THE THORN OF ARIMATHEA

by Frank G. Slaughter ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 22, 1958

Frank Slaughter's popularity in the field of novels with a Biblical background begins to rival his in the field of fictionized medicine. Again he has combined the two, since the hero of this new work is a Roman centurion who is also a man of medicine, Quintus Volusianus. Biblical scholars will recognize a rather curious blend of material here:- parts of the story, set in Judea, stem from the uncanonical writings known as the A P, in which Pilate is supposed to have reported on the Crucifixion; other parts, set in Britain in the time of the , are linked to the legends of the flowering thorn on the grave of Joseph of Arimathea on the isle of Avalon. Against this dual background is built a story of the young, Roman, of Joseph and of his ward, Veronica, the woman who wiped the sweat and blood from Jesus' face when he fell under the Cross on the road to Calvary. Legend and history and a feel of the perils of the times, enlivened by a very real spiritual sense, and paced --as always with Frank Slaughter -- in the rhythm of the natural teller of tales- this makes good reading and worth while. If the market for historical Biblical novels is still active, this should have high rating.

Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1958

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1958

Categories: FICTION