THE BODY

by Richard Ben Sapir ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 11, 1982

Sapir (The Far Arena) is hardly the first novelist to imagine what would happen if the un-risen physical remains of Jesus Christ were to be found--but, while sometimes drifting off into a clichÉd love-story and a half-hearted suspense subplot, he does a sturdy, readable job with the theological and scientific ramifications. ""The body"" is discovered during a routine Jerusalem archaeological-dig led by gorgeous Dr. Sharon Golban: as indicated in the Gospels, it lies in a cave sealed by a rock; furthermore, a disk engraved ""King of the Jews"" is found with the skeleton. So, with everyone sworn to secrecy, the Vatican is alerted--and (not very plausibly) the man they choose to assess the evidence is American Jesuit priest Jim Folan, an ex-CIA agent with no archaeological credentials. Jim first makes sure that the discovery itself wasn't fraudulent. He then views the 5'5' skeleton, thrilled that this height doesn't match the Shroud of Turin evidence. . . till Sharon convinces him that the Shroud is a fake. He takes an historic tour of the Gospels, does some more interviews; when ultra-Orthodox Jews violently try to stop this Jewish-grave desecration, he argues Biblical law with the righteous Reb Nechtal, winning the right to prove that the buried person in question was a Gentile, not a Jew. Meanwhile, of course, priest Jim and legally-wed Sharon (her husband deserted her) find overwhelming passion and guilt. (Jim even overcomes his old premature-ejaculation problem.) And the KGB, aware that something is doing in Jerusalem, sends a Palestinian/Soviet/Catholic professor in as their agent. But far more suspenseful are the high-tech datings of calcified tissue and that metal disk--both of which tend to confirm that the skeleton is indeed that of Jesus. So the farfetched, muddled finale hinges on the body's authenticity: Israel agrees to secretly send the body to Rome (in exchange for formal Vatican recognition of Israel); the Palestinian agent, now on his own, persuades Jim to steal the body to keep it out of politics; double-crosses and body-switches ensue, with the lovers forever star-crossed. Still, all this creaky plotting comes almost as an afterthought here. And, with intriguing details on thermoluminiscent dating and lively debates on Biblical matters, those with an interest in archaeology and/or comparative religion will find this diverting most of the way through.

Pub Date: Feb. 11, 1982

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1982

Categories: FICTION