Mythos Christos
1. What inspired you to write your
book?
In the last 20 years,
nonfiction works concerning the origin of Christianity—some by experts, some
not so scholarly— have experienced a significant upsurge. I developed a taste
for this information and devoured these books one after the other. But though I
found this material fascinating and at times shocking, I knew most people would
not be as apt to pry open these often massive tomes of historical knowledge.
I wrote Mythos
Christos to share what I learned about ancient mythology and its influence
on the roots of Christianity that the majority of readers are unlikely to come
upon. The difference is I put it in a format far more appealing and digestible
to reach a broader sweep of readers—fiction. Who doesn’t like a good story?
My novel is difficult to pigeonhole, as it slashes across
several genres: historical fiction,
suspense, thriller, archaeological adventure, and conspiracy. There are even
elements of mystery, complete with an Athenian gumshoe hot on the trail of
miscreants.
2. What is it about?
The
year 391:
Roman Emperor Theodosius issues a decree that only one religion would
hence be recognized—Christianity. Pagan worship will no longer be tolerated.
Even to move one’s lips to a false idol is deemed a criminal offense. At the
behest of Alexandria, Egypt’s archbishop, the Christian mob swarms the city,
gleefully destroying all things pagan.
When the Neoplatonist philosopher and teacher Hypatia of
Alexandria witnesses the razing of the Serapeum, a seven-century-old temple to
the Greco-Egyptian god Serapis, along with its annex library, she wonders if
the Great Library of Alexandria will suffer a similar fate.
Hypatia takes measures to preserve selected scrolls and
codices from any subsequent purges, especially what the Church considered
forbidden knowledge—certain telling documents concerning the hidden origins of
Christianity. In order to prevent the uninitiated from discovering her trove of
manuscripts, she sets up a series of burials governed by actual linguistic and
geometrical riddles which must be solved to gain access. Only a philaletheion,
a truth-seeker steeped in Platonist mysticism and Pythagorean mathematics,
could hope to solve her sequence of puzzles.
21st century: A young American Rhodes Scholar and student
of paleography, Lex Thomasson, is asked to join a team of Vatican archivists to
help them advance through what they came to realize was Hypatia’s long dormant
treasure hunt. Utilizing a cipher known as gematria, Lex demonstrates his
unique talents by unlocking the secrets along the trail.
Soon, however, Lex becomes suspicious of the group’s motives
and flees, only to find them and a hired cabal of assassins converging on the
final cache. The archaeological adventure continues from Alexandria to Eleusis
and Delphi in Greece, and finally Heliopolis, Egypt.
Mythos
Christos is really two tales in one, and the scene alternates
between the timelines. The reader will be intrigued to learn some curious
mathematical relationships that exist in the very names of the Greek gods and,
weirdly, even within some of the Gospel narratives themselves!
3. What do you hope will be the
everlasting thoughts for readers who finish your book?
I’d like the reader
to come away with the understanding that though myths and legends may
encapsulate certain insights about human nature and the psyche, most of
them—even those which eventually became world religions—were originally infused
with metaphor and never meant to be taken as literal truth.
To quote Hypatia:
“Fables should be taught as fables, myths as myths, and miracles as poetic
fantasies. To teach superstitions as truth is a most terrible thing.”
4. What advice do you have for writers?
Write what you know for
which you have a deep and abiding passion. For me it became an obsession, a
burning secret which warmed me during the long years of creating this
controversial story.
5. Where do you think the book
publishing industry is heading?
Due in large part to
the digital revolution, the publishing world is undergoing sweeping changes.
While indie publishers and eBooks are steadily on the rise, brick and mortar
establishments are on the decline. Despite this, the end of the paperback is
nowhere in sight. Too many readers still love to hold the physical copy in
their hands and deeply inhale the fresh new, or moldering old, scent of books.
6. What challenges did you have in
writing your book?
As half of my novel
takes place in ancient Alexandria, Egypt, it can be categorized as historical
fiction. As such, I had to research the historical and cultural milieu to
portray it with precision. I also had to steep myself in ancient mythology, Neoplatonist
mysticism, astro-theology, Pythagorean geometry, and even alchemy. This took
many years.
Then I had to find
ancient linguistic and mathematical riddles, and create new ones, and install
them into the text as the treasure hunt moved along— an endeavor far more
challenging than writing a standard novel.
7. If people can only buy one book this
month, why should it be yours?
While the separation
between church and state is ever threatened by literalist believers, my book
will help to increase awareness by way of an example of such folly—the
oppressive theocracy Hypatia railed against in ancient Alexandria.
Have you ever heard
of a novel that questions the historical existence of Christ? I haven’t either,
even after an exhaustive search. In this way it is unique. The story itself is
an adventure, featuring a rich variety of fictional characters and actual
historical figures.
As Mythos Christos challenges preconceived
spiritual notions and invites debate, it has already been selected as reading
material for at least one book club so far.
About Edwin Herbert:
He is president of his local freethought society, has been a regular op-ed
newspaper columnist on topics concerning science, skepticism and the mythical
roots of various religions. He has a busy optometric practice in Wisconsin,
where he lives with his wife in their empty nest. Mythos Christos is his debut novel.
For more information, please see: www.MythosChristos.com.
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