Skeleton 03 - The Constantine Codex
Praise for novels by Paul L. Maier
A Skeleton in God’s Closet
“Debate over the Resurrection surfaces in Maier’s new novel
A Skeleton in God’s Closet
. . . . The discovery not only shakes the Christian world to its foundation but has far-reaching political repercussions.”
Los Angeles Times
“This plot has been crying for publication for the last nineteen centuries. . . . A colorful thriller novel!”
Houston Chronicle
“With
A Skeleton in God’s Closet
, Paul Maier has crafted a new genre—the theological thriller. It reads like Robert Ludlum while expertly exploring the origins of Christianity. A superb book!”
Paul Erdman,
New York Times
bestselling author
“Maier’s premise is fascinating, and his exploration of its consequences reasonable and convincing . . . an exciting story.”
Milwaukee Sentinel
“This thriller keeps the reader so on edge that it is not until the last pages that the mystery is solved. Extremely well-done.”
The Oregonian
“Using his historical expertise and creative license, Maier . . . sparks a new debate over whether Christ’s resurrection on Easter was mythical or miraculous.”
The Detroit News
“Paul Maier’s explosive new novel
A Skeleton in God’s Closet
. . . is extraordinary.”
Newspaper Enterprise Association
“Rich with authentic detail, dialogue, and characterization, the fast-paced plot carries readers quickly to the stunning conclusion.”
Moody
magazine
More Than a Skeleton
“
More Than a Skeleton
is a wonderful rarity in that it combines a gripping, fascinating tale with sound, traditional Christian theology.”
Newsday
“A fast-paced thriller . . .”
Religion News Service
“
More Than a Skeleton
is entertaining, informative, and refreshing.”
Faithfulreader.com
“Historian Paul Maier has penned a fast-paced theological thriller.”
The Birmingham News
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The Constantine Codex
Copyright © 2011 by Paul L. Maier. All rights reserved.
Cover image of map copyright © by tyndyra/iStockphoto. All rights reserved.
Cover image of Constantinople copyright © by Duncan Walker/iStockphoto. All rights reserved.
Cover image of skull copyright © by Yury Kuzmin/iStockphoto. All rights reserved.
Cover image of Constantine copyright © by Stefano Bianchetti/Corbis. All rights reserved.
The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (
www.csntm.org
) has granted permission for the manuscript photograph to be used in the interior of this book.
Interior photograph of ticket stub copyright © Jean Scheujen/SXC. All rights reserved.
Interior photograph of pen copyright © kamil anlayar/SXC. All rights reserved.
Interior architecture photographs by Barry Beitzel.
Designed by Daniel Farrell
Some Scripture quotations are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Some Scripture quotations are taken from
The Holy Bible
, American Standard Version.
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Maier, Paul L.
The Constantine codex / Paul L. Maier.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-4143-3773-9 (hc) — ISBN 978-1-4143-3774-6 (sc) 1. Archaeologist—Fiction.
2. Bible. Manuscripts—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3563.A382C66 2011
813'.54—dc22 2011002146
Books by Paul L. Maier
Fiction
Pontius Pilate
The Flames of Rome
A Skeleton in God’s Closet
More Than a Skeleton
The Constantine Codex
Nonfiction
A Man Spoke, a World Listened
The Best of Walter A. Maier
(ed.)
Josephus: The Jewish War
(ed., with G. Cornfeld)
Josephus: The Essential Works
(ed., trans.)
In the Fullness of Time
Eusebius: The Church History
(ed., trans.)
The First Christmas
The Da Vinci Code—Fact or Fiction?
(with Hank Hanegraaff)
For Children
The Very First Christmas
The Very First Easter
The Very First Christians
Martin Luther—A Man Who Changed the World
The Real Story of the Creation
The Real Story of the Flood
The Real Story of the Exodus
To Vera Thomas
and, in memoriam,
Bill Thomas
Table of Contents
Preface
While this is the third in the Skeleton series, these novels may be read in any order since the plotlines are totally different. Most characters in these pages are fictitious, but in the interest of realism, some authentic personalities do appear. So that they might not be thought to endorse everything in this novel, I have not sought permission to use their names. All are famous enough to be in the public domain and will, I trust, find their portrayal in these pages both appropriate and congenial. The reader, however, should know that the dialogue I supply for them is mine and not theirs.