ICHTHUS

A historical novel about an enslaved man set in Christianity’s early years.

Fischer has chosen one of the more evocative parts of the New Testament as raw material for this debut novel: St. Paul’s Epistle to Philemon, which mentions Onesimus, thought by most scholars to be a man who escaped Philemon’s enslavement. The tone in the letter is intriguingly affectionate toward Onesimus, and in this book, Fischer spins a larger narrative while imagining his backstory, making him the son of a warrior of the Germanic Chatti people, who warred with the Romans. Young Onesimus, born with the name Cotto, has been raised lovingly by his mother, Birga, who herself feels alienated by her own society, with its heavy drinking and animist religion: “They adored the sun and moon, oak trees and rivers, sprites and spirits that dwelt in groves and caves,” she reflects. “They built no altars, raised no places of worship, erected no distinct object to venerate or adore.” Birga venerates a smooth amber amulet, which she gives to Cotto shortly before he’s captured by the Romans and enters into a life of slavery. He’s always burning with the desire to return home and find his mother, and this framework allows Fischer to take his protagonist on a spiritual journey through the religions of the Roman world. This eventually brings the character into contact with Christianity, at which point Fischer’s story very neatly dovetails with the familiar New Testament story. The extent of the author’s research is obvious throughout the narrative, but it’s never oppressive. Indeed, he shows distinct skill at evoking the colorful atmosphere of ancient Rome: “Devotees streamed into the crowded temple courtyards as spirals of white, grey and black smoke rose from their sacrificial altars amid the bellowing of unfortunate oxen, bulls and cattle.” The combination of offbeat ideas and vivid period detail makes this an outstanding piece of Christian fiction.

A sweeping and involving novel of one of the Bible’s most enigmatic minor figures.