Dear & Glorious Physician

Dear And Glorious Physician, a novel by Taylor Caldwell, is about St. Luke. In the introduction, the author claims to have read over 1,000 books to research the life of Luke, one of the authors of the New Testament. I have my doubts about the quality of the research.

I know the reviews at Amazon are overwhelmingly positive. I also know this book is considered a classic. And yet, I had a really hard time reading this book. And perhaps this is one example of how reading about a Christian figure from a different Christian perspective can cause difficulty.

The story starts with the assumption that modern Christianity existed long before Christ was actually born. This pre-Christ Christianity persisted in secret societies of believers primarily made up of scientists, physicians, and philosophers. Never mind that Christ was a Jew born to Jewish parents. Never mind that Christianity actually started after Christ was killed. The author does other things that I had a hard time swallowing, but won't elaborate here.

It's too bad because I think the author is a gifted writer and storyteller. This is just one case where my personal interpretations got in the way of the story. I couldn't get past page 100. It would appear that many of the author's books are based on similar Christian views, so I will probably move on.

Book Rating: 2 1/2 stars


Up next: A non-fiction break with Wikinomics.