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The Fifth Gospel: A Novel - Ian Caldwell
The Fifth Gospel: A Novel
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4.83 15
Instant New York Times Bestseller “Masterful...The Fifth Gospel is that rare story: erudite and a page-turner, literary but compulsively readable. It will change the way you look at organized religion, humanity, and perhaps yourself.” —David Baldacci “A gripping thriller rich with human drama and... show more
Instant New York Times Bestseller “Masterful...The Fifth Gospel is that rare story: erudite and a page-turner, literary but compulsively readable. It will change the way you look at organized religion, humanity, and perhaps yourself.” —David Baldacci “A gripping thriller rich with human drama and forbidden knowledge.” —Lev Grossman A lost gospel, a contentious relic, and a dying pope’s final wish converge to send two brothers—both Vatican priests—on an intellectual quest to untangle Christianity’s greatest historical mystery.Ten years ago, Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason’s The Rule of Four became a literary phenomenon that sold nearly two million copies in North America and was hailed by critics as “ingenious…profoundly erudite” (The New York Times), “compulsively readable” (People), and “an exceptional piece of scholarship” (San Francisco Chronicle). Now, after a decade of painstaking primary research, Ian Caldwell returns with a masterful new thriller that confirms his place among the most ambitious popular storytellers working today. In 2004, as Pope John Paul II’s reign enters its twilight, a mysterious exhibit is under construction at the Vatican Museums. A week before it is scheduled to open, its curator is murdered at a clandestine meeting on the outskirts of Rome. That same night, a violent break-in rocks the home of the curator’s research partner, Father Alex Andreou, a Greek Catholic priest who lives inside the Vatican with his five-year-old son. When the papal police fail to identify a suspect in either crime, Father Alex, desperate to keep his family safe, undertakes his own investigation. To find the killer he must reconstruct the dead curator’s secret: what the four Christian gospels—and a little-known, true-to-life fifth gospel known as the Diatessaron—reveal about the Church’s most controversial holy relic. But just as he begins to understand the truth about his friend’s death and its consequences for the future of the world’s two largest Christian Churches, Father Alex finds himself hunted down by someone with a vested stake in the exhibit—someone he must outwit to survive. At once a riveting intellectual thriller, a feast of biblical history and scholarship, and a moving family drama, The Fifth Gospel is “a story of sacrifice, forgiveness, and redemption. Peppered with references to real-life people, places, and events, the narrative rings true, taking the reader on an emotional journey nearly two thousand years in the making” (Library Journal, starred review).
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Format: hardcover
ISBN: 9781451694147 (1451694148)
ASIN: 1451694148
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages no: 448
Edition language: English
Bookstores:
Community Reviews
Sister Mary Murderous
Sister Mary Murderous rated it
4.5 An intelligent and engrossing novel
Father Alex Andreou is a Greek Catholic priest, which means that he is a subject of the Roman Catholic pope, but otherwise follows the traditions of the Greek Orthodox Church. As a Greek Catholic priest, he was allowed to enter the priesthood as a married man. The priesthood is Alex’s family busi...
Constantly Moving the Bookmark
Constantly Moving the Bookmark rated it
5.0 The Fifth Gospel: A Novel
From the “Historical Note” at the beginning of the book …“Two Thousand Years ago, a pair of brothers set out from the Holy Land to spread the Christian gospel. Saint Peter traveled to Rome, becoming the symbolic founder of Western Christianity. His brother, Saint Andrew, traveled to Greece, becomi...
Figgy O'Connell
Figgy O'Connell rated it
0.0 The Fifth Gospel: A Novel
Eh. So not my sort of book...
There Are Inkspots On My Page!
There Are Inkspots On My Page! rated it
3.0 The Fifth Gospel: A Novel
You can find this, and other reviews, on my blog. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I’m a sucker for anything that smacks of “history” and “crime”, and this one has plenty of both.When the Vatican police are unable to find the person who broke into Father Alex’s house,...
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