The Amen Heresy

By W.H. Muhlenfeld

Ex-priest and dyslexic expert of ancient languages, Jack Fisher, agrees to assist an Israeli friend and expert of religious history; and is drawn into an unsolved mystery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. His... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0982093845
• ISBN13: 9780982093849
• Release Date: October 2009
• Publisher: BASCOM Hill Books
• Length: 324 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Good history - Good read - Good intrigue

The book title got me ready for a Dan Brown type novel, which I enjoy, and I was not disappointed. As a "progressive" Christian - one who incorporates new scholarship into traditional faith - I was impressed by the amount of research that went into a good story. The history did not bog down the fast paced action but added to it. I enjoyed the idea of a common thread between the major faiths, which made sense to me before reading the book but makes even more sense now. I liked putting a believable love story in the midst of the intrigue. There was a little more blood than I usually care for, but I think it is there to emphasize the fervor of the participants of a belief system who will do anything not to have their views disturbed by facts. Enjoy. Lorraine from sunny Cal

Exceptional thriller

I'm not usually a mystery fan, but this book was a great read. It was entertaining and the story moved quickly, with short chapters that had a lot of action. There are two lead characters, one a smart, take-charge woman and the other a likeable former priest with a painful past. The story challenges long-standing beliefs about the origin of three major world religions, with a plot that is not at all far-fetched, but actually rather probable. I found it fascinating! Whether your're a believer or not, check it out.

Thought-provoking thriller

Initially, The Amen Heresy, W.H. Muhlenfeld, put me in mind of a Daniel Silva kind of international thriller set partly in Jerusalem. It is that, but as I read on, I found echoes of other thrillers I've enjoyed, particularly those with a bent toward exploring religious or spiritual traditions: Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, of course, as well as Kathleen McGowan's The Expected One. But, uniquely, The Amen Heresy is set in the Holy Land, the "source" of what are termed the Three Great Religions of the Book, the three Monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Then Muhlenfeld adds a twist: What if there were solid evidence that way back, even before these religious traditions sprang forth, there were another more fundamental source: ancient Egypt? Actually, that's not at all far-fetched, as religious scholars have uncovered a number of such bits of evidence: even the Ten Commandments and elements of Genesis echo the Egyptian Book of the Dead. For more intriguing ideas, check out some of the links to the early Gnostics as well as the Nag Hammadi scrolls found after World War II. But don't let me mislead: these deeper elements are in The Amen Heresy, but, fundamentally, it is a thriller. Who would have reason to grab and suppress this evidence? If you think "churchly-bureaucrats," you've got only part of the answer. True, that solid evidence, in the form of an authenticated document, would "change mankind's understanding of religious history and alter the future of spiritual belief." And it would make all too evident how organized, hierarchical religions -- more particularly the empire-builders within them -- have taken the simple, fundamental spiritual truths and "cloak[ed] them with heavy drapes of dogma [in order to embellish their] control with the mighty pull-cords of ritual." At least the leaders of the established religious traditions only want to maintain the status quo. Muhlenfeld adds a deeper level of evil: think very rich, very narcissistic, very powerful, and very determined to set up his own personal cult-religion. Who can stop him? A former Catholic priest, a too-attractive Israeli agent, and a street-smart street-urchin. Tough odds. But a great story, particularly the final confrontation in an underground grotto beneath an ancient monastery in the Egyptian desert. Definitely worth a read!

Awesome Fiction Adventure combined with Real Truths/History!

AWESOME BOOK! I thoroughly enjoyed the author's sense of mystery and detail and he kept me interested all the way to the end. As an atheist and former evangelical Christian, I have done much research regarding the origins of Christianity, and this author has more than done his homework! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery combined with history and the search for our religious origins! What a great read! Amen!

Bridget's Review

Jack Fisher is a dyslexic ancient languages expert. He used to be a priest and is now trying to help a friend solve the puzzle of the Dead Sea Scrolls. These scrolls may prove that three of Abraham's religions were a sham. Together with an agent and a young boy, they embark on the journey of a lifetime, determined to unravel a web of lies and set the truth free. Astounding! This a brilliant read that will exercise your mind.