The Fifth Gospel: A Novel

A Rewarding Glimpse of The Vatican, The Shroud of Turin, and the Four Gospels of the New Testament

I loved this book! Not sure that everyone will enjoy it, but I am confident that any one with Bible knowledge will find it AMAZING. The Vatican has always intrigued me. This book added to my interest in the Vatican as a physical place but as a spiritual haven as well. The Priesthood of the Catholic church has also interested me and in this book, I learned so much about the hierarchy and how it works as well as the inner thoughts, hopes, and activities of the men who hold that title. The concept is based on an ancient document which takes the four gospels of the New Testament and compares them according to their reports of the life and work of Jesus. The conclusions recorded in this document hold a secret that the Catholic church is reluctant to accept and of which most of Christianity has no knowledge. The Gospel of John is examined in some detail and with a high degree of scholarship. As this plot is unwinding, the Shroud of Turin is also investigated. Christians have been stunned at the findings of science that the shroud is a fake, causing many of them to lose hope and to seek out some sort of connection with the life and death of Jesus, the young Priest goes on an amazing journey within the Vatican to find out what the situation is with both the Shroud and the manuscript. In so doing, he leads the reader to an understanding of the celibacy requirement for some priests, the role of the Priest, the Bishop and others, along with the long-standing traditions of the Vatican itself. The relationship; between the two Priest blood brothers is compelling to say the least. The bond between them is tested to the ultimate with results that astound the reader. The power of the Bishop is also revealed. The plot of the novel involves international intrigue, murder within the Vatican, relations between different arms of the Catholic church, and the very scholarly approach to life that the young Priest, his son, and his estranged wife endure. The allusions to Pope John Paul w...