The Galilean Secret

by Evan Drake Howard

In first-century Jerusalem, the faithful Judith finds herself caught in a web of romantic betrayal and intrigue. She must reconcile her faith with her conflicting feelings for two brothers, one the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0824947940
• ISBN13: 9780824947941
• Release Date: May 2010
• Publisher: Guideposts
• Length: 442 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Historically accurate and creative interpolations

The most amazing thing about this novel is that with a working knowledge of the bible, characters that you have come to know as somewhat vague personalities grow into real and complete people. It is almost as if these ancient people, always previously removed and difficult to relate to, come alive. You have the opportunity to meet them, interact with them, understand their actions in the greater sense of the testaments. This takes an amazing historical understanding, politically, biblically, theologically, from Howard. It has brought me closer to a consciousness of the happenings of antiquity, through the development of a relationship with the people of the past. I congratulate Howard on the absolute sound comprehension it takes to make fiction impart understanding.

Hope in the midst of reality.

The Galilean Secret is the perfect read. Interweaving historical imagination, a modern-day storyline of human dignity, and a focus on hope in the midst of crisis, Evan Drake Howard has written one of my new favorite books. If you read the Galilean Secret with an open mind, you'll find creativity unleashed to communicate encouragement and spiritual insights. I couldn't put the book down -- vivid imagery, detailed characterization, and an intense plot with twists, turns & even a little love. This book allowed me to imagine the struggle of the Jewish Zealot resistance 2000 years ago as well as to hear ordinary voices of the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yet it also breathed dignity into these situations, creating a sense of understanding and common humanity as the different perspectives told their own stories. I finished this book with a sense of hope. No power struggle, whether against the Romans in the 1st Century B.C. or in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, can keep hope from rising up. Regardless of political or religious opinions, this book brings to light the importance of dignity for all humankind and the hope that we find in love. In the midst of tragedy, hope reigns through love. The Galilean Secret is truly a gift.

Captivating, Controversial and Thought-Provoking!

"The Galilean Secret" is, without a doubt, a wonderful read, and perhaps the best novel we've enjoyed ever! Evan Howard captures the reader's attention from the outset and skillfully weaves the story lines to keep that attention, page after page. Our conversation on our morning walks has, for many days, gravitated to questions the book raises -- questions regarding many of the weightier issues of life. We would recommend Evan's novel to folks of any faith, regardless of the degree of their open-mindedness. Most are sure to be captivated by the plot(s) and certain to be encouraged to examine, in their own minds, the paradoxes of God's love and human suffering, Jesus' humanity and divinity, and the overwhelming yearning for peace and sanity on an earth where both are so often illusive." Ross and Tammy Jutsum, Southern California.

Mesmerizing and Thought Provoking

This is the best kind of thriller: a page turner that makes you think! What was in the letter Jesus wrote to Mary Magdalene? I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out. With lyrical prose and top-notch storytelling, Howard effortlessly moves from ancient Biblical times to the modern day Middle East and uses his keen and considerable skills as a novelist to make us ponder: How did Jesus truly wanted us to love one another? A masterful, beautiful book that has the power to change us all for the better.

terrific

Palestinian Karim Musalaha fears his volatile father whose hatred of the Zionists make life untenable at home. Currently Karim hides from his dad, head of the Jihadist Palestinian Patriotic Alliance in a cave in Qumran. There he finds a clay jar containing a brittle ancient looking scroll. His discovery makes him a target of Jews, Christians and Muslims. In circa 33 AD in Judea, Jewish Judith of Jerusalem is to marry merchant Gabriel ben Zebulon, but on the day of their wedding she knows she does not want to be his wife though he is a nice attractive man. Instead she elopes with Gabriel's brother Dismas, a Zealot who shares her loathing of the occupying Romans who killed her brother. Judith regrets hurting her family and her intended, but runs off with Dismas praying her loved ones and her jilted fiancée will forgive her. Heartbroken Gabriel decides to kill himself by jumping off the Temple but the Pharisee Nicodemus saves his life. He talks about the Epistle Rabbi Jesus wrote that tells people to forgive themselves so they can forgive others. Disillusioned with the Zealot cause, Judith reads that epistle she and Dismas stole from Nicodemus' home. Expanding on his terrific The Lost Epistle Of Jesus, but keeping the premise of enabling readers to see the human and divine sides of Jesus and the love shared with Mary Magdalene, Pastor Evan Drake Howard provides an even deeper more relevant tale. Judith's subplot mirrors Mary's life and that of Karim as ironically the Zealots of the first century are the Jihadists of the twenty-first century. All three and others especially Gabriel seek the Galilean Secret truth of Jesus in order for all to embrace the message to live in peace and harmony while loving all of God's creations. Harriet Klausner