by Daniel Silva
The ancient Christian charge of deicide is universally regarded by scholars as the foundation of anti-Semitism. And yet the Second Vatican Council, when issuing its historic repudiation, could not resist including the following seventeen words: “True, authorities of the Jews and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ.” But what source did the bishops use to justify such an unequivocal declaration about an event that took place in a remote corner of the Roman Empire nearly two thousand years earlier? The answer, of course, was that they relied on the accounts of Jesus’ death contained in the four Gospels of the New Testament—the very source of the vicious slander they were at long last disavowing.
Needless to say, the Second Vatican Council did not suggest excising the inflammatory passages from the Christian canon. But Nostra Aetate nevertheless set in motion a scholarly reappraisal of the canonical Gospels that is reflected in the pages of The Order. Christians who believe in biblical inerrancy will no doubt take issue with my description of who the evangelists were and how their Gospels came to be written. Most biblical scholars would not.
No original draft of any of the four canonical Gospels survives, only fragments of later copies. It is widely accepted by scholars that none of the Gospels, with the possible exception of Luke, were written by the men for whom they are named. It was the Apostolic Father Papias of Hierapolis who in the second century provided the earliest extant account of their authorship. And it was Irenaeus, the heresy-hunting leader of the early Church in France, who declared that only four of the many gospels then in circulation were authentic. “And this is obviously true,” he wrote, “because there are four corners of the universe and there are four principal winds.” Paul Johnson, in his monumental history of Christianity, asserted that Irenaeus “knew no more about the origins of the Gospels than we do; rather less, in fact.”
Johnson went on to describe the Gospels as “literary documents” that bear evidence of later tampering, editing, rewriting, and interpolation and backdating of theological concepts. Bart D. Ehrman, the distinguished professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina, contends they are riddled with “discrepancies, embellishments, made-up stories, and historical problems” that mean “they cannot be taken at face value as giving us historically accurate accounts of what really happened.” The Gospels’ depiction of Jesus’ arrest and execution, says Ehrman, “must be taken with a pound of salt.”
Numerous critical biblical scholars and contemporary historians have concluded that the evangelists and their editors in the early Church consciously shifted the blame for Jesus’ death from the Romans to the Jews in order to make Christianity more appealing to gentiles living under Roman rule and less threatening to the Romans themselves. The two primary elements utilized by the Gospel writers to blame Jews for the death of Jesus are the trial before the Sanhedrin and, of course, the tribunal before Pontius Pilate.
The four canonical Gospels each give a slightly different account of the encounter, but it is perhaps most illuminative to compare Mark’s version to Matthew’s. In Mark, Pilate reluctantly sentences Jesus to death at the urging of a Jewish crowd. But in Matthew the crowd has suddenly become “the whole people.” Pilate washes his hands in front of them and declares himself innocent of Jesus’ blood. To which “the whole people” reply, “Let his blood be on us and our children!”
So which version is accurate? Did “the whole people” really shout such an outlandish line without a single dissenting voice, or not? And what about Pilate washing his hands? Did it happen? After all, it is no small detail. Obviously, both accounts cannot be correct. If one is right, the other is necessarily wrong. Some might argue that Matthew is simply more right than Mark, but this is an evasion. A reporter who made such a mistake would surely have been reprimanded by his editor, if not fired on the spot.
The most plausible explanation is that the entire scene is a literary invention. The same is likely the case for the Gospels’ inflammatory accounts of Jesus’ appearance before the Sanhedrin. Religious scholar Reza Aslan, in his riveting biography of Jesus titled Zealot, asserts that the problems with the Gospels’ accounts of a Sanhedrin trial “are too numerous to count.” The late Raymond Brown, a Catholic priest who was widely regarded as the greatest New Testament scholar of the late twentieth century, found twenty-seven discrepancies between the Gospels’ accounts of the trial and rabbinic law. Boston University professor Paula Fredriksen, in her landmark Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, likewise questions the veracity of the Sanhedrin trial. “Between their duties at the Temple and their festive meals at home, these men would have put in a long day already; and besides, what need?” Fredriksen is equally skeptical that there was a tribunal before the Roman prefect. “Perhaps Jesus was interrogated briefly by Pilate, though this, too, is unlikely. There was no point.” Aslan is more definitive on the question of an appearance before Pilate. “No trial was held. No trial was necessary.”
There is perhaps no more compelling voice on this subject than John Dominic Crossan, the professor emeritus of religious studies at DePaul University and a former ordained priest. In Who Killed Jesus?, he asks whether the Gospels’ incendiary depiction of the tribunal before Pilate was “a scene of Roman history” or “Christian propaganda.” He answered the question, in part, with the following passage: “However explicable its origins, defensible its invectives, and understandable its motives among Christians fighting for survival, its repetition has now become the longest lie, and, for our own integrity, we Christians must at last name it as such.”
But why revisit the tortured history of Christianity’s relationship with Judaism? Because the longest hatred—the hatred born of the Gospels’ depiction of the Crucifixion—has risen again, violently. So, too, has a brand of racially based political extremism that apologists refer to as “populism.” The two phenomena are undeniably linked. For proof, look no further than the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white nationalists protesting the removal of a Confederate memorial chanted “Jews will not replace us!” as they marched by torchlight and snapped off stiff-armed Nazi salutes. Or the Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, where a white nationalist angry over Hispanic immigration murdered eleven Jews and wounded six more. Why did the gunman target Jews? Could it be that he was gripped by an irrational hatred even more powerful than his resentment of brown-skinned migrants looking for a better life in America?
The brilliant economist Paul Krugman of the New York Times made the connection between the simultaneous rise of anti-Semitism and race-based populism in the same column that produced the quotation that appears in the epigraph of this work. “Most of us, I think, know that whenever bigotry runs free, we’re likely to be among its victims.” Unfortunately, the outbreak of a global pandemic, coupled with a sharp economic downturn, is likely to make matters worse. In the darkest corners of the Internet, Jews are being blamed for the pandemic, just as they were blamed for the Black Death in the fourteenth century.
“Never forget,” Rabbi Jacob Zolli tells Gabriel during the opening scenes of The Order, “the unimaginable can happen.” The outbreak of a global pandemic would seem to bear that out. But even before the Covid-19 crisis, anti-Semitism in Europe had risen to a level not seen since the middle of the last century. To their credit, Western European political leaders have roundly condemned the resurgence of anti-Semitism. So, too, has Pope Francis. He has also questioned the morality of unfettered capitalism, called for action on climate change, defended the rights of immigrants, and warned of the dangers posed by the rise of the European far right, which regards him as a mortal enemy. If only a prelate like Francis had been wearing the Ring of the Fisherman in 1939. The history of the Jews, and the Roman Catholic Church, might well have been written differently.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I AM ETERNALLY GRATEFUL TO MY wife, Jamie Gangel, who served as my sounding board while I worked out the details and structure of
a complex plot involving the murder of a pope, the discovery of a long-suppressed gospel, and a conspiracy by the European far right to seize control of the Roman Catholic Church. When I finished my first draft, she made three crucial suggestions and then skillfully edited my final typescript, all while covering the impeachment of a president for CNN and caring for our family during a global pandemic. I share many traits with my protagonist, Gabriel Allon, including the fact we are both married to perfect women. My debt to Jamie is immeasurable, as is my love.
I had hoped to finish The Order in Rome but was forced to cancel my travel plans when the coronavirus ravaged Italy. Having written two previous Vatican thrillers, and several others with scenes set in or around the Vatican, I have formed many cherished friendships with men and women who work behind the walls of the world’s smallest country. I have stood in the lobby of the Swiss Guard barracks, shopped in the Vatican pharmacy and supermarket, visited the conservation labs of the Vatican Museums, opened the door of the stove in the Sistine Chapel, and attended a Mass celebrated by the Holy Father. I wish to express my gratitude to Father Mark Haydu, who was an invaluable resource throughout the writing process, and to the matchless John L. Allen, who literally wrote the book on how a conclave works. For the record, neither influenced my depiction of the anti-Jewish nature of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ death.
I am forever indebted to David Bull and Patrick Matthiesen for their advice on restoration and art history, and for their friendship. Louis Toscano, my dear friend and longtime editor, made countless improvements to the novel, as did Kathy Crosby, my eagle-eyed personal copy editor. Any typographical errors that slipped through their formidable gauntlet are my responsibility, not theirs.
I consulted hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles while writing The Order, along with dozens of books. I would be remiss if I did not mention the following: Ann Wroe, Pontius Pilate; James Carroll, Constantine’s Sword: The Church and the Jews; Paul Johnson, A History of Christianity; Paula Fredriksen, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews: A Jewish Life and the Emergence of Christianity and From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of the New Testament Images of Jesus; John Dominic Crossan, Who Killed Jesus?: Exposing the Roots of Anti-Semitism in the Gospel Story of the Death of Jesus; Reza Aslan, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth; Bart D. Ehrman, How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee; Bart D. Ehrman and Zlatko Pleše, The Apocryphal Gospels: Text and Translations; Robert S. Wistrich, Antisemitism: The Longest Hatred; Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, A Moral Reckoning: The Role of the Catholic Church in the Holocaust and Its Unfulfilled Duty of Repair and Hitler’s Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust; John Cornwell, Hitler’s Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII and A Thief in the Night: Life and Death in the Vatican; Michael Phayer, The Catholic Church and the Holocaust, 1930–1965 and Pius XII, the Holocaust, and the Cold War; Susan Zuccotti, Under His Very Windows: The Vatican and the Holocaust in Italy; David I. Kertzer, The Popes Against the Jews: The Vatican’s Role in the Rise of Modern Anti-Semitism; Uki Goñi, The Real Odessa: Smuggling the Nazis to Perón’s Argentina; John Follain, City of Secrets: The Truth Behind the Murders at the Vatican; Carl Bernstein and Marco Politi, His Holiness: John Paul II and the History of Our Time; John L. Allen Jr., Conclave: The Politics, Personalities, and Process of the Next Papal Election; Thomas J. Reese, Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church; Frederic J. Baumgartner, Behind Locked Doors: A History of Papal Elections; and Gianluigi Nuzzi, Merchants in the Temple: Inside Pope Francis’s Secret Battle Against Corruption in the Vatican.
We are blessed with family and friends who fill our lives with love and laughter at critical times during the writing year, especially Jeff Zucker, Phil Griffin, Andrew Lack, Noah Oppenheim, Susan St. James and Dick Ebersol, Elsa Walsh and Bob Woodward, Michael Gendler, Ron Meyer, Jane and Burt Bacharach, Stacey and Henry Winkler, Kitty Pilgrim and Maurice Tempelsman, Donna and Michael Bass, Virginia Moseley and Tom Nides, Nancy Dubuc and Michael Kizilbash, Susanna Aaron and Gary Ginsburg, Cindi and Mitchell Berger, Andy Lassner, Marie Brennan and Ernie Pomerantz, and Peggy Noonan.
A heartfelt thanks to the remarkable team at HarperCollins, who managed to publish a book under circumstances no thriller writer could have imagined. I am especially indebted to Brian Murray, Jonathan Burnham, Jennifer Barth, Doug Jones, Leah Wasielewski, Mark Ferguson, Leslie Cohen, Robin Bilardello, Milan Bozic, Frank Albanese, Josh Marwell, David Koral, Leah Carlson-Stanisic, Carolyn Bodkin, Chantal Restivo-Alessi, Julianna Wojcik, Mark Meneses, Sarah Ried, Beth Silfin, Lisa Erickson, and Amy Baker.
Lastly, the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus required my children, Lily and Nicholas, to once again live under the same roof with me as I struggled to complete this novel before its deadline. For that, I am grateful, though I’m not sure they would say the same. Like many young American professionals, they teleworked from their childhood rooms during the lockdown. I enjoyed occasionally dropping in unannounced on their video conference calls. Their presence was a source of great comfort, joy, and inspiration. They, too, are miracles, in more ways than one.
Keep Reading …
If you’re a Gabriel Allon fan, try the previous book in the series:
What’s done cannot be undone …
At an exclusive school in Switzerland, mystery surrounds the identity of the beautiful girl who arrives each morning in a motorcade fit for a head of state. She is said to be the daughter of a wealthy international businessman. In truth, her father is Khalid bin Mohammed, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. Once celebrated for his daring reforms, he is now reviled for his role in the murder of a dissident journalist. And when his child is brutally kidnapped, he turns to the one man he can trust to find her before it is too late.
Gabriel Allon, the legendary chief of Israeli intelligence, has spent his life fighting terrorists, including the murderous jihadists financed by Saudi Arabia. Prince Khalid has pledged to break the bond between the Kingdom and radical Islam. For that reason alone, Gabriel regards him as a valuable if flawed partner. Together they will become unlikely allies in a deadly secret war for control of the Middle East. Both men have made their share of enemies. And both have everything to lose.
Click here to buy The New Girl
About the Author
Daniel Silva is the award-winning, number one New York Times bestselling author of The Unlikely Spy, The Mark of the Assassin, The Marching Season, The Kill Artist, The English Assassin, The Confessor, A Death in Vienna, Prince of Fire, The Messenger, The Secret Servant, Moscow Rules, The Defector, The Rembrandt Affair, Portrait of a Spy, The Fallen Angel, The English Girl, The Heist, The English Spy, The Black Widow, House of Spies, The Other Woman and The New Girl (2019). He is best known for his long-running thriller series starring spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon. Silva’s books are critically acclaimed bestsellers around the world and have been translated into more than thirty languages. He resides in Florida with his wife, television journalist Jamie Gangel, and their twins, Lily and Nicholas.
For more information visit www.danielsilvabooks.com.
Also by Daniel Silva
The Unlikely Spy (1996)
THE MICHAEL OSBOURNE SERIES
The Mark of the Assassin (1998)
The Marching Season (1999)
THE GABRIEL ALLON SERIES
The Kill Artist (2001)
The English Assassin (2002)
The Confessor (2003)
A Death in Vienna (2004)
Prince of Fire (2005)
The Messenger (2006)
The Secret Servant (2007)
Moscow Rules (2008)
The Defector (2009)
The Rembrandt Affair (2010)
Portrait of a Spy (2011)
The Fallen Angel (2012)
The English Girl (2013)
The Heist (2014)
The English Spy (2015)
The Black Widow (2016)
House of Spies (2017)
The Other Woman (2018)
The New Girl (2019)
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower
22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor
Toronto, Ontario M5H 4E3, Canada
www.harpercollins.ca
India
HarperCollins India
A 75, Sector 57
Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201 301, India
www.harpercollins.co.in
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand
Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive
Rosedale 0632
Auckland, New Zealand
www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF, UK
www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
www.harpercollins.com
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Contents
Vatican City
Foreword
Part One: Interregnum Chapter 1: Rome
Chapter 2: Jerusalem—Venice
Chapter 3: Cannaregio, Venice
Chapter 4: Murano, Venice
