Acts Of Faith (Janette Oke) Books in Order

The Acts of Faith books, co-written by Janette Oke and T. Davis Bunn, are biblical-era novels set in the first-century Roman world, not long after the crucifixion and resurrection. They blend real places and political pressure with fictional characters who are trying to survive, love, and make moral choices in a time when faith could put a target on your back.

These stories have real tension.

The trilogy begins with The Centurion’s Wife. A young Jewish woman, Leah, is forced into marriage with Alban, a Roman centurion, and she’s taken into a world where her safety depends on the man she least wants to trust. Around them, rumors spread about an execution in Jerusalem and the strange claims that followed, and Leah’s search for truth pulls her into dangerous territory. The book is part marriage story, part mystery, and part survival narrative.

The Hidden Flame widens the focus, following Abigail, an orphaned young woman who finds refuge among followers of Jesus. But safety is never simple, and the book explores what it means to belong to a community that is both protected by its love and threatened by its visibility. Leaders can change, mobs can form, and a quiet choice can become a public stand. The story keeps asking what faith costs, and whether it’s worth it when it complicates every relationship.

In The Damascus Way, the perspective shifts again. A young Jewish courier named Jacob and a Greek girl named Julia get caught up in the growing Christian movement while unrest spreads through the region. Travel, intrigue, and the pressure of secret loyalties drive the plot, but the heart of the story is still personal: who do you become when the world demands you pick a side? The book leans into the danger of the road, the fragility of trust, and the surprise of finding allies in unexpected places.

Across the three books, you can expect a mix of romance, suspense, and spiritual questioning. Oke and Bunn don’t turn the characters into cardboard saints. They argue, fear, doubt, and sometimes choose the wrong thing first. The historical setting adds weight, but the stories stay readable and character-led, with plenty of quiet conversations that change the direction of a life.

Read the series in order for the strongest arc, since each book builds the world and raises the stakes. If you like biblical fiction that feels lived-in rather than lofty, Acts of Faith is a good place to settle in.