Includes bibliographical references (pages 371-381) and index.

A journey into the heart of Christianity that explores the mysterious and often paradoxical lives and legacies of the Twelve Apostles -- a book both for those of the faith and for others who seek to understand Christianity from the outside in. Peter, Matthew, Thomas, John: Who were these men? What was their relationship to Jesus? Tom Bissell provides answers to these ancient, elusive questions. He examines not just who these men were (and weren't), but also how their identities have taken shape over the course of two millennia. Ultimately, Bissell finds that the story of the apostles is the story of early Christianity: its competing versions of Jesus's ministry, its countless schisms, and its ultimate evolution from an obscure Jewish sect to the global faith we know today in all its forms and permutations. In his quest to understand the underpinnings of the world's largest religion, Bissell embarks on a years-long pilgrimage to the supposed tombs of the Twelve Apostles. He travels from Jerusalem and Rome to Turkey, Greece, Spain, France, India, and Kyrgyzstan, capturing the rich diversity of Christianity's worldwide reach. Along the way, he engages with a host of characters -- priests, paupers, a Vatican archaeologist, a Palestinian taxi driver, a Russian monk -- posing questions that range from the religious to the philosophical to the political.

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