Review by Dana Marie

Fascinating story, how much of this could be real?

If you like Dan Brown’s classic mysteries of the early Christian Church, you will love Mythos Christos. In this suspenseful tale, two time periods blend to create an intriguing story which will keep you guessing and on the edge of your chair.

In the 5th century CE, Hypathia, a pagan mathematician and philosopher, possesses documents containing heretical information. Her scrolls, art objects, and codices present evidence that the story of the jesus of the bible is mythical, copied from ancient religious writings. As she fears for her life from the Church hierarchy, she sets up a complex series of mathematical puzzles and cultural riddles to protect their hiding places. Only someone steeped in ancient cultures and philosophies could unlock these clues and find the location of the hidden objects. I found it fun to use the author’s code breaker key to follow along the hunt as the story switches back and forth from the present and past time periods and I suggest that you do so to bring the story into a personal treasure hunt.

Lea Thomasson, a present day student of ancient sciences travels to Alexandria to work covertly with a mysterious Vatican commission. Does the Vatican really want these documents brought to light or is there something else at work here? This is a great mystery with action packed scenes and characters who switch loyalties. For readers not familiar with this time period, a glossary of terms would be helpful.

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Mythos Christos

By Edwin Herbert

FAITH VS. TRUTH: THRILLING NEW NOVEL EXPLORES THE FIGHT BETWEEN THE FACTS OF HISTORY AND THE FACE OF RELIGION

            The infamous obliteration of the Library of Alexandria has become a symbol of knowledge and culture destroyed. With numerous scrolls and books ruined, it’s devastating to consider what knowledge could have been passed down to us—or even hidden away.

Debut novel Mythos Christos by emerging author Edwin Herbert explores the idea that world-shattering truths about Christianity were hidden away in this Da Vinci Code-reminiscent work. Though a work of fiction, Mythos Christos brings to light fundamental truths about society, religion, and the difference between faith and fact.

In Alexandria, Egypt, AD 391, the great temple of Serapis and its library annex are destroyed by the Christian mob. Neoplatonist philosopher Hypatia becomes concerned the Great Library might suffer the same fate and vows to save as much ancient knowledge as she can, especially certain telling documents concerning the origins of Christianity. Rather than merely hiding the heretical scrolls and codices in desert caves, Hypatia contrives a far more ingenious plan. She sets up an elaborate sequence of burials, each of which is governed by actual ancient linguistic and geometrical riddles which must be solved to gain access. Only one steeped in Platonic mysticism could find and unlock the buried secrets.

Sixteen centuries later in Oxford, England, American Rhodes scholar Lex Thomasson is sent to Alexandria to aid a mysterious Vatican group known only as “The Commission.” They require a specialist in ancient languages to solve a sequence of Greek Mystery puzzles—Hypatia’s ancient treasure hunt. The Oxford paleographer demonstrates his unique talents by unlocking the secrets along the trail, but it does not take long for him to become suspicious of the Commission’s true motives. The trail becomes a trial fraught with danger as religious faith and historical truth struggle for supremacy.

The president of his local freethought society and an avid study of the Christ-myth, Herbert knew his research of the myth and lore behind Christianity needed to be shared.

“Having researched the origins of Christianity for over 15 years, I found myself at a confluence of obscure information regarding mythology, ancient history – especially as it relates to early Christianity – and Greek gematria,” Herbert explains. “I remember saying to my wife, ‘Someone should write a novel about the origins of the Christian mythos. People really need to be aware of this.’”

A fast-paced, controversial novel that explores the fine line between religion and history, themes explored in Mythos Christos include:

• The idea that Christ could be completely mythical and religious faith is based more upon emotion than fact.
• Dispelling the idea that the stories in the Bible are literally true and should be taken as historical fact.
• The importance of the separation between Church and State in America and the consequences if this is not upheld.
• The truth about the actual origins of Christianity and why it’s important people know about its true roots.

Edwin Herbert serves as the president of the La Crosse Area Freethought Society (lcafs.org) and is an active member of the Freedom from Religion Foundation. He has worked as a regular op-ed newspaper columnist on topics concerning science, skepticism, and religion for several years. After studying the Christ-myth theory, he was inspired to pen Mythos Christos, his debut novel. Herbert runs a busy optometry practice in southern Wisconsin, where he lives with his wife in their empty nest.

For more information, please visit www.MythosChristos.com and connect with Herbert through Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

The paperback of Mythos Christos is now available for pre-order on Amazon, BookBaby, and Barnes & Noble.

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