THE LOST EPISTLE OF JESUS [Paperback]

Evan Drake Howard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 16, 2007

Pilgrims from afar crowding the streets. Moneychangers haggling in the Temple. Jewish Zealots clashing with Roman soldiers. The city can only be first century Jerusalem. There could be no richer setting for an epic love story-a story about the inner healing that turns heartbreak to hope. Nothing terrifies Judith Silva more than the prospect of a passionless marriage. Not even death by stoning. When she becomes entangled in a torturous web of lies and betrayal, she knows she must choose: Does she love Dismas Latronum, the passionate Zealot, or his brother Gabriel, the sensitive merchant? All three seem doomed to jealousy, rage, and despair-until they read an epistle written by an insightful Galilean Rabbi. Here is the path to healing that Jesus of Nazareth discovered through his painful but illuminating relationship with Mary Magdalene. To walk the path, Judith must learn the difference between falling in love and really loving. But her greatest fear stands in the way. Only by overcoming it can she find healing and offer it to the brothers. With three futures hanging in the balance, she will receive help from a surprising source. Like these unforgettable characters, anyone who encounters the miraculous epistle written by Jesus will be changed forever. "Entrancing, enchanting, and one gripping read. The Lost Epistle of Jesus and its characters, both the historical and the fictional, bring the era to life. The ending left me in tears, but Howard's storytelling had me on page one." Victoria Moran, author of Creating a Charmed Life Evan Drake Howard, pastor of the Community Church of Providence, Rhode Island, is the author of Rekindling the Hope of the Manger, From Sacrifice to Celebration, and Centered in God. He and his wife, Carol, have been married since 1978 and are the parents of two sons.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Crown Oak Press (February 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160266126X
• ISBN-13: 978-1602661264
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,157,495 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Struggles of Life...Enlightenment, July 9, 2007

By 

Thomas M. Loarie (Danville, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: THE LOST EPISTLE OF JESUS (Paperback)

"The Lost Epistle of Jesus" is a very good first effort for first time novelist Evan Howard. Howard builds his story around two brothers, Dismas and Gabriel, and the woman they both love, Judith. The story begins with Judith, about to wed Gabriel, running off with Dismas who was leaving Jerusalem to join the Zealots. The Zealots were determined to drive the Romans from Israel and return it to the true worship of God.

Judith's little brother, Reuban, had been killed one year earlier by the Romans, leaving her angry and contemptuous of the Romans. She was also infatuated with Dismas. "She could not resist the wildness she saw in his eyes." Her hate of the Jews and her lust for Dismas were enough to choose a drastic change in her path - running off with Dismas on the night before her wedding. And Dismas, by taking Judith, took everything that gave meaning to his brother's life - the woman he loved, his honor, and his hope for the future.

Once the book's foundation is set, the story then traces the life journey of each as they encountered real life, the secret letter (the epistle) authored by Jesus, and Jesus himself. Each sees the epistle and is changed by it. And each encounters Jesus where they are in their life - Gabriel as Jesus preached, Judith as she was imprisoned, and Dismas as he was crucified.

Mary Magdelene, Nicodemus, Judas, Barabbas, several of the Apostles, and Jesus' mother, Mary, play important supporting roles. And Howard mixes in the message of Jesus, "Jesus had used his pain as an instrument to teach and heal others," to make sure we do not leave empty handed.

Howard serves as the full time pastor for the Community Church of Providence, Rhode Island. After "The Lost Epistle," one can only imagine the stories he tells from the pulpit there... His sermons must be something very special.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enriched, compelling version of Jesus and his mission, June 7, 2007

By 

Loren Woodson "Author, The Passion of Maryam" (Santa Monica, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: THE LOST EPISTLE OF JESUS (Paperback)

Evan Drake Howard has embarked on a fresh search for the message within the story of Jesus and his ministry, using insights gained in psychology, especially depth and gender psychology. Wrapped within a fast-moving plot, and interweaving New Testament as well as fictional figures, he finds a Jesus who struggles with his deep love for Mary Magdalene, but who has transcended that with a surpassing love. So powerful is the spirit that emerges from his heeding this new love and writing it into his epistle--a tome later lost to history--that any who are troubled and who read it are profoundly transformed by its message and seek radically different ways of knowing themselves and acting.

As someone who has spent a great deal of time trying to understand and accurately portray the demon-and-spirit driven mind and context of first-century Jews, early Christians, and their Roman occupiers, (see The Passion of Maryam) it took me a while to get used to Evan Howard's characters sounding a bit "New Age-y". But clearly there is much to be gained from the Lost Epistle that Evan Howard finds in this depiction of the period late in Jesus' ministry and beyond. Reverend Howard's heart is clearly drawn to that mind and spirit of Jesus which taught alternatives to violence as being squarely in the path of God's love. The famous scene involving the Temple moneychangers in which the acts of the Zealots intersect with Jesus' own enactments there is wonderfully ironic and contrapuntal.

My one quibble is that "The Lost Epistle of Jesus" makes it hard to appreciate the depth of Jesus' Judaism, and that of the other conspicuously Jewish characters. Admittedly, it is extremely hard to balance a portrayal of Jesus' respect for and adherence to the Law with his call for his fulfilling it and extending it into the reaches of God's Kingdom. That said, this is clearly a well-researched book, beginning both with Nicodemus, Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, and with Dismas, traditionally "the good thief" whom Jesus forgave on the cross and welcomed into his Kingdom. These characters come to life as their fates interweave with the one who becomes the Christ.

This novel may rankle some who want to see Jesus merely in terms of his sacrifice on behalf of mankind, and/or put off by his struggle about the nature of his love for the Magdalene, but it will be savored by any who want to expand an understanding of additional, important messages that those willing to search will find within the Gospel's texts.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The other cross, May 15, 2007

By 

Jeane Karnes Neumark "Brent & Jeane Neumark" (Nampa, Idaho USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: THE LOST EPISTLE OF JESUS (Paperback)

I started off wondering why Evan Howard detailed so much description with each character until I came to the other man on the cross in this "Ben Hur" epic-type book (it would make a great movie). When I read about the other man on the cross, I knew it was me and I wept, especially after I heard Jesus's words to my heart. -Brent Neumark, businessman, Northern Idaho