The Betrayal: The Lost Life of Jesus: A Novel [Hardcover]

Kathleen O'Neal Gear (Author), W. Michael Gear (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2008

There is an alternate story of the life of Jesus.  One the early Church fathers found so menacing they outlawed the books that documented 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...

Editorial Reviews

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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; First Edition edition (June 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765315467
• ISBN-13: 978-0765315465
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,115,509 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars captivating biographical fictional account of Jesus, June 15, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Betrayal: The Lost Life of Jesus: A Novel (Hardcover)

The Ecumenical Council of Nicea met in 325 AD to decide what texts go into the New Testament codifying the Scriptures of Christianity. The Council was convened under the auspices of the Emperor Constantine who demanded a definitive version of Jesus' life that will in turn solidify his rule. He orders people who know the truth including members of the church killed and heretics defined as such by him burned.

At the Monastery of St. Stephen the Martyr in Egypt, Romans order the monks to burn the texts. They poison the food killing almost a hundred monks, but three survive because they were overlooked having been in an obscure section of the church. Barnabas the scholar grabs as many books as he and the others can carry. He escapes with the help of former Roman aide to Constantine Cyrus and the newest monk Zarathan and the beautiful Kalay. The Romans pursue the trio wanting to capture Cyrus and kill the others. Barnabas takes them to the secret cave of his mentor who provides the fleeing trio with a map that leads to the greatest treasure of all.

This captivating biographical fictional account about the life of Jesus does not fit the official Church doctrine as the Geers draw a different conclusion than the Nicea Council did. The authors make a case for a radically dissimilar interpretation of the events and the personality of Jesus; insisting that three plus centuries later the victors rewrote the history. Those who objected to the True Church tenet were declared heretics and subject to torture to gain confessions and ultimately burned at the stake (still relevant today). THE BETRAYAL is a terrific thought provoking historiographic action thriller that delves into the life of Jesus by focusing on those who wrote the doctrine in the fourth century.

Harriet Klausner

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!, August 20, 2008

By 

J. Greene "voodoogirl71" (Middletown, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Betrayal: The Lost Life of Jesus: A Novel (Hardcover)

This book was extremely well researched. The footnotes were interesting & informative. It was a good story intertwined with concrete factual history. If you know anything about the history of religions (especially Christianity), you will find this book enlightening. If you don't know anything, this book can teach you in a non-boring way! I've emailed everyone I know...it is a "Must read".

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Entertaining, Informative, Thought Provoking, Page Turner, March 29, 2009

By 

Ron22 (Joshua Tree, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Betrayal: The Lost Life of Jesus: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

This version of early Christian history is probably as valid as any other, and it's a whole lot more interesting to read. It would make a great movie, except if you thought the religious uproar about the _DiVinci Code_ was bad, that would seem like nothing compared to the outrage this one would provoke (assuming they didn't water it down).

I loved the one-liners by Kalay; just the spice that was needed.

You could call this fiction based on fact; and the facts are documented in the form of notes at the back of the book.

Although some people might think the ideas (findings?) set forth undermine the "official" story of Jesus, for me they did the opposite -- they made his life seem even more impressive.

Although the book is not without some weaknesses -- some could have been avoided and some, given the lack of historical data, couldn't -- overall I would definitely recommend this book. If nothing else, it's a fun read.