In ancient Rome, a woman flees for her life. Her enemies are those she once called ‘brother’. Hidden beneath her blue cloak are secrets men will kill for – forgeries that prove the newly self-appointed bishops are not followers of the way, but pretenders who have seized power and will stop at nothing to shape this new religion to their own ends. Now, Julia – a woman who had once walked with Mary … had once walked with Mary Magdalene and taught alongside Paul must preserve the legacy of the apostles in the face of terrifying danger.
Two thousand years later, classical archaeologists Valentina Vella and Erika Simone stumble across an ancient parchment buried deep in the Vatican archives, a document that has clearly been altered. They find themselves on the trail of a woman who may have been the first woman Bishop in the Catholic faith.
To reveal Julia’s legacy will put them in the cross-hairs of a venomous Vatican battle for power and supremacy; to stay silent would make them complicit in an ancient heresy and would betray the teachings that Julia sacrificed her life to defend.
‘The Mystery of Julia Episcopa’ weaves seamlessly between modern-day Rome and the politics of the Catholic church, and the times and life of a 1st-century Roman noblewoman who rose to be a dominant force in the early Christian movement.
“Three women connected by two intertwined stories of treacherous political intrigues, ancient cover-ups, and savage vengeance.”
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Wonderful job of interweaving Julia’s life with real Biblical people. Sad how the Catholic Church tried to remove her from history. If you love archaeology and Biblical history, then this is the book for you.
The Mystery of Julia Episcopa is an intriguing novel of a woman who lived in the first century in Rome and the archeologists who are investigating her now. This is meant to be the first in a new series and I look forward to more. Julia and her two daughters, Livia and Flavia are forced to flee their home in Herculaneum as Mt. Vesuvius is threatening to destroy it all. They take very little with them, just a scroll and an old stone cup. Julia’s life has brought them to this point, saying good-bye to the scribe who had lived with them for years, after traveling to Rome with Peter, writing down his memories of the words of Jesus, and writing the life story of Mary Magdalene. Life had been difficult to Julia having married a man not to be trusted, being disposed of after birthing two daughters and no sons, and catching him in the act of adultery. Yet she had many years to life, becoming a bishop at the hands of Clement, one of the early leaders of Christianity in Rome.
Valentina is part of the team that began the hunt for Julia after she and he partner found an anomaly on the tag of an ancient scroll. She is an excellent forensic archeologist. It has been years since she has been on a dig. This is an earth-shattering claim, if it can be proven. Well, proven it was, but at what cost? Men dead? Unemployment. Ruined reputations. Corruption at the highest level. This is an intriguing story with a cast of characters including and ex-Mossad agent, a mentally deficient grounds keeper, a Franciscan brother, as well as a ground of interesting archeologists. Good plot. Fascinating subject. Imagine, a historical basis for women priests. This is a real world novel, some of which may have already taken place. For one small woman, dead 2000 years, to have such an impact is unimaginable. Not your typical mystery or thriller but well worth the read
I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Mystery of Julia Episcopa by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #themysteryofjuliaepiscopa
Mystery, intrigue, danger and cover ups! Was there a woman bishop? This story makes you wonder and think! Lots of twists and turns make this a real page turner! A must read!
If you are a true Christian, then you need to suspend your knowledge of the early church, of true salvation, & the message of Christ. If the way the early Church chose its leaders is exemplified by the content of this book and by the character of Julia Episcopa, then it is no wonder there was such corruption in the Catholic Church. — However, this a great story, filled with intrigue inside and outside Vatican City, past and present. The characters are believable and excellent representation of human beings, some admirable and some despicable. Since this is a trilogy, there are two more books to come, so this one ended with several unanswered questions.
As I cradle Catholic, I was intrigued to read a novel about the possibility of a woman bishop, Julia, in the 1st century early church, and what that could mean to the possibility of women serving in leadership roles in the church today. The authors, John Rigoli and Diane Cummings, did a good job of writing an intriguing mystery interspersed with history of the early church. Not only did they describe what it would be like to discover ancient scrolls and tombs, but also what life was like in the 1st century for the early Christians.
I loved the ending of the book, although it is a bit of a cliff hanger, setting up for Book 2, and am anxiously awaiting the next in the series!
#TheMysteryOfJuliaEpiscopa #JohnRigoli #DianeCummings
Great book!
What a great read! Wonderfully researched, well written, good character development. Timely in this current climate within the Catholic Church. I’m looking forward to the next book. This book does not disappoint.
This book is amazing!
Half finished and love it. Can’t wait for the rest of the series