false 1 6 false false Mon Mar 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 01 12:32:26 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 01 12:51:15 -0700 2009 The Gnostic Mystery read like a research paper on gnosticism converted into a novel form. Davila's source material is good - I've read most of them - but because he failed to research the other side of the issue, the end result is a book that is overly optimistic about its ability to convince the reader. The main character is a lapsed Catholic who knows nothing about Christianity and is therefore swayed by things that wouldn't even phase someone who has studied the history of the early church (i.e. the fact that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre isn't actually where Christ was crucified). Other characters in the book are also very gullible. Here's a distilling of an example conversation.

Main Character: So you mean Jesus wasn't born in a stable?
Professor: No, he was actually born in a cave.
Main Character: What?! All my life I thought he was born in a stable! Jesus must not have ever existed then.
Professor: You are absolutely right.
Main Character's Friend: It's true. The life of Jesus is based on the legends of Dionysus. That's why I haven't gone to mass in several years.
Main Character: Why didn't anyone tell me?! Oh, well. I guess I know now.


The kicker for me occurred in the last couple of pages, wherein the newly discovered Dead Sea Scroll from the Gnostics is translated. The author of the scroll ends with a quote from one of Paul's letters, which is fine. Many of the sacred writings quote from each other. The issue I had with this was that the author then finished the quote by saying "from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians 3:16" (or something like that - I don't have the book in front of me). If he had done any research about early church history that wasn't straight out of gnostic research texts, he would know that verses and chapters were absolutely not around when a Dead Sea Scroll would have been written. It was hundreds of years before the scriptures were divided up in such a way.

I have studied early Christian history a good deal, as well as comparative religions and the philosophy of gnosticism. If Davila had written this book as another nonfiction addition to the canon of gnostic books out there today - key figures being Bart Ehrman and Elaine Pagels - it might have worked. But in the end, Davila seems extremely naive to think that anyone behaves the way his characters do. I will, however, pick up any further books that he writes in the hopes that they will be better researched, better stories. The Gnostic Mystery shows some promise - Davila is obviously passionate about the subject - but it falls far short of its intended target.]]>