Before Winter: Chapter 32

Thirty-Two: Conclusion

“Ker-choo.” Timothy sniffed. “Excuse me. I caught a bad cold on the ship.” He sneezed again.

Luke smiled. “Paul is anxious to see you. He had almost given up hope, thinking you had been delayed on the road until it was too late.”

“What could keep me from coming, when he asked me? I only wish I could have brought Mark with me all the way.”

“Where is Mark?” Luke asked, as they turned into the courtyard of the house where Paul was kept under arrest.

Timothy began to reply, but he was cut short by a crisp command.

“Halt!” The guard at the front of the house stepped in front of them, extending his hand. “Sir, I must examine that package before you take it inside.”

Timothy held it out.

The guard shuffled the papers, glancing over each page, and handed it back to him. “Here you are.” He waved Luke through without searching him, nodding in silent greeting.

“The guards fall under Paul’s spell here, as they do everywhere, I see.” Timothy chuckled, and Luke smiled in response.

“Not all of them. He has such a way with people. They either detest him, or they would go through fire and water for him. No middle ground!”

Timothy laughed in agreement. Together, they passed through the doorway, and down a passage. Luke lead the way, taking the turns in the manner of a man who has made them many times, until they reached Paul’s room.

A crackling fire burned in the hearth, and Paul was sitting by it, writing, when they came in. He rose to meet them, coming forward and embracing Timothy warmly.

“My friend, I knew you would come.” Stepping back, he looked at Timothy critically. “You are older.”

“So are you.” Timothy smiled crookedly. It was good to see his friend, after such a long time, but he could not trust himself to say anything else. Luke had told him that the order for his execution had actually passed already, and was only waiting on the Emperor’s word to be carried out. He had almost been too late after all.

Swallowing hard, Timothy composed himself. “Here,” he took the package from underneath his arm and held it out. “From Carpas. The books and parchments. Your cloak I am afraid I had to leave at Philippi, in rather bad shape.”

Paul took the bundle from him absently, looking behind him to the door. “But where is Mark? You brought him, of course? I have much for him to do.”

“He started out with me, and greatly wished to see you, but like the cloak, I was forced to leave him in Philippi, also in bad shape.”

“What is all this about Philippi?” Paul asked. “What were you doing there? And what did you do to Mark, and my cloak?”

“Well,” Timothy glanced at Luke, whose face reflected the same question, “it is a long story.”

“Sit, then.” Paul motioned to a chair by the fire. He sat back down behind his desk, resting his elbows on its surface, and gazing at Timothy intently as he sank down into a chair. “Now. Tell me all about it.”

THE END

Postscript.

In every book of historical fiction, the author must decide what to include and what to leave out. What is fact, and what is fiction? What about the material that is somewhere in-between—the things that could be true, but we have no way of being sure? Here is the explanation of a few major aspects of the story, for those who are interested.

The characters:

There is very little information about John Mark and Alexander the Coppersmith in the Biblical text, so I have made up most of their personalities to fit the story I am telling. About Timothy we know a little more, and I tried to keep his character consistent with what we know from his travels with Paul. Most of the minor characters are entirely fictional, though a few names are drawn from those mentioned in the Bible.

The plot:

We know from 2 Timothy that Paul did ask Timothy to come to Rome, and to bring Mark. The Bible never tells us whether or not Timothy made it in time to meet Paul before his execution, though we know from what Acts relates of Paul’s travels that such a journey would be fraught with difficulty and danger. This book is one possible way to end Paul and Timothy’s story. The New Testament and Old Testament are full of examples of forgiveness and redemption, and it seemed to be an appropriate theme for Timothy and John Mark to explore, from their different points of view.

The setting:

The first century is far removed from our own daily experience. Until I started writing, I had no idea how little I knew about the Hellenistic culture surrounding the spread of Christianity. I have done my best to be accurate to the period, researching what life was like, what they wore, how they would have traveled and acted.

Dates: It is hard to know exactly when Paul wrote 2nd Timothy, and when he was executed. I have gone with one tradition, and set the action in 66-67 AD, but other options may be equally valid. However, since at this period of history the characters were not using the BC/AD system, I chose to have them count from Jesus’ resurrection in 33 AD. Thus, Mark records 66 AD as “the thirty-third year since the resurrection of our Lord”. References to past events I have tried to keep within the frame of possible dates, picking specific time-frames (such as the length of time Timothy spent in Ephesus) for the purposes of continuity in the story, feeling that if I left everything vague it would be too confusing for the reader.