Kathleen O'Neal Gear, W. Michael Gear
Description
Product Description
There is an alternate story of the life of Jesus. One the early Church fathers found so menacing they outlawed the books that do
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cumented it, ordered them burned, and threatened anyone found copying them with death. International bestselling authors and award-winning archaeologists Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear put more than thirty years of exhaustive research into this fascinating novel.
In A.D. 325, Brother Barnabas is a student of the ancient holy texts. These books paint a portrait of Jesus that is radical, heretical, and irresistible. In the writings of Mary Magdalene, Phillip, and James, Barnabas finds clues to a secret he must protect at all costs. But the Ecumenical Council of Bishops has just declared his cherished books "a hotbed of manifold perversity." Emperor Constantine has decreed that the documents must be burned and that anyone found copying them will be executed as a heretic.
Barnabas's monastery is attacked. Brother Barnabas flees with his trusted companions, but they are being followed, for the True Church cannot allow them to find the most sacred place on Earth. In fact, it will do anything to stop them...
From Booklist
The Gears, archaeologists and authors of the North America’s Forgotten Past series, turn their attention away from Native Americans here in order to focus on reworking the legends of familiar New Testament figures. Promoted as an “alternate story of the life of Jesus,” this fictional biography is guaranteed both to ignite controversy and attract a large readership. According to the authors, extensive historical and archaeological evidence suggests that many details pertaining to the historical life of Jesus may have been suppressed by the Church. The narrative weaves back and forth through time depicting both the Crucifixion era and the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325, where renegade monk Brother Barnabas endangers his own safety by piecing together clues that paint a more robust picture of the life and times of Jesus than Emperor Constantine will tolerate. Though many of the basic plot elements draw on The Da Vinci Code, the Gears, seasoned writers and researchers, add plenty of their own twists. --Margaret Flanagan
Review
"I've read many books on Jesus. Few range as widely or as deeply into his life and the early centuries of Christianity as
The Betrayal. A passionate book about a man who changed the history of the world."--Thomas Fleming,
New York Times bestselling author of
Lights Along the Way: Great Stories of American Faith
"This is a unique and creative telling of a vital story and offers a depth of knowledge and information unmatched in any other work of fiction."--Lewis Perdue,
New York Times bestselling author of
The Da Vinci Legacy
About the Author
KATHLEEN O'NEAL GEAR began her career in archaeology as a biblical archaeologist and historian. She received her Master's Degree in the History of Religions, was twice selected as an American Bible Society Scholar, and worked on excavations at the Sea of Galilee.
W. MICHAEL GEAR is a scholar in ancient Greek and Latin, holds a master's degree in archaeology, and has worked as a professional archaeologist since 1978.
The Gears, whose First North American novels are international and
USA Today bestsellers, live in Thermopolis, Wyoming.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The Betrayal
ONE
NISAN THE 9TH, THE JEWISH YEAR 3771
Misty rain had been falling for two days and the dark mountaintop was cold and sweet with the fragrance of damp pine needles and wet earth.
Maryam drew her himation, a large square garment cut from white linen, over her head for warmth and stared down at the holy city of Yerushalaim. From up here, high on the Mount of Olives, the view was stunning. Starlight gilded the ancient stone walls and painted the wide streets. All was quiet and still. Even the tendrils of smoke that rose from the houses l
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