Actually this well intentioned movie is a bit hard to follow. I prefer a more Hollywood version like Quo Vadis. Firstly, too much is filmed in darkness. The flashbacks are confusing.

It's not too horrific. The actual coliseum feeding of Christians to the Lions is not shown.

It's nice to see Joanne Whaley as Priscilla and James Caveziel as St Luke. Olivier Martinez speaks with a very strong French accent. It's hard to understand and not right for a Roman soldier. Should have been British or Italian.

Interesting for an accurate depiction of what happened but not as enjoyable as the old fashioned more inaccurate biblical epics like Quo Vadis and Ben Hur etc.

If there's one thing you learn from Paul, Apostle Of Christ it's how important scribes were back in the day. We meet James Faulkner as Paul the Apostle who did more than anyone else to spread the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth and to make permanent his church.

This film takes place toward the end of his life in 67 AD when Emperor Nero has set fire to the city of Rome and then cast the blame on a sect known as Christians. That part of the story can be seen in big budget Hollywood extravaganzas Quo Vadis and The Sign Of The Cross with some colorful Neros Peter Ustinov and Charles Laughton respectively.

Nero makes no appearance here, but we see the fear he's instilled in the Christians, the more so because their leader Paul is in a Roman prison with Prefect Olivier Martinez in charge. He's got other things on his mind such as a questioning wife and a sick daughter.

Faulkner as Paul is concerned about only one thing, that the story of his life get out while he can get it told. The telling he does is to Luke the physician, who besides healing as his profession requires is also a scribe. Luke is credited with writing his own gospel of Jesus and the Book of Acts telling of the lives and work of the disciples of Christ and others who spread the Word.

It's to Luke that Paul entrusts with getting out a final letter to Timothy over in Ephesus where the Christians have a somewhat thriving church. Luke has an additional mission to treat Olivier Martinez's daughter. It's the mingling of the missions that's the basis of this film.

Luke purportedly lived and died at a ripe old age essentially because he was entrusted as a scribe. For Paul and the rest of the Christian community they were scheduled to have all kinds of death with being lion lunch for most and a beheading for Paul.

This is a most reverential film and I'm in agreement with others a feeling of hopelessness prevails as regard to this life on earth. Jim Caviezel is a fine Luke and Faulkner is a stoic and spiritual Paul.

Special mention should go to Darryl Luke Vassallo playing a young Roman orphan whom the Christians take in. His martyrdom will make a Medusa shed a tear.

Emperor Nero burns down half of Rome and blames it on the Christians. He has the Apostle Paul imprisoned. He has Christians burned as Roman candles or sacrificed to the Roman circus. In 67AD, Greek Christian Luke (Jim Caviezel) secretly arrives in Rome to write down Paul's final testament. Mauritius Gallas leads the Roman persecutors as the Christian community splits on how to oppose their tormentors.

The story telling is too fractured for its own good. There is too much reliance on montages. Paul's flashback stories are disconnected from the narrative. The movie needs to put the persecution front and center. Although this is a movie about Paul, it must be led by Luke. Luke is the eyes of the audience. The movie needs better writing clarity.