Man was created in God’s image. But evolution has changed us. Our genetic code has been ripped, torn and reshaped through the generations. Now, a small town is plagued with grizzly corpses, the result of forces beyond any sane persons understanding. Behind these deaths lie mysteries as old as man himself ... secrets that must be kept at any cost. This bizarre series of deaths has a U.S. Marshal caught between the Guardians of man’s future and his duty to protect. From the beginning of time comes this tale of unprecedented mystery, religious fervor, and mystical powers. It winds you through the worlds of Government intrigue ... through the secrets of man’s creation and exposes powers carefully guarded throughout the centuries that will ensure man’s survival. String theory proved the existence of other dimensions and universes. Reaching them may be our only hope for survival and genetic code carried by descendents of Jesus and Mary Magdalene may be our only hope of reaching them in time.
It shall come at the End of Days. To look upon those whose retribution was not served by his Cloak of Death and God’s final wrath shall turn his disappointments to dust. It will occur in the blink of an eye and strike with such force as to crack the earth and spill the evil of man into the heavens. None shall rejoice that his plan is complete, for none shall be left to do so.
from the parchments of Rennes-le-Château)
Excerpt
Benny looked down at his students, making eye contact with each of them. “There was a lot of talk behind Saunière’s back following his return from Paris. People wanted to know how he had acquired his newfound wealth. My belief is that Saunière was paid for his silence by the Catholic Church. I think Saunière discovered more parchments after deciphering the clues left by Abbé Antonie Bigou and that it was these parchments that were discussed with high-ranking members of the Church during his visit to Paris. If these documents showed the linage of Jesus Christ -- which is what I have reason to believe -- the release of this information would’ve undermined the base of Catholic credo and possibly ended Christianity as we know it today. This gave the Church a very strong reason for keeping the information secret, even if they had to pay handsomely for Saunière’s silence.”
A murmur rose from the students at his feet. “What are you saying, Dr. Hostetter”? some unidentified voice in the crowed exclaimed.
“I’m saying that Saunière had proof that Jesus Christ didn’t die on the cross, proof that Jesus Christ survived the crucifixion and escaped to the South of France where he married Mary Magdalene and had children who became the Merovingian dynasty of kings.”
A roar of dissension and confusion rose around Benny. Some of the members of his class -- who came from France’s most prominent Catholic families -- jumped to their feet and started shouting at him.
“Calm down……calm down!” Benny shouted back at them, waving his hands to indicate that they should return to their seats on the grassy hillside. “I didn’t mean that I believe Jesus Christ survived his crucifixion. I meant that Saunière believed it. Not only Saunière, but a lot of other people.”
The students who had risen to their feet began settling back to the ground. Many of them were still frowning.
“Remember people. Archaeology is the scientific pursuit of truth,” Benny said accusingly. “We don’t judge truth, we just seek it out, wherever we find it and wherever it may lead us. You need to leave your prejudices at home. Even religious ones.”
The students quieted and Benny re-crossed his legs in the folding chair.
“Now, back to what I was telling you. The assumption we’re working under is that Saunière discovered documents he believed to be the genealogical record of Jesus Christ.
“From a historical point of view, Saunière knew that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene were both legitimate nobility from the Judaic Houses of Benjamin and David, making their children attractive additions to any house of questionable royal status. For the purpose of hypothesizing, assume that his heirs married into the Visigoth families of the time and gave birth to the sacred Merovingian ruling family. It’s even possible that the Visigoths of the area were also descended from the House of Benjamin, which fled to the Arcadia region of Greece and then north into France a thousand years earlier. We know the Merovingians weren’t wiped out by the Carolingians and that their lineage survives in some of the other royal families of Europe today.”
Benny paused for a moment and scratched at his rather large nose. The sun was almost gone and high-pressure sodium lights were adding a yellow tinge to the landscape around them.
“Go back and read your notes about Le Prieuré de Sion, the secret society determined to implement a Merovingian restoration in France. If Saunière were an agent of Sion it would explain a lot of the things that happened around here. However, one of the things it won’t explain is what happened at Saunière’s death.”
Benny rubbed at the back of his neck and gazed at the sky for a moment. “Before Saunière died in 1917, he called for a priest to administer the ‘Last Rites’,” Benny said, looking back down at his students. “After hearing Saunière’s confession, the priest refused to give him absolution. This is a pretty severe punishment in the Catholic Church. There’s no record of what Saunière told the priest, but it must have made him very upset to refuse Saunière --- another priest --- absolution.
Professional Reviews
The Jesus Gene
The truth has been discovered in an archeological dig: Jesus didn’t die. In the first in a series about Other World, James Mays has drawn together historical myth, Satanic Cult, metaphysical speculation and modern science in a setting of intrigue and danger. Jesus escaped death, fled to the south of France and married Mary Magdalene. Of course, the Catholic Church can’t afford to let that be known, so they’ve become bodyguards to the secret.
The real work behind the scenes takes place in Barlow Springs, Arkansas, at the National Center for Carcinogen Research where the descendants of Mary Magdalene are translating the library of documents and fragments that were unearthed in the scandalous dig. In accordance with the Directive, Sid MacMillan and Sandra Wang, the leaders of the NCCR, are planning to end this world, even as they save as many people as possible by transporting them to the Other World.
Plans are nearing completion when Dr. Kyle Corbin is brought in. Part of a Witness Protection Program, Corbin comes with his compliment of Federal Marshal Stephen Gibson. Sid and Sandra’s plans are complicated when the marshal learns about the body of Dr. Maury Furman, who worked at the NCCR. The shriveled, mummified nature of the body arouses his curiosity, and curiosity about the work of the NCCR is exactly what Sid and Sandra don’t need. In fact to stop it they are willing to kill, again.
The Jesus Gene and its surprise ending is enjoyable. If the subject matter is of interest to the reader, he will be looking forward to the rest of the series.
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