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A review by skitch41
Apostle: Travels Among the Tombs of the Twelve by Tom Bissell
4.0
According to the New Testament, the 12 apostles were the closest men to Jesus during his ministry and were key witnesses to his resurrection. Yet few of them have any spoken lines in the Gospels and Acts and all of them disappear into the shadows of history halfway through Acts. Into this void there have been a number of legends and local traditions across Europe, Asia and Africa about the Apostles' post-resurrection deeds. Many countries even claim to hold the bones of these saints. How to sort through them all? Thankfully, Mr. Bissell does that for us.
Part travelogue and part historical and theological investigation into the early church, this book packs a lot of history and theology into its 360+ page narrative. Rather than visit every location that claims to hold an apostle, Mr. Bissell visits one and for each of them and uses his travel and studies on early Christianity to enlighten the reader on the Apostles and their legacy. It is a great read filled with fascinating details. I especially appreciated his examination of the apocryphal tales to broaden our understanding. In a way, Mr. Bissell has made the Apostles more accessible to me by being so thorough about the tales that have surrounded each of them. His insights into other aspects of early Christianity are especially appreciated.
However, I was rather disheartened at how readily Mr. Bissell was willing to accept the most skeptical interpretations of the New Testament. Many of these views have been explained or debunked by scholars and theologians over the centuries, but Mr. Bissell doesn't seem to engage with these at all. Also, his snide comment toward the end of his book about certain strains of modern American Christianity being a "white-person Rastafarianism- a way for an aggrieved and self-conscious subculture to barricade itself in righteous anger" felt unnecessarily hostile and undercut the relatively respectful tone he had employed throughout the rest of his book.
A rather heady and fascinating romp through the history of early Christianity, I would recommend this book to people who are interested in the topic and already have a firm grasp on basic Christian history and doctrine.
Part travelogue and part historical and theological investigation into the early church, this book packs a lot of history and theology into its 360+ page narrative. Rather than visit every location that claims to hold an apostle, Mr. Bissell visits one and for each of them and uses his travel and studies on early Christianity to enlighten the reader on the Apostles and their legacy. It is a great read filled with fascinating details. I especially appreciated his examination of the apocryphal tales to broaden our understanding. In a way, Mr. Bissell has made the Apostles more accessible to me by being so thorough about the tales that have surrounded each of them. His insights into other aspects of early Christianity are especially appreciated.
However, I was rather disheartened at how readily Mr. Bissell was willing to accept the most skeptical interpretations of the New Testament. Many of these views have been explained or debunked by scholars and theologians over the centuries, but Mr. Bissell doesn't seem to engage with these at all. Also, his snide comment toward the end of his book about certain strains of modern American Christianity being a "white-person Rastafarianism- a way for an aggrieved and self-conscious subculture to barricade itself in righteous anger" felt unnecessarily hostile and undercut the relatively respectful tone he had employed throughout the rest of his book.
A rather heady and fascinating romp through the history of early Christianity, I would recommend this book to people who are interested in the topic and already have a firm grasp on basic Christian history and doctrine.