Twice Freed

Gold, flowers, gifts were falling around him. But Onesimus turned his back on them all and fled from the arena. He was gasping from loss of blood and in agony from his fracture, but this was nothing compared with the agony of his heart. What were riches and fame and glory now?

Twice Freed by Patricia M. St. John is a biblical fiction on the life of Onesimus, based in the book of Philemon. It combines Biblical account, historical context, and compelling storytelling into a truly moving tale.

Plot

All his life, Onesimus has wanted to be free.

Sometimes, when he has a break from his master’s command, he climbs the canyon and imagines what it would be like to climb even farther and be a free man in the world. Onesimus loves the stories of his father, and how he was a great scholar in Athens before he was sold into slavery.

For years he carefully schemes, stealing small sums of money at a time, slowly amassing enough to buy his freedom. Finally, he seizes an opportunity and strikes out to Athens.

But as he pursues the freedom he so desperately wants, footsteps trail close behind him. A new religion—worshipers of Jesus Christ, a Jewish martyr advocating for mercy and contentment and forgiveness—finds him everywhere he goes. It seems to him that the whole world has caught on fire with the name of Jesus.

His own way is only leading him deeper and deeper into bondage, but Onesimus is not willing to pay the price of following Christ. Will the ever-following footsteps catch up with him at last? Or will he become lost in a sea of slavery to sin?

The way the author weaves together details from the book of Philemon, information from other books, and historical facts makes for a story that brings these Bible characters to life. You’ll likely read Philemon in a new light after reading this.

Characters

All the characters are well-developed and complex. The relationship between Onesimus and Archippus is, in my opinion, one of the best parts of the book. They grew up as close as brothers, but the master/slave relationship has made them cruel to each other. Yet they still care about each other deeply. St. John accurately depicts the mess of emotions in humans, instead of making them simple enemies or friends.

So many briefly-mentioned Bible characters come alive in Twice Freed, like Epaphras, Aquila, Priscilla, and Onesimus himself.

Theme & Content Warnings

Twice Freed asks the question, What is true freedom? Onesimus goes on a journey all across the Mediterranean world in pursuit of his idea of freedom—only to realize he has been wrong all along. For true freedom, the book says, comes from being a servant to Christ.

This story touches on some of the darker parts of first-century life, but always in a discreet way. Onesimus attends a demonic worshiping session at a pagan temple but is repulsed by what he sees. It mentions men committing immoral acts at the goddess of love’s temple. A character is stabbed and the bloody games in the Roman coliseum are summarized without gory descriptions.

Overall

My main critique of this book is the point of view. It feels like a storyteller from the modern-day telling an ancient tale, jumping around to different characters’ thoughts constantly, even sometimes breaking the reader out of immersion and mentioning our present day. I wish the story could have stayed with one or two characters and showed more of their thoughts and emotions. However, Twice Freed is still amazing without this.

This is another book that I enjoyed years ago, and I’m happy to say I still love it. It’s a great read for all ages, though young readers may need guidance on the more sensitive topics. It brings the letter to Philemon and the early church to life. And most importantly, it delivers a powerful message.

And as always, thanks for reading, and I’ll write you in the next one!