Darlene N Bocek

Trunk of Scrolls Darlene N Bocek

526 AD. Antioch lies in ruins. Once the glory of the Roman empire, where Christianity came to its own, the city is now is a broken-backed man that cannot stand. Sixteen year old Marcellus, a young Byzantine nobleman, is forced to evacuate his neighbor Byziana and her young siblings from their home in Antioch to the capital city of Constantinople. Trekking through seven hundred miles of bandit country they hope to find their missing father and recover their lost fortune.

Three things can determine their future: a betrothal ring, a tooth of an infant saint, and a trunkful of forbidden Scripture scrolls. One brings horror, one brings despair and one brings hope. But which is which?

Facing wild animals, wild men, and a wild God they do not understand, crossing paths with Chrysostom, Simeon the Stylite, John of Ephesus, Belisarius, Emperor Justinian and even Saint Emmelia, the family has to choose between humanity and honor, wealth and faith, yesterday and tomorrow. Two words in Scripture can answer all their questions and repair their broken world. Will they discover them in time?

In the context of their struggle for survival in a harsh world, the TRUNK OF SCROLLS characters wrangle with the role of God in that tragedy. The novel leaves readers with a lingering question: In my own challenges, am I neglecting the Bible I am so lucky to have?