Book Review: The Gnostic Mystery by Randy Davila

Title: The Gnostic Mystery
Author: Randy Davila
Publisher: Hierophant Publishing
Copyright: 2009
Pages: 201
ISBN: 978-0-9818771-0-5
Genre: Fiction/Religion

A nominal Catholic, Jack visits his old college friend, who now lives in Jerusalem. Although he hopes to spark interest in the faith he never took seriously, Jack's experiences soon lead him into a new line of thinking. Jack meets Chloe, a university professor of religion. She educates him concerning her theories of Christianity's true origins in the Gnostic sect.

As a Christian, I have to say that I was not impressed with The Gnostic Mystery. In all fairness, Davila seems to have completed scads of research. I can see that he's not pulling these theories out of his head. And I certainly would not say that he sounds unintelligent in his presentation. Finally, I realize The Gnostic Mystery is a work of fiction. The character is speaking, not necessarily the author.

But here is my problem: Davila presents Chloe as an authoritative figure, and her theories represent both the theme of The Gnostic Mystery and the bulk of the actual reading material. She spins facts and misrepresents them to make her point. It would take a whole other book to refute the theories in The Gnostic Mystery. But in the interest of making my point, I will provide a few examples.

Chloe claims that "'many scholars think the Gospel of Thomas may be older than some of the biblical gospels because the parables and sayings of Jesus appear in Thomas in a more complete form'" (58). In actuality, you can peruse multiple sources and find that the general consensus on Thomas seems to be sometime in the middle of the second century. Contrast that with the biblical gospels, which are widely dated somewhere between AD 60-100.

Later, Chloe attempts to convince Jack that the biblical gospels were never meant to provide historical accounts of Jesus' life. She explains how the virgin birth, Jesus' miracles, communion, and the crucifixion and resurrection have been borrowed from other religions, cultures, and mythologies. For a clear answer to part of these claims, you may wish to consult Patrick Zukeran's article "The Pagan Connection: Did Christianity Borrow from the Mystery Religions?"

For a final example, Chloe claims that "'it's generally those who know the least about the Bible that always refer to it as God's infallible word'" (134). In my opinion, this is clearly a ridiculous claim, especially for a character that's supposed to run in academic circles. Even if she doesn't agree with scholars on the other side of the line, there are plenty who know a lot about the Bible and claim it to be "God's infallible word"-not in spite of what they've learned, but in many cases, because of what they've learned in their studies (example: Josh McDowell, former agnostic, author of New Evidence that Demands a Verdict).

Aside from what I see as inaccuracies in the theme and subject matter, I can't really recommend The Gnostic Mystery on a literary level, either. The characters all come off flat, and there is no plot line to speak of. The Gnostic Mystery sounds more like a regurgitation of research on religious philosophies and historical conspiracy theories than like an actual story. The subplot, concerning a couple Arab boys who discover ancient scrolls and their interaction with an older cousin, is actually the most interesting part of the novel.

It's not that Davila is a poor author; I think his idea just needed further fleshing out before it was ready for a novel. I'm sure The Gnostic Mystery represents hours of hard work on the part of this author. So I am a little sorry to say that I can't recommend this book as good reading on any level.