Out of the Mouth of the Lion: Or, the Church in the Catacombs

When Flaminius, a high Roman official, takes his wife, Flavia, and her sister to the Colosseum to see Christians thrown to the lions, he has no idea the effect it will have on all of their lives. Flavia cannot forget the faith of the martyrs, and is drawn more and more to a God who can give such courage in the face of death, but then rumors begin to fly about her forsaking the worship of the gods. Finally, to protect her from complete disgrace or even danger, Flaminius requests a transfer to a more remote government post. Even there, however, he cannot escape from troubles over this new faith. His job responsibilities require him to deal with increasing turmoil and unrest from the mobs who hate Christianity and demand to see its followers destroyed, while his own wife openly practices Christianity. As he and his family travel to the seven cities of Asia Minor mentioned in Revelation, he sees the various responses of the churches to persecution but is frustrated by those who stubbornly refuse to compromise for the sake of peace. Then something happens that shakes his faith in the gods, and his attitude toward the despised Christians begins to change.