The Thirteenth Apostle [Paperback]

Michel Benoit (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

When his friend Father Andréi is killed on a train en route to the Vatican, Father Nil, a Benedictine who teaches the Gospel of St. John to novices, decides to conduct his own investigation. The dead priest possessed proof of the existence of a 13th disciple and an epistle stating that Jesus was nothing more than an inspired prophet, not the son of God—two things that would spell great danger for the Catholic church. Father Nil then discovers a previously unpublished account of the origins of Christianity. It tells of the Nazarenes, a community excluded from the official Church by Peter and Paul, which appears to have thrived until the seventh century and given birth to Islam. While the priest pushes ahead with his investigation, the Pope’s advisors, rival factions, and secret societies are trying, by any means, to lay their hands on his findings. From the Mossad to Fatah, everyone seems to have a very good reason to keep the 13th disciple a secret.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Yet another discovery of a centuries-old secret that places the very existence of the Catholic Church at stake propels Benoît's formulaic religious thriller. Sinister Vatican officials, afraid that Father Andrei has stumbled on a truth that will call Jesus' divinity into question, arrange for Andrei's demise—on a train headed for Rome, he's tossed out a window to his death. Andrei leaves behind a clue in the form of some cryptic notes for his close friend, Father Nil, whose pursuit of evidence that there was a 13th apostle puts him in peril. Nil's foes include an improbable odd couple of assassins, a former Mossad agent and a member of Hamas. Some readers may be irked by the author's failure to explain such matters as why a key volume that leads Nil in the right direction is not better protected or why the ruthless forces behind Andrei's killing don't just eliminate Nil early on. (Sept.)
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Review

"This is an exceedingly clever thriller, with engaging characters and a compelling story."  —Booklist

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Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Alma Books (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1846880629
• ISBN-13: 978-1846880629
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #214,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable read, May 23, 2008

By 

Konrad Baumeister - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Thirteenth Apostle (Paperback)

Of all the hundreds of novels covering conspiracies, secret societies, religious treasure and secrets, this is, well, not the worst by a bit. It is an enjoyable way to spend a few hours at the airport.

Benoit has the background and religious/historical knowledge to at least suggest an interesting premise, and argue it well enough for the reader to buy it for a few hours. The basic characters are all out of central casting (though some key ones are taken from the author's idea of real life, e.g. ex-Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, is mercilessly portrayed in the book as Cardinal Catzinger), and the pacing of the book is pretty predictable. The writing itself, translated from the French, is better than the average pulp stuff put out under this genre, although the dialogue is the usual breathless stuff.

What makes the book worth reading is the underlying premise. I won't spoil it here, but it obviously has to do with a final apostle present at the key events of Jesus' life, and privy to events as they actually occurred along with knowledge of Jesus' true nature, who in fact is cast out and shunned by the twelve of the Bible. How this knowledge is handed down, and why it is clearly important to the Church to keep a lid on it, is well handled and at least momentarily plausible.

If you like this general genre, Benoit's book will not disappoint.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better than 'The Da Vinci Code', November 19, 2007

By 

Gavin Bradshaw (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Thirteenth Apostle (Paperback)

Which isn't saying a lot, as 'The Da Vinci Code' was dreadfully written nonsense.'The Thirteenth Apostle' is nonsense, but entertaining nonsense. At the heart of the book is the shocking suggestion that Jesus Christ might not have been the Son of God and did not rise from the dead. We have the usual mix of murdered monks, scheming cardinals, sexually perverse priests, secret societies, conspiracies, lost gospels and last, but not least, the templars ... Ideal trash to read on the plane. The translation from the French could be better in places - American readers may be puzzled by "visage" for example, instead of "face" - and Pope Benedict XVI, cruelly parodied as "Cardinal Catzinger" would not be amused, in the unlikely event anyone were to give His Holiness a copy of the book! Three stars is as much as any book in this genre merits.