Brothers in the Cross is an adventure in historical fiction. It is a saga that traces the path of the Cross of Jesus from the Crucifixion until the modern 20th century. And to what purpose? Clearly it is partly to rekindle consideration of the event by today's skeptical religious communities, but it is also to presage what might transpire if and when the True Cross is recovered. The narrative follows the steps of Simon of Cyrene, the man who carried the Cross for Jesus to Calvary. It is he, who by his biblical role, was recruited to believe in the man whose death he enabled. In this rendering it was Simon who sequestered the Cross, and left the clue to its rediscovery some two centuries later. In the mid 1900s archeological studies unearthed the Dead Sea Scrolls, and then the Ein Geli scroll. Technologies brought to bear on the latter revolutionized the study of ancient artifacts and allowed scenarios like the one in this book to be achieved. Jesse, the archeologist gets roped into a murder investigation in the West Bank. The 'clue' is found. When it is deciphered the treasure hunt is on.
The trio that collaborate to solve this riddle becomes ensnared in the emotions of their discovery. That they find the Cross of Jesus seals their belief. But will anyone else believe them? Dr. Craig Carpenter is a fertility specialist on sabbatical and quite naturally wants to see if the blood of Jesus is in the Cross. He reasons that the chromosomal patterns will be unique because the male components were supplied by GOD, not man. His hypothesis is confirmed. Now the fertility specialist holds the genes of Christ. What could possibly go wrong?
Myriam is the key. Thanks to the technology of Dolly the Sheep, she becomes the surrogate mother for the blood of the Lamb. The "reincarnate Christ" is born and his life evolves. The admonition of the Book of Revelations looms heavily over this story now, and the possibilities expand.
Eventually the question arises: How does one eliminate undesirable genes in this day of GMO's? GJ
