Thanks for reading Petra: City in Stone! I hope you enjoyed the story.  Read on, for some background and behind-the-scenes info about the setting and the writing of the book!

HOW DO YOU LOSE AN ENTIRE CITY?

In AD 106, at the end of our story, the city of Petra became part of the Roman Province of Arabia. Soon after it began to fall into decline. Before many centuries, its exact whereabouts between the towering cliffs had been lost to all but local Bedouins and faded into the stuff of legend.

It wasn’t rediscovered by historians until 1812, when adventurer-scholar Johann Burckhardt, disguised as a Bedouin, convinced the local inhabitants of a nearby settlement to lead him into Petra. His initial visit opened the way for other travelers and mapmakers, and eventually archaeologists, to document and study this fascinating culture and location.

When I traveled to Petra in the country of Jordan, our guide, Aladdin (yes, really!), had us shut our eyes as we took the final steps through the narrow, two-kilometer-long Siq and rounded the corner to get our first glimpse of what is known as “The Treasury”—that amazing rock facade made famous in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It is indeed a marvelous site, as is the entire rock-carved city of Petra.

WHAT’S FACT AND WHAT’S FICTION?

Wondering how much of Petra: City in Stone is based on actual historical characters and events?

In 106 AD, Petra was indeed the flourishing capital of the Arabian Empire, with Rome nipping at its borders, eager to acquire all that this land and people had to offer.

The descriptions of Petra’s streets and homes, temples and tombs, are nearly all factual. Much remains of this ancient city in stone, and my research travels there yielded plenty of fascinating detail.

The characters of Rabbel and Hagiru are based on historical fact. Rabbel was the last king of Petra, and died in the same year that Rome conquered it. There is no record of any war or revolt by the people of Petra – by all accounts they acceded peaceably. The manner in which this happened is unknown, and the details of Cassia’s and Alexander’s part in the events are purely borne of my imagination.

Persecution of the Christian church waxed and waned throughout the first and second centuries, and in 106 it was on the rise under the rule of Trajan, though not as intense as at other periods.
We have no records of the early church in Petra, but I speculated that perhaps some of the time Paul spent in Arabia (see Gal. 1:17), might have been spent in Petra.

The character of Malik is my own creation, but his references to his friend Ignatius, Elder of Antioch, are historical. Ignatius was summoned to Rome about this time, and put to death for his faith.

I amused myself by using what is known as the “Urn Tomb” for the location of Julian’s and Cassia’s workdays, because the Urn Tomb was eventually conscripted for use as a church, in 447 AD, under Jason, the then-current Elder of Petra.

There is yet another interesting fact about Petra, one more focused on the future than the past. Speculation exists that Petra will someday again serve as a refuge city, this time for believers during the period known as the Tribulation. Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, in their Left Behind series, popularized this theory. It is nowhere specifically stated in Scripture, but a number of texts are thought to indicate the possibility.

A note about Scripture translations: In bringing you a picture of the early church in Petra, I wanted to convey the sense of how critical Paul’s letters were to these people. I chose to paraphrase rather than use a modern translation that would not have been in use at the time.

JOIN ME!

I hope you’ll join me in my travel journal of Petra, to experience a tour through the scenes and setting of the book!

READ THIS NEXT! 

POMPEII: CITY ON FIRE

As Vesuvius churns, a slave girl-turned-gladiator joins forces with an unlikely source to seek justice.

In the coastal town of Pompeii, a new gladiator prepares to fight. But this gladiator hides a deadly secret: she’s a runaway Jewish slave girl named Ariella, disguised as a young boy. A savvy fighter, Ariella determines to triumph in the arena, knowing her life will be forfeit should anyone uncover the truth.

Cato, a wealthy politician, moved to Pompeii after tiring of the corruption in Rome. But he soon learns that Pompeii is just as corrupt, and if he doesn’t play the game, his family could pay the price. Determined to bring about justice for the citizens of Pompeii, Cato searches for allies. But what he discovers instead is a confounding group of Christians . . . and a young female gladiator whose fame is growing daily.

Political unrest reaches a boiling point as Christians are jailed and executed, and the mountain in the distance threatens to destroy the city with its river of fire. Cato and Ariella must act quickly and courageously to save their loved ones before all is lost.