The Thirteenth Apostle

The basic concept of this book - challenging the very basis of the three main religions - is one that greatly appeals to me as an atheist. The idea that somewhere there may be proof that Jesus was just a charismatic guy, whose body was removed and buried, and not some God who 'rose from the dead' is more than plausible; from that perspective, then, I enjoyed reading this book.

However, the book overall does disappoint. The writing can be clunky in places, and, though at 360 pages, it seems quite a long book, it is also quite slow-moving at times. I liked the process of investigation and deciphering that the lead character goes through, but it all seems a little too quick and easy at times. Meanwhile, the ending seems a little drawn out, show more I would have preferred more on the process of investigation. It feels like the author got bored and just wanted to wrap up the book as quickly as possible. show less

Yet another contender in the now very tired Da Vinci Code genre, AKA "The Catholic church brutally suppresses terrible secret that could destroy it." While the basic premise isn't the worst I've ever seen, it's rather poorly executed, and the prose is clunky. We could perhaps blame some of this on the translation into English, but I suspect not much. The plot is weak and the characters are two-dimensional. It does pick up a little in the second half, but by then it's too little, too late, and the weak climax is somewhat anticlimactic.

Desde el Siglo I al XX, de Judea a una Abadía del norte de Francia al Vaticano, una vorágine de muertes, mentiras y manipulaciones han perseguido a los que han intentado desvelar el enigma del decimotercer apóstol. No deben vivir para contarlo. ¿Sabia algo que había que acallar a cualquier precio? ¿por qué su testimonio sigue siendo tan peligroso en la actualidad?. Michel Benoit ex benedictino y especialista en los orígenes del cristianismo, desvela la existencia de un apóstol que misteriosamente fue silenciado en los textos sagrados y borrado de la memoria de Occidente.
El padre Andrei estaba a punto de descubrir un secreto que la Iglesia se había afanado en ocultar desde su fundación. Un secreto que tuvo tiempo de confiar a show more su amigo, el padre Nil, antes de ser asesinado en el tren Roma-París. Nil, sin embargo está dispuesto a continuar su investigación: sigue la pista de una epístola y de un compañero de Jesús cuya existencia se tuvo oculta a lo largo de los siglos. Roma, por su parte hará lo imposible para impedírselo; Jerusalén y La Meca también: lo que está en juego es el orden del mundo según lo conciben las grandes religiones reveladas.
Michel Benoit, basándose en documentación y un conocimiento profundo de los Evangelios y la historia religiosa, nos arrastra a las brumas de los orígenes de nuestra civilización. show less

If you come to this book looking for theological scholarship or literary depth, you will be disappointed; if on the other hand you are looking for a gripping, if someone two dimensional, thriller, taking in the Vatican, Mossad, the Palestinians, the Knights Templar and the Dead Sea Scrolls, you are in luck. Benoit has put far more effort into the plot than characterisation - many of the main players are less than rounded.

That aside, the book fairly rips along, and explores in some depth the danger in criticising the orthodoxy of opinion within the Catholic church. The central premise, that Jesus was a very nice guy but no Messiah is pretty uncontroversial from the point of view of someone outside the church, but the "proof" uncovered by show more the main protagonist, and its potential impact on the church is nicely explored.

It's a cut above Dan Brown and similarly at least one below The Name of the Rose, but worth reading nonetheless. show less

Apparently based on the author's lifetime research. He's also written a memoir about his time as an unordained monk for 22 years. I have a feeling he has modelled the character Nil on himself. I read it in 2 sittings. Fast paced and absorbing. Also a great overview of the origns of the 3 monotheistic religions and how their beliefs intertwine. Recommended.

I actually read the whole book, though I never had a book where I was wondering if there was no editor who actually read the book and corrected it. The style is irritating and sometimes simply horrible to read. The idea of the story was not bad, but unfortunately not very good written. It was a waste of money and time.

I liked this book - some things were a little hard to keep track of and I would have liked a little more background info on Opus Dei and the Templars.
It was interesting and gives religion some reality.