The Vigil

The Apostle Paul and His Family: A Novel

On a rugged hill above first-century Ephesus, a young woman keeps vigil beside a dying woman—unaware that this quiet night will shape the rest of her life.

Rachel has believed she was an orphan for as long as she can remember. When she is received into the household of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the Apostle John, she enters a humble community shaped by compassion, memory, and the stories of Jesus that awaken a hope she once believed was beyond her reach. In this place of early believers, she begins to discover what it means to be known, valued, and invited into a new way of life.

Far from Ephesus, Saul of Tarsus burns with fierce conviction to defend the traditions he holds sacred. Convinced that followers of Jesus threaten the very fabric of Israel’s faith, he pursues them without hesitation—until a journey on the Damascus road confronts him with the risen Messiah he never expected to meet. His certainty shatters. His purpose is remade. And the earliest steps of the life of Paul begin.

As Rachel learns to trust the love she receives from Mary and John, she must face the inner wounds that taught her she was unworthy. As Saul struggles to understand his calling after Damascus, he begins the long, uncertain path from persecutor to apostle. Their stories unfold across Jerusalem, Damascus, and Ephesus in a narrative that blends the experiences of a young woman with the journey of the apostle—allowing the personal and the historical to illuminate one another.

In this novel you will experience:

• The imagined final days of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her tender bond with Rachel on Nightingale Mountain
• Saul’s encounter with the risen Jesus on the Damascus road—the moment that reshaped the life of Paul
• Rachel’s journey from fear and rejection to belonging, forgiveness, and quiet courage
• A vivid immersion into the world of early believers in first-century Ephesus

A moving beginning to the Nightingale Mountain Trilogy, The Vigil blends Christian historical fiction, biblical depth, and faithfully researched storytelling to show how ordinary people became part of God’s unfolding story.

Step into this unforgettable world today—begin reading The Vigil now.