The Third Testament

by John Eklund

Widower Fred Sankt is a professor at a small Catholic college who is not at all accustomed to dreaming. When he begins experiencing a series of profoundly vivid dreams that consistently awaken him at 3:00 a.m., he is not alarmed-simply curious. In the last of his dreams, Fred meets a faceless old friend who informs him that he has been chosen by God to record the next testament of the Bible. Fred decides that, even though it has been nearly two thousand years since the last passage in the Bible was written, if it is God's will for him to take on a project of this magnitude, he has no choice but to accept. But his entire world is turned upside down when his doorbell rings unexpectedly one evening. After he is served a summons, Fred thinks things can't get worse until he receives the news that his daughter Ellen's health is in jeopardy. Despite his personal hardships, Fred soon finds that writing is his only solace. As Fred continues on a spiritual journey to unlock the truth, he creates a treasure for all Christians that ultimately reignites the torch of the faithful.

Genres: Fiction, Christian

308 pages, Paperback

First published May 18, 2010

About the author

John Eklund is a Norse mythology and European history buff, and author of the historical fiction novels, The Third Testament and Siegfried: The Liberator of Germania. John resides with his wife, three children, and three dogs in the Chicago suburbs.

Reviews

[Bailey Olfert · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author seemed to have an agenda in writing this "novel." It really comes across as a Third Testament disguised within a (largely uninteresting) story. If Eklund wanted to write a 3rd testament, he should have done that and not attempted to insert it into a novel.

[Julie Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fred is a grieving widower with one daughter who lives near Chicago. A faithful Catholic, he begins having a series of dreams which make him realize that he is being prompted to write the third testament to the Bible ... which would update it for modern times. Soon after this, he is served with what seems to be a bogus summons that nonetheless threatens to take his home from him and his daughter finds she has melanoma which is spreading rapidly through her body.

At this point, Fred turns to his writing as a panacea for his mental and emotional struggles. The current story serves as a thin thread which holds together the history that Fred is writing. The author includes much more of the history, both as Fred's thoughts and then as samples of what he is writing. Eklund has a knack for picking out interesting people and events and pulling up tidbits that I hadn't heard, even when I was familiar with the piece of history.

This was an interesting book on several levels. It is clearly a first novel and the author does not have a very good ear for natural dialogue. He also has a tendency to preach a bit when the protagonist is thinking. For example, gazing at the sky and seeing an eagle, Fred suddenly takes a mental side trip onto American virtues. This is a bit wearying and tended to put me off the book.

The modern story is extremely one dimensional, yet, I nonetheless still found myself interested in whether Ellen would beat her cancer, the different places that Fred would encounter his new friend (Tony), and whether we would get more than a whiff of evil from the lawyer suing Fred.

I am glad that I persevered despite the sometimes clunky writing int the modern section because the author has a much more natural flow when writing any of the "third testament" and detailing Catholic Church history. There still is a tendency to preach some but since it is within the context of the history this becomes easier to take.

The book as a whole overcomes the problems if one is willing to overlook them and I found it a satisfying read. I will be interested to see what this author writes next.

[Derek Emerson]

In his debut novel, John Eklund takes on the interesting story of a man called on to write "The Third Testament." The idea is that since the the New Testament was written there has been no recording of God's work in the world in one place. A history professor, Fred Sankt, finds himself called on to complete this task even as his "normal" world is falling to pieces. A widower who lost his wife to cancer, Sankt's adult daughter now finds herself falling to the same disease and Sankt himself finds his worldly possessions at risk as the result of a dubious lawsuit.

The writing of the third testament comes as a form of therapy as Sankt fights his way through worldly concerns. Although at times the sections of the third testament which Eklund shares can get repetitive (at times he explains the story and then retells them), overall they serve as a great entry into many stories of the Chuch since the time of the New Testament. This reviewer was familiar with many of the stories, but was pleased to be introduced to many more stories of faith which should be known.

The book seems aimed at a conservative Catholic/Christian audience and is one I would recommend to many. Where the book frustrates is the right-wing politics of "God loves America more than anyone else." In addition, while the Islamic faith gets a one-sided and short-sighted look as an anti-Christian religion, the Christian history fails to address the many atrocities committed in its name.

But Eklund's intent seems to be to strengthen the faith of those who have lost sight of God's presence in the world, and in that he succeeds.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book and extremely well- written. The writing and intense explanations of people, places, facts within the pages had me wondering about the background of the author. History, English teacher? Scholarly rendering of historical events, although there is the constant placing of catholicism at the forefront. I have to confess that there were times during my reading, when I was relieved to get away from the history of the the church, and delve into the personal issues confronting the main character. I actually found the "back-story" far more enjoyable than the composing of the testament. The "third testament" reads like the lives of the saints, and not what I would consider biblically sound writing. The ending was emotionally satisfying for me. It left some conclusions to the reader's imagination, while putting the final touches on a few of the more important scenarios. I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Ba · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would have never dreamed that I'd rank a Catholic novel (especially one that gives high praise to Ronald Reagan)as my all-time favorite Christian fiction book, but The Third Testament is amazing. Much of it is not fiction at all, but rather a select history of Christianity from a Catholic perspective. It is not a dry academic text book history, but a fascinating history of martyrs, saints, holy apparitions, religious military conflicts, Evil Empires, and inexplicable miracles. As much as I enjoyed the historical aspects of the novel, I found the fictional story of Fred Sankt and the miracle he experiences to be the best part of the book. I particularly appreciated that the author made it clear that there was a MIRACULOUS event, but that the event could have also been logically explained by non-divine interventions. In my opinion this kept the story in line with the modern world Christian experience.

[John Eklund · Rating 5 out of 5]

See the reviews of my book:

Catholicfiction.net:
http://www.catholicfiction.net/2010/1...

Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Third-Testament...

Midwest Book Review:
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/rbw/...

A Catholic View:
http://acatholicview.blogspot.com/201...

YIM Catholic Blog: http://yimcatholic.blogspot.com/2011/...

Catholic Mom in Hawaii Blog: http://hicatholicmom.blogspot.com/201...

Catawissa Gazetteer Blog: http://catawissagazetteer.blogspot.co...

Catholic Book Report Blog: http://catholicbookreport.wordpress.c...

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Third Testament was the first religious book I've read. It was slow going at frist but I think it was only because I expected the book to be dull. It was anything but. John Eklund beautifully wrote about a man who despite losing his wife and almost losing is only daughter kept faith. Fred wrote the Third Testament and it was trully a new way to look at the events that have happened since the bible was last written. One quote in particular that he added caught my eye, "When the devil is called the god of this world, it is not because he made it but because we serve him with our worldliness." I suppose everyone interprets things differently, but for me it's like saying that they way we live our lives makes the devil more prominant in this world than God. In the end when the book concluded with his dream friend being St. Thomas I found myself wishing it hadn't ended at all.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a book I would have normally choosen from the shelf, although I am glad that I did. The story of a man and his life is intertwined with a second story, a story of his faith in God. There were many stories he writes in his book, the Third Testament, that I had heard of but did not know. I learned a great deal more of religion and history that I was not aware of. However, that was not my favorite part of the book. I prefer fiction despite the fact I am a history teacher. I like the realistic fictional pieces of the book. The story of a cancer widower and his daughter. Both of which have dreams, trials and tribulations, the story of a devote Christian practicing his faith unwavering, these were my favorite elements to this story. Well written.

A goodreads giveaway

[Ishanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book on First Reads giveaways here on goodreads! I'm looking forward to getting started on it and I will update this review as soon as I finish it! Thanks!!

***UPDATE***

I am not a religious person. Quite the opposite actually. And yet, the subject intrigues me. The idea of adding more to a book written 2000 years ago was fascinating. Check it out when you get a chance!

[Jason Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was slow going at frist but I think it was only because I expected the book to be dull. John Eklund beautifully wrote about a man who despite losing his wife and almost losing is only daughter keeps his faith. Well written and great character development. My only drawback is it takes a few chapters to get going and the type face is almost too small to enjoy reading.

[Jennifer Eklund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, the author is my husband :) That fact aside, the book really is fantastic. For all those out there who want a collection of biblical events and stories that have occurred since the New Testament, all wrapped up with a heartfelt and touching story to boot, this is the book for you!

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a Firstreads giveaway.

I recieved an autographed copy of this book. The author writes "May you find intrigue and inspiration in these pages" to which I respond "I did, sir, I truly did"

[Pat Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best Christian fiction book I've ever read. Tremendous story! It was inspirational and real for me. The historical aspects were simply incredible. Highly recommended!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Eklund's "The Third Testament" is an incredible novel! While this book is labeled "religious fiction", it can be classified as much more than that. While the story's narrative, narrator and other cast, and dialogues, all come from Eklund's imagination, the themes and history are straight from real-life--so, perhaps, history and religious philosophy could also be attached to this book.

In quick summation, Fred Sankt is guided by seemingly divine/supernatural force to construct an epic third testament for the Bible to continue the story of the world--centered around the (Catholic) Church--from where the New Testament left off. While undertaking this immense feat in his home office, Fred must deal with some of the greatest personal challenges in his life: namely, dealing with an unjust civil lawsuit, and doing all he can to help his daughter go through a devastating medical condition that previously afflicted and killed his wife.

What I enjoyed most about this book was its macro-level approach to world history from Christ's death to the Present, and constructing a divinely thematic thread throughout of Satan's minions versus Christ's devoted followers. I am foremost a macro-thinker, as opposed to a micro-thinker. I much prefer looking at the big picture, looking at large-scale trends, and boiling down to the essence. Finding a common thread, linkages as numerous as they may be, and piecing puzzles together correctly, can provide a great sense of perspective that provides explanation among the confusion.

Eklund does an excellent job of this rationalizing, in my opinion. The ultimate good versus evil and the bearing down of Armageddon themes--while widely debated and discussed after this book is read by many readers--makes for a great storyline. Credit must be given where credit is due. Eklund takes dozens of stories of prominent spiritual figures and villains, massive religious movements, and great social changes and upheavals, in the Ano Domini era, and produces a plausible macro-theory--albeit, religiously-themed--complete with conclusive explanations in the book's final chapters. In a way, "The Third Testament" possesses hints of Dante's "Divine Comedy," if you know what to look for, that is.

The fictional characters were well developed, their events very realistic, and the first-person accounting worked extraordinarily well. There were some loose threads that could have been closed better, and the dialogue came across a little canned and hollow (which lead to a lower level of dramatic effect than the author was shooting for, I would think)--hence the 4 stars rather than 5--but this was an engrossing read, definitely leading the contemplative mind to conduct quite a bit of reflection, which is one of my greatest joys from reading.

Well done, Mr. Eklund! I look forward to more from you down the road!

[Lori blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Christian fiction story! This book was a very inspirational read for me due to some family circumstances that occurred in my life. The historical outlooks and facts that the author presents were very informative to me because I did not know much about the Catholic religion. I also loved all the minute details of the book; just an example the history of the mistletoe was one of my very favorite parts among various other detailed parts of the book. I would highly recommend this book to all readers.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book free from Goodreads.

An excellently written book.

John Ecklund's first book is brilliant.

He mixes life's ups and downs cleverly with the religious aspect (Catholic) never straying from the ideal that his protagonist has been set the task of writing the Third Testament.

He explains throughout the book the various books he puts in the Third Testament and why he chose them, but also explains about various Saints and Mysteries such as Lourdes and Fatima.

I liked this so much, I recommended it to a Priest friend to read.

I will re-read this book!