The Secret Scroll

I too, found this book to be an excellent effort by this first-time author. It provided intrigue, excellent research, a rich historical background, and I found it to be a thoroughly entertaining page- turner. For the first time in a very long time, I was reading a book I could not put down, until my vision was so blurred that I could no longer see to read. I am so tired of every critic comparing books with this subject to the "DaVinci Code," they may all share the same subject and be a combination of mystery and suspense, but they are not the same. Man has been fascinated about Jesus and will be until all life ends. The period before and after the birth of Christ will always be a subject for speculation because we know so little. We do know, that the Catholic Church has documents hidden that it feels they must protect from being known; if they had their way, we would not have the few texts that we have from the Dead Sea Scrolls. Do they not realize that it is their very secrecy that fuels our desire for novels such as this? While reading this book I felt like I was in Israel, especially Old and New Jerusalem, a land filled with so much history and violence. There is nowhere else on Earth that had been fought over so much, all in the name of religion. The only thing that has changed in the last 2,000 years, are the weapons. We are now capable killing in great number with little effort. "The Secret Scroll" tells us what we already know, but manage to ignore; our planet is dying, plants and animals are becoming extinct. The one thing that has not changed, man is killing man. After finishing this novel, I realized again how precious faith is and everyone's right to his or her own beliefs. "We must all choose between good and evil, small things can be forgiven, but forgiveness must be earned. Religion and or faith are not an excuse to kill one another and those that use scriptures or any religious teachings to do so are risking the eternal loss of their soul." These are a few points that I feel the author tried to subtly or not point out.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading "The Secret Scroll". In fact, I was on a flight home and was dismayed when we landed because I didn't want to stop reading it. I think it was a fantastic first novel, Mr. Cutler obviously spent many hours doing research, and I loved the historical references. I equally loved the relationship between Josh and Danielle. I thought the characters were believeable and real. I am looking forward to a sequel!

This was the funniest book I've read in years, intentionally or not. Picture "The DaVinci Code" acted by Monty Python, guest-starring on a special hour-long episode of the old Batman television series. The dialog is pure Adam West, and every time the author referred to the evil Guardians' "subterranean hideout", I nearly died laughing. Batman's utility belt is here embodied in the hero Josh's supernatural powers, which slowly reveal themselves throughout the novel -- always, conveniently, in a form that will help the narrative out of a tight corner. There are also a diversity of high- (and low-) tech gadgets, appearing as deus ex machinae just at the point where the television narrator would implore us to join him again, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel! The humor is enhanced by the genuinely realistic and well-researched backdrop of contemporary Jerusalem and its surrounding areas. In all seriousness, the places, and institutions of the modern-day Holy Land are brought to life in meticulous detail. I suspect the author could write some engaging non-fiction, because his eye for scenery and architecture is quite good. The plot and the characters are a laugh riot, but they unfold and move about in a realistic world.

Ronald Cutler wrote an exciting, riveting novel of suspense and intrigue combining several fascinating concepts, archaeology, a secret society, and an extraordinairy discovery: a secret scroll dating back to the time of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. If the scroll was deemed authentic, it could rock and shake Christianity and Judaism, making them rethink some of their assumptions. The plot is well written using ancient historical events, Biblical intrigues, a fascinating religious cult, all set in modern day Israel, along with including a romance that develops between two of the leading characters. All of the characters are well fleshed out with unique personalities that have depth and are believable. The book is a nonstop reading experience, holding interest from beginning to the end. Josh Cohan is an experienced and published archaeologst, well respected in his field, who is on leave from the University of Pennsylvania after some controversial events which occured while on assignment in the Yucatan. He is visiting Masada and the hills surrounding the Dead Sea. Josh Cohan experiences a heightened spirituality while viewing this important Jewish historical site. At Masada, Josh recalls several dreams in which he was digging in a cave and made a discovery, but he always had awakened before knowing what he had found. Suddenly he realized, this place was the exact location of his dreams. Moving along some craggy rocks, he saw writing which looked like ancient Aramaic script. He followed the writing, and saw a line which looked like an arrow. He began digging furiously and came upon a hard surface. With great care, he managed to uncover a cylindrical jar, one he knew was used for storage in ancient times. After getting past Israeli security and returning to his hotel, he carefully opened the jar cover and unwrapped its contents: an ancient scroll. What he read shook him to the core. It began by stating the author was Yehoshua son of Yosef who was born in Nazareth, during the reign of Herod the Great. His parents were Yosef and Miriam, devout Jews who followed the laws of Moses. Josh was unsure if the scroll was authentic but he knew for certain, soon he would have to relinquish it to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). By Israeli law, all ancient artifacts discovered in the country belonged to Israel. After photographing the scroll and uploading it to the most secure site he knew, the University of Pennsylvania, Josh made arrangements to meet with Moshe Ben Daniel, an archaeologist with the IAA to discuss his find and arrange for its examination. He had delivered the jar for safe-keeping to the safe of a friend (from high school days), who now lived in Israel and ran an antique store. Moshe Ben Daniel viewed the item and seemed certain it was from the Second Temple period. He arranged for five top archaelogists from different backgrounds who worked in Israel, to meet and develop plans to examine this most unusual find. Not long after discov

Fast paced read, just loved it! Would make a great movie. I believe the message of this book is we are all God's children and we should love and respect each other. Bravo to Cutler!