Julian Bauer – författare

In the third century, the Roman Empire threatened Christians with torture and death if they did not sacrifice before the Roman gods. The Church thrived under such pressure, for as Tertullian said, The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christianity. Instead, the greatest threat to Christianity was Christianity itself. Divergent theories of Gods nature, apostolic tradition, and dissimilar copies of Holy Scriptures caused the early Church to question itself.

Without telephones, printing presses, or a reliable postal system, the 1,800 bishops of that time found themselves in numerous cultures, speaking different languages, and needing someone to gather and consolidate authentic Church doctrine and reliable Scriptures. They found such men in Origen and Jerome. These two men wrote the unifying books that caused the Christian Church to remain One, Holy, and Universal. This is their story, warts and all.

Author of the acclaimed historical novel, The Scholars Challenge, Julian Bauer now turns his unique writing abilities to two contemporary novellas, The Lawyers Relic and A Grandfathers Dilemma. The first novella asks how an agnostic lawyer would react if he found a bloody napkin wrapped as a Christmas gift. Would he throw it away even if he found a card attached describing it as the burial face cloth of Jesus Christ? How would he react if supposedly miraculous events occurred? Would his legal skills play a factor in his search for an answer to what it all means?

The second novella puts a elderly man in a predicament. He faces death from old age and has settled all his worldly affairs when a middle-aged woman and her adult son show up on his doorstep. She claims the young man is his grandson. Is he? Moreover, she tells the old man that her son has major character flaws needing someone of his ability to redeem him. He refuses to take on the responsibility. She insists. In any case, how could an unwilling young man be changed? Is it possible that age can bring with it weapons of unusual teaching abilities?

Heartbreaking and enlightening, these powerful stories engage the reader in questions of faith and integrity. In writing these novellas, Julian utilizes all the investigative and managerial tools he gained in his career as CEO of his own company, executive in the Federal government, and national president of a nonprofit organization. He skillfully weaves two riveting tales around the benefits of trust and virtue.

Two thousand years ago Palestine was a minor kingdom situated between the Roman Province of Syria and the Roman breadbasket, Egypt. Strong hands were needed to keep the peace and Pax Romana prevailed because of the threat and sometimes the use of force.

Into this mix is woven a love story between Sphaerus, a personal servant to the powerful emperor Augustus, and Kallisto, a beautiful Jewish slave girl. To complicate matters, Kallisto brings into this relationship expectations of a Hebrew messiah. Whether in Egypt, Rome, or Greece, every Hebrew considered Jerusalem his home, and God help the Roman ruler who forgot that.

Delightful irony results when Eugenios, the son of Sphaerus and Kallisto, becomes an adviser to Herod. His successful family life provides a stunning comparison to the deranged families of his masters. Even a servant may learn that love is the most powerful weapon in life and the only source of true happiness.