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Issa: The Greatest Story Never Told
“Lois Drake's gift for storytelling takes us on a journey for the discovery of timeless spiritual truths. Readers will love Issa!” ―Paul Davids, writer and director of the film Jesus in India
The Bible explicitly records the life of Jesus with one exception―his life between the ages of 13 and 30. Yet ancient Buddhist scripture records the life of Saint Issa, which astoundingly parallels the life of Jesus of Nazareth.
Weaving together a dramatic tapestry of people, places and events, this novel envisions Jesus's life during the missing years, his journey through Asia, the power within that he had to master, and the tests of the heart he had to pass before he could change the world.
The Bible explicitly records the life of Jesus with one exception―his life between the ages of 13 and 30. Yet ancient Buddhist scripture records the life of Saint Issa, which astoundingly parallels the life of Jesus of Nazareth.
Weaving together a dramatic tapestry of people, places and events, this novel envisions Jesus's life during the missing years, his journey through Asia, the power within that he had to master, and the tests of the heart he had to pass before he could change the world.
- GenresFiction
248 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2009
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43 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 6, 2025
Beautiful, enriching and intriguing
This was an amazing story, I’m so grateful to learn of so much of the surrounding history of the time. If this was a first novel, it was remarkable for the character development, story line and messages. Now it could be read again, to study, and to savor. Thank you.
This was an amazing story, I’m so grateful to learn of so much of the surrounding history of the time. If this was a first novel, it was remarkable for the character development, story line and messages. Now it could be read again, to study, and to savor. Thank you.
February 22, 2020
While this is a work of fiction portraying a teenage Jesus traveling through the East, it's been written well. The characters come through as real and one identifies with their challenges. Much of the book is based on the author's speculation, but many historical facts are woven through the story.
April 22, 2013
The speculation about what happened to Jesus between his childhood and age thirty continues to inspire researchers and authors to find answers. This novel was in turn inspired by Elizabeth Clare Prophet's book "The Lost Years of Jesus" which was a not too spectacular attempt to fill in the gap with verifiable information.
Drake writes well. Her descriptions of characters, cultures and landscapes are true and colourful. But except for two or three passages the story seems to lack energy. Jesus (Issa) is not given much opportunity to develop into the strong, courageous and fiercely independent outspoken man we know from the books of the Gospel. Actually, as his educative excursion to India and Tibet ends the reader anticipates his return to his family and the Holy Land. The author could at least have satisfied us with his happy return as a young man full of wisdom and dedication to preach the good news of the Kingdom to his people. But the story is ended without it, cut short, as if the writer ran out of ideas.
Perhaps the most memorable character in the book is Awa, a servant of Joseph of Arimathea, who travels with Jesus. He is loyal, brave and longsuffering. The depth of his devoted friendship to Jesus is most poignantly witnessed when he is told to stay behind in Tibet while Jesus returns home, the only time in the book I felt stirred by emotion. The narrative is true to Summit Lighthouse's syncretistic theology but this is not heavy-handed and shouldn't bother anyone who is genuinely interested in the book's topic.
Drake writes well. Her descriptions of characters, cultures and landscapes are true and colourful. But except for two or three passages the story seems to lack energy. Jesus (Issa) is not given much opportunity to develop into the strong, courageous and fiercely independent outspoken man we know from the books of the Gospel. Actually, as his educative excursion to India and Tibet ends the reader anticipates his return to his family and the Holy Land. The author could at least have satisfied us with his happy return as a young man full of wisdom and dedication to preach the good news of the Kingdom to his people. But the story is ended without it, cut short, as if the writer ran out of ideas.
Perhaps the most memorable character in the book is Awa, a servant of Joseph of Arimathea, who travels with Jesus. He is loyal, brave and longsuffering. The depth of his devoted friendship to Jesus is most poignantly witnessed when he is told to stay behind in Tibet while Jesus returns home, the only time in the book I felt stirred by emotion. The narrative is true to Summit Lighthouse's syncretistic theology but this is not heavy-handed and shouldn't bother anyone who is genuinely interested in the book's topic.
November 15, 2009
Loved this book!!! I'm usually leery about biblical fiction, and the "maybe this happened" type books, but this is wonderfully done. No preaching, no wild suppositions. Ms. Drake takes a legendary tale from Ladakh and weaves her story around it.
The story of Jesus (Issa) during his "missing" years is told in a very realistic manner, not hard to take in, unless you are of a narrow-minded, fixed viewpoint. The reader journeys with Issa in his travels and learning, his friendships and seperation from his family.
Despite knowing "the rest of the story," I was left wanting the story to continue, I didn't want Ms. Drake's rendition of the story to end. I hope that she writes more like this, I will definitely keep an eye out for it. I definitely felt a spiritual connection through this book.
I also enjoyed being sent to the computer looking up different facts from the book, like the history of the Kushan's and such. Made me wish that the present region would reclaim the unity and glory of it's past, especially after all the tragedy and turmoil that has occured in recent years. I hope that the people can remember it's culture and dignity they had prior to the Taliban and other oppressive regimes and share with the rest of the world the richness and beauty of their forgotten culture.
The story of Jesus (Issa) during his "missing" years is told in a very realistic manner, not hard to take in, unless you are of a narrow-minded, fixed viewpoint. The reader journeys with Issa in his travels and learning, his friendships and seperation from his family.
Despite knowing "the rest of the story," I was left wanting the story to continue, I didn't want Ms. Drake's rendition of the story to end. I hope that she writes more like this, I will definitely keep an eye out for it. I definitely felt a spiritual connection through this book.
I also enjoyed being sent to the computer looking up different facts from the book, like the history of the Kushan's and such. Made me wish that the present region would reclaim the unity and glory of it's past, especially after all the tragedy and turmoil that has occured in recent years. I hope that the people can remember it's culture and dignity they had prior to the Taliban and other oppressive regimes and share with the rest of the world the richness and beauty of their forgotten culture.
December 7, 2009
This was an interesting story. Jesus (Issa) as a teenager is taken by Joseph of Arimathea to India out of the view of the Romans. There they join with other members of The Order of Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20; Hebrews 6:20; 7:1-3), one the wisemen Casper, a King and a teacher; and 3 other teenagers. It is decided that the 4 teenagers will travel across India and Tibet with the teacher and learn about Buddhism and Hinduism. The story is about their travels and what they learn about spirituality and themselves. I learned quite a bit about how the different religions lined up with Judaism. A neat idea incorporated by the author was Jesus learning to meld the stories and tell them to the poor people so that they could understand them ~ a precursor to the parables. Very interesting, easy to read.
September 1, 2010
Este livro foi uma desilusão: consegui acabar a leitura, mas considero que, como história de aventuras é muito ingénuo, e como texto para reflexão é muito superficial. Em minha opinião, a autora limita-se a reproduzir num Jesus, primeiro adolescente e depois jovem, designado pelo seu nome oriental - Issa - algumas das mensagens que são reveladas nos Evangelhos. A ideia central até é interessante: consiste em conduzir-nos ao longo da viagem que Issa realizou, enquanto jovem, pela Índia e até ao Tibete, e como esta o transformou, essencialmente porque contribuiu para a descoberta de si mesmo e da sua missão. Adiante!
January 23, 2012
While I am not educated enough in religious history to comment on the plausibility of Lois Drake’s story, it is a fun, entertaining tale. It is fun to explore this possibility of what Jesus’ life might have been like, if the reader is willing to suspend what they have been told about Him. The characters—including a highly intelligent monkey—are engaging and some of the adventures are exciting. Issa: The Greatest Story Never Told is a fun and thought-provoking read!
April 27, 2012
The story of Issa is one of Christ's journey to enlightenment. He journeys into India/Tibet to learn how to comfort and teach his people. This story is infused with rich lessons about the power of forgiveness and friendship. It's also about compassion and sacrifice. I'd definitely recommend this to a friend.
December 5, 2012
Suspend your disbelief. You don't need to believe the story to enjoy it. I think this story gives a lovely idea of what may have happened in the "lost years".
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews