Customer Reviews

The Betrayal: The Lost Life of Jesus: A Novel

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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

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".

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.

Regardless of your religious beliefs, this book will provide you an entertaining education on the life of Christ, early Christianity and especially the secrets of Christianity and how the story of Christ has been altered by history. Based upon excellent research, the authors build the story of Christ and demonstrate how that story has been manipulated throughout history to shape public opinion and solidify the supremacy of the Catholic Church. Its truly a worthwhile read for all!

Wow! This is a must read. Very thought provoking, active and engaging. I could not put this book down. An amazing account of the last few days of Jesus' life -- interwoven with another story a few hundred years later. What happened during those years was absolutely critical to our access of information. It's all presented in a novel form. I'm now getting copies of some of the references so that I can read the accounts that I've been missing all of my life. This book is an enrichment to the lives of all thinking people, since it brings to light many little known portions of history. I was not a history buff until I read the Gears. Thank you for making our history so much more enjoyable! It's not just dry facts, it's all about real people.

First and foremost: I am not a Christian.

While I acknowledge the existence of an historical Jesus Christ, I am not on board with any of the religious-tradition dogma. As for the teachings? 1) Is anything more than 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you' necessary?, and 2) The transmission of ideas and of facts over millennia is, at best, imperfect...and the claim that the Christian God had a hand in it doesn't change anything...and isn't worth the paper it's written on.

Having noted these bits, I have to say that 'getting to the truth about Christ' has always been a pet passion of mine. In the same way that people look at 'Who shot JFK?' and 'Did we actually get to the moon?' (If your sensibilities have been slighted by my comparison... I'm not sure what to say. Apologies are not forthcoming.) So this book was already given the benefit of the doubt before I'd begun reading.

Did it deliver?

Yes...and no.

The authors are very 'workmanlike' novelists. I wouldn't say there's any 'great writing' in this book at all. Enormous, considered research, yes. But as a piece of literary-fiction...it's no gift from On High.

My main complaint...other than the fact that you're not in the presence of artists with 'The Betrayal'...is that even though they use footnotes, they still endlessly (and awkwardly) spoonfeed the background information to such a ridiculous extent that I found my patience wearing thin early on. I would have had no problem at all with a generous 'Notes' section had they been better craftspeople where injecting all the information was concerned. But it got ridiculous; some of the 'exposition via dialogue' was approaching sketch-comedy level. Think: Second City or Monty Python or SNL stuff.

Ironically enough, despite the poor delivery of a compelling idea, I kept imagining this on the screen.

Except that the Christians would crucify anyone involved in its production.

Personal rating: 7/10


P.S. I learned a whole lot, reading this book. I had a lot of my suspicions, my convictions corroborated. This is why I've given this novel the rating I have, not because of its literary achievements.

I was surprised to find that the book was about the political environment in early Christianity, an environment that led to the same kind of prejudice, politics, and bigoted persecution that is still common in the middle east. But, back then, it was between "Christians" and other Christians; and between Christians and Jews, rather than between Muslims and Muslims; and Muslims and Jews. Same story, different faces.

I love all of the Gears' writing, so it didn't surprise me that this book took me emotionally back to a time that has often been on my mind, during my entire life. It made me feel what it was like, even to the point of wanting to take a shower to wash off the sweat and grime! The story was a good hypothosis about what might have happened to the actual teachings of Jesus, verses the stories that idolized him and made him into a tool for personal advancement and power.

Anyone reading this book must be sure to read the footnotes in the back. They document a lot of the background history and are surprising to say the least.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Jesus and what he really taught, especially if they've ever wondered why there is so little of his teaching and so much story telling about idolized characters in popular Christianity.

Christians who unwaveringly accept doctrine (dogma) will immediately dismiss it as entirely untrue without considering any possibility that the authors' arguments actually make sense, logically and according to factual, documented history.
So Jesus wasn't born of a virgin? So he didn't rise bodily from the dead? So what? I don't need those bits of magic to know that Jesus's teachings were TRUE. (Though routinely misinterpreted and rewritten by those who established the dogma.)
In my personal spiritual growth over the past several months, I first had the question: Why do we need Jesus? And I came to the answer: To show us that it is possible for a human to be completely one with the Creator, to be completely in the Light. He was our example.
Answering that (over a period of months), the next question was: Why do we need a resurrection? I hadn't been able to come up with an answer. And now this book has shown me why I couldn't develop an answer to that question. Because the answer is: We don't.
That does not in any way lessen the importance of what Jesus taught us. We still need to study his teachings and live the way he taught us to live. (And if we get really good at that, we, too, will be completely in the Light.)
Thank you, Gears! Great reading!!

I had recently read Kathleen O'Neal Gear's In Me trilogy and was especially intrigued when I came upon this book at my local bookstore.

Those looking for a decent thriller won't be disappointed. I was quickly enthralled by the four protagonists Cyrus, Zarathan, Barnabas and (especially) Kalay. Equally interesting where the antagonists Pappas Meridias, Loukas and Emperor Constantine himself. Alternating between the time of Yeshua ben Pantera (Jesus) and the 4th century, the Gears paint a vivid picture of the early Christian Era.

The character of Zarathan is sure to annoy some readers, since he often behaves like a rude, whiny, sexist fundamentalist Christian (especially toward Kalay). It is noteworthy, however, that he actually grows and matures toward the end of the story. The Gears could have easily just left him as a another "straw man", but they did just the opposite.

The historical footnotes and bibliography make for some equally interesting reading, highlighting numerous anachronisms and historical inconsistencies in the Bible (most notably, with regard to both Jewish and Roman laws).

Overall, The Betrayal combines an entertaining story with an eye-opening history lesson. More importantly, it serves as a reminder of how humankind's yearning to believe in a greater power can be so easily manipulated and corrupted. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone.

I love books like this and This one is amazing. These author have footnotes in the back of the book so you know what there talking about in the story. AMAZING!!!