An ordinary boy from Jerusalem,
Write the first gospel containing the life of Jesus!
A biographical novel containing the secrets of the birth of the Gospel

The boy John lived alone with his mother, who ran an olive grove in Gethsemane, Jerusalem.
One day, an incident occurs that turns his ordinary life upside down.
John, who met Jesus' eyes as he was being taken away by soldiers in the Kidron Valley, threw off the linen cloth he was wearing and ran away naked.
This incident deeply wounded John, and in despair, he met Jesus' disciples Andrew and Peter, and they set out on a new path.

The Lion of Alexandria is a novel that tells the story of the life of the evangelist Mark and the circumstances that led him to write the gospel.
This novel, written by Father Jean-Philippe Fabre, a French biblical scholar and professor who is active on social networks such as YouTube, uses the Bible and traditions to add imagination and develop the story of the Evangelist Mark in an interesting way.
Through this book, readers will be able to join Mark on his adventures across the Mediterranean, from Jerusalem to Alexandria, Egypt, and Rome, proclaiming the gospel.

Now that I have compiled that story, looking back, I realize that it took me a lifetime to write it.
One evening, as a young boy, the wound I received in the Kidron Valley sparked a yearning in me.
That desire remained hidden for a long time, but as time passed, it became unstoppable.
The desire to write the story of the person I met that very night, the person I only briefly saw but who saw through my weakness! It wasn't until the twilight of my life that a manuscript, stripped of all hypocrisy, finally took shape.
There is not a single scene in that writing that does not touch upon my humble life and the harsh lessons I have learned along the way.
--- From "Epilogue"

Yairo was still listening to me.
My eyes became moist.
Even as I spoke, my mind was confused.
“A few days later Peter baptized me.
For three years he was like a father to me.
But the wound still remains open.
I am a tamed, but forever wounded lion.
I believe in Yeshua and will always believe in Him.
He looked at me and loved me.
But I don't know what Yeshua can do with someone like me.
How many times have I asked Him to heal my wounds?
But it's no use.
The wounds are still raw.
“How can I, sir, make your daughter happy?” “Only God can make her happy,” Jairus said with a most generous smile.
--- From "Chapter 4: Hiding"

“Mark, Alexander, are you going too?” Paul interrupted before we could answer.
“I won’t take those two people.
"Marco is no good anyway." I felt like I'd been stabbed with a dagger! The knife dug deep into my heart.
Barnabas was speechless.
A heavy silence hung over us, as if it would never end.
Paul looked at me with a determined face, not one of anger.
Alexander looked back and forth between Paul and me, looking surprised.
Barnabas continued, his voice cautious but clearly agitated.
“Can you tell me why?” “I will not go back with someone who abandoned us on a missionary trip.”
--- From "Chapter 9 Confrontation"

"You want me to leave? I can't! Alexandria is where I belong.
This is my city.
Feel it with your body and mind.
In Alexandria I am happy and fruitful.
This is where Peter sent me.
“This is where Christ sent me.” “Jesus also moved on and told his disciples to go somewhere else.
“I think it’s time for you to do the same,” I protested.
“If I leave, I will be admitting my guilt by abandoning my duties.
“It’s like admitting that the enemy is right.” “But thanks to that, the community will be at peace again.” It felt like being hit with a club.
The community I belonged to abandoned me.
I was sacrificed on the altar of malice and pretense.
I heard a hollow voice speaking, as if it wasn't my own.
--- From "Chapter 11: The Gang"

It was then that I realized how I should begin the first part of the story I was writing.
Right from the beginning of the text, we need to talk about both the familiar and the surprising aspects of Jesus.
People had to understand that Jesus came to share in the daily lives of humanity.
But at the same time, people had to be amazed by the image of Him who was forever incomprehensible, who we could not grasp, who could not be reduced to mere human things.
The early scenes of the story will be structured around a single day in which Jesus spends an ordinary day with the people I met in Capernaum.
In that anecdote, Jesus appears as a friendly figure, but people will be captivated by his power, determination, and freedom.
People will be confused, as Peter and his companions were after they were called by the lakeside.
--- From "Chapter 15 Footprints"

At the dock, the shipowner explained that when the ship arrived in Egypt, it would load cargo from the Eritrean Sea.
There would be ornately decorated linen, sandalwood, coral, jade, and even incense.
I closed my eyes.
It was as if I was there, a variety of colors flashing before my eyes, and I could smell the scent coming from the inner harbor of Lake Mariut.
I imagined the white of the lime-washed building facades contrasting with the vibrant colors of the North African markets.
There I will feel as if I am home.
Alexandria, the object of my constant admiration! Our cargo was manuscripts of the Gospels.
We decided to bring one of them to Tito.
They were a very precious burden, including manuscripts to be delivered to the communities of Ephesus and Alexandria.

--- From "Chapter 16 Prey"