The Encounters of Quintas Livius

DESCRIPTION OF THE ENCOUNTERS OF QUINTAS LIVIUS

Quin never expected when he departed Jerusalem that his ensuing investigation report would embroil him in a post-crucifixion cover-up regarding the trial and execution of a supposed miracle-worker named Jesus.

Quintas Livius (“Quin”) is a young Roman government clerk living in Jerusalem.  He hates Rome for what it did to his now dead parents, and he despises the Jews for being a conquered people.  So he’s an outsider, but dependent on the low-level government position given him after his parents’ death.

His latest assignment involves travel to Galilee, where the current government clerk has mysteriously disappeared.  A barrage of complaints from Galilee have besieged Roman officials in Jerusalem, and someone needs to investigate them.  But Quin has gotten lucky on this trip.  He will be traveling with a guide; and not just any guide, but a member of a prominent Jewish family who has extensive contacts in Galilee.  From the moment of their first meeting, Asa treats Quin as an equal and promises Quin plenty of fun and wine on the trip, as well as accommodations at a nice inn.

Quin’s assigned investigations include a land dispute involving a man who turns out to be one of ten lepers healed by an alleged prophet named Jesus roaming the Galilean countryside.  Another investigation concerns the disappearance of a herd of swine and the subsequent trespass of hundreds of Jesus followers on land owned by a Roman citizen.

In his investigations during the day, Quin hears stories of miracles.  But back at the inn each evening, Asa argues the doubtful aspects of those stories and warns Quin that Jesus could be an agent of revolution against Rome.  Being a cynic himself, Quin naturally drifts towards Asa’s doubts about Jesus.

Quin’s exposure to stories of miracles escalates when he meets Jacob.  A loner and orphan himself, Jacob aims to profit off the Jesus crowds, selling them bread and water when they find themselves stranded in some distant field.  Jacob has no religious interests; his only goal is to make as much money as he can off the naïve and gullible followers of Jesus.

Jacob convinces Quin to help him transport a load of bread to a rumored gathering of Jesus followers miles away.  Attracted by the lure of quick money, Quin agrees.  He then realizes that if he makes enough money he can escape his dreary life in Jerusalem.

After their first sales venture, he and Jacob buy more bread and wine and set out on a three-day journey in search of crowds.  Among the people Quin meets are a man who was a waiter at a wedding feast in Cana, a student of a synagogue official named Jairus, and the former Roman clerk in Galilee who abandoned his post to follow Jesus.  This former clerk shows Quin a different side to some of the complaints and mysteries Quin is assigned to investigate.  Through this former clerk, Quin also learns that Asa is not the neutral merchant he pretends to be, but instead has come to Galilee as part of a conspiracy to discredit Jesus.

When Quin receives a message commanding him to send his report immediately to Jerusalem and to include in it all evidence about disturbances and dangers caused by Jesus, Asa presses Quin to let him help write the report.  But Quin resists, just as he resists giving Asa the completed report to deliver to Jerusalem.  Instead, Quin entrusts the report to a stranger he met through Jacob.  This stranger, a Cyrenian named Simon, is on his way to Jerusalem to market his wool.

An ensuing message from Jerusalem sends Quin to Bethany, which is being overrun by people believing that Jesus raised from the dead someone buried in a tomb there.  While on duty in Bethany, Quin witnesses an attempted Jewish rebellion against the Roman regiment standing guard at the cemetery.  The rebellion fails, but its leader, Barabbas, escapes to Jerusalem.

Joining Quin in Bethany, Jacob has new plans for making money.  With the large crowds seeking some connection to Jesus’ miracles, Jacob goes into the fake-relic business.

Rumors of mobs and uprisings and crucifixions in Jerusalem begin circulating in Bethany.  Suddenly, Simon shows up and attacks Quin in a vengeful fit of anger.  Because of the delivered report, Simon was thrown in jail and then forced to carry the cross on which Jesus was crucified.  He warns Quin that recriminations from the hasty trial and execution of Jesus may lead to more arrests and cover-ups, and that the authorities may not risk Quin speaking out about the report he submitted prior to Jesus’ trial.

After seeing Simon, and after being visited by a soldier with suspicious orders, Quin decides to disappear.  Jacob will go with him, but wants to spend one more day selling to the crowds.  Once the crucifixion becomes widely known, Jacob figures, his relic business will dry up.  So Jacob proposes that they rendezvous at Emmaus, where Jacob knows the owner of an inn.

When Quin checks into the inn, he meets the resurrected Jesus.

Reviews of The Encounters of Quintas Livius

Imaginative and immersive, The Encounters of Quintas Livius by Patrick M. Garry is a historical novel that will enthrall fans of Christian novels. It follows the story of a Roman tax clerk, a character who could have been of little significance but who gets embroiled in the saga of the crucifixion of Jesus. His investigative report on the happenings in Galilee puts him in hot water because it justifies the claim that an innocent prophet might have been executed. At a time when the Roman authorities want to avoid any rebellion or public disturbance that might result because of the crucifixion, they are determined to destroy any evidence that links them to Jesus’s death. Follow the tale of an honest man who unwittingly gets embroiled in an anti-Jesus conspiracy and who finds his life in danger for reporting things as he has seen them.

The Encounters of Quintas Livius is a story that brilliantly captures Galilee’s political and religious atmosphere in the days leading up to and after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Jesus’s prophetic power is felt strongly on the enemy’s side, and after his rushed execution, many people’s eyes are opened to the facts about his mission. But are the Roman authorities ready for the aftermath of the infamous actions taken against someone who apparently was legitimate and a genuine prophet? There are twists in the story that readers will love, and the author’s intelligent craftsmanship, when it comes to the social and political setting, makes this story an enjoyable read. The narrative is filled with social and political commentaries that immerse readers in the place and time in which Jesus lived. The conflict is intricately woven, featuring impactful characters with fierce opposing interests. The Encounters of Quintas Livius is gripping and filled with pathos. It is a tale filled with political and religious intrigue and explores how far political leaders will go to cover up their mistakes. With excellent prose and memorable characters, Patrick M. Garry presents Galilee at the time of Jesus that will grab readers’ full attention.
– Readers’ Favorite

Literary Awards

Winner, Next Generation Independent Book Award

National Indie Excellence Book Award

Gold Medal, CIPA EVVY Award