by Tessa Afshar
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done. . . .
That the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments.
PSALM 78:2-4, 6-7
DAUGHTER OF ROME DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This type of novel is called “biblical fiction,” a genre that sets stories during the time of the Old or New Testament and incorporates people we know from the Bible (in this case, Priscilla, Aquila, and the apostle Paul). Do you enjoy reading biblical fiction? What are its benefits for contemporary readers? What are its drawbacks?
Did you enjoy the historical information about the city of Rome and its customs? In what ways does it add to or detract from the story?
Who are your favorite characters in the book? Why?
How well were you able to identify with Priscilla? Have you personally experienced any of her struggles, such as having a hard time accepting God’s forgiveness for something in your past? How have you dealt with such challenges?
Priscilla faces a huge test of her faith—and faithfulness—when she has the opportunity to help Antonia, a person who has intentionally set out to harm Priscilla. How did her response to Antonia challenge your own faith? How did it encourage you?
What was Aquila’s core struggle? Can you relate to him?
Did you enjoy the subplot about Marcus? How did it add to Priscilla and Aquila’s story?
As in previous books by the author, the apostle Paul makes an appearance. How do you feel about her portrayal of this early Christian leader? In what ways is the character in these pages like the man we read about in Scripture? Are there ways in which he is different?
Did you find the portrayal of the early church in this book appealing? What can we learn from the lives of these early Christians? How can their struggles and victories inform our twenty-first-century worship and church life?
If you have read Thief of Corinth, did you enjoy seeing Galenos and Theo again? Do you like it when authors bring back previous characters in new books?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TESSA AFSHAR is the award-winning author of several works of historical fiction. Her most recent novel, Thief of Corinth, was an Inspy Award finalist in the historical romance category. Land of Silence won an Inspy Award in the general fiction category and was voted by Library Journal as one of the top five Christian fiction titles of 2016. Harvest of Gold won the prestigious Christy Award in the historical romance category, and Harvest of Rubies was a finalist for the 2013 ECPA Christian Book Award for fiction. In 2011, after publishing her first novel, Pearl in the Sand, Tessa was named New Author of the Year by the FamilyFiction-sponsored Reader’s Choice Awards.
Tessa was born in Iran and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life. She then moved to England, where she survived boarding school for girls and fell in love with Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë, before moving to the United States permanently. Her conversion to Christianity in her twenties changed the course of her life forever. Tessa holds a master’s of divinity from Yale, where she was cochair of the Evangelical Fellowship. She served in ministry for nearly twenty years before becoming a full-time writer and speaker.
Visit her online at www.tessaafshar.com.
