Our reviewer says this book is filled with Biblical insight—and is fun and fast-paced to read.
Many times over, Christian author Ben Witherington, III has been called “prolific” by his readers. In some ways, even that descriptor is becoming inadequate for this writer who seems more like a human printing press. In Roman Numerals: The Second Art West Adventure, the Witherington power is doubled as Ben’s wife, Ann, co-writes with him. From the pen of this literary duo comes the second in a seven-part series, which proves to be a fast-paced page-turner. Not only do readers find themselves in Egypt, Turkey, Israel, Germany, New York and other intriguing venues, they also find themselves meeting Michael Jordan, trailing one of Bin Laden’s contacts, listening to Chris Tomlin, thinking about Harrison Ford and consulting the works of N.T. Wright, April DeConick and other notables from their respective fields.
To be sure, and like many novelists, Ben and Ann draw from their wells of experience in this work. The North Carolina background along with a love for the Boston Red Sox, the interest in Coptic history and Gnostic texts, the references to Solomon’s Porch (a previously owned Witherington café in Wilmore, Ky.), the use of Ben’s poetry as well as a deep friendship with a Jewish female whose last name is Levine, are all woven into this narrative. Yet, the Witherington’s also tap into wider public themes that are apparent in today’s society—Ben as a Christian scholar, after all, is wedded to many of the concerns that surface here.
Most creatively, as the main character, Art West, journeys through foreign lands in order to recover an ancient ankh or amulet that has been stolen from an Egyptian museum, readers see several timely issues flare up. On the social side of things, Art West finds himself right in the middle of Jewish-Christian-Muslim tensions. On the theological side, West uncovers evidence that challenges Zionist, Dispensational, Preterist and Gnostic claims alike. Brilliantly, the Witherington twosome use historical fiction under the cover of an archeological thriller to “bridge the horizons” between Christianity’s enigmatic past and today’s tension-filled debates about its validity.
In many ways, it seems this novel goes for the Gnostic jugular by offering a corrective to the “most popular teachers of Gnosticism in the U.S. today” that have “become disenchanted with orthodox Christianity in any form in any century." Thus, the reader finds here a corrective to the oft-distorted relationship between early Coptic Christianity and Gnostic texts such as The Gospel of Judas or The Gospel of Thomas. Beyond this, readers may rejoice that finally, an exegetically sound and contextually aware alternative to Left Behind and The Last Disciple novel series has been released.
In addition, some of the more simple and likeable things about this book is that the short chapters are very easy to read and action-packed, all while being well written and well-informed. The imaginative ways in which a high regard for contextual biblical interpretation is conveyed throughout the story also proves edifying. Furthermore, the examples of peaceful dialogue between persons of different faiths is both greatly timed and definitely welcomed. Still, it is possible that some will detect polemical tones (e.g. phrases such as “Muslim Fundamentalists”) they may find a bit uncomfortable. Despite the correction of a couple of typos (131, 137) and the enlarged font on only one page (187), the only other suggestion I would offer regarding this book is to move the “Author’s Notes” disclaimer from the back of the volume to the front as it may help orient the reader to the genre and aid them in understanding what is fictional and what is not. Overall, this is certainly a Witherington book I would recommend reading and one that I am confident will leave you waiting in eager anticipation for The Third Art West Adventure.
