Book Review: The Constantine Codex by Paul L. Maier

I remember reading Paul Maier's book called A Skeleton in God's Closet years ago. It was a little strange, but pretty good. But I didn't realize that he had written another one entitled More than a Skeleton. And I didn't know until I began reading The Constantine Codex that it had the same characters, ones that I did not remember, nor the story line (at least not enough to link it to this book). However, I pressed on and read and in the long run it did not seem to matter.

The Constantine Codex is about a couple who are archaeologists who find an ancient manuscript that contains writings which could change Christianity forever: writings that seem to be parts of the Bible that have been hidden for hundreds of years. And when the codex is stolen, they are in a race for their lives to find it and prove to the world that it is authentic.   

I was intrigued by the premise of the book, but a little disturbed by the implication that there is more to the Bible out there than what we have had for centuries. I'm not sure how I would feel if this actually happened today. I like to believe that we now have all of the Scriptures that God intended for us to have. So I found it somewhat difficult to read.

The writing seemed stilted at times. Some parts didn't quite fit, like when the author jumped out of third person narrative to slip in little jokes or comments that broke the flow of the story. 

I did like the parts that described the close relationship of Jon and Shannon (the husband and wife team). It was a sweet marriage and a great partnership. 

I give The Constantine Codex 3 out of 5 stars.

(I received this book from Glass Road for review purposes. I received no monetary compensation for this review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.)

Dr. Paul L. Maier is The Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University. His novels include two historical documentaries: Pontius Pilate and The Flames of Rome, as well as a theological thriller that became #1 national bestseller in religious fiction: A Skeleton in God's Closet.  A sequel,More Than a Skeleton, appeared in 2003. His non-fiction works include In the Fullness of Time, Josephus - The Essential Works, andEusebius -- The Church.  More than five million Maier books are now in print in twenty languages, as well as over 250 scholarly articles and reviews in professional journals. He has also penned seven children's books, and produced three four-hour video series dealing with Jesus, St. Paul, and the early church.