Flames of rome paul l maier biography

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Doctor of Letters (honorary), Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, 1995. But the overall effect is in fact no more ""documentary"" than most such historicals, especially since (as in Pontius Pilate, 1968) Maier's dialogue is so unconvincing: stilted, packed with anachronisms, sometimes ludicrous (as when Nero yells at Peter, ""Oh, shut up, you. Much of this history is speculative, of course--so Maier conscientiously appends notes that distinguish fact from fiction.

Connections

Married Joan M. Ludtke, 1967.

Professor ancient history Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, since 1960. And, throughout, Maier balances these evils with the career of noble Flavius Sabinus, a soldier-senator who becomes Rome's lord mayor under Nero while remaining untainted himself: he resists seduction by Agrippina, staying true to sticky-sweet wife Plautia; he defends the new Christian sect (Plautia's mother is a convert), winning freedom for Paul of Tarsus.

But once Claudius is dead--poison mushrooms and poison enema--Maier quickly moves on to the horrid reign of young usurper Nero, who's at first a pawn of mother Agrippina (despite sage tutelage by philosopher Seneca).

I think this book was extremely well done! The story centers around a few families high up in Nero’s counsel/Senate who eventually converted to Christianity.

And though this ""documentary novel"" is just-competent at best, it does deliver enough fascinating material (courtesy, chiefly, of Tacitus and Suetonius) to hold the interest of those new to 1st-century A.D. Roman history. who is finally toppled. Postgraduate, University Heidelberg, Federal Republic Germany.

Doctor of Philosophy summa cum laude, University Basel, Switzerland, 1957.

But finally Sabinus will be forced into action--in the aftermath of the Great Fire of Rome. Rumors blame Nero for the fire (during which he sings a ""mournful dirge"" but doesn't, in fact, fiddle); he reacts by using the Christians as scapegoats (Peter is crucified, hundreds are fed to the lions); and Sabinus, whose wife is now a Christian too, joins in bloody conspiracies against Nero.

Content: 5/5 I would recommend this for teens and mature readers. you maddened misanthrope!"").

The author painstakingly explains his research process, calling this a documentary novel. . . He does add in some conversations, personalities, and descriptions of course, but he attempted to pull all his events from Tacitus, Suetonius, and other Roman scholars from the same era.

Son of Walter A. and Hulda (Eickhoff) Maier. . Hardcover in dust jac...)