Product Description

An ancient skeleton is discovered in Israel-will it shed new light on the life of Jesus or cause the world to doubt?

Dr. Jonathan Weber, Harvard professor and biblical scholar, is looking forward to his sabbatical year on an archaeological dig in Israel. But a spectacular find that seems to be an archaeologist's dream-come-true becomes a nightmare that could be the death rattle of Christianity.

Carefully researched and compellingly written, A Skeleton in God's Closet explores the tension between doubt and faith, science and religion, and one man's determination to find the truth-no matter what the cost.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #746974 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

About the Author
Dr. Paul Maier is a professor of ancient history at Western Michigan University. He holds degrees from Harvard University and Concordia Seminary. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including Pontius Pilate.

Customer Reviews

A Stimulating and Provocative Read.
This is the first book I read in the genre 'Theological Thriller'. The book represented the world really well. It depicted one way the world could react to the discovery of Jesus' bones. It was an intense read at times forcing me away from sleep to continue another chapter. I enjoyed the book thoroughly except for one thing, the romance. There was a relationship between the main character and another character that seemed out of place and a bit forced. This was a pretty minor thing though. I just dismissed the relationship as just a vessel for more conflicts and complications to intensify the situations. I give it a 4 out of 5 because there were some instances where it was slow but they were pretty slight, but this combined with the relationship brought it down a little. As I said, overall I love the book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes a good, captivating read!

Can you challenge your faith?
Then read this book! I loved the overwheming sense of reality that Maier portrays here. From cover to cover I was deeply enveloped within the story, engrossed in each character and deeply moved emotionally by every upset and twist and turn. When someone died I actually shed tears! I gasped with shock aloud at many points! The only reason I allowed it to loose a star is because at times I found the precise Technical explanations of the archaology extremely tedious and hard to read through, some of them felt like college textbooks; but honestly every bit of it was worth the deep philosophical questions asked! Would this change your faith? Can the world adapt to such a severe shift in perception? Incredible realism, images painted more vividly than most movies can even begin! I think anyone who enjoys a deeply rooted mystery, a spiritual journey, or a deeply introspective search would thoroughly enjoy this book! Or even if you just want a good fast-paced page turner to cozy up with on an otherwise lazy afternoon. Remember: action, discovery, mystery, romance, and philosophy all with one whack!

The Ultimate Test of Faith
This is the first novel I read by Mr. Maier and was extremely pleased. It is useless in telling what the plot is about since others have explained it and the main review gives it away. This book is first rate for its outstanding attention to detail in terms of religious philosophy and archeological terminology and methodology.

The character development, including some startling twists and turns along the way, does not leave the reader asking "What else is there to this character?" It's like Maier was watching the actors live out his story. Rare is it to find an author willing to develop charcters' background and personality to the extent Maier does.

Maier, a scholar, is a treasure not only to history, religious studies, and philosophy, but also to literature and story telling. Above all, Maier challenges the readers' own faith with each turn of the page.

A great story that deserves reading.