Apostle

Tom Bissell provides rich and surprising answers to ancient, elusive questions like: Who were Peter, Matthew, Thomas, John and what was their relationship to Jesus? As Bissell journeys to the supposed tombs of the Twelve Apostles to learn more about who these men were (and weren't), he uncovers also how their identities have taken shape over the course of two millennia. The story of the apostles is the story of early Christianity: its competing versions of Jesus's ministry, its countless schisms, and its ultimate evolution from an obscure Jewish sect to the global faith we know today in all its forms and permutations. To understand the underpinnings of the world's largest religion, Bissell embarks on a years-long pilgrimage from Jerusalem and Rome to Turkey, Greece, Spain, France, India, and Kyrgyzstan, vividly capturing the rich diversity of Christianity's worldwide reach. Along the way, he engages with a host of characters--priests, paupers, a Vatican archaeologist, a Palestinian taxi driver, a Russian monk--posing sharp questions that range from the religious to the philosophical to the political. Written with warmth, empathy, and rare acumen, Apostle is a brilliant synthesis of travel writing, biblical history, and a deep, lifelong relationship with Christianity. The result is an unusual, erudite, and at times hilarious book--a religious, intellectual, and personal adventure fit for believers, scholars, and wanderers alike.