The Search for the Twelve Apostles [Mass Market Paperback]

William S. McBirnie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 14, 1979

An authoritative book tracing the activities of Jesus' disciples after his resurrection and ascension.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Living Books (December 14, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0842358390
• ISBN-13: 978-0842358392
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #805,319 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable overview of the Apostles' lives, March 16, 2005

By 

C. Ryan (Winthrop, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Search for the Twelve Apostles (Paperback)

The Protestant theologian who wrote this 312-page book in 1973 provides a highly readable summary of known information about the life and fate of Christ's original twelve apostles plus a number of other important New Testament characters such as Paul, Barnabas and John the Baptist. The is little or no discussion of theological aspects of each character but rather an effort to gather known facts and references from disparate sources about each man (no female characters are covered) in an effort to provide an account of their probable life story, particularly after Christ's crucifixion. It is particularly interesting to learn about the evidence of travel and missions for the lesser known apostles and explanations and theories about Apostolic journeys to India. McBirnie tries to stay with verifiable facts and sources that are considered historically reliable rather than speculate too much about unknown or unknowable matters.

Following 44 pages of general background on the early Christian era and available historic sources McBirnie provides a chapter each for 19 men in 250 pages. That is followed by an appendix listing New Testament references for each character, five-page bibliography and a seven-page index.

I did not find the author is be as negative regarding relics, etc., as some other reviewer do.

I enjoyed this book and recommend it an entertaining read as well as Christian study reference.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Resource!, September 22, 1998

By 

Steven A. Bell "Even Keel" (Kemp, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Search for the Twelve Apostles (Mass Market Paperback)

I have bought a LOT of copies of this book and handed them out to friends. This is a must for you library. Dr. McBirnie does an excellent job of tracking down not only the twelve apostles, but Luke, Mark, Paul, Lazarus, etc. He makes a clear distinction of Church history, legend and myth. Very useful to anyone teaching from the New Testament. The author does an excellent job listing his resources at the end of the book (in case you are hungry for more) and includes a comprehensive index. Highly recommended.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Final Word On The Apostles, August 23, 2001

By 

"ringorules" (The Adirondacks) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Search for the Twelve Apostles (Mass Market Paperback)

All other books on the apostles will be judged against this one. This is the definitive account on what happened to the Apostles. Granted, a lot of the material is heresay and legend. But these men lived so long ago that reliable facts about them are few and far between. Sketchy ideas are better than no ideas, and the McBirnie makes it very clear how accurate the theories are. The author delves deep into history to discover the fate of the twelve closest disciples of the lord, and does an incredible job, considering what a daunting task it was.