January 21, 2014
A Crown of Life: A Novel of the Great Persecution ‒ Novel by Deacon Patrick Mitchell available in Paperback

Deacon Patrick Mitchell (cleric of St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington, DC) has authored an historical fiction novel, centered around the life of three witnesses for the Christian Faith in the face of the Great Persecution (303-313) of the Roman Emperor Diocletian.

A review of A Crown of Life on Amazon.com reads:

"A Crown of Life is an epic romance spanning ten pivotal years in the history of the world, beginning in 303 [AD – ed.], when churches were closed, books were burned, and Christians were forbidden to assemble and later forced to prove their loyalty to the Empire by offering a sacrifice to the government’s gods. Thousands chose death instead, in what has been known since as the Great Persecution. Here is the story of three siblings of a wealthy Greek family, the boldest of whom breaks her engagement to a young Roman tribune because she has become a Christian. As the persecution intensifies, all three siblings are forced to leave home, while in the West the heart-broken tribune becomes the siblings’ only earthly hope ‒ as an aide to the new Emperor Constantine. Vividly written, with surprising twists, heart-pounding drama, a colorful cast of endearing characters good and bad, and profound insight into life’s deepest mysteries, A Crown of Life is an inspiring tale of Christian Faith in the face of death. You will weep. You will cheer. You will fall in love. You will learn why they believed and why they died."

Asked to share some of his thoughts regarding his motivation for writing the novel and the process he used in writing it, Fr. Patrick replied:

"Much of the book is set in the ancient city of Sinop, Turkey, where I was stationed while in the Army in the 1980’s. Sinop is where I saw my first Orthodox church, a ruin from the 6th century, in a farmer’s field, overgrown with weeds in the summertime. The vault of the church was still covered with frescoes from the 13th century. They were beautiful, and it was that beauty that inspired my search for the Orthodox Church.

"I was also moved by well-documented accounts of the trials of early martyrs. The Romans often had stenographers take down what was said at trial, and some of their transcripts were used in writing the lives of the saints. I used Giuseppe Ricciotti’s The Age of Martyrs as a source for the trials dramatized in the novel, so what my characters say is about what real martyrs said, and it’s quite revealing. The book is mainly about martyrdom, which is not just in our past, but in our future. The title is from James 1:12: ‘Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him’ (cf. Rev. 2:10).”

Fr. Patrick is the author of several nonfiction books and scholarly articles on politics and religion. A Crown of Life is available to order here. Parish bookstores interested in purchasing copies of the novel at a wholesale discount can do so through Createspace.com here with the opening of an account.

Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese