The BARABBAS LEGACY by M.D. House – Christian Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Ancient World Historical Fiction

The Roman Empire rules much of the world but faces unrest in its leadership and opposition from the growing movement of Christianity, in this conclusion to the Barabbas Trilogy, M.D. House’s historical fiction novel, The Barabbas Legacy.

God has a plan for the Barabbas family, and their travels have only just begun. The tense conflict between Roman forces and the Jewish community in Jerusalem comes to a head. Leaders of Christianity rush to help their Jewish brothers and sisters.

Cornelius, a once-celebrated centurion of the Roman army, stands on trial for believing in God over the Roman Empire. Emperor Nero shows uncharacteristic leniency and exiles Cornelius from the Empire. Cornelius flees before any senators have him assassinated. Once out of Rome’s reach, Cornelius feels called to help grow the Christian community.

In the introduction to the novel, M.D. House recounts his writing journey.

He explains how he came to write about a biblical figure we know very little about. Initially wanting to write science fiction and fantasy, House shifted to Historical Christian Fiction after reading a particular bible story. House wondered about the life of Barabbas. He imagined what had led the man to become a prisoner and how his life changed after being freed.

Very little knowledge of Barabbas has survived, which opens the opportunity for House to create Barabbas, the character. House builds a whole life by using his few brief mentions in the gospels as a jumping point. He developed his protagonist so well that an entire trilogy was needed to tell the complete story.

The Barabbas Legacy sees Barabbas as an older man with his children grown. Some start families of their own, while others help the evangelical efforts of Christianity in its infancy.

M.D. House’s The Barabbas Legacy, as well as the first two books in the series, I Was Called Barabbas and Pillars of Barabbas, will appeal to readers of historical fiction and general readers of Christian fiction. The Barabbas Legacy could also be a good book for a Christian book club or Bible study. It features themes about the relationship between people of different faiths and the importance of bravery in one’s beliefs.

The Barabbas Legacy concludes Barabbas’ tale that started with curiosity and grew into a complete series. M.D. House succeeds in telling the story of Barabbas, a rebel and murderer turned strong follower of Jesus.