“This book has many twists and turns that keep you involved in the story. You meet many characters from the first two books and also some new ones. The plot takes you through the complexity of living under a Roman regime and the way people live and act in this and a Christian environment. Martha gets herself involved in many scrapes and the outcome is not always good!!
Loved reading this, Sue certainly brings the characters to life and it is a great story with a twist at the end!” Lesley UK
Volume 3 in the Leaving Bethany Series
It is ten years since Jesus’s death and resurrection, and the fledging church is at a crossroads. Important decisions need to be made to ensure its survival.
Martha of Bethany is still reeling from a decision she made a year before. She now makes a snap choice, which has life-changing ramifications until unexpected events and a face from the past complicate her life.
Hundreds of miles away, emperor Caligula is obsessed with putting a statue of himself in the Temple in Jerusalem. Their opposition to the statue results in persecution, but as they discover the real threat is found closer to home.
What happens to this small group of Christians in Antioch has consequences for the church, which echoes down the centuries.
Diss Express Friday 16th January 2025
Author Sue Sutherland’s final book in trilogy explores hidden story of Bible character Martha
By Kevin Hurst
An author with launch her new book – the final instalment in a trilogy based on a lesser-known character from the Bible – in Eye next week.
Sue Sutherland, who has a background in teaching, is hoping her historical fiction novel, Advance From Antioch, will be well received when it goes on sale.
The book, the third in her Leaving Bethany Trilogy, follows Martha of Bethany, who is based on a character of the same name from the Bible.
“I started writing the first book, Leaving Bethany, about 10 years ago. Everyone says there is a book in all of us. I was at a bit of a crossroads in my career in teaching and running my own training business, and it kind of happened by accident. I was reading about Martha, who appears three times in the Bible, and she was such an awe-inspiring character.”
It took five years for the novelist to pen her first book, two years to write the second, which is called Return to Caesarea, and 18 months for the third and final instalment.
“I just wanted to get Martha’s story out there and, after doing research on the female disciples of Jesus, I felt it was a hidden story in plain sight,” said Mrs Sutherland.
The books follow the main character’s rollercoaster ride of resilience, sacrifice and unexpected hope, against a background of first-century Roman politics, religious fanaticism and sacrificial love.
Advance from Antioch – The First page
The heavy hulk of a Roman navy ship sailed around the breakwater and turned into the harbour. With its curled bow and the painted eye on the red hull, this was the all-seeing and all-knowing imposition of Roman might. Galley slaves lifted the oars and soldiers lined the deck, ready to enforce the will of the emperor where needed. A gust of wind blew my unruly hair across my face, and I brushed it over my ear, to no avail, as another gust dislodged it. Shouts of slaves and sailors assaulted my ears, and the rattle of wheels along the jetty drew me back to the moment.
I breathed out without realising I was holding my breath. The familiar hull of the Minerva was not one of the three merchant ships bobbing in the harbour. Whether that was relief or disappointment, I did not know. The Minerva often sailed into Seleucia, but I hadn’t seen either the ship or her crew since they left over a year ago. My brother’s voice dragged me out of my reverie.
“Sorry, Lazarus. What did you say?” I asked.
“I’m wondering if they’ll sail on the Minerva with Captain Marcus?”
“Oh, I hope they do,” my friend Miriam added. “I’ve heard so much about the captain’s ship and would love to see it again.”
This possibility occurred to me too. What would I say to Marcus if we were to meet again, and how would he react to me standing on the quayside? A fully laden horse-drawn cart trundled towards me and I stepped back just in time. Nothing stopped the busyness of the harbour, not even nighttime or religious festivals. Business was the empire’s most popular religion and was far too important.
Behind the navy vessel, a merchant ship sailed into the harbour, and I knew in an instant that it was not the Minerva. Sailors pulled on the rigging to furl the sail and others prepared to jump ashore with thick ropes. Two men stood on the deck, waiting to disembark. They looked like an odd couple as the top of the shorter man’s head only came up to the other’s shoulder. The tall, well-built man waved at us, and it could only be one person. Sure-footed for his size, Barnabas skipped down the gangplank to scoop up Lazarus and swing him around. He ran to me and thankfully restrained himself, but it was still a tight squeeze, which I returned.
“Martha! You look well,” his loud voice boomed around the harbour and echoed off the walls.
Wriggling free, I said, “anyone would think we’ve not met for years? It’s been less than a month since you left.”
“I’m always pleased to see you. And Miriam, how are you?” He gave my friend another enthusiastic embrace.
The second man stood at a reserved distance. Our eyes met, and my heart lurched. At my height, this man was shorter than I remembered, but his presence was as imposing as ever.
He smiled and bowed his head. “Good afternoon, Martha,” he said.
Involuntarily, I looked towards the ships and my mind raced back six years to the last time I saw him on the jetty in Caesarea, when he wanted to drag me back to Jerusalem in chains. If it had not been for Captain Marcus of the Minerva, this would have been my fate. Images came to mind of this man watching with pleasure as the apostles were flogged and Stefanos stoned to death. The people I loved were in danger and subject to death, and he agreed with it. That was until he had a sudden change of heart. His piercing eyes peered into my soul.
“Martha,” he repeated. His confident voice cut across the raucous noise of the harbour. “I must make apologies for my earlier mistreatment of your family and friends. Truly, I am sorry for the hurt I caused.”
He must have said this a lot.
Lazarus, who had met him last year in Jerusalem, greeted him with a warm handshake. “It’s good to meet you again, Saul. How was your journey?”
Years ago, I made the decision that I would not hold a grudge against this man, who everyone said was now a genuine believer in Jesus. Forgiving him was proving difficult, no matter how much I knew I should.
Instead, I said, “Saul, you are welcome to Antioch. Since being driven from our home in Jerusalem, our lives have changed in many ways, and I understand now that God planned to scatter us to spread his word. If he used you to do it, then that is good.”
He returned my smile with a slight bow of the head.
Leaving Bethany 