The Fifth Gospel

How long does it take to write a gospel?  If you are Ian Caldwell, the author of The Fifth Gospel, the answer is ten years.  Caldwell was co-author of The Rule of Four, a novel I have not read.  According to the blurbs and jacket, he spent 10 years researching this novel.  It shows.  I have never read another work of fiction or nonfiction for that matter which provides such a credible portrait of life in Vatican City and the inner lives of Catholic priests.
Caldwell is a brilliant author and a talented writer whose intelligence and craft show up on nearly ever page.  With my strange hours the last few years, I rarely get a chance to read fiction, so this book was a great choice.  For those of you who read this blog, you know I am partial to historical fiction and thrillers based on rather arcane subjects like ancient Egypt or the history of Christianity.  Caldwell's books indulges my preferences as well as telling an intricate and compelling story.
As someone who teaches creative writing, I have become good at figuring out most of the plots of books I read or movies I see, but Caldwell kept me guessing throughout this surprising murder mystery and thriller.
The protagonist is Alex Andreou, a Greek Catholic priest.  Careful, I said a Greek Catholic priest, not Greek Orthodox priest.  As a lifelong Catholic, history teacher, and student of the Catholic Church, I was not aware of the Greek Catholics.  Not only are they in Communion with Rome, but they are allowed to marry.  Father Andreou lives in the Vatican with his five-year old son.  Apparently not only can Greek Catholics marry, they can also have bad marriages too.  Though it is not central to the novel, I learned a great deal about the Greek Catholic Rite and Caldwell provides a great insight into the life of this priest who lives on the fringes of the institutional Church, though he lives within walking distance of the Pope.  It was not pedantic, as Caldwell weaves his exposition of the Greek Catholic priesthood within the novel itself.  This is one of the many strengths of this novel.
A murder occurs and Fr. Andreou's house is broken into, presumably by the murders who appear to be looking for something in Andreou's possession.  He was the research partner of the museum curator killed.  Worried for his family's safety, Andreou begins to research the murder himself.
Here is where the story begins as well as a beautifully constructed narrative regarding the four canonical gospels and a document produced over a thousand years ago that attempted to combine all four gospels into one document.  This document, the Diatessaron, is often called "the fifth gospel", which provides the title for Ian Caldwell's novel.
The dead curator was in the process of mounting an exhibit in the Vatican with the Diatessaron.  However, Fr. Andreou discovers a connection between the Diatessaron and a much better known Catholic relic- the Shroud of Turin.
One blurb references The DaVinci Code, only to dismiss any comparison between Dan Brown and Ian Caldwell.  Caldwell is deemed to be the much better and more accomplished writer and storyteller. Having read nearly all of Dan Brown's novels, even those not involving Robert Langdon, I would agree Caldwell is erudite and his research is impressive.  Dan Brown is not a slouch in my opinion and Brown tells a riveting story.  However, while they may trod on the same ground, Caldwell is much more balanced in his approach.  Dan Brown takes the narrative easy way out by turning the Catholic Church a den of corruption and conspiracy, in a very black and white approach. Caldwell is leagues more empathetic and subtle in his storytelling.
I won't give away the ending, but it is tremendously well crafted and I walked away feeling it was  consistent with the rest of this brilliant novel.  I am a fan of Caldwell and plan to read The Rule of Four sooner rather than later.
Though I am a religious believer, I feel I have the ability to be willing to listen to opposing points of view whether it is a work of fiction, theology, or history.  What I have too often found is that authors have an agenda disguised as fiction.  Caldwell is too good of a writer for something like that.  The Fifth Gospel is one of the best novels I have read in years.  I cannot recommend it highly enough!