Review: Judas the Apostle - The Last Sicarius

Judas the Apostle by Van R. Mayhall Jr.

A modern day biblical thriller featuring archaeologist Clothilde Le Jenue, who, after the murder of her father, finds herself in possession of a mysterious jar with the inscription "Judas Isacriot".

Judas is often remembered as the apostle who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. However, the discovery of the Gospel of Judas in the 1970s sheds a new light on Judas. The gospel offers a much more sympathetic character, a favoured apostle to whom Jesus says: “You will be cursed by the other generations – and you will come to rule over them.” Despite the centuries of denunciation, the biblical text itself is more ambiguous than we might expect, too. It isn’t clear if Judas is a thief who betrays Jesus or if he is a true disciple, who is a central agent in the fulfilment of God’s plan and does the dirty work that the other disciples won’t do. 

In Muslim polemic literature, however, Judas ceases to be a traitor; instead, he supposedly lied to the Jews in order to defend Jesus (who was not crucified). The 14th-century cosmographer al-Dimashqī maintains that Judas assumed Jesus’ likeness and was crucified in his place. Even then, there was much ambiguity about Judas and his position within the Disciple hierarchy.

Our story fluctuates between Jerusalem and Masada in 73AD to present day Louisiana and Jerusalem, as the mysterious artifact is sought after by not only the Vatican, but by one, less scrupulous, other.   You must read "The Last Sicarius" straight away as this continues where this tome leave off.

The Last Sicarius by Van R. Mayhall Jr.

I am really glad that I read this straight after "Judas the Apostle" as the second volume kicks off straight away from where the first finished. Non-stop action. Forget comparisons with other books of the genre (ie: Da Vinci Code, etc), these two stand alone for "edge of your seat" drama and intrigue as we set out on a quest to discover the true meaning of the Judas Gospel.

The Gospel of Judas is known to have existed before AD180, when it was denounced as heretical by Bishop Irenaeus of Lyon. But it was thought to have been lost when the gnostics were vanquished in the struggle of ideas in the early years of Christianity. The manuscript also serves as a reminder that the four gospels in the New Testament were not the only versions of Jesus's life in the early Christian era.  Judas is often said to have been a member of the Sicari, an extremist religious sect who strongly opposed the Roman occupation, however modern scholars reject this claim based upon the writings of the Josephus in The War of the Hebrews.

As I said, this follows hot on the heels of the first book, as a new enemy and a new adventure await.  And the final battle ... it takes places where it all began ....Masada!