I forgot how much I loved this story of the Apostle Paul’s life! I read it as a young adult, and recently re-discovered it.
The Torchbearer (by S.J. Burke, now S.J Knight) is based on the life and early ministry of the Apostle Paul. It fleshes out a lot of the story, beginning with his birth and early life. While we aren’t given an account of a lot of what the author describes in the book, there are clues that the author has carefully pieced together from details that we have been given in Scripture. I think it would be a fun exercise to read the book with Bible in hand to figure out the references that are subtly alluded to. The author also has apparently spent time researching what life would have looked like in various cities and does a great job of making Paul’s journeys through them come alive in your imagination. Paul himself comes to life with his fears and aspirations. I found that I could more easily relate to him as a real person after the story. Be warned, however, that once you pick the book up, you won’t want to put it down. The Torchbearer is a great book for older children through teens (and *ahem* adults!)
P.S. S.J. Knight has also more recently written a more expanded form of this book for adults (A Time To Act).
You can find a copy of The Torchbearer from the following sources:
The Christadelphian Office: https://thechristadelphian.com/ (England)
The Detroit Book Supply: https://www.christadelphianbooks.com/category/65 (USA)
Thousand Oak Library: http://christadelphianlibrary.com/ (USA)