Minutes October Book: The Thirteenth Apostle

The Thirteenth Apostle

by Michel Benoit

chosen by JP





 JP chose this book, because she feels there is a theme that has woven through her reading which traces right back to HSC when her literature reading list was based around the concept of  'the political man'. She likes to read books which examine various forms of power and the ways in which human beings usually create restraints to ensure that power doesn't go unchecked. She is fascinated with whether these same restraints apply to religious power of any denomination. A book which had a huge impact on her was David Yallop's In God's Name.

About the author:

Michel Benoit is a religious scholar and author.  He studied Biochemistry and obtained an PhD in Pharmacology before entering the Benedictine order as an unordained monk. He remained there for 22 years. He eventually quit the Catholic church due to his ideological non-conformity and devoted himself to writing. The Thirteenth Apostle fictionalises the results of his lifetime of research on the life of Jesus.

(general biographical detail from the back cover of the book)

What the publisher says about the book:

When his friend Andrei is mysteriously killed on a train on his way back from Rome, 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 thirteenth apostle 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 Church. Father Nil then discovers a previously unpublished account of the origins of Christianity. It tells of the Nazoreans – a community excluded from the official Church by Peter and Paul – who appear to have thrived until the 7th century, playing an important role in the birth of Islam. While he pushes ahead with his investigation, the Pope’s advisors, rival factions and secret societies are trying, by any means, to lay their hands on the priest’s findings. From the Mossad to Fatah, everyone seems to have a very good reason to keep the thirteenth apostle a secret... 

The story of an ancient sect detailed within papyrus sheaves hidden in the caves at Qumran forms the basis of this exhaustively researched novel. The Thirteenth Apostle contains lore perhaps more familiar to fans of the Knights Templar than to readers of Dan Brown, but will excite similar passions.

What we discussed about the book:

• Was this fiction? Was this non-fiction? Could we work out what bits to 'believe' and what bits were fantasy?
• What was the author's aim in writing this book?
• Were there enough women characters? Should this matter in a novel?
• In what ways was this similar to a Dan Brown novel, and in what ways did it differ?
• Were there points where we thought the translation make have slightly altered the meaning or intent of the original language (French)?
• Did we think the characters were naive not to suspect the apartment was bugged, or was this credible behaviour from monks who live in a generally very trusting environment?
• How important is the belief of Jesus as Christ rather than just a prophet to: a. Christianity, b. this novel?
• How big an impact would irrefutable proof that Jesus's body is buried in the desert have on the way people behave? Is it essential to Christianity that this mystery remain?
• Who was the narrator? What was his role? 
• What happened to Father Nil at the end?
• Some editions of the book had a final section 'The Truth Behind The Thirteen Apostle' which outlined the scholarship on this area and explained where the author had included hypothetical scenarios in the plot of the novel. Did reading this chapter enhance or detract from our experience of reading the book.

And then we were sidetracked into:

• What is fiction? What is history? How do we make the distinction? 
• Is it okay to change historical events in a novel? Does an author need to declare this?
• Why do 'the people' accept the power of a church (of any denomination) without challenging it?
• Who is the Catholic Church accountable to financially?

In other news, we discussed:

• Brynne Edelsten. Why is she so bizarrely intriguing?
• And what is a Khardasian?
• The dire state of eyesight post-45 years. Do some of us need torches in restaurants in order to read the menu?

Ratings:
Range: 5 to 7.5
Average:  6.56

Next book: Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton (chosen by JM)