One of the hidden mysteries of ancient Christendom is the legend of a fierce gladiator who gave up the power of the sword for the power of the cross. This long hidden legend is unveiled through the novel Cestus. Cestus tells the story of a youth named Steppan who was captured by slave traders during a raid on his clan and sold at the market to Lucius Portius, one of the richest and most powerful men in Rome. To punish Steppan for of an incident at the Portius estate, he was sold to the owner of a gladiator school. At this place of sorrow, the frightened young Steppan comes to embrace the training as a means of escape from at least some of the anguish of his station in life and so he grows in stature and ability. At the moment of his first match to the death, Steppan allows the beast within to be unleashed. So lethal and spectacular is his performance, which is repeated each time he walks out onto the sands of death, that in time becomes the most famous gladiator in all of Rome, known by the instrument of death he wore - the Cestus. After winning his freedom in an epic match in the arena, Cestus rides as the head of a warrior clan. In Palestine he rescues Rachel, the niece of the prophet Zebediah, from Roman soldiers. A tragic love affair develops between the two, which results in Cestus becoming a most unlikely disciple of Jesus of Nazareth. Cestus is a fast read that contains action, drama, romance and historical insight, plus the uplifting element of spiritual mysticism