Book Description

It is the late 1500s as a five-year-old boy grows up privileged on a country estate with a controlling, abusive father and loving yet meek mother. Forced to only study mathematics and Latin from his father-appointed tutor, Wolf Dietrich quickly learns to keep his anger inside. But when his tutor befriends him and helps him understand his emotions, Wolf makes a life-changing decision to attend seminary and eventually seek fame in the clergy. A year after he heads off to university, Wolf’s mother dies suddenly. Still, Wolf presses on and eventually graduates, is ordained as a priest, and receives his ideal placement at a famous cathedral in Vienna. But when the Archbishop of Vienna unexpectedly changes his assignment to tiny Salzburg in the mountains, an outraged Wolf has no choice but to persevere. As a chain of events takes him from the top to the bottom of worldly importance and fame as an archbishop, Wolf becomes despised by almost everyone. Will he manage to escape in time to avoid death and imprisonment and begin anew? In this historical play based on true events, a wealthy boy transforms into a famous archbishop who soon discovers that the good in one man’s mind can be evil in another’s—or even in his own life. J. Powell dedicates any glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.