A review by hagiasophia
Apostle: Travels Among the Tombs of the Twelve by Tom Bissell

4.0

This book has a lot of three-star reviews, which makes me sad, since I really enjoyed it. The book is part travelogue, of the author's visits to various shrines and part history, as he covers the different stories and controversies surrounding various apostles. People expecting the book to be fully one thing or the other will be disappointed, but I loved the combination and felt it was well balanced, though a little more info on his travels would have been nice. The real weakness here is Bissell's disregard for religion. He is in no way disrespectful, but his disbelief can sometimes come off as harsh as he commentates on people believing in impossible things. I'm not saying he has to be religious, but he didn't share the sense of wonder other travelers did and that impacted his story telling quite a bit. On the other hand, Bissell's disbelief means he has no qualms about digging into non-canonical gospels and folk traditions, which was wonderful. If you are particularly rigid in your religious views, this is not the book for you, but if you want to learn about the evolution of Christianity, where the apostles' relics are kept and why they still have such a strong hold on our culture, then this is the book for you.