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More Than a Skeleton
(Jonathan Weber #2)
by
What if Jesus made an unexpected appearance before His final coming?
Joshua Ben-Yosef attracts a huge following. He was born in Nazareth to parents named Mary and Joseph and speaks more than a dozen languages--fluently and without accent. His words ripple with wisdom and authority. And the crowds that follow him are enthralled as he heals the sick, gives sight to the blind, ...more
Joshua Ben-Yosef attracts a huge following. He was born in Nazareth to parents named Mary and Joseph and speaks more than a dozen languages--fluently and without accent. His words ripple with wisdom and authority. And the crowds that follow him are enthralled as he heals the sick, gives sight to the blind, ...more
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Paperback, 352 pages
Published
January 17th 2005
by Thomas Nelson
(first published October 14th 2003)
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Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of More Than a Skeleton (Jonathan Weber #2)
The premise of this book was very interesting: what would you do if someone said they were Jesus and had returned from heaven, but none of the prophesies in Revelations preceded this person? That is the conundrum that Jonathan Weber faces. His wife, Shannon, is sure he is Jesus; but Jonathan has his doubts.
The first 2/3 of this book moved along slowly, but the climax was definitely action-filled and exciting. Overall, a good series; and each book reads as a stand alone.
The first 2/3 of this book moved along slowly, but the climax was definitely action-filled and exciting. Overall, a good series; and each book reads as a stand alone.
I have to say the first part of this book, was a 2 star, however, towards the end, the story redeemed itself. A bible scholar with a Lutheran background was the main character. It brought current events into the story with actual people, which I think was the authors purpose to make the story seem real. However, I was not fond of how for example "The Left Behind Series" was protrayed. Not that I think the Left Behind Series is doctrinally correct, however, I felt like it was a snub of some kind.
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Oct 13, 2020
Sarah Coller
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2020-reading-challenge
Some people pride themselves on being quick learners. I am one of those, though I do admit I am also quite hopeful that man can redeem himself of his former follies. It was with that mindset that I ordered this book just after finishing Maier's, A Skeleton in God's Closet. While the first was super lousy, I thought just maybe the author would make a great comeback with the second. Excuse me, I'm choking.
The dialogue in this story is just as awful as the first. WHY did I read this?? Since beginni ...more
The dialogue in this story is just as awful as the first. WHY did I read this?? Since beginni ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Maier is a great historian and his novels on Pontius Pilate and 1st-century Rome have some really great aspects, but he is way out of his element trying to write a Dan Brown thriller. Maier’s character development, dialogue, and sentence-level writing is never better than a C-minus, but outside his “documentary fiction” genre he becomes nearly unreadable at times. The romantic dialogue between the main character and his wife makes Attack of the Clones sound like Shakespeare.
I really wanted to know how this turned out, given the premise, but that was all that kept me reading. The characters are flat, the conversations are wooden, and most of the descriptions are eminently skimmable. There are a few passages with some good ideas regarding church reformation, but it would have made a better non-fiction article.
3.5 Stars - again another book that started out slow and maintained this pace for most of the book, however the last 100 odd pages it really picked up... Great ending, lots to think about...
Maier nails it again!
I really enjoyed this second book about Jon Weber. I was on the edge of my seat all the way to the last chapter.
I really enjoyed this second book about Jon Weber. I was on the edge of my seat all the way to the last chapter.
Amazing story that keeps you up at night! It was a wonderful read--sequel to "A Skelton in God's Closet." Recommend both highly .
...more
Big let down from the previous novel.
now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
Dr. Jonathan Weber and his lovely wife Shannon are back in Isreal. Shannon is finishing details related to her last archeological dig and Jonathan is a guest lecturer at the university. Stories of an interesting man named Joshua Ben-Josef begin to surface. He is performing miracles, has 12 followers in his inner circle and his teaching is reminiscent of Jesus. Once Jonathan and Shannon meet Joshua, Shannon quickly believes Joshua's assertions that he is Jesus and God has sent him for an interim
...more
May 30, 2009
Heather Palmer
marked it as to-read
Jonathan Weber was at the helm of an action-packed archaeological dig in A Skeleton in God's Closet. Now, in More Than a Skeleton, Dr. Weber plays an integral part in the investigation of what is either a convincing, dangerous hoax or the return of Christ.
When Joshua Ben-Yosef, an Israeli from Galilee-born in Nazareth to parents Mary and Joseph-begins assembling twelve followers, attracting crowds, and performing miracles, the world takes notice. Could Dr. Melvin Merton, well-known leader and au ...more
When Joshua Ben-Yosef, an Israeli from Galilee-born in Nazareth to parents Mary and Joseph-begins assembling twelve followers, attracting crowds, and performing miracles, the world takes notice. Could Dr. Melvin Merton, well-known leader and au ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
"More Than a Skeleton" plays with the idea of what if... What if Jesus made an interim return to earth between His first and second comings in order to set things straight. Father God is not happy with how things are going with the church on earth and sends Jesus back to earth to set the church straight. While many are absolutely overjoyed with this interim return, there are those who claim that this newcomer is not Christ. From many angles, this seems exactly like the scribes and Pharisees in t
...more
Disappointed! I did not finish it. I enjoyed his first book, A Skeleton in God's Closet, and was looking forward to others in the series. However in the beginning of this book, the main character Jon, launches into a diatribe which ridicules those who are interested in End Times Prophecy, or believe in the literal return of Christ, the Rapture and the Tribulation or any combination thereof. He could have approached the subject differently, for example pointing out that there are different views
...more
Mr. Maier presents a very intriguing premise. The book follows Jonathan Weber. The setting has multiple references to current culture in the early 2000's, including the Left Behind series (by LaHaye and Jenkins), Pope Benedict, and while cell phones are mentioned, "smartphones" are not.
The plot has multiple references to "A Skeleton in God's Closet", but can be read on its own. The detailing is very thorough, so the reader may feel a bit bogged down in the day to day living of Mr. Weber before ...more
The plot has multiple references to "A Skeleton in God's Closet", but can be read on its own. The detailing is very thorough, so the reader may feel a bit bogged down in the day to day living of Mr. Weber before ...more
The only thing preventing this from being a five-star rating was the unfortunate "monologuing villain" syndrome (lampooned in "The Incredibles" movie). Also, after being a genuine page-turner, it wraps up a little too quickly; it would've been interesting to explore the faith consequences of those who had been duped by Joshua, but instead, everyone seems to "get over it" awfully quickly. Those quibbles aside, it is neat to read a thriller written from an LCMS perspective, which at the same time
...more
update: it has taken me 5 days to read 160 pages and I have lost interest.
...............................Archaeology and theology in a historical fiction book. I have high expectations as these are all on my favorite topics...UPDATE .... The prologue was excellent and I was hoping for more of that. the first two chapters have taken me 2 days to read and is full of new paper interviews and subsequent law suits for what was written. All about a disagreement in Theology. I hope it gets better. --- ...more
...............................Archaeology and theology in a historical fiction book. I have high expectations as these are all on my favorite topics...UPDATE .... The prologue was excellent and I was hoping for more of that. the first two chapters have taken me 2 days to read and is full of new paper interviews and subsequent law suits for what was written. All about a disagreement in Theology. I hope it gets better. --- ...more
This book asks the question, "What would happen if someone came and said they were Jesus Christ returned to earth." Dr. Jon Weber must decide if this is true or is he is a fake-his wife believes in the man's authenticity, and she and her husband find themselves estranged over Jon's doubt. Everything points to Jesus, the apostles, the cures, the miracles, but are they really?
...more
I definitely recommend that you read A Skeleton in God's Closet first. The books have basically the same structure, and both are thought-provoking, yet easy reads. I found this a bit less convincing than the original but its worthwhile just to think about how you would react if something like this actually happened.
...more
Another offering in the series -- same thing as last time. As I found with A Skeleton in God's Closet, the premise piques my interest and keeps me reading but the dialogue is trite and cheesy, often distractingly so. With smarter writing this series could really be something. As it stands, it's a fun read for the most part while asking some provocative questions.
...more
After reading the first book in this series, my expectations were very high for this book. Sadly, I was disappointed. The story seemed to drag on to the point where I finally started skimming through it just to get to the end - I hate to just drop a book. Without giving anything away, I'll just say that I get the "who" and "why" but the "how" is a little far-fetched.
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I had the pleasure of attending several of Dr. Maier's classes while I was at school at Western Michigan University and so when I found out that he had written some books, obviously I went out and got them, read them, and had them signed. Best fiction writer I ever had for a professor, that is for sure!
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I really enjoyed this story and the previous one. It was a fun journey to imagine where I would stand if these events actually happened. There were a few places that were so predictable that I got annoyed that it took so many pages to unfold. Overall, the lead character was likable and interesting.
Feb 02, 2011
Susan
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
mostly anyone
Recommended to Susan by:
Mom
Another great story from Paul Maier. Edge of your seat theological/archaeological thriller--believe it or not ;) What would happen if Jesus came back, staying ever so quiet up to the age of 30, of course? Could it be? I won't tell...
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I liked the way Maier writes and draws you in. It was an interesting topic to write about, Jesus returns, and i think he manages to do it in a good way. I liked the fact that inbetween the storytelling he is asking hard theological questions and does it in a way that is easy to understand.
I tried to finish this book but ended up skimming the last 50 pages. It was boring and I never got caught up in it. The author's explanations for the miracles are ridiculous. Just didn't work for me....
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Not as good as the first in the series. An easy summer read, but this time the cheesiness of the writing style kind of bugged me. Also, it was quite predictable. And kind of heavy on slams of The Left Behind series.
Thought is was okay. the story became predictable towards the end.
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Paul L. Maier, born May 31, 1930, was the Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University. Maier retired in the Spring 2011. He retains the title of professor emeritus in the Department of History at Western Michigan University. He is also a historical novelist, and serves as Second Vice President of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.
Maier is the son of Walter A. ...more
Maier is the son of Walter A. ...more
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Jonathan Weber
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