Book Review: "The Third Testament" by John Eklund

Fred Sankt is a professor at a small Catholic College, and he is also a widower.  He is not used to dreaming, but he has a series of dreams in which a faceless friend informs him that he was chosen to write the Third Testament.

Fred is also coping with a few personal issues:  he is faced with a lawsuit, and his daughter Ellen is facing a health crisis. 

The Old Testament covered from creation and the history of the Jewish people.  The New Testament covered from the birth of Christ and the birth of His Church.  The main idea of the Third Testament is to cover the first 2000 years of Christianity.  Fred includes Martyrs, Saints, Persecutors such as Constantine and Stalin, the Protestant Reformation, apparitions such as Lourdes, Fatima and Guadeloupe.  The writing of the Third Testament actually helps Fred deal with the issues above.

I very much enjoyed Mr. Eklund's writing style.  The characters were especially easy to relate to.  Although I had never thought of a Third Testament,  the way he incorporated it into the story makes the idea seem plausible.  Mr. Eklund is careful to adhere to Church teachings, for example, Fred decides not to include the alleged appararitions at Medjugore because they have not yet been approved by the Church.  Mr. Eklund chooses to leave one loose end, but he also explains why he has left it.

There is a lot of history incorporated in the story,  I would particularly recommend this book for history buffs and those who regularly read the bible. You can get it at iUniverse or on Amazon.com

http://www.iuniverse.com/