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Dear and glorious physician
602 pages
A sweeping, reverent epic that traces a brilliant healer's lifelong quest across the ancient world to find the intersection of science and faith.
What it feels like
This sweeping historical epic immerses readers in the grandeur and grit of the ancient Mediterranean, offering a deeply reverent and meticulously detailed journey of spiritual awakening. The narrative unfolds at a steady, deliberate pace, allowing the rich, formal prose to paint a vivid contrast between the decadence of the Roman Empire and the quiet, transformative power of early Christianity. It feels grand yet deeply personal, anchored by a protagonist whose restless intellect and profound grief drive him toward an ultimate revelation. Readers who crave immersive, spiritually resonant historical fiction will be captivated by this majestic exploration of science, faith, and the heavy burden of healing. It is a majestic, contemplative experience that lingers long after the final page.
- Mood
- grand
- spiritual
- contemplative
- majestic
- Tone
- earnest
- reverent
- dramatic
- sweeping
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- spiritual seeking · science and faith · the burden of healing · divine calling · cultural decadence
- The writing
- Richly descriptive, formal, and slightly archaic, painting vast historical canvases with meticulous detail.
- The arc
- Moves from restless intellectual seeking and profound grief to spiritual revelation and ultimate peace.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love sweeping, immersive historical epics that explore profound spiritual questions and the ancient world.
Content notes
- grief
- illness
- death
- medical descriptions
- religious persecution
About the book
The world-famous novel about the triumphant story of St. Luke, man of science, and Gospel writer Today St. Luke is known as the author of the third Gospel of the New Testament, but two thousand years ago he was Lucanus, a Greek, a man who loved, knew the emptiness of bereavement, and later traveled through the hills and wastes of Judea asking, "What manner of man was my Lord?" And it is of this Lucanus that Taylor Caldwell tells here in one of the most stirring stories ever lived or written. Lucanus grew up in the household of his stepfather, the Roman govenor of Antioch. After studying medicine in Alexandria he became one of the greatest physicians of the ancient world and traveled far and wide through the Mediterranean region healing the sick. As time went on he learned of the life and death of Christ and saw in Him the God he was seeking. To find out all he could about the life and teachings of Jesus, whom he never saw, Lucanus visited all the places where Jesus had been, questioning everyone--including His mother, Mary--who had known Him or heard Him preach. At last, when he had gathered all information possible, he wrote down what we now know as the Gospel according to St. Luke. Taylor Caldwell has chosen the grand, the splendid means to tell of St. Luke. Her own travels through the Holy Land and years of meticulous research made Dear and Glorious Physician a fully developed portrait of a complex and brilliant man and a colorful re-creation of ancient Roman life as it contrasted in its decadence with the new world Christianity was bringing into being. Here is a story to warm, to inspire, to call forth renewal of faith and love lying deep in each reader's heart.
Description from Open Library.
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