I, Saul : a novel / Jerry B. Jenkins ; with James S. MacDonald.

pages cm

ISBN 978-1-61795-006-3 (hard cover)

1. Paul, the Apostle, Saint—Fiction. 2. Bible—History of Biblical events—Fiction. 3. Apostles--Fiction. 4. Christian fiction. 5. Biographical fiction. I. MacDonald, James S. II. Title.

PS3560.E485I4 2013

813'.54--dc23

2013011238

_____________________________________________________

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

For foreign and subsidiary rights, contact Riggins International Rights Services, Inc.; rigginsrights.com

ISBN: 978-1-61795-006-3 (hardcover w/ jacket)

ISBN: 978-1-61795-194-7 (international edition)

Cover design: Kirk DouPonce, DogEared Design

Interior typesetting: Susan Browne Design

Printed in the United States of America

13 14 15 16 17 SBI 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To my brothers

Jim, Jeoff, and Jay

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Epilogue

1
Torn

TEXAS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7

“call now. desper8.”

The text appeared on Dr. Augie Knox's phone at 8:55 a.m., seconds before he was to turn it off—protocol for profs entering a classroom at Arlington Theological Seminary.

Augie could have fired off a “give me a minute,” but the message was not signed and the sending number matched nothing in his contacts. The prefix 011-39-06 meant Rome. He'd traveled extensively in his thirty-eight years and enjoyed many visits to the Eternal City, but such a text could easily portend one of those I've-been-mugged-and-need-money scams. Whatever this was could wait until he got the Systematic Theology final exam started and could step into the hall with his phone.

Augie had long been fascinated by his students' nervous chatter before
final exams. One announced, “I looked you up in
Who's Who
, Doc, and I know your full name.”

“Congratulations for discovering something you could have found in your student handbook four years ago.”

“No! That just says Dr. Augustine A. Knox! I found out what the
A
stands for.”

“Good for you. Now, a few instructions ….”

“Aquinas!
Augustine Aquinas Knox! Man, what other career choice did you have?”

“Thank you for revealing the thorn in my flesh. If you must know, that moniker was my father's idea.” Augie mimicked his dad's monotone basso. “‘Names are important. They can determine a life's course.'”

Many students chuckled, having sat under the elder Dr. Knox before he fell ill the year before.

“It also says you were adopted. Sorry, but it's published.”

“No secret,” Augie said.

Another hand shot up. “Was that a hint about the exam? Will we be speculating on Paul's thorn in the flesh?”

“He's only mentioned that mystery every class,” another said.

Augie held up a hand. “I trust you're all prepared for any eventuality.”

“So, what's your dad's name?”

“Ed!” someone called out. “Everybody knows that.”

“Look it up,” Augie said. “You may find it revealing.”

With blue books distributed, Augie slipped out and turned on his phone. The plea from Rome had already dropped to third on his message list. At the top was a voice mail from Dr. Moore, who had been filling in as acting department chair since Augie's father had been hospitalized with a stroke.

Augie would have checked that one first, but next was a voice mail from Sofia Trikoupis, his heart. It was eight hours later in Athens, after five in the afternoon. “Call me at the end of your day,” her message said. “I'll wait up.” It would be midnight her time by then, but she apparently needed his undivided attention. That would bug him all day. How he longed for them to be together.

His phone vibrated. Rome again. “urgent. call now, pls!”

Augie pressed his lips together, thumbing in, “who's this?”

“trust me. begging.”

“not w/out knowing who u r.”

Augie waited more than a minute for a response, then snorted.
As I figured.
But as he headed back into the classroom, his phone buzzed again.

“zionist.”

Augie stopped, heat rising in his neck. He quickly tapped in, “90 minutes OK?”

“now! critical.”

Few people had been more important in Augie's life than Roger Michaels, the diminutive fifty-year-old South African with a James Earl Jones voice and a gray beard that seemed to double the size of his pale, gnomish face. Augie would never lead a tour of an ancient city without Roger as the guide.

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