A Man Called Blessed [Paperback]

Ted Dekker (Author), Bill Bright (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2002

One man holds the key to finding the ark of the covenant.

In this explosive sequel to Blessed Child, Rebecca Soloman leads a team deep into the Ethiopian desert to hunt the one man who may know the final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. But Islamic fundamentalists fear that the Ark's discovery will compel Israel to rebuild Soloman's temple on the very site of their own holy mosque in Jerusalem.

They immediately dispatch Ismael, their most accomplished assassin, to pursue the same man, but the one in their sights is no ordinary man. His name is Caleb, and he is also on a quest--to find again the love he once embraced as a child.

The fate of a million souls rests in the hands of these three.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In their second outing together, evangelist Bright and bestselling novelist Dekker team up to spin an interesting but sometimes sloppy sequel to Blessed Child. The sacred Ark of the Covenant is rumored to be hidden in a remote monastery in northern Ethiopia, and 25-year-old Caleb, a Christian blessed with special powers, is believed to hold the key to the ark's location. When word leaks out that discovery is imminent, Middle Eastern politics rapidly slide toward meltdown. "Everything that makes us Jews is held in this chest," says David Ben Solomon, leader of the Temple Mount Advocates, about the ark. He has a passion to see Jewish prophecies fulfilled through its recovery. His daughter, Rebecca, is a Jewish soldier who's tired of killing and longs for love. When Rebecca meets Caleb in the desert, the results are all too predictable. Unfortunately, readers' enjoyment of the tale is hampered by careless mistakes (Rebecca is 10 in the prologue and a decade later she's 25), strange descriptions ("dread floated through his chest like a hollow bullet") and awkward phrases ("He felt God's will like he felt his clothes"). However, with current events focused on the Middle East, the topic is timely, and there are moments of real poignancy and suspense. The conversion of one Jewish character to Christianity, and Caleb's assertion that "The Spirit of God dwells in the heart, not in a golden Ark," will also play well for the intended audience of evangelical Christians.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 358 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; Sequel to Blessed Child. edition (September 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849943809
• ISBN-13: 978-0849943805
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,332,851 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 Stars...Great Story, Great Message, Mediocre Finale, November 26, 2002

By 

Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Man Called Blessed (Paperback)

I've read all Dekker's work, and "A Man Called Blessed" is one of the best. Whereas I felt "Blessed Child," the prequel, dragged a bit, this book takes off and rarely slows down.

The story starts with two assassins on a collision course, with Caleb in the crosshairs. One assassin is a Muslim intent on stopping the second, a female Israeli intent on uncovering the lost Ark of the Covenant. As hinted at in "Blessed Child," Caleb has information regarding the ark's whereabouts. Soon, the Muslim and the Israeli descend upon his abode in a rebuilt Ethiopian monastery, and the tension mounts.

In the prequel, Caleb was a child so heavenly it was hard to relate to him. For me, it was hard to even believe he was human. In this book, Dekker lets us see a grown Caleb now struggling wiht his doubts. This is a Caleb we can touch and relate to. It's also a Caleb very desirable to a certain Jewish assassin woman.

Suspense, romance, faith, and extremism all play their parts in this well-spun novel. The only complaint on my part: the fast paced scenes led to a mediocre crescendo. The overall message of this book is a powerful one, though, and demands that we look beyond icons and relics (such as the recent "Jesus Box") and discover the Truth behind the religious facades.

Here's a quick peek at the future...

I've had a chance to read some of Dekker's up-and-coming work. Watch out! Everything up to this point has just been a teaser. Don't miss his early stuff, but race to the store for his newest novels, "Blink" and "3". You'll be blown away!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the first, August 15, 2002

By 

"mary363" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Man Called Blessed (Paperback)

I loved Blessed Child. The sequel is even better. This is the fifth Dekker novel I've read, and I must say, he's changed my standard for fiction. Although this story is cleary written from a perspective of faith, the plot and character development are better than most stuff I read from the airport book stores. Passionate and moving. And for the record, my copy didn't have the mistakes that the Publisher Weekly review mentioned above. They must have read a different book or at least an unedited copy. I was suprised they would make mention of it. I highly recommend this book. If you are interested in a riviting story that turns your world on end, read it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book !, June 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: A Man Called Blessed (Paperback)

It was such an awesome book. I loved it ! Hopefully they would write a series on it too. I want to find out what happends next. I'm just disappointed when I got to finish it. I just couldn't put the book down. I highly recommend this book ! Read and enjoy !