Book Review: The Scribe

The Scribe
by Francine Rivers
The story of Silas from the Sons of Encouragement novella series.

When I was introduced to the joys of Christian Fiction a few years ago I was introduced to Francine Rivers. She has come to be one of my favorite authors and I have read many of her books, novellas and series. The Sons of Encouragement series includes five five books, however this is the first one I've read.

We meet Silas in a place of reflection and recovery after he has flead the persecution of Rome and watched many of his friends martyred. I felt Silas' fatigue on the first page, "But all Silas saw was the darkness of men, the triumph of evil. I am tired, Lord. I am sick of this life. Lord, please take me home."

The story then follows Silas as he reflects on his experience with Jesus, his journeys with Paul and Peter, and the encounters they have along they way. The narration closely follows Acts with pieces filled in from Paul's epistles and with beautiful fictional and biblical narrative by Francine Rivers. Parts of The Scribe capture, in scary detail, the parallels between the Roman culture in the first century after Christ to our culture today. While in Rome, Silas "...looked at the people milling about, talking, shouting, laughing, arguing. The poor lived here - huddled, hungry masses that needed so much more than food. They reeked of discontent, cursing one another over the least provocation. These were the people Rome appeased with blood sport."

Silas' thoughts about Jesus and their interactions are captivating. Silas the Pharisee conveys his somewhat unexpected yearning for Jesus, "I had spent my life in caution, avoiding all those things the Torah declared unclean...The desire to leave my careful life grew in me. I wanted to see Jesus. I wanted to hear Him preach. I wanted to know if he was the one who could answer all my question."

I also enjoyed getting to know Paul better and receiving some insight into his character. I have to admit that I find Paul somewhat abrasive and hard-headed, not to mention wordy. Silas made this observation of Paul. "I was not afraid of Paul, but his impassioned character and his confidence that he was always right annoyed me on numerous occasions. That he was right gained my respect if not affection. Brotherly affection developed through longer acquaintance." It was encouraging that perhaps if become more acquainted with Paul that I will learn to respect and love him more.

After taking two long journeys with Paul, the story follows Silas as he takes a missionary journey with Peter. I loved this observation. "I wondered at times why there were no riots in the cicites we visited, few attempts to murder Peter. He spoke the same message Paul did and with the power of the Holy Spirit. Yet the Jews paid no attention to him. I can only surmise the Jewish leaders thought a fisherman beneath contempt. Paul was a scholar; Peter was not. Paul had been one of their own... Peter had been trained by Jesus, the One who opened the gate to all willing to come into His fold." It was a reminder to me that being "effective" for Christ does not always look the same!

I look forward to reading the other novellas in this series. Have you read The Sons of Encouragement?