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35 of 39 found the following review helpful:
 A review by someone that actually read the book Apr 02, 2006
By Howard Becker
This review was written after I read the book from cover to cover, not on the basis of "an e-mail from the author's publicist" as Emil Shuffhausen admits in his lengthy "review" that he did, or Ms. Delores Mancuso who states that she "perused the book a bit" while she was at a bookstore. A reviewer--critical or favorable-- must write an honest review a f t e r reading a book. I am tired of "top" reviewers in Amazon.com that write pages and pages of reviews without actually reading the books. Please save us the time, I will now do the same by jumping right to the point:
I came across this book on Amazon and was perplexed by the diametrically opposed reviews. It either had five star reviews or just one star reviews. Nothing in the middle! I decided to buy it (online) and see what is was all about. When I received it, I briefly looked at the back cover. I read the bullet point sentences about the fact findings and honestly I thought this would be another book with "catchy words" but with no real substance or research value. I put the book aside. A couple of evenings later, I had to cancel an appointment with a friend due to the bad weather. Having nothing else planned for the evening, I decided to start reading this book. I was sure that I would soon discover the author's historic accuracy and research ability to be non-existant. To my surprise, I have to admit, the writer has done an excellent job of keeping this book very interesting until the very end. He has extensively documented his research with clear references in passages on the Gospels, Bible and related documents. What is very interesting to me, is that the "tone" of his writing is not at all combative or dry as the book back cover makes you think it would be. The author presents his views and thoughts with precise references to the ancient texts. Where not enough proof is present, he openly admits that speculation is the case.
Having read all 16 chapters of the book now, I realized what may make this book lose credibility. Its back cover! This is evident from the negative reviews I read, who were obviously made by people that did not read its contents! For example, Mr Ball's review argues the book is wrong about John being a witness because "the majority of theology" scholars accept that the first gospel was written down 70-80 CE and John was the last to be recorded". The book has a whole chapter dedicated to this (Chapter 16) with plenty of references and discussion on why John was probably an eye witness along with comments on John's gospel writing style and what modern theology scholars believe. It is just amazing how much information this book makes available on several such issues.
Nevertheless, Mr Ball had a valid point about the 'Immaculate Conception' and the 'Virgin Birth' on the cover of the book. What is so strange is that nowhere in the text, the term 'Immaculate Conception' is used interchangeably with the term 'Virgin Birth'. 'Virgin Birth' is sometimes referred to as 'Miraculous Conception'. Clearly, the marketing people involved in the promotion of this book, or whoever designed the cover, have inadvertily defeated their goal. The back cover does not do the book justice. My advice to them, if they ever read these reviews, would be to change the cover completely. A book in order to be taken seriously by scholars, or anybody to that effect, should have a cover that reflects its contents. This is marketing 101, this is what the people will first read in order to decide if their time is worth reading the rest of it (In my case I could not see a back cover, not available online).
Anyway, this book is to me an excellent research tool. The account of the life and times of Jesus and Paul is narrated exceptionally well from the information available. It gives you a unique perspective about its main characters, puts you in the mind set of the people in those times and I will say it again it has a WEALTH of information about those times. Even if you put aside the controversial findings, there are plenty of facts/incidents/events that have revealed themselves through the book's exhaustive and detailed research. It was just fascinating reading through this book.
I do not think anyone can write such a book in a short amount of time, just by how thoroughly examined the ancient texts are. I do believe this author has spent years researching these texts, and his way of writing is nothing like the many of those wannabe authors whose books I 've come across in the past. Some of the findings in this book may be offensive to some people, but serious scholars will recognize its value if they read its contents.
12 of 13 found the following review helpful:
First read the book and then... Oct 19, 2006
By Nicholas A. Kinney
"Open mind"
I read the three most recent reviews about the Delos book. All three "reviewers" seem determined to convince us that the book is worthles--without giving any reasons to support their judgement. They probably never bought or read the book. "Quantum" invokes St.Paul who condemns "false apostles, deceitful workers" who like "Satan disguise themselves as angels of light." Apparently "Quantum" wants to tell us that Delos is one of them! "James" finds the book "intriguing but erroneous." Not one word as to how or why it is "erroneous." G.Glenn" speaks of "sloopy (sic) scholarship" and goes one step further saying that "actually there isn't any scolarship to be seen." What about the 640 endnotes, most of them from the books of the New Testamentand other sources. What about the copious notes at the end of each Chapter? Apparently Mr. Gless never saw them.
I think I know what's happening here. These "reviewers" want to kil the book, pure and simple. Unlike other recent books like the Da Vinci Code or the Judas Gospel which deal with apocryphal text of questionable validity or origin, the Delos book is grounded on the canonical texts of the Bible. The Church leaders could ignore the other books but the Delos book is different. It is factual, it is documented by chapter and verse. It does not deal with wild theories. And it brings out already existed in the Scriptures but was ignored by the theologians. Such evidence is hard to refure or ignore. Easier to dismiss it with a couple of choice words!
I read the book. Yes, it raises questions about important Christian beliefs and gives a different, new picture of the origins of Christianity and the primary role of St. Paul. But I agree with Delos that Christianity is not the rituals and the supernatural happenings. It is the moral message. I believe the Delos book will prove to be one of the really important books of our time. But to write an honest review one has to READ it first.
9 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Dr. Shuffhausen's Review is Derived From a Press Release. Mar 16, 2006
By Theodore Perros
Dr. Emil Shuffhausen (a pen name) has committed an egregious violation of literary ethics by composing a review of "Myths We Live By: From the Life and Times of Jesus and Paul" by Andrew C. Delos, based on the text of a Press Release from the Publisher rather than reading the book in its entirety, or even skimming through it at breakneck speed. The evidence is crystal clear as the following examples reveal:
1. Dr. Emil Shuffhausen wrote: ".....and the author of several books published by Oxford University Press, Syracuse University Press, Scribner's, Wadsworth, and Brooks-Cole."
This is a verbatim segment extracted from the Press Release which I also received as he did.
Question for Dr. Shuffhausen: Since reference to these publishers is cited ONLY in the Press Release, and NOT in the Book, it is clear that the source is the Press Release. Why do you not convey the fact that the information came from a source other than the Book, i.e., the Press Release?
2. Dr. Emil Shuffhausen (a pen name) included the following bullet statements in his review:
* Jesus was not born in Bethlehem.
* St. Peter was never in Rome.
* It was St. Paul who turned Jesus into the "Son of God".
* Jesus was never a "Christian" as we understand the term today.
* Jesus wasn't dead when he was taken down from the Cross.
These bullets are a verbatim extract NOT from the Book, but from the Press Release.
3. Dr. Emil Shuffhausen (a pen name) wrote: "So, WAS Jesus dead when He was removed from the Cross? According to many eyewitnesses who saw Him tormented mercilessly for many hours, including St. John, He was. According to the Roman soldier who shoved a sword into the side and heart of Jesus, just to make sure, He was. According to the Roman soldiers who guarded His tomb, He was."
Dr. Emil Shuffhausen, did you read pages 48 to 56 in the Book and the related footnotes? Obviously not. Please get a copy of the book and read it from beginning to end as I have. You will understand the reason your review is a travesty and an abject disservice to anyone who reads it, let alone raising serious questions as to the value of the other 300 reviews you have written.
As an academician (emeritus), I am stunned that Dr. Shuffhausen failed to mention the author's incredibly exhaustive eleven year research ( information NOT included in the Press Release, but, of course, mentioned in the Book) of the ancient and modern sources including the New Testament in the original Greek language in which he is fluent, and citing 630 end notes to provide a richness of documentation such that every reader can make a judgment as to the validity of his assertions. The author's intellectual pursuit to uncover and reveal new perspectives on the lives of Jesus and Paul will unquestionably elevate this elegant contribution to the Christian heritage and religion to a level of literary acclaim not seen for any book of this genre for decades.
An assignment of a five star status to this Book is far less than it merits. Once it becomes known, it will rise in every Book list and achieve the number one status that it deserves.
Pierre Perrot
Chicago, IL
15 of 20 found the following review helpful:
Myths we live by...From the life and times of Jesus and Paul Mar 20, 2006
By Michael Cary
"Michael Cary"
Curiously having read "The DeVinci Code" through a couple of times about a year apart, I was surprised at the hullabaloo created by the primise in that book of fiction. What was more curious, was how little the Catholic church paid it publically. With my curiousity tweeked, along comes "Myths we live by" by an unknown author by the name of Andrew C. Delos. "Myths" continued by journey but, on a non-fiction ride, to understanding my history of my religion better. The unfolding story of the course of events has given me a deeper feeling about my faith. The facts surrounding Paul, the real creator of modern Christianity and not the Peter who Catholics believe was the early orgainizer. Paul, the hero for Christ. The pains Delos takes and the research, will not be truly appriciated, till I've re-read "Myths" many more times and taken the time to compare with his research. This will be an ongoing project and I truly recommend "Myths" to all who enjoy great history and religion. Well done Mr. Delos!
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Christianity - the real story Jul 19, 2007
By Edward Daniels
This book by Andrew Delos (not his real name) is the best history of early Christianity that I have ever read - and I have been researching this topic for years. I've read the Bible and I've read many books and listened to audio courses on how Christianity developed. But I have never read anything so comprehensive and believable as this analysis. Delos references biblical text, the Dead Sea scrolls and other historical documents and archeological findings and stitches them together to tell the story of the historical Jesus and the development of the church. While not everyone is interested in this topic, and many let their religion get in the way of their curiosity, I highly recommend this book to anyone with an open mind about how one of the major world religions really evolved into its present form.
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