The Word: A Novel [Print] [Hardcover]

Irving Wallace (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 27, 1972

In the Beginning, there was . . . The Word.

The classic thriller of an ancient manuscript, a secret society committed to hiding an explosive truth, and the man who must uncover that truth--if he can stay alive long enough

In the ruins of the ancient Roman seaport of Ostia Antica, an Italian archaeologist has discovered a first century papyrus, its faded text revealing a new gospel written by James, younger brother of Jesus. This discovery will show the world a new Jesus Christ, fill in the missing years of his ministry, contradict the existing accounts of his life--and potentially destroy the foundation of 2,000 years of Western civilization.

First published in 1972, The Word remains a classic of brilliant storytelling, authentic detail and breathtaking narrative power.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A winner. . . .The Word is first-class reading, and edifying as well." -- Newsweek --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Irving Wallace wrote sixteen novels and seventeen nonfiction titles during his long career. Together his books sold more than 250,000,000 copies around the world; many became fixtures on the bestseller lists.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Book Club edition (March 27, 1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671211536
• ISBN-13: 978-0671211530
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #364,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Is there any truth?, May 1, 2003

By 

A. G. Plumb "Greg Plumb" (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Word: A Novel (Hardcover)

This is a long and engaging novel which I have just reread after twenty years or more. It does show its age somewhat and yet it still contains some excellent research on Biblical documents and what we really have from close to the time of Christ. There is some good research on Roman times too. Strangely there was less on the apocryphal books of the Bible than I expected - I was certainly stimulated into reading some of these extraordinary documents by my first reading of 'The Word'.

However, I found the investigative role of the PR man from within the publishing group of the new New Testament - Resurrection Two - stretched my credulity far too far for my liking. And what a man this investigator is! Not only does he squeeze past some moments of impasse with the most amazing luck (more incredulity - but it does make a good yarn) but he has an unbelievable way with the ladies. This is what I disliked about the novel most - that and the characters left hanging (what did happen to the woman whose leg was miraculously cured? - ah, but there's the rub - there is no truth that can tell us). Most of all I could have done without the sexual olympics (scattered not too liberally it has to be said) through the novel - they might be titillating for the reader but I couldn't see how they had any meaning for the characters.

In the end Mr Wallace's own belief or lack of belief jumps up and hits us in the face. Our investigator-hero solves his case but gets no satisfaction of his objectives. The world goes on not the way he wanted, but does it matter? Yes, he goes on too and there's good in that as well. But is there any truth? Is the Bible we know and trust something we should believe in? Does it matter if it is true or not if it produces positive outcomes? But, now I see that I don't have the truth about Mr Wallace's intentions either. All I know is that I enjoyed his book despite it shortcomings.

34 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Word: A Retreat From Faith, June 17, 2002

By 

Martin Asiner (jersey city, nj United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Word: A Novel (Hardcover)

The test of a believer's faith is to continue to believe even when experience and science tell him not to. In THE WORD by Irving Wallace, the hero Steve Randall, is initially a man of no faith in the Word of God. He is not unhappy with that nor does he feel any the less a man for that. During the course of the novel, he regains his Faith, only to lose it again by the book's end. The reader is much like Mr. Randall.
Steve Randall works for a book company, and it is his job to publicize a new version of the Bible purportedly based on the unexpected find of the Lost Scriptures of James the Just, the brother of Jesus. This lost gospel proves beyond doubt that Jesus lived, He walked, He had His ministry, and He was crucified. As Randal reads an advanced copy of this gospel, he rebuilds his lost faith and becomes a true believer in the Word. Now afire with holy zeal, he prepares to publicize and publish this new Bible in the hopes of regalvanizing the billions of Christians world wide. Unfortunately, for his new-found sense of holy mission, he is given incontrovertible evidence that the new gospel is a magnificent fraud, perpetrated by a master hoaxer who has a decades-old feud against the Catholic church. When he attempts to bring this evidence to the attention of his superiors, they stonewall him by assuring him that the proof is itself a hoax, and that the new Bible is the real McCoy. When Randall ignores warnings to lay off, he encounters men trying to kill him and to bury the evidence of this forgery for all eternity. By the book's end, he fails, and the new Bible is published amidst waves of hosannas.
Part of the charm of THE WORD lies in Wallace's interweaving a tightly knit plot with flashing-eyes-and-heaving-bosom sex scenes coupled with a surprisingly fascinating series of erudite digressions of Biblical history, mythology, and publishing. I learned a great deal about the historical life and times of Jesus Christ, even if some of this 'knowledge' was itself part of the fraud. Much of the plot revolved around nothing more than a bunch of learned Biblical scholars arguing the merits of theology and faith. By the time I got to the end, I became convinced that the majority of human beings fell into one of two categories: those who are gullible enough to accept the most wicked fraud in history as genuine and those who help to perpetuate that fraud. Perhaps Wallace gives the reader a hint of this two-level division of faith in his introductory series of three quotes which preceed the novel, the last of which reads: 'If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.'

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jaded "Flack" Turns Biblical Detective, June 14, 2002

By 

Neil Cotiaux (North Canton, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Word: A Novel (Hardcover)

"The Word" is a labyrinthine rollercoaster of a book, twisting and turning with each crumb of evidence and each new locale - catacombs, Amsterdam, even Devil's Island. Is a newly-unearthed document from The Holy Land authentic or a forgery? To what degree will Men of Faith rest their reputations on this find? To what ends can it be put?

Author Irving Wallace does a remarkable job describing a jaded PR man's reaction to what seems an endless torrent of developments until the denouement, delivered via a medium the protagonist is sure to understand ... or does he?

A gripping, thought-provoking "must read".