An enjoyable “what if” read.
Many thanks to The Book Whisperer and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The text describes the finding of a text that could be prior to the gospels we know and the church does not want to be revealed.

The Anonymous Scribe Vatican Chronicles Book 2 by John I. Rigoli and Diane Cummings

375 Pages
Publisher: The Book Whisperer
Release Date: March 15 ,2022

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspicion, Biblical Times

The Scribe is young having just finished his training. His first assignment is to find Yeshua, follow him, and record his words and deeds. The priests want to use this knowledge against Yeshua and stop his preaching.

In present day, there is a search for the Secret Temple Scroll. No one know for sure if it even exists or if it is a long-held rumor. Suddenly first century coins begin to appear in Paris, France. When a former Mossad trained team is sent to Paris to investigate, they find the seller is an elderly priest and follow him to St Denis Basilica.

This book is very well written. It is fast paced, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. The story jumps back and forth between the ancient past to current day. I found it thought provoking and intriguing. If you liked the DaVinci Code, you would enjoy this book.

I really wanted to like this book, as I was quite intrigued by the setting and the plot, but unfortunately I couldn't "get into it". The writing style wasn't for me and there was also some critical inaccuracy (I think accuracy it's crucial when writing a historical book, even if it's fiction or fantasy), such as the spelling of YAHWEH. An observant Jew would never pronounce the four letter of God (YHWH), let alone Caiaphas who was high priest at the time of Jesus. Apart from that, I am sure many people will like this book, but it just wansn't for me.

Written with two different timelines, one current day among current events, and the other back in Yeshua's time with the anonymous scribe. The premise is that a young scribe, fresh out of schooling, is tasked with collecting a testimonial account of Yeshua's words and actions, and boy does he do just that. The modern day collection of individuals thrown together gives almost the same feel as the crew from the National Treasure movies, but instead of the two teams racing to find the treasure for notoriety, it's a crew lead by a Jewish man versus the church, the Vatican church, of all things, as to expose a scroll written not 30 or so years after Yeshua's death, but ... during the time he was living, that would/could/should alter the course of the church, Christianity, and Israel. I didn't realize when reading this that this was the second book in a series, the first being The Mystery of Julia Episcopa, but it didn't matter in reading of this book, meaning it stood alone on it's own, though now I have to read the first book myself. Very well done and thoroughly enjoyable to read.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

The Anonymous Scribe by John I Rigoli and Diane Cummings is a sympathetic, well-written treatment of the life of Christ by an anonymous scribe who travels with him, witnessed his death, and then continued to document the growth of the movement for years after. The scrolls her left would be the only first person account of any of his life, and a rendering of his words as they were spoken. A team of archeologists, some wanting to debunk Christianity, has teamed up to find these scrolls, or however many of them exist. The representative of the Church is violently opposed to any such discovery and intends to bury it deep. Interestingly, it is a Catholic priest who proves to be most helpful.

The story wavers between the first century and current day and it is the first century that is the most interesting. As we all know, Christ never claimed to be God or the Son of God. He was a teacher. The way this is written also made him a man. It was easy to read, and easy to believe. Of course, it is fiction, but I want to believe it they kept looking they would find the equivalent of these scrolls and share with the world. Both are highly unlikely. It doesn't paint a bad picture of the Church, but certainly some in power. It was a good book, kept me interested and engaged and taught me some things. It also made me, again, question authority. No sure if that is good or not.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Anonymous Scribe by Book Whisperer, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #netgalley #bookwhisperer #johnirigoli #dianecummings #theanonymousscribe

Book Review: The Anonymous Scribe, The Vatican Chronicles #2
by John I. Rigoli, Diane Cummings
Published March 15, 2022 by The Book Whisperer

★★★☆☆ (3.25 Stars) Mixed rating!

For a short volume, this book delivered much more substance than I expected. And while I can appreciate that through his writing author John Rigoli seeks to advance his causes as an "unabashed social justice advocate and outspoken liberal", focused, as it appears, on women's inequality issues, particularly vis-à-vis the hierarchy of the Church, his activism simply distracts the reader, and weakens the power and magic of his story.

First published in 2009, Book 2, "The Anonymous Scribe" is presented as a prequel to Book 1, "The Mystery of Julia Episcopa" (2016), with both volumes repackaged as the "Vatican Chronicles".

Although the term "Vatican" is used, the series is presented as historical fiction, not Christian fiction. Rather, a secular and fictional reenactment of certain biblical events.

Set in dual timelines, the biblical premise of "The Anonymous Scribe" is quite compelling. The present-day parts of the book, not as much.

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AD 30, Jerusalem.
An anonymous Pharisee from Sepphoris pens two important works on papyri. One which may have lead to the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. The other, quite possibly the first gospel in early Christianity.

The scribe had met the man from Galilee and was entrusted by the Sanhedrin to expose and destroy Him as a fraud.

Then he walked with Him for three years.

And found himself in the presence of his Lord and Savior.

(Powerful!)

After the death and crucifixion of Christ, the scribe is given refuge by a Roman noblewoman. They flee to the a town near Pompeii, at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. Her name was Julia Lucinia.

She would be later known as Julia Episcopa. (Book 1)

Centuries later, the anonymous scribe's first scroll is discovered.

Now coined the "Secret Temple Scroll", the ancient parchment sends certain parties into a frenzy. Each to their own design...

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The name Jesus appears to be anathema to the author(s) of this book. "Yeshua" is the name ascribed so as to somehow render an "authentic" Hebrew /Aramaic flavor. Yet, the protagonist scribe isn't given an Aramaic name, nor is his profession referenced in Aramaic. Nor are the apostles or any else given theirs. "Yeshua" directly addresses the scribe in the English "scribe". Impersonal, awkward.

And even in present-day, modern era scenarios in the book, the name "Yeshua" is superficially substituted for Jesus.

The book talks little of the miracles. And the one time it expounds on one, the scribe writes as though Jesus himself were surprised and astounded by his "accidental" feat.

One example of advocacy comes in the persona of the bride of the wedding in Cana blest by the presence of Jesus, Mary, his mother, and the apostles, where Jesus performs the miracle of water into wine. (John 2:1-11) The bride in this book is transformed into a liberated woman who flees from her husband (seeks a divorce in modern parlance), and is subsequently found in Jesus' entourage in time to try to seduce the scribe.

A powerful story, completely ruined by an agenda.

Review based on an advanced reading copy courtesy of The Book Whisperer and NetGalley.

Told in two timelines. I enjoyed the ancient timelkne more than present day one. Both well written but the scribes timeline was far more interesting. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I would like to thank the authors and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC free for an honest review. A young man from goes to the city of Jerusalem to be educated as a scribe. Soon after returning home to Galilee in AD 30, he is tasked by the church elders with getting close to a man to see whether or not his preaching goes against the church's teaching. He starts traveling around and is beaten by two Roman soldiers, from which he never really recovers. He travels around the country and soon goes to a town where Yeshua is going to speak and after that he becomes Yeshua’s scribe. He comes to love Yeshua and his disciples. This is both Scribe’s story (he is never named but goes by ‘Scribe’) and the story of the archeologists who find his Secret Temple Scroll in the current day. Although I don’t usually read religious stories and didn’t realize this was one until I saw that this is Book 2 of The Vatican Chronicles, once I started reading it, I continued, as it’s a good mystery. I liked it, thought it was written well and the characters were interesting.

* I did notice a couple of errors. On page 281, it says the Scribe is in Rome, but then on page 284 it says, "In time, he grew accustomed to the noise and heat of Jerusalem outside the temple grounds." That was confusing

Also, on page 320 it says "...almost forgetting her involvement in the entire event. S" The "S" should be removed.

A sequel to "The Mystery of Julia Episcopa", "The Anonymous Scribe" by John I. Rigoli and Diane Cummings is a prime example for both strengths and weaknesses a sequel can have.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS FOR BOTH "THE MYSTERY OF JULIA EPISCOPA" AND "THE ANONYMOUS SCRIBE".

One the one hand side, the novel succeeds in expanding on the many beloved characters from its predecessor. The story's starting point felt like a natural continuation of "Julia Episcopa", expanding on the groundwork laid of the first novel in terms of lore - something I desperately longed for after finishing "Julia Episcopa".
On the other hand, Rigoli and Cummings tried to one-up the first novel in this sequel (as many sequels do): Showing Jesus (Yeshua) himself in the past-timeline, and merging the archeology of the present-timeline with a spy thriller plot that feels like a mixture of "Mission: Impossible", "National Treasure" and Dan Brown. In my mind, both of these "expansions" did not necessarily serve the book: Including (at least some of) Yeshua's miracles as facts, the novel chose to take a side on the question of "Is christian religion right?", which to me weakened its content and alienated it from an agnostic reality. Similarly, the spy action part, while entertaining, took the novel (and therefore the entire series) to a place where I no longer believed it to be a possible reality. This footing in the real world was one of the major strengths of the first novel.
A (though small) further alienation for me was the fact, that our past-time main character "Scribe" never gets a name - a creative decision that I felt made sense in "Julia Episcopa" (at a later point in his life), but not as a young man in "Anonymous Scribe" even when he is with his family.

Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. The plot certainly kept me on the edge of my seat for large parts, and I do hope I'll get to read a third entry in the "Vatican Chronicles" series at some point. "The Anonymous Scribe" receives 3.5/5 stars from me.

I would like to thank the authors & the publisher for allowing me to read a digital review copy via NetGalley.

An enjoyable story which is split into two separate timelines. The tale of the anonymous scribe journeying with the first century disciples is well written and is the better of the two halves of the book. The present day section telling of the discovery of one of the scribe's scrolls is a political and archaeological thriller pitting academia against the Vatican - this section is faster paced but doesn't have the same free flowing style of the ancient story.

Overall this was an entertaining read that would appeal to fans of Dan Brown or anyone who enjoys a good story that is well told.

Although this is part two of a trilogy it is perfectly self contained and reads well as a stand alone novel

The second installment of The Vatican Chronicles, THE ANONYMOUS SCRIBE is an excellent follow-on to THE MYSTERY OF JULIA EPISCOPA. It continues the tale of Yeshua as told by his contemporary chronicler known first as Young Scribe, then simply as Scribe. The son of a Jewish family, trained in his craft at the Temple in Jerusalem, Scribe tells us, in his own words, of his gradual conversion to the ways of the Christian sect. His assignment, upon graduation from Temple training, is to collect paid testimony from those people who have heard Yeshua speak. He finds nothing in the teachings to be counter to religious law.

Once again, the archaeologists Valentina Vella and Erika Simone, disgraced in THE MYSTERY OF JULIA EPISCOPA by the machinations of the Roman Catholic Church, are caught up in international intrigue surrounding a rumored Secret Temple Scroll (STS).

Anyone with an interest in religious history will find the books in The Vatican Chronicles a compelling and thought-provoking treatise on the what ifs… what if there are written documents contemporary with the life of Yeshua? … what if the Gospels, written decades after the crucifixion, are not the oldest records of the life of Yeshua? … what if the teachings of Yeshua put women on an equal footing with men? Like Dan Brown's books featuring Robert Langdon, The Vatican Chronicles paint a picture of the Catholic church putting it on a par with any secular government. Crime and corruption are prominent at the highest levels of power because if they practiced the teachings, their church, their wealth, and their power would crumble.

Although THE ANONYMOUS SCRIBE, does not end on a cliffhanger, it is obvious that there is more to the story.
I would have preferred a tome rather than a series (trilogy?) to eliminate the need to repeat portions of one book in another, and to present the tale as a cohesive whole.

An interesting take on the life of Jesus as seen through a young Jewish scribe. There are scenes in the book from ancient time and modern times as archaeologists believe they’ve found the scribe’s work and the Vatican tries to thwart its publication. Fans of Dan Brown’s works might enjoy this book.

Thankyou to NetGalley, The Book Whisperer, and the authors, John Rigoli and Diane Cummings, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of The Anonymous Scribe in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Such a good read.
I was enraptured from the opening pages. Vivid imagery and an intriguing storyline makes for a really good read.
Worth a read.