The Betrayal (2008 Gear), novel
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The Betrayal: The Lost Life of Jesus (2008) is a novel by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear.
Abstract
An alternate story of the life of Jesus, based on actual documents recovered from archaeological sites in the Middle East. It is the story of a man whose own family thought he was mad (Mark 3:21). It is the story of a man who met a violent end at the hands of Roman authorities. The historical Jesus did threaten and enrage people, from the priestly aristocracy in the Jerusalem temple to the Roman Prefect who finally condemned him to be crucified.--From the Authors' introduction.
"There is an alternate story of the life of Jesus. One the early Church fathers found so menacing they outlawed the books that documented it, ordered them burned, and threatened anyone found copying them with death. International bestselling authors and award-winning archaeologists Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear put more than thirty years of exhaustive research into this fascinating novel. In A.D. 325, Brother Barnabas is a student of the ancient holy texts. These books paint a portrait of Jesus that is radical, heretical, and irresistible. In the writings of Mary Magdalene, Phillip, and James, Barnabas finds clues to a secret he must protect at all costs. But the Ecumenical Council of Bishops has just declared his cherished books "a hotbed of manifold perversity." Emperor Constantine has decreed that the documents must be burned and that anyone found copying them will be executed as a heretic. Barnabas's monastery is attacked. Brother Barnabas flees with his trusted companions, but they are being followed, for the True Church cannot allow them to find the most sacred place on Earth. In fact, it will do anything to stop them..."--Publisher description.
Editions
Published in New York, NY: Forge, 2008.