Victor Serenus: A Story of the Pauline Era

Rebecca made her way homeward in a state of profound bewilderment. By nature placid, intuitive, and rarely disturbed, her sweet soul, as a rule, moved with serenity amid the tur...

“Behold we draw nigh to our journey’s end,” said the elder of two young men to his companion. “The dark red summits of Sinai lift themselves in the distance before us, and to‐mo...

“In the room Of this grief‐shadowed present, there shall be A Present in whose reign no grief shall gnaw The heart, and never shall a tender tie Be broken; in whose reign the et...

Truth, when stripped of the masks and stains that have been unwittingly put upon her, hath a fair countenance, and all who behold her inner beauty thus revealed, have a drawing...

Every incident of the journey to the Holy City was fresh and vivid to Saulus, and he felt persuaded that it was no dream. Amoz observed his quick uprising, which astonished him,...

Amabel returned to her father’s palace in a state of great disquietude. The unexpected meeting with Serenus, but vastly more its unwonted circumstances, gave her a great shock....

“True love’s the gift which God has given To man alone beneath the heaven; It is not fantasy’s hot fire, Whose wishes soon as granted fly; It liveth not in fierce desire, With d...

The spread of the New Faith, and the hold that it took upon increasing numbers of the common people of the Holy City, furnishes a wonderful illustration of the inner power of a...

On the second evening after the stoning of Stephanos, the members of the Inner Circle of the _Urim_ gathered in their room near the inn of the Sheepmarket. As they passed one by...

It was a little before mid‐day, and the forum and market‐place of Puteoli were filled with a throng which represented a mingling of different races, avocations, and professions....

The persecution of the disciples of the New Faith formed a notable epoch in the history both of Judaism and Christianity. It was the first stage of an agitation, which, though s...

“As down in the sunless retreats of the ocean Sweet flowers are springing no mortal can see, So deep in my soul the still prayer of devotion, Unheard by the world, rises silent...

“The word unto the prophet spoken Was writ on tables yet unbroken; The word by seers or sibyls told, In groves of oak, or fanes of gold, Still floats upon the morning wind, Stil...

The fury of the storm rapidly diminished. The great rushing tide of men, women, and children soon thinned out and grew sluggish. The darkness lifted, and the lightning‐flashes a...

Joy reigned in the house of Marcius. The unlooked‐for arrival of Serenus and Amabel brought about a general and happy reunion of friends who long had been widely separated.

Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise his name in the dance. Let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. PSALM cxlix.

“How small of all that human hearts endure, That part which laws or kings can cause or cure! Still to ourselves in every place consigned, Our own felicity we make or find. With...

The days and nights in the cave glided by rapidly and serenely with Saulus and Amoz. The stillness of the place, the beauty and grandeur of the mountains and valleys, the compan...

The links of circumstance are securely welded into the chain of life so that none can be lost or missed. The effect of to‐day is only transmuted into the cause of to‐morrow.

The shadows deepened, and were fast chasing away the brightness which had streamed down from above, in the luxurious court of the palace of Gamaliel. The interview between the R...

Magic is limited to no race, age, or condition. Whatever the religion or ethical system of a people, there are—underlying and intermingled—many intangible and occult elements th...

Tarsus gave itself up with full abandon to the festival. The Tarsian religion of the period, though outwardly adorned by the polish of Greek art, letters, and philosophy, was la...

The tumultuous concourse at Gamaliel’s Lyceum dispersed; and Saulus was conveyed, under guard, to the Tower of Antonia. Amabel, who had remained in her seat, catching every note...

It was a little past mid‐day, after a toilsome journey, that Julius, with his notable prisoner, accompanied by Luke, Aristarchus, and a few soldiers, approached the city of the...

Late in the afternoon of a warm day in early autumn, the softened glow of the descending sun fell into the spacious court of one of the notable palaces of the Holy City. In the...

The world looks like a multiplication‐table, or a mathematical equation, which, turn it how you will, balances itself. Take what figure you will, its exact value, not more, nor...

Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be...

A few days after the evening excursion of Marcius to the Temple, a little party emerged from the house of Benoni into the spacious grounds which overlooked the Cydnus. It was so...

It would be unreasonable to expect that as yet he was able to put under foot all adversities, and continually dwell upon the heights of a spiritual consciousness. Even in a grea...

The residence of Benoni was situated upon the more elevated plateau which embraced the northwestern portion of the Cilician metropolis. A little distance to the north was the Or...

Saulus plied the oars with a steady stroke that would have done credit to more mature muscles, and the light shallop with its precious freight glided rapidly over the mirror‐lik...

Again Saulus was face to face with Nero. Since his first acquittal the Apostle had made long and important missionary journeys, laboring earnestly for the spread of the New Fait...

The morning was bright; and a light, cool breeze from the Taurus mountains swept down the valley of the Cydnus, bathing the city of Tarsus with its freshness. The sun had just r...

One beautiful spring morning, A.D. 61, an Alexandrian ship, flying the sign of Castor and Pollux, entered the Bay of Puteoli laden with corn for the granaries of Rome. The mirro...

The room, of magnificent grandeur, was of great size and perfect proportion. The pavement, in mosaic designs of wonderful pattern and finish, was a masterpiece of skill, in whic...

“Our feet are standing Within thy gates, O Jerusalem Jerusalem, that art builded As a city that is compact together: Whither the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord, For a...

“How sweet and lovely dost thou make the shame Which, like a canker in the fragrant rose, Doth spot the beauty of thy budding name! O, in what sweets dost thou thy sins enclose!”

“God is a jealous God, and he will not be the God of the heathen until they submit and bow to him as the God of Israel! They are accursed!”

In an ancient city, late in the afternoon of a warm day in early autumn, a little procession was winding its way through the narrow crowded streets. The calm, measured pace and...

“Be it so. Who recks the wind, where it blows, so that it ministers to our fancies. Thou art an ardent votary of thy favorite divinities; but miracles like this are not common.”