The Resurrection: A Criminal Investigation...

"Execute them all!" The Emperor Tiberius was angry. The news from Judea was ridiculous. What was that fool Pontius Pilate up to? What incredible nonsense in that last dispatch from Judea. The carpenter son of a virgin had risen from the dead after being crucified. Impossible. What fools would believe a fairy tale like that. The criminal was really innocent? What? Who would murder an innocent man? Was this an execution for state reasons or for private gain? How could Pontius Pilate allow such a mess to happen? Worse still, how could it now come to the attention of the Emperor? There must be a problem brewing. The followers of this risen criminal could be a threat to Pax Romana - the peace of Rome. Nonsense. He would send Tribune Quintus to find out what had taken place. His orders would be to investigate what happened, determine the best interests of Rome, and act accordingly. If need be, he could execute the whole lot, all the followers of the criminal, and even Pontius Pilate. "Send for Tribune Quintus" he roared to his aide.

So starts The Resurrection: A Criminal Investigation into the Mysterious Disappearance of the Body of the Crucified Criminal Jesus of Nazareth. Tribune Quintus Gaius Caesar is the co-head of the Praetorian Guard in Rome, possibly the illegitimate son of the Emperor, and a proven leader in battle. Summoned to Capri, the Emperor's retreat from Rome, he is ordered to Judea. On the way, he stops in Tarsus to meet Saul the tentmaker, a bitter enemy of Jesus and his followers. In Judea, Tribune Quintus investigates all aspects of the trial, execution, and after-death appearances of Jesus, aided by scores of Roman soldiers and three Centurions. He interviews Pontius Pilate, the High priest Caiaphas, King Herod, Maryam the mother of Jesus, Lazarus who was purportedly raised from the dead by Jesus, the rumored lover of Jesus - Maryam Magdalene, Peter and the other eleven Apostles. Was it all a conspiracy, a fraud, using trickery and deceit; or was there something mysterious occurring? From Pontius Pilate he learns that Saul has done a complete reversal and has now become a follower of the executed Jesus. No matter; the best interests of Rome must be determined and followed. Nothing must stand in the way of Rome. The followers of this Jesus must be quashed - extinguished totally - if they could be any threat to Rome. Pontius Pilate was either a hero or a fool.

Quintus would find out, take action as he decided, and report back to an angry Emperor Tiberius.

This book replaces the episodic miracles, parables, and sayings of Jesus Christ with a narrative full of real-life exchanges between the familiar figures of Christianity and Judaism in the first century. If Jesus was innocent, why was he executed, and who engineered that murder? How can the strange behavior of Pontius Pilate be explained? Was Jesus a fraud, a trickster, or a true miracle maker? Was his body stolen from the tomb, or did he rise from the dead? Was Christianity founded on a big lie, or on reality? If real, how can it be explained? The findings of an exhaustive investigation must be placed before the Emperor. What will he decide? And what of Quintus after his report. The suspense-laden inquiry will keep the reader enthralled in this centuries-old mystery.

The Resurrection: A Criminal Investigation is the natural sequel to The Passion of the Christ.