The Body

De: Richard Ben Sapir

Narrado por: Sasha Dunbrooke

A 2,000-year-old skeleton discovered in Jerusalem, and believed to be the body of Jesus Christ, threatens to destroy the Church and plunge the world into chaos.

In a hidden tomb in the ancient city of Jerusalem, the skeleton of a man who died two millennia ago is uncovered by Israeli archaeologist Sharon Golban and her team. The body bears the unmistakable marks of crucifixion; an inscription written in Aramaic identifies the remains as belonging to the "King of the Jews". It is a discovery that could rock the civilized world - inciting riots, toppling governments, and destroying the very foundations of the Christian Church - if it is truly the unrisen body of Jesus Christ.

Dispatched by the Vatican to investigate in secret, Jesuit priest and former US Marine Jim Folan joins Dr. Golban in a frantic race to uncover the truth. The shocking revelations that await them will test his beliefs, his will, and his sanity as never before - leading Father Folan and his beautiful, brilliant partner into forbidden temptations while casting them both into a roaring maelstrom of fanatical faith and deadly politics.

The Body is an ingenious "what if" tale that combines action, science, discovery, romance, and spirituality. Acclaimed author Richard Ben Sapir envelops the listener in the rich atmosphere of the mysterious and volatile Middle East while providing an enthralling adventure certain to provoke deep thought and inspire debate.

©1983 Richard Ben Sapir; This edition published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc. (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Interesting idea, preferred the film

I really like the premise of this story, and I absolutely love the film adaptation starring Antonio Banderas and Derek Jacobi. The film updated the era and the political issues to those contemporary with the film’s production and changed the MC’s backstory and name to accommodate Banderas. In many ways though it was an incredibly faithful adaptation with many scenes, story beats, and swaths of dialogue being transferred almost verbatim to the film.

The biggest difference was the relationship between the priest and Sharon the archeologist, which in the film was sweetly platonic but in the book was highly, graphically sexual. The book was written through a “male lens” so the first half of the book seemed so obsessed with Sharon’s stunningly perfect body, I at times wondered which body the book had been named for. I personally found the “romance” tedious and Sharon’s quarrelsome petulance wearisome. I enjoyed Jim, the priest, for the most part, and the exploration of true faith through a different lens. I’m glad I read it, but I do prefer the movie. Almost everything the book does well, the film does a little bit better.
Gorgeously read.

great book!

-1 star for the disappointing ending, but all the rest of it was great. irl id give it 4.5/5

Great story

I think I loved the story because being Catholic I wanted to know more. I wanted to believe in what I thought I knew from teachings. As usual I just have to keep believing. This story left me wishing a much different outcome but it could be believable.