1
Is there nothing more?
A man was appointed
to my garrison two weeks ago.
He's very strong with a sword.
Yes, good to know.
Do you have other men?
Of course.
Nero, protector of Rome.
Let him be the center of your home.
Our blessed emperor,
Nero, protector of Rome.
Yes, it's good. For you.
Strong, healthy, good teeth.
He will serve you well.
Care for company?
Look, it's Luke.
Who are you speaking of?
Is that Luke?
Praise God.
It is Luke.
Luke?
Priscilla.
Thank you, Eubulus.
Of course.
Luke.
Praise God.
We were beginning to be worried.
I had to wait at the gates
longer than expected,
but here we are.
This place, so many people.
There were so many who
lost their homes in the fires,
others threatened by neighbors,
persecuted in the streets.
Come. Aquila's inside.
Aquila.
Aquila.
Luke. What a sight for these weary eyes.
I'm glad to see you, brother.
The arrangements you made
were in perfect order.
These are terrible times.
We could take no chances.
I know. Your letters that reached us
have torn the community's heart out,
so we took up a collection.
It's not as much as I had hoped.
Food and supplies are running low.
We are most grateful for every coin.
Tarquin, speak with Heroditon and Rufus
about what is
most urgently needed. Go on.
Tarquin? But he's so young for orders.
He's loyal. He's a Roman boy.
He lost both his parents in the fires.
We took him in.
This is Cassius, his cousin.
He followed when he heard
what the community was doing.
He was baptized soon after.
Aquila, can everyone here be trusted?
We trust in God.
Come, let's eat. You must be starving.
Your cooking?
I don't know if I'm that hungry.
There is a darkness
over this city now that
was not present
when Paul and I were here last.
Nero's cruelties have worsened.
He holds his circus games
with more regularity.
Men, women, children
torn apart by wild beasts
to the laughter of the crowd.
Oh, my God.
Nero says the reason is
to show the Roman people
that these followers of Christ
were responsible
for burning half the city to the ground.
What of all our brothers and
sisters that you shelter here?
How much longer can you hide them?
We don't know, Luke.
We're at a crossroads.
We're not sure whether
to continue here in faith
or to move the whole community
out of Rome.
Priscilla...
With such great persecution, why stay?
People are desperate.
We're the only light left in this city.
But in staying,
we put a great deal of lives in danger.
There are many families here.
Perhaps when you speak to Paul...
Yes.
Yes, he will shed light on this.
He will know what to do.
We would be grateful.
Luke.
I know you need rest,
but there are a great many people
here in need of a physician.
Show me to them.
Take this limestone, come on!
Come on, move!
Enough.
Get him up.
Come on, you. Get up.
Paul of Tarsus.
The man responsible for half
of Rome laying in ashes.
I expected more.
At least a man who could stand straight.
I am Mauritius Gallas,
Commander of the Third Legion of Rome.
And now the new Prefect
of the Mamertine Prison.
His greatness Emperor Nero
has hereby proclaimed you
a corrupter and deceiver,
and a capital charge has been
brought upon you for treason.
For this crime, the punishment is death
by beheading
upon Emperor Nero's decree.
In the meantime,
you'll be left alone in the darkness.
Another 20 lashes for the old man.
Forged Roman documents.
Use these if you get stopped
by guards in the city.
A quick glance and they'll pass,
but a longer look will get you killed.
Understood.
That's the signal.
The peace of our Lord
be with you, my brother.
I'll need it.
Just remember,
you only get back out
if I decide you do.
You are most certainly a powerful man.
I will come back
before the night watch ends.
Hello, brother.
Brother.
Luke.
Am I dreaming?
No.
I'm here.
Praise God.
Praise God.
You have fresh wounds.
Get up.
Can you sit?
Come sit.
Yes.
I did not expect to see
your face in this life again.
Nor I yours.
Getting in here must have come
at a great price.
Surely the money could
have been put to better use
for our brothers and sisters.
Perhaps.
But there wasn't a single vote of
disagreement amongst the communities,
even the Corinthians gave generously,
if you can believe it.
Sorry.
I am grateful.
I've become an old man
inside these walls.
Every bone is wracked with pain.
My eyesight has become even weaker.
Quit your complaining.
I have new robes
and fresh water to bathe.
So you shall be a clean old man.
I'm glad to see you kept
yourself busy while I was gone.
Getting yourself arrested again,
challenging Nero again...
Hmm.
...and apparently finding the time
to burn down half of Rome?
Well done, old man.
I received the news
about your trial at the Forum.
I know you stood alone.
You know I would have
never left your side.
You are here now.
And so I am.
Tell me some good news
that I might hold onto.
There is good news
in Crete and Ephesus.
Titus and Timothy have silenced
the false teachers
and straightened out the good doctrine.
And what is the news of this city?
Rome is stained with the blood
of our brothers and sisters.
Aquila and Priscilla are faced
with the difficult decision
whether to stay or to flee.
Paul, there is much for us to discuss,
but the Roman communities need...
They need wisdom at this very moment.
What wisdom can I give?
I have gone right,
Christ has sent me left.
I've gone left,
and Christ has pushed me right.
I have many regrets,
made many mistakes,
but everything I have done,
I have done for Christ.
Go.
I'll be back soon.
He's physically shattered,
but the cantankerous old soul
remains full of hope and conviction.
It's welcome news.
I've been praying that this
solitude wouldn't crush him.
He is not crushed,
but he does struggle
that his work for Christ
has come to an end.
Paul is grateful that you have
risked your lives for this community.
Did he have any wisdom on the matter?
He is urging you
to discern for yourselves
where Christ is calling you.
No specific instructions?
No.
Only to offer an example
of his own life.
He's much better today.
He looks...
Here, drink this.
It will help with the pain.
Priscilla?
Priscilla!
Priscilla!
I'm here. I'm here.
Octavia? What's happened?
I found her wandering
the streets like this.
Sit.
Sit, sit, sit.
Where are you hurt?
Where?
Octavia, where are you hurt?
Where are you...
They've killed my husband.
And my little baby boy.
They broke down the doors!
We should have come here sooner.
You're bleeding. Where are you hurt?
It's not my blood.
It's my...
It's my baby's blood.
It's my baby's blood.
Take her inside, out of sight
of the others, please.
Come on. You're safe.
No, no.
Come. Come.
They were all
watching this poor woman
covered in the blood of her family
that had just been slaughtered.
Their faces were filled
with a great fear.
Christ has promised these
difficult times.
You know you will die here in Rome.
Yet you are certain of the truth.
I know the one in whom I believe.
And I am certain of the joy
of where I go.
Yes, but I don't see the same
conviction in the others, Paul.
These men, these women, these children.
I cannot fix their faith.
You can inspire their faith,
just as your...
Your letters always have.
You want me to write another letter?
It's time to get the blood flowing.
The Way is growing.
There are men, women, children
now that have never met you,
that will never meet you,
so there must be a handwritten
account of these Acts.
It is for the same reason
that I undertook an account
of our Lord Jesus Christ for Theophilus.
So that he would know
the story of Christ,
and now the people must know your story.
You risk people looking to me
before Christ.
Paul.
No, it is your certainty
that opens the door to Christ.
I have never met Christ in the flesh,
but the day I heard you preach in Troas,
my God, I saw Christ in you.
I left my family and my friends,
my whole life behind.
You would write it in here?
What did you say?
You would write it here?
Yes.
I could smuggle the tools in here.
This is not like our last visit to Rome.
If you were caught with documents
coming from this prison,
it could mean certain death.
Greek. Get up.
Usually people try to escape this place,
not break into it.
They tell me you're a physician.
I am.
You have high-ranking friends
for a physician.
Especially a Greek physician.
The emperor has declared
Christianity a forbidden cult
and Paul of Tarsus, the chief offender.
You understand the risk is death,
and yet you, a Greek Christian,
boldly walk into a Roman prison.
Boldly walk into my prison.
My apologies...
Prefect.
As you have said,
I have high-ranking friends.
I know the men that you have favor with.
These are good men,
that have fought and bled
for Rome and her gods.
It's the only reason
I honor this request.
I am grateful for it.
Escort the Greek back to the streets.
He must, of course, still
take his chances out there.
What are you doing here?
Only passing through.
Of course, you are.
Only passing through.
Let's have a look at those documents.
I would never betray our gods. Never.
Oh, yeah?
I would never betray our gods. Never.
All right.
Hey, you. You, come here.
You, out.
Show me your documents.
I swear, I will...
I will tell the others.
What are you going to do about it?
What? Why do you bring it up?
Get away from me, okay?
You get away from me!
This is...
Set him on fire!
More oil!
Here's your torch.
Like a candle.
You see this?
Burn him alive.
Pray unto your God now.
No. No.
Traitor.
We want to hear you scream!
Aquila.
I woke up. You weren't there.
I couldn't sleep.
Luke's back. He's safe.
Good.
That's good.
We've loved
this city as our own.
I only see what it's become.
Nero's Rome.
Nero's madness.
It'll pass.
He can't be emperor forever.
How many more people
will die before then?
This decision weighs heavily on me.
I receive no wisdom in prayer.
In staying, we put the lives
of all our brothers and sisters
under this roof in danger.
And if we go,
how many people that rely on us
do we condemn to a terrible fate?
Christ was clear when he said
he was sending us out
amongst the wolves.
He also told us
to be as wise as serpents.
And harmless as doves.
As Paul has said,
we must each make our own decision.
She loves these people.
Like her children.
And yet she still finds room
in her heart
for all of those lost in Rome.
Something that doesn't come
as easily to me.
Aquila, I saw them burning
a body this morning.
He was a man I recognized from here.
Someone I helped.
I did nothing.
I feel no love for these Romans.
This evil makes no sense to me.
We were asked to build a community...
We were asked to build a community
in this city,
to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ,
to love this city,
but I can no longer see
a clear answer for a way forward.
What does Paul say?
That this is something that
falls to each man and woman
in their thoughts and prayers.
Some of you have
families, have children.
I understand you want to protect them
or feel called to stay.
It's a risk for even one of us, Aquila,
to try and slip in and out of the gates.
How could we possibly all get out?
I have asked Eubulus to find us a way.
There's an old aqueduct
that lies beneath the new city.
It's been long buried and forgotten.
The entrance to these tunnels
lies beneath a property
owned by a trio
of wealthy Roman families.
And why would they help us?
Because they realize that Nero
was responsible for burning
half of their city to the ground.
They want the tyrant dead
and Rome returned to the people.
Now, we may have favor,
but be under no illusion,
this will not be an easy task.
And where will we go?
To Ephesus.
Timothy is there
and they will welcome us.
And the Greeks are
far more tolerant of us.
We were Romans before we were Christian.
This is our home.
I do not take this decision lightly.
But I believe that there is
more good to be done outside of Rome.
Aquila's right.
But I think there's also
some good in staying.
It's true, we've never seen Rome darker.
But if we abandon it,
will it not be cast into total darkness?
Who would have taken Tarquin in?
You know what happens
to orphans in this city.
They're left on the streets to die.
Or they're forced
into prostitution at the temples.
There are widows on the street corners
begging for coins
to feed their children.
If we abandon them,
who will feed them?
Who will care?
Nero is responsible for the deaths
in my family, not Rome.
Aquila speaks of those
that want to overthrow Nero.
Are these not allies of ours?
Yes, indeed. We are allies.
And think of the good that could be done
once Rome is delivered
from Nero's evil grip.
There are no easy answers.
Trust in God to lead the way.
The most difficult part
will be getting news to these families,
so that they can open the tunnels
in an area we can pass unseen.
Someone will have to go
to Palatine Hill, but it's...
It's almost impossible.
Nero trusts none of these people.
He has eyes everywhere.
I'll go.
No, Tarquin.
I can go. They all think
I'm an orphan, a beggar.
No one will look twice.
I want to help.
Tarquin, come here.
Take this to our Roman friends
and tell them that we
gratefully accept their help.
You are a very brave boy.
Now, please be careful.
Yeah?
Go on.
Safe journey.
Bless you, son.
Thank you.
Be safe.
Best of luck.
Good luck.
Walk in peace.
I know you can do this.
Yes.
Be strong.
I will.
I'm proud of you. Go.
Thank you.
My life did not begin with hate.
I don't recall the feeling as a child.
I always felt myself to be
more a sheep in the midst of wolves.
Innocent as a dove.
I was in the temple
keeping true to my fasts, my prayers.
Stephen was out in the streets,
bringing charity to widows and orphans,
preaching truth to drunks
and the crippled.
I was blameless
in the ancient law of Israel,
while Stephen was blaspheming
on the very holy ground of God.
So what did you do?
We spread lies,
created an uproar
that had him brought to trial.
What did he argue?
That Jesus was the Messiah.
And the temple of God
was no longer the only place
where God could be worshiped.
Blasphemy.
I heard his final words even
amongst the roar of the crowd.
Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
Lord, do not hold
this sin against them.
Even in death,
a final blasphemy on his lips.
In that moment, I vowed to destroy
all those that spoke of this
Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah.
Your grace is sufficient.
Your grace is sufficient.
The wall can never
be breached here. Never.
The reports from the night.
And the Greek?
He came and went once more.
What do you know about Paul of Tarsus?
There are plenty
of rumors that circulate.
A magician. A god.
A madman.
Why does that Greek care
to visit him in that disgusting pit?
He dictates something to him.
A letter?
A story.
Her condition is no better.
She will be healed.
And if not?
Saul... Saul...
Saul... Saul... Saul...
Saul... Saul...
Saul...
Saul,
why do you persecute me?
Paul. Paul.
Paul.
Give me your hand.
You were screaming out.
The devil sneaks in the darkness here.
Taunts me...
Day and night...
Reminding me of this
terrible thorn in my flesh.
I'm haunted by myself as a child.
I wish to warn him
of the path he will take.
All these years,
I have had a vision of them.
I see them
waiting
somewhere...
But I do not know this place.
Its meaning has always
been hidden from me.
A torturous muse, the devil whispers
that they've found no peace...
They've found no joy.
I was remembering
when Caelia was a little girl.
She used to sit at the window
and watch small sparrows
sing and fly around the garden.
She would have been there
all day if I'd let her.
Do you remember our place
before the fires?
The light through the windows...
Flowers, the trees in the garden.
I was a noble woman.
The wife of a Roman hero.
It is Nero's madness.
I do not blame Nero.
It is no help that you walk
around this place
as if the gods have already taken her.
Don't you think you anger them by acting
like they have no power to heal?
I have been sacrificing faithfully
every day!
My conscience is clean.
I do not think that I'm the one
the gods refuse to listen to.
There he is.
Mauritius...
Your glum mood threatens
to make this lovely lass
more expensive than she needs to be.
Here, let me order you one.
Elysius. Publius.
Thank you, no.
Run along.
How is prison life?
You know as well as I it's a disgrace.
A black mark of dishonor
on my house and family.
Twenty years of service to Rome,
risking my life
to earn my citizenship,
and now forced to take
idle servant's work
while Nero makes a mockery
of everything Rome stands for.
These are the troubled times, my friend.
But that is why the gods keep
the day of our death a mystery,
so that we can enjoy this life.
I'm sorry.
Friend, how is your daughter?
Worse by the day.
I sacrifice to Bona DEA,
but she does not reply.
Then sacrifice to Carna or Meditrina,
and to Felicitas, Fortuna...
Juno, Libera, Sors, Spes, Trivia.
There are a hundred gods that stand by.
Paul of Tarsus is under my watch.
The man responsible
for burning down Rome?
He's nothing but Nero's scapegoat.
What do you really know
about these Christians?
I rarely find them in the
establishments that I frequent.
But I do know
they have a strange affection
for poor widows and ugly orphans.
But if you want to know
what the gods think of them,
just take a look around.
You'll see they're not even fit
to light the streets of Rome.
There is a Greek who slips in and out,
transcribing letters of some sort.
Mauritius, your mind has gone to rubbish
in the darkness of that prison.
What if you were to seize these letters,
find something, anything,
that relates to the crimes
he's been charged of?
Nero does not need evidence.
Assassination is in the air.
Half the city believes Nero
started the fires himself.
But if you were to bring him something
that shows that this Christian
did conspire and burn down Rome,
you would be a hero in Nero's eyes,
the most honored man in all Rome.
Mauritius, think of your daughter.
How much more would the gods listen
if the emperor himself made
a sacrifice for her?
Is it true that he has seen the Messiah?
Paul, that is.
Where's Luke? Luke!
Eubulus! Clear the table! Now!
Aquila.
Careful. Careful. Lie him here.
I found him in the street.
They said he was beaten by soldiers
after leaving Palatine Hill.
No!
No. No.
This is what trusting God gets you.
We must retaliate for this brutal act.
Many of us have only
a short time left in this city.
We must hold strong now.
Hold strong?
So we're like diseased dogs, then?
We do nothing to defend ourselves,
while we are chased from
the city just to be hunted down
and killed.
Cassius!
We understand your anger.
Tarquin was like a son to us.
I should never have let him go.
Why do you blame yourselves
and not the ones who have murdered him?
And who else have they taken from you?
This woman has come to you
covered in the blood of her child.
And what would you do, Cassius?
Tell me. What would you do?
We do what they do to us.
Yes.
Murder them in the cover of darkness!
I'm with you, Cassius!
Set fire and burn them
in their homes while they sleep!
You speak as if
your ears have never heard
the words of Christ.
You never walked with Christ!
How can you say he would
say these things in the face of
such an evil like Nero?
Quiet!
Be still.
None of us here have walked with Christ.
But Paul has followed him
longer than us all.
I have watched him be beaten,
I have watched him
be stoned and flogged,
and never once did he raise his finger
against his oppressors.
Let peace be with you,
for we live in the world,
but we do not wage war
as the world does.
Peace begins with you, Cassius.
Love is the only way.
There was a young Roman boy, Tarquin.
He was killed in the streets last night.
He was beloved by the community.
Most of them trust the Way.
But he has this cousin who is...
He's dividing them, Paul.
This growing faction
of young men that...
They want to retaliate.
They want revenge.
We cannot repay evil for evil.
Evil can only be overcome with good.
Well, considering
all they've been through,
can you really fault
their response, Paul?
What did you tell them?
Love is the only way.
And after all you've seen,
you still don't believe it?
This isn't anything I've seen.
My God...
This is a world in the grip of evil.
This is Nero's circus.
It's passionate hate.
Blood washing down the street,
widows, orphans starving to death.
Babies born with the slightest defect
are disposed, dispatched, discarded.
This world
doesn't know a thing about love.
And so you would give up
on the world when Christ
did not give up on us?
Why not?
No!
Why not?
Love is the only way.
Love that suffers long.
Love that is kind,
that does not envy, that is not proud.
Love that does not dishonor,
that does not seek for itself.
Love that is not easily angered.
Love that rejoices in truth.
Love that never delights in evil.
Love that protects,
trusts, hopes,
endures all things.
That kind of love.
Give me your hand.
Do you understand?
Then write it down.
I once wanted vengeance,
like Cassius and these young men.
I know this path of destruction
more than anyone.
I hated those that followed Christ.
I hunted them down like wild animals.
And when they fled Jerusalem,
I went to the temple
to the chief priests,
to obtain authority to go to Damascus
and arrest all those
that followed the Way.
I was determined
to be God's hand of justice.
His wrath.
You believed what you were doing
was out of a love for God.
A blind love.
I only knew the law.
If water flows
down a mountain, what besides a miracle
could cause it to flow back?
The road to Damascus was
your miracle.
Yes.
The road to Damascus.
Saul... Saul...
Why do you persecute me?
Who are you, Lord?
Who are you, Lord?
I am Jesus,
whom you are persecuting.
What's going on? What happened?
He can't see.
Here. Lay him here.
Something...
Something happened on the road.
Something like a light.
There was a voice, a voice like...
Like thunder.
He fell to his knees,
as if he were struck down.
And he was shouting out the words...
Who are you, Lord?
All the way here
he has been saying aloud
that Jesus is the Messiah.
Saul of Tarsus,
can you hear me?
Ananias?
You know who I am?
The Lord showed me a vision
that you would come to me.
They tell me
you have lost your mind,
that you haven't eaten
or had anything to drink
in three days.
Your actions against
those that follow Christ
and all the harm you have done
is well reported.
I know you have come here
on authority of the chief priests
to arrest all those
who call on the Lord's name.
I am a wretched man.
I deserve death.
Yes.
We all do.
Yet,
Christ
has set us free.
Brother Saul,
the Lord Jesus,
who appeared to you on the road
as you were coming here,
has sent me so that you may see again
and be filled
with the Holy Spirit.
Brother Saul,
receive thy sight.
Everything in your life changed,
yet you continued on.
Three years in Arabia.
Why?
Peter and the others spent
three years with Christ.
I had to do the same.
I had to learn how to pray,
how to speak.
How to love.
All right, old man.
Tell me everything that followed.
Prisoner, on your feet.
The Greek, too.
Sir.
A chair, perhaps?
I will stand.
I recognize the way you stand,
like a man who has been
flogged repeatedly.
They say the spine bends
and does not heal properly.
Am I correct?
You are correct.
I am sure you are aware
of the responsibility I have
for the detainment
of every prisoner in this place.
I am well aware that to lose a prisoner
means death for you and your men.
Exactly.
Then you understand my current concern.
Prefect, do you think
that we are plotting an escape?
Well, a man who has been charged
with burning down Rome
meets in secret with a Greek
for all hours of the night.
Perhaps you're not only plotting
an escape,
but an uprising.
For what purpose?
Vengeance.
Followers of your cult are being beaten,
raped and killed for sport.
It is for the Lord's sake
that we face death all day,
that we are considered
as sheep to be slaughtered.
Even the sheep will revolt
if whipped hard enough.
Do you think that I have
come to Rome against my will?
That I am in this cell by accident?
I care very little
about the circumstances of your arrival.
I am concerned with these documents
that are being generated
in the very heart of my prison.
So, depending on my finding,
I will determine what should be done.
Consider the Greek a threat
to Rome until proven otherwise.
Put him in the dark with the preacher.
She's not improving.
Whatever the cost, I'd pay for it.
It's not an issue of cost.
It's an issue
of whatever this illness is.
I have never seen
anything like this before.
Please.
I understand your pain, Cassius.
Understand?
Don't say you understand.
But Christ spoke of love
and peace and patience.
You understand nothing.
You respond in the flesh.
People are dying
every day because of us.
I've lost my whole family!
Family? You speak of family?
Yes. My family.
You listen to me!
I still have my family,
and I will not put their lives at risk
for a foolish plan!
You coward!
Just think of your family!
No! No! No!
What would you do, then?
No! Keep your voice down!
Luke has been thrown into prison.
What?
On conspiracy.
What did you say?
Luke has been thrown into prison.
And I've gathered men willing to storm
that prison and free them.
To what end, Cassius?
Justice.
Justice?
Think of how foolish
Nero will look having lost the man
he accused of burning down Rome.
No.
If you're caught,
they'll come here for us all.
Listen to me. Please.
Exactly.
Listen to me! We can align ourselves
with these powerful families
to overthrow Nero.
And we can bring peace to Rome
if we rule it.
Christ asked us to care
for the world, not rule it.
Listen closely.
All of you, listen to me closely.
Some of you may want
to stay in the city...
And some of you may want to leave.
But if any of you...
Any of you take up arms,
you have no place in this community.
Cassius and the others
have finally calmed down.
I can't stop thinking about Tarquin.
The poor boy.
We sent him out there, Aquila.
I know. I blame myself.
I should have taken it.
We've lost so many, Priscilla.
I can't bear the thought
of losing any more.
I believe it's time to leave Rome
with the knowledge that we could be
better protected and serve elsewhere.
I pray that God works good through it.
And I pray that you'll forgive me,
because I believe that God
is calling us to different paths.
I know, I know...
I know you love this city, its people.
That's part of you. I understand.
I give you my blessing.
I must say...
I preferred the visits
to that charming rented villa
the last time
you were imprisoned in Rome
instead of this lovely hellhole.
Do you ever miss the road?
You must be kidding.
You know I had a great life
before I met you.
Your unwavering commitment
kept me going on many
of those cold, miserable nights
in the wilderness,
bellies rumbling,
feet and back in terrible pain.
You used to sing those awful songs
in the middle of the night.
Excuse me, but they were
from my childhood,
and I told you time and again,
it's the only thing
that puts me to sleep.
Your pitch sounded even higher
than Timothy's mother.
We never met.
Was she that good of a singer as well?
And Peter's snoring.
We won't miss that.
We won't miss that.
They truly were
miserable days being with you.
I do miss them.
Hmm.
Praise God that he put you
into my life, brother.
I don't know where I'd be without you.
Well, from malaria to blood loss,
you would be most certainly dead.
Oh, Luke, no.
It's quite boring.
Just a man walking around
giving very lengthy speeches.
The only exciting bit is
the stoning of this fellow.
Mauritius...
I have heard outrageous rumors
about this man.
A sorcerer of the dark arts,
a charmer of snakes and demons,
a man capable of healing the crippled
with just a touch of his cloak.
A healer?
No, my point, you don't make
a man your leader
just because he trips
and falls in the road
and then travels around a bit and
says a few things.
There must be more to the story.
You need to get him
to confess something.
What else would he say that he
hasn't already spoken at his trial?
A man on trial will say whatever
he can to save his hide.
But he has been convicted.
He will be executed.
No man wants to leave this life
without a legacy,
without boasting
of his own glorious deeds
so the world can remember him forever.
Appeal to his arrogance.
Perhaps.
I come here to find some peace.
You cannot see any of Rome.
You cannot see what has become
of this great city.
I misjudged you.
You are much more of a soldier
than a preacher.
A man with a great deal
of blood on his hands.
Sins of a past life,
by God's grace washed away.
Sin, grace, mercy.
Your philosophical scribblings
tell me nothing
about why the Christians look
to you as their leader
and why Nero singled you out
as the chief enemy of Rome.
I think you already know the truth,
that we were not responsible
for the fires.
Why does Nero bring
this accusation upon you?
Rumors abound in the streets
about your powers.
Perhaps it is these supernatural things
that are seen as such a threat by Nero.
I have no powers.
Then the stories are not true?
They are all true.
So why do your people boast
about your powers?
I've never said these things
in my life to boast.
I boast only of my weaknesses,
so that God's power may rest on me.
Very few men admit weakness.
Certainly none boast of it.
I boast of it gladly,
for this power is sown in weakness.
I assume you have earned riches.
Land.
Influence amongst your people.
Maybe it is what has roused
Nero's jealousy.
I've never taken a single coin
for my work for Christ.
Really?
The good news of salvation is free.
It was given to me freely,
and I give it away for free.
So you have certain powers,
but claim to have no authority
to use them.
You've done miraculous things,
yet do not boast for glory.
You make no wages for your work.
You're sounding less like
a leader and more like a slave.
A slave that has been set free.
We're Romans. We're already free men.
All men are a slave to something.
That Greek,
he is risking his life for you.
Why?
He believes people should know
the certainties of my life.
My daughter is sick.
If I pray to your Christ,
your God, will she be healed?
I don't know.
His ways are not my ways.
So you offer nothing.
I offer the truth of salvation
that has been set on my heart.
The Greek can take his papers.
I see no value in them.
He'll be released tomorrow.
Prefect Mauritius.
The Greek, Luke,
he is a great physician.
His talents are unmatched.
No.
I would not anger the gods
by bringing a Christian into my home.
I said that you could help his daughter.
How could I bring healing when he
and Rome bring so much suffering?
You know this man even better than I do.
You
used to pray to the gods of Greece,
just as he does the gods of Rome.
In your account of the Lord,
why did you write so often
of the poor
and the outcasts and foreigners?
I guess I wanted others to understand
God's kingdom is open to us all,
that his mercy is for everyone.
Exactly.
We can never forget
what it was like to be lost.
And to be found.
Do not worry, brother.
When the moment comes,
you will have the strength
to do what is right.
Where sin abounds,
grace abounds more.
There's nothing more I can do.
How is that possible?
I have spoken with others.
No one has answers.
And she's not responding
to anything I have tried.
I have no more ideas.
Think of something else.
Make another sacrifice.
Plead to the gods for her life.
Take heed, Mauritius,
you are a good man.
The gods can still hear you
and heal her.
You missed the doctor.
You have been telling me
to get out for fresh air,
so I... So I got out.
There is nothing else he can do.
I had no doubt.
We should not speak here.
Do you fear that which the gods
might hear you speak?
And here you accuse me
of angering the gods,
but what of you?
There is gossip amongst
the wives of the guards
that you treat this man of Tarsus,
who spits in the face of Rome,
with a degree of sympathy.
He's a Roman citizen.
If there is any degree of kindness,
it's because of that.
What kindness
is harboring a Greek Christian
against a direct order of your emperor?
You should be tried
and executed for conspiracy.
And yet you think that I anger the gods!
I harbor the Greek, because
the husbands of these gossips
were paid to look after him.
Your daughter is dying,
and you dare dishonor the gods
by your actions?
All these years,
I have been loyal to you.
While you were gone!
While you were away on your campaigns.
You don't think I was lonely?
You don't think
I was starved of affection?
I had nothing.
Nothing!
And then she was born...
That precious baby girl.
And she was my...
My joy.
She was my life while you were gone.
But now you threaten
to take away my joy,
my life away from me, because you refuse
to look at your own selfish ways!
This is not my fault.
It is all your fault!
By witness to all the gods,
I say that her death
will be on your head.
Enough!
Do it.
Save me the trouble for when she dies.
Halt!
This way. Quickly.
Down the corridor. Go!
Please! I beg of you!
Free us!
Brothers, save us!
Down here!
Quickly. We've come to release you.
Who sent you?
We come in the name of Christ.
You bring violence against government
officials in the name of Christ?
The moment arises to overthrow
this cursed power
and return it to the people.
By whose authority
do you think Rome has power?
You will die here.
And your cause will die with you.
Christ has already triumphed
over every enemy by the cross.
You say you come in his name,
but it is clear you do not know him.
Cassius, we have to go. Now.
Fools.
Check the prisoners.
Yes, sir.
So, this is how
my kindness is repaid?
My prison broken into.
My guards killed.
There will always be those
that try and take justice
into their own hands.
You do not take any responsibility?
If we were responsible,
wouldn't you be in that cell
awaiting your own execution?
How can it be that by words alone,
you spit in the face of the Emperor?
By words alone,
you seem to defy Rome itself.
Words do not threaten
to destroy empires.
Because perhaps they are not just words,
they are the truth of things.
You keep saying truth. Truth.
But it's only a truth according to you.
If it were the only truth,
everyone would believe it.
Not so.
Christ, who is truth,
rose from the dead.
Many still do not believe.
Lies. Fabrications.
If Christ had not risen from the dead,
then our preaching is useless,
and so is our faith.
Oh?
And you have no doubts at all?
Men do not die for things they doubt.
You claim you serve a god
who is above all other gods,
and yet all I see before me
is an old man in chains.
Your life, a summary of beatings
and filthy prison cells.
I deserve worse, but...
There is grace enough for everyone.
To be rich,
not poor.
To be powerful,
not weak.
To have slaves and servants, not be one.
It does not take an intelligent man
to look around and know
that the world is missing something.
Do not question the greatness of Rome.
And what of the love
for a sick daughter?
What does Rome offer her?
Another word and I send you
to whatever god you want.
You're right,
my daughter is dying.
The gods do not answer me.
There is another way.
No. There is not.
Your Christ solves nothing.
Mindless sentimentality
for the weakest and poorest
to make their pathetic state livable
until they are buried
in the ground and forgotten.
Tomorrow there are games at the circus.
Take the Greek there,
so he can die for the glory of my gods!
No!
And may this give me favor
for my daughter.
No!
Luke. Luke!
You should have
escaped when you had the chance!
And show the man from Tarsus
how Rome treats its enemies.
Help us finish the race, Father.
Cassius and the others have disappeared.
The city is on alert.
How could they do this?
They're putting everyone at risk.
Confused, selfish young men
with their own ambitions.
I would not expect them to return.
But Luke will die in the morning
along with our brothers and sisters.
I only wanted to help this city.
Now there's nothing
but the stench of death around us.
How many more would have died
without you here?
My heart breaks for Rome.
I know I can't help everyone,
but Christ has asked us to try.
I do want to stay here.
But we're stronger together.
I know you.
You're the one traveled with Paul.
Luke, the physician.
I am.
Do you know what will happen to us?
They tell us nothing in here.
There will be games tomorrow.
Everyone, gather around.
Gather around.
Come. Come.
It will be a moment of pain.
But only a moment.
Only a moment.
And then we shall be home
in the presence
of our Lord Jesus Christ forever.
You see, in my heart,
I felt that there should be some kind
of retribution against the Romans
for the crimes that they have committed.
But there can be only one way.
Remember as our Lord
spoke from the cross.
Father, forgive them,
for they know not what they do.
He has also asked us
to pray in the same way.
So, let us pray.
Our Father...
Our Father...
...who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on Earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Please save her.
I can't lose her.
Whatever it takes. Please.
Bring the Greek here. Now!
Yes, sir.
Can you save her?
Quickly, give me your knife.
Now.
Your daughter's chest
is filling with blood.
If I do not drain it, she will die.
Your knife, please.
Thank you.
Give me your hand.
Pen and parchment, please.
You will find Aquila and Priscilla here.
Tell them I sent you here
for these things.
And they must be brought back
to me immediately.
I believe I know what's wrong with her.
It is a sickness I've seen once before
on the island of Rhodes,
but there is much to do
to try and save her life now.
You are trusting me
with your daughter's life
just as I am trusting you
with the lives you see there.
Go now.
No, there is no more bread.
Open the door! I need
to speak to Aquila and Priscilla!
Take the children.
Go, go, go.
Okay.
Open the door! Please!
Please! Open!
Are you Aquila?
I'm looking for Aquila and Priscilla.
Where's Aquila?
I'm Aquila.
Luke sent me.
Luke sent you?
Yes.
I need your help, please.
My daughter is dying. Please. Please.
The Greek is alive.
Oh, praise God.
Because of him, my daughter lives.
He didn't have to save her.
He sent me to a place for supplies.
It was full of your people hiding out.
He knew I could report them,
have them all thrown
into the circus today.
I am grateful.
My wife, my daughter are grateful.
I only hope it has shown you
something true.
I am sorry for Nero's circus.
I am sorry your people died today.
Have you ever been sailing?
Yes.
Imagine yourself looking out
at the vast sea before you.
You reach down, and you put
a hand into the water,
and you scoop it up towards you.
Immediately, the water starts
leaking through your fingers
until the hand is empty.
That water is a man's life.
From birth to death,
it is always slipping
through our hands until it is gone.
Along with all that
you hold dear in this world.
And yet the kingdom I speak of,
that I live for,
is like the rest of the water
out in the sea.
Man lives for that cup of water
that slips through his fingers.
But those that follow Jesus Christ
live for that endless expanse of sea.
What if, after all this,
I still do not believe in your Christ?
I wasn't trying to convince you.
Listen to me.
There's only a moment.
It's not me.
It is Christ himself that looks upon you
and shatters your defenses.
And in that moment, you will understand
that you are completely known by God
and you are completely loved.
I will pray that moment comes for you.
I think I would like a walk
to enjoy this sun.
Of course.
You saved his daughter.
They will know us by our love.
This is the Way.
I heard the cheers of the crowd
from the Roman's house.
I shall not forget their faces
for as long as I live.
Trumpets would have sounded loudest
when they arrived home.
A mighty celebration was held today.
A mighty celebration.
If we live, we live for the Lord.
If we die, we die for the Lord.
Whether we live or die,
we belong to the Lord.
That's brilliant.
I now have an ending.
Listen to this. For two whole years,
Paul stayed there in Rome
in his own rented villa.
No. House.
And welcomed all who came to see him.
He proclaimed the kingdom of God
and taught about our Lord
Jesus Christ with all boldness
and without hindrance.
There. That should make you sound good.
What of my second arrest?
Of the trial at the Forum,
of Nero's verdict,
of the darkness of my cell?
I have begun my telling of these events
with Jesus' proclamation
to his followers
to bear witness for him in Jerusalem
and to the ends of the Earth.
And the story that began
in Jerusalem 30 years ago
has now come to Rome.
So, this is the end.
And yet death is only the beginning.
We will meet again on a new road.
Of that I am certain.
To live is Christ,
to die is gain.
I like that one.
Write it down.
We're doing well.
Over a hundred copies so far.
We will take these
with us out of Rome
and bring them to all the communities.
It will help many people.
Thank you. Thank you.
Luke.
What will you do?
I can't abandon Paul now.
Once we're gone,
I can't guarantee
your safe exit from Rome.
Aquila, you've already done
more than enough.
I feel that my finishing this work
is most important.
I guess there are some things
in life worth risking.
I shall miss you both.
Here. Paul has asked
that you would make sure
this letter reaches Timothy immediately.
Of course. Of course.
Do not be afraid.
To Timothy, my dear son.
Grace, mercy,
and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Remember Jesus Christ,
raised from the dead,
descended from David.
Do not be ashamed
of the testimony about our Lord
or of me, his prisoner.
Rather, join with me
in suffering for the Gospel.
By the power of God,
he has saved us
and called us to a holy life.
Not because of anything we have done,
but because of his own purpose
and grace.
This is my Gospel,
for which I am suffering
even to the point of being
chained like a criminal.
But God's word is not chained.
For I am already being poured out
like a drink offering.
The time of my departure has come.
I have fought the good fight.
I have finished the race.
I have kept the faith.
The Lord be with your spirit.
Grace
be with you all.