More than a Skeleton

Jonathan Weber #2

by Paul L. Maier

A man claiming to be Jesus is in Rome. Is it the beginning of the end?

Joshua Ben-Yosef attracts a huge following. He was born in Nazareth to parents name Mary and Joseph and speaks more than a dozen languages—fluently and without accent. His words ripple with wisdom and authority. And the crowds that follow him are enthralled as he heals the sick, gives sight to the blind, casts out demons, and even raises the dead.

Is Dr. Merton, the well-known leader and author of end-times books, correct about the return of Christ? It seems everyone is a believer in this “Messiah”—including Jonathan Weber’s wife, Shannon—especially when Joshua performs the ultimate sign by raising a disciple from the dead. Plagued by skepticism, Jonathan faces the ultimate challenge in uncovering whether this is the actual return of Christ of the most devious betrayal ever carried out.

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian, Mystery, Thriller, Religion, Christianity

354 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 14, 2003

About the author

Paul L. Maier was an American historian and novelist. He wrote several works of scholarly and popular non-fiction about Christianity and novels about Christian historians. He was the Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University, from which he retired in 2011, retaining the title of professor emeritus in the Department of History. He previously served as Third Vice President of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.

Reviews

[Loraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book was very interesting: what would you do if someone said they were Jesus and had returned from heaven, but none of the prophesies in Revelations preceded this person? That is the conundrum that Jonathan Weber faces. His wife, Shannon, is sure he is Jesus; but Jonathan has his doubts.

The first 2/3 of this book moved along slowly, but the climax was definitely action-filled and exciting. Overall, a good series; and each book reads as a stand alone.

[Andrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maier is a great historian and his novels on Pontius Pilate and 1st-century Rome have some really great aspects, but he is way out of his element trying to write a Dan Brown thriller. Maier’s character development, dialogue, and sentence-level writing is never better than a C-minus, but outside his “documentary fiction” genre he becomes nearly unreadable at times. The romantic dialogue between the main character and his wife makes Attack of the Clones sound like Shakespeare.

[Sarah Coller · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some people pride themselves on being quick learners. I am one of those, though I do admit I am also quite hopeful that man can redeem himself of his former follies. It was with that mindset that I ordered this book just after finishing Maier's, A Skeleton in God's Closet. While the first was super lousy, I thought just maybe the author would make a great comeback with the second. Excuse me, I'm choking.

The dialogue in this story is just as awful as the first. WHY did I read this?? Since beginning the first book in this "series", I've been trying to figure out the right word to fit both the dialogue and general writing style of these books. It's something like "bawdy" or "crude" but not necessarily indecent. Just kind of gross. Like greasy, red-faced and sweaty--slamming double cheeseburgers without wiping your face--kind of gross. The back of this book details it as a "thriller". Excuse me, I'm choking again.

I think sometimes authors get too big for their britches that editors just slide them through the process the same way the "hero" of this book, Jon, gets through security in every. single. instance. Breezily and effortlessly. (and unbelievably?!) The book needs a serious edit (rewrite?) or at least they could decide if he is Jon or John?

Stupidness aside, there was far too much middle eastern politics that the average Western reader would not understand---many names and titles dropped without explanations. He also spent a lot of time name-dropping all his cronies in the writing industry---severely dating this work worse than its references to 90s technology was already doing. Ugh.

Back to stupidness: there were SO many crazy and distracting tangents---far too many to list here. There was too much discussion about their time on the pyramid, random discussions about Catholic celibacy...what do these things have to do with anything? Nothing. Nothing at all.

Plot holes abound... I find it seriously unlikely that Jon would be duped again so soon by planted evidence. NO ONE remembers Shimon having a twin?? Shannon is a complete schizoid: screaming and calling him all kinds of names one minute, humbly apologizing and joking around about the SAME STUFF the next. I can see one outburst, but I think there were like four...and then Jon contemplates suicide over it? What? This author is a complete idiot to even suggest that when the guy is obviously rich, famous, positive, and very level-headed, showing no former signs of issues that would even hint at suicide. Please... Oh, and then there's the part where Jon hears a "little girl" voice apologizing. Of course it's his wife: fierce and feminist on one hand, a simpering child in bed. This author grosses me out to no end.

I just have to stop here. If this review lacks any organization or meaningfulness, just know my writing abilities have been heavily influenced by one of the most moronic stories in history. Please, future self, never touch this book again.

[Jeanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say the first part of this book, was a 2 star, however, towards the end, the story redeemed itself. A bible scholar with a Lutheran background was the main character. It brought current events into the story with actual people, which I think was the authors purpose to make the story seem real. However, I was not fond of how for example "The Left Behind Series" was protrayed. Not that I think the Left Behind Series is doctrinally correct, however, I felt like it was a snub of some kind. I felt Jon (the main character) was somewhat arrogant which put me off as I was reading this book. As the story took place, it was easy to imagine how something like this could happen and what people would do. Not to give anything away, I thought the reason why was believable, however, I thought the confronting of the plot was not. For a Christian thriller, I thought it was good. However, I do think people should take caution as to what is stated as truth and seek truth from God's word.

[Bethany · Rating 1 out of 5]

goofy writing, goofy plotline.

[William Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finished reading Paul L. Maier's "More Than a Skeleton." It's the second book in a series of "theological thrillers," which (according to one of the paid blurbs on the jacket) is a new genre of literature!

It's not. sigh. It's bad ficti0n, for several reasons. Your first clue should be that it was published by Thomas Nelson Publishers. This isn't a jab on Nelson, but rather on Christian fiction writers in general; like many other genres of expression, once a company arises to create a "Christian" version, there is such a dearth of material that they promote subpar pieces and bad creators just to meet sales deadlines. It happened in music in the 90's (see half of Forefront's catalogue), it happened in movies in the early 2000's (Left Behind and God's Not Dead), and it's been happening in publishing for a long time.

Furthermore, Maier is a bad writer. His hero (Dr. Weber) is a Mary-Sue, who is the best looking, smartest doctor, proficient in every knowledge and skill the author needs him to be, and always just the best at everything. Writing a Mary-Sue as a definitive choice is one thing, you could use the character to make a point or be commentary on a bigger or broader theme...but here, I don't even think Maier realizes he's doing it. It would be one thing if the bad writing stopped there, but he doesn't; there were numerous places in the book where I wished he would actually describe the events and the places involved, leave them out entirely. Instead of describing a beautiful scene, he says: "It was beautiful." Since he can't actually describe love-making, Maier has his female protagonist say (on a few occasions) to the Dr. that "it was the best ever!" and I got icked out. As a suitable and complete description of a clerk he said (and here I quote) "He was a Yassar Arrafat Type." that's it. He not only doesn't notice the casual racism (Christians in 2003 rarely did), but thinks he has adequately described the person.

So why did I read this dumpster fire of a book?

The same reason I read the first one: "A Skeleton in God's Closet." In that book, the Dr. is presented with a scenario in which the remains of Jesus Christ are purportedly found. It asked the question: "What if they found the body of Jesus? What if they could prove that it was His body?" What would that do to your faith? How would that change you life. I remember enjoying this aspect of that book, and being so thoughtfully moved by it that I didn't even realize Paul Maier was a bad author.

This book asks a similar question: What if Jesus came back today? What if Christ's Second Coming is totally different from what your prophetic theology has taught you? Would you recognize him? Would you believe hiim? Would you even know who he was? This question is thought-provoking in the same manner. I am not really sure how I would answer these hypotheticals. I don't know, and not because "My theology is absolutely correct, and any deviation by Christ would be indicative or a false prophet and a TEST FROM GOD." but because I truly don't know. Taking the narratives of the Biblical accounts of Christs first coming at face value, I see the coming of Christ happening in absolutely unexpected ways; to demand that He must come a second time in the way that I think He must is arrogance of the highest order. And I have long experience in this kind of arrogance; being wrong came as a true surpise then. Seeking to understand first, to value being correct over being right are both aspects of a humility that I am still attempting to create within myself.

I wanted to know how Maier would answer these questions. Somehow I remembered him giving sufficient answer in his first book. I was wrong. That book, like this one (Spoilers to this bad thriller ahead)



That book, like this one doesn't answer any of these questions. It poses them, but then has the brilliant Dr. prove the hoax in a thrilling climax where he is the "Hero who Saved

By the time I realized this was what he was doing, and remembered Maier had done it the first time, I was far enough along that I only had a few chapters left, and Maier is a good enough creator of interesting scenarios (even if he's a bad writer describing them) that I wanted to see how it ended.

Furthermore, Maier is a bad writer. His hero (Dr. Weber) is a Mary-Sue, who is the best looking, smartest doctor, proficient in every knowledge and skill the author needs him to be, and always just the best at everything. Writing a Mary-Sue as a definitive choice is one thing, you could use the character to make a point or be commentary on a bigger or broader theme...but here, I don't even think Maier realizes he's doing it. It would be one thing if the bad writing stopped there, but he doesn't; there were numerous places in the book where I wished he would actually describe the events and the places involved. Instead, it's written almost as a laundry list of

[Vera VB · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Israël staat een jonge gast met twaalf volgelingen op. Hij kan het goed uitleggen, heeft inderdaad een schare van twaalf volgelingen, doet wonderen, dan denkt een mens al snel aan de vleesgeworden opstanding of terugkeer van Jezus. Als zijn ouders Mariam en Yozef heten, hij geboren is in Betlehem en opgegroeid in Nazareth, dan kan je er moeilijk naast kijken.
De hele wereld kijkt toe, eerst sceptisch, maar nadien in verwondering.
Iedereen wil kennismaken met deze man.
Bijbelwetenschapper Jonathan Weber is zo'n scepticus. Hij onderzoekt het verleden van de man en zijn volgelingen, de wonderen, maar kan niet direct iets vinden dat op bedrog duidt. Schoorvoetend moet hij toegeven dat de man echt is. Zijn huwelijk is er dan al bijna aan want zijn vrouw kan zijn ongeloof niet begrijpen.

Erg veel religeuze en godsdienstige uitspraken en gesprekken in dit boek. Te veel, het duurde veel te lang voordat het een beetje spannend werd. Niet mijn ding.

[Cecilia Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another amazing page turner from Dr. Paul L. Maier! The description tells as much about the book as I could, and does a much better job of it in the process. Although Not, in my opinion, as good as A Skeleton in God’s Closet, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
The narration was good, though as in the first book, I found the voice the narrator chose for Shannon to be a bit high and annoying at times. Otherwise, he did an Super job.
What I read this book again? Maybe, but maybe not. Unlike the first book in the series, this book did not scare me or really jostle my faith. The author did manage to make me keep wondering, is this man Jesus, or is he not? Although I did not believe he truly was the Christ, I had to wonder how Dr. Maier was going to write himself out of this corner. I wonder what corners I’ll find myself in in the next book, And I’m about to find out!

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het idee van dit boek is erg interessant: wat zou je doen als iemand zou zeggen dat hij Jezus is en uit de hemel is teruggekeerd, maar niets qua Openbaringen en profetieën vertelt iets over deze Terugkeer?

Dat is het raadsel waarmee Jonathan Weber wordt geconfronteerd als hij in Israël is. Een superspannend onderwerp, maar helaas liep ruim de eerste helft van het boek erg langzaam en deed het juist vragen oproepen, in plaats van je meeslepen.

De climax was daarentegen vol actie en opwindend, alhoewel ik denk dat het per persoon erg verschiltof je het tof vindt, afhankelijk van je smaak. Veelal lees ik ook dat mensen het einde far-fetched of voorspelbaar vonden.

[Ben Chenoweth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to know how this turned out, given the premise, but that was all that kept me reading. The characters are flat, the conversations are wooden, and most of the descriptions are eminently skimmable. There are a few passages with some good ideas regarding church reformation, but it would have made a better non-fiction article.

[Linda Bestebreur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erg interessant en goed uitgewerkt verhaal. Lichtelijk voorspelbaar plot. Ik ergerde me soms ook aan de cliché scènes van 'hij nam haar in zijn armen' en blablabla. Was niet nodig geweest. Verder wel heel interessant thema, het is een boeiende gedachte om te bedenken wat er zou gebeuren met het christendom als dit echt zou plaatsvinden.

[Brian Rhea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jon Weber mansplains his way through another global religious event. I wanted to toss the book across the room every time he told his wife "Good girl!" or spouted off about her or Naomi's beauty or, well, most of the dialogue in the book. But I still found it a compulsive read, with an intriguing premise, even while it made me want to beat my head against a wall.

[Margaret Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version. This book had a good premise, but it was poorly written. The conversations between the husband and wife were so awkward, it felt like the writer had never had a relationship. It was weird. All the conversations were awkward. I didn’t care for the narrator, another source of disappointment.

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars - again another book that started out slow and maintained this pace for most of the book, however the last 100 odd pages it really picked up... Great ending, lots to think about...

[Jeff Wielert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maier nails it again!

I really enjoyed this second book about Jon Weber. I was on the edge of my seat all the way to the last chapter.

[Deloris Smestad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story that keeps you up at night! It was a wonderful read--sequel to "A Skelton in God's Closet." Recommend both highly .

[Sherry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Big let down from the previous novel.

[Michel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schitterend plot, maar een beetje snelle omslag aan het eind.
De romantische opmerkingen vind ik te frequent, overdreven en gemaakt (alsof het erin moest).

[Lotte Visser · Rating 4 out of 5]

love it love it, lo-o-ve it

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

honestly this man is an icon what can i say

[Erth · Rating 4 out of 5]

now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.

The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.

i would highly recommend this author and this book.

[Pattyrflg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Jonathan Weber and his lovely wife Shannon are back in Isreal. Shannon is finishing details related to her last archeological dig and Jonathan is a guest lecturer at the university. Stories of an interesting man named Joshua Ben-Josef begin to surface. He is performing miracles, has 12 followers in his inner circle and his teaching is reminiscent of Jesus. Once Jonathan and Shannon meet Joshua, Shannon quickly believes Joshua's assertions that he is Jesus and God has sent him for an interim visit to mankind. On the other hand, Jonathan remains skeptical and continues to investigate Joshua's background. Their opposing positions cause some problems, but they are young marrieds who can't stay mad at each other too long.

Dr. Maier is Lutheran and, like some other denominations, they do not believe in the rapture of believers and the millenial reign of Jesus before the final judgment; therefore, his main character Jonathan Weber has this same belief as the platform for his skepticism of Joshua's claim to be Jesus. He is also very negative about the "Left Behind" books because of the aforementioned. Admittedly, the book dragged some in the middle. I did enjoy the concept and the exploration of what people might do if they believed Jesus had truly returned, so I liked the book. It was an easy, enjoyable read.

[Heather Palmer]

Jonathan Weber was at the helm of an action-packed archaeological dig in A Skeleton in God's Closet. Now, in More Than a Skeleton, Dr. Weber plays an integral part in the investigation of what is either a convincing, dangerous hoax or the return of Christ.

When Joshua Ben-Yosef, an Israeli from Galilee-born in Nazareth to parents Mary and Joseph-begins assembling twelve followers, attracting crowds, and performing miracles, the world takes notice. Could Dr. Melvin Merton, well-known leader and author of end times books, have been correct about the imminent return of Christ? It seems everyone is a believer in this "Messiah," including Weber's wife, Shannon-especially when Joshua performs the "ultimate sign" by raising his disciple from the dead. Plagued by skepticism, Weber may be the only one who can intervene before the very foundations of the Christian faith are shattered.

[Jessa Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time deciding if I was going to give this book three or four stars. I really did like it, and looked forward to having a few minutes here and there to pick it up. It's quite an easy read, easily understandable, and I love the short and quick chapters. But I thought the conclusion was rushed. The author did a great job building up Joshua's scheme but it was uncovered very quickly and uneventfully. For such intelligent characters, they really had some 'simple' moments. I'd like to think that if this actually did happen, people would question what's going on a little more. What really threw this in the 3-star category is the very odd sexual references between Jon and Shannon, I thought it was unnecessary and altogether creepy. The book finished with one of these references and left a sour taste in my mouth (mind?).

[William Dicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

"More Than a Skeleton" plays with the idea of what if... What if Jesus made an interim return to earth between His first and second comings in order to set things straight. Father God is not happy with how things are going with the church on earth and sends Jesus back to earth to set the church straight. While many are absolutely overjoyed with this interim return, there are those who claim that this newcomer is not Christ. From many angles, this seems exactly like the scribes and Pharisees in the New Testament gospels. How would you respond to Jesus making an interim return to earth? Would you be a believer, a Pharisee or perhaps a skeptic?

The book is well written, and the story line is gripping. There are twists and turns in the book. Definitely recommended reading!

[Rosesayer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointed! I did not finish it. I enjoyed his first book, A Skeleton in God's Closet, and was looking forward to others in the series. However in the beginning of this book, the main character Jon, launches into a diatribe which ridicules those who are interested in End Times Prophecy, or believe in the literal return of Christ, the Rapture and the Tribulation or any combination thereof. He could have approached the subject differently, for example pointing out that there are different views on the subject, and different interpretations of Scripture. Instead he takes an arrogant view that puts down many other Christians. I found this offensive enough to stop reading the book. (And having said that, I grew up in the Lutheran Church as did the author and main character)

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Maier presents a very intriguing premise. The book follows Jonathan Weber. The setting has multiple references to current culture in the early 2000's, including the Left Behind series (by LaHaye and Jenkins), Pope Benedict, and while cell phones are mentioned, "smartphones" are not.

The plot has multiple references to "A Skeleton in God's Closet", but can be read on its own. The detailing is very thorough, so the reader may feel a bit bogged down in the day to day living of Mr. Weber before the pacing picks up near the end.

As stated, the premise or possibility is quite intriguing and interesting - leading to questions regarding whether the reader, having vicariously been there for what Joshua's actions were, would make the same decision and believe the same way.

[Mark Matzke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only thing preventing this from being a five-star rating was the unfortunate "monologuing villain" syndrome (lampooned in "The Incredibles" movie). Also, after being a genuine page-turner, it wraps up a little too quickly; it would've been interesting to explore the faith consequences of those who had been duped by Joshua, but instead, everyone seems to "get over it" awfully quickly. Those quibbles aside, it is neat to read a thriller written from an LCMS perspective, which at the same time reveals some of Dr. Maier's own thoughts on a variety of topics, including a robust portrayal of married love!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book asks the question, "What would happen if someone came and said they were Jesus Christ returned to earth." Dr. Jon Weber must decide if this is true or is he is a fake-his wife believes in the man's authenticity, and she and her husband find themselves estranged over Jon's doubt. Everything points to Jesus, the apostles, the cures, the miracles, but are they really?

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely recommend that you read A Skeleton in God's Closet first. The books have basically the same structure, and both are thought-provoking, yet easy reads. I found this a bit less convincing than the original but its worthwhile just to think about how you would react if something like this actually happened.