by John Smelcer
“What was the other manuscript I saw in the box?”
“A translation written in Greek a century or two after the first Simon died. After I received it from my grandfather, I took night classes to learn Greek at Hebrew University so that I could translate it. That is what you read. Although I was meticulous, I would say that my translation is very modern, especially in the way it refers to men and women equally, and the way it does not refer to God as a man or woman. I was as astonished as you must be when I first read it. This is our family’s oldest tradition, Simon. As my grandfather passed it on to me, now I am passing it on to you. It is your birthright. You will inherit this land and the treasures it holds. You must not sell it or allow it to be sold out of the family.”
“The whole thing is absolutely amazing,” replied Simon, wondering what his grandfather meant by treasures. “It’s incredible that our family has kept this secret for so long. Such a responsibility. Such faith.”
As he spoke, his grandfather carefully unwound the long, white cloth from around the object in his hand.
“But maybe it’s not ours to keep forever, Grandpa. Maybe it’s time to share the story. The world could certainly benefit from it, now more than ever,” continued Simon, thinking of the utter lack of kindness in the world, the greed and selfishness, and of all the oppression and violence inflicted in the name of religion.
“I thought you might say that,” the old man replied with a smile and a wink as he finished unwinding the white cloth, revealing a tapered clay cup about as tall as the length of a grown man’s hand. He turned it slowly, noting the differences in color and glazing, and the greenish hue on the inside.
The young Simon’s eyes widened in recognition.
“Is that what I think it is?” he asked.
His grandfather smiled.
“Yes. It is the cup from which Jesus drank wine at his last supper when he proclaimed, ‘This is my blood.’”
He handed the cup to his grandson, who cradled it in his hands. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes.
“This is the Holy Grail,” replied the younger Simon, one tear running down his cheek. “I just can’t believe it. It’s so amazing. There really was a Jesus. There was a . . .”
The younger Simon stopped mid-sentence. He placed a hand over his mouth, stifling a gasp.
“The cross,” he said breathlessly, as if the thought of it just dawned on him. “Whatever happened to the cross?”
The old man stood, placing a hand on his lower back and groaning as he rose to his full height. He looked up and placed a caressing hand on a long rough-hewn beam made of olive wood supporting the low roof, the upright of the cross that held Jesus. At the far end was a dark wedge of acacia wood fixed to the timber with a hole where an iron spike had been driven, the stained block upon which Jesus’s feet were nailed.
Smiling, and with tears in his eyes, the old Simon stepped to the only window and touched the shorter timber across the top. It was the crossbeam onto which Jesus’ hands were nailed.
Beyond the window, the setting sun shone over the darkening world.
Afterword
In a series of unlikely events, as I was finishing this book about historic Christian figures and relics—inspired in part by the writings of Thomas Merton—I discovered the simple, earthly possessions of Thomas Merton, including his white habit and black cowl, his personal psalter, rosary, ritual flagellation whip, and all of his iconic threadbare clothing, including his iconic denim jackets shown on so many book covers. There were previously unknown photos, letters, and notes. It was one of the most important discoveries of Merton artifacts. Considered one of the most influential intellectuals, philosophers, Christian writers, mystics, and social rights and peace activists of the twentieth century, Merton’s The Seven Storey Mountain is often compared to St. Augustine’s Confessions as coming-to-faith autobiography. Objects from this collection are now housed at the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History and the Thomas Merton Center in Louisville, Kentucky. The experience has given me unique insight into the awesome responsibility of safeguarding important religious artifacts and determining their ultimate disposition.
I did not take it as coincidence.
Interview with the Author
Canadian writer W. P. Kinsella and John Smelcer have been friends since the mid-1990s. Kinsella’s novel Shoeless Joe was made into the blockbuster motion picture Field of Dreams, which was nominated for three Academy Awards. His story “Lieberman in Love” was the basis for a short film that won an Academy Award for Short Films in 1996.
WPK:You say in the prologue that you were afraid of writing this book. Why?
JS:There was always the persistent question in the back of my mind: Who am I to write this book? This is one of the world’s most sacred topics. No matter how noble my intentions, I knew that there would be people who would disagree with some aspect of my vision. But despite all that, the vision persisted. Simon. Jesus. The Cross. Write me!
WPK:And yet it took you twenty years to write it?
JS:There were always other books for me to write instead, many with the same theme of love and compassion and courage. And so it seemed easy enough to put aside Simon. It’s pretty common for writers to abandon writing projects. But this story kept coming back. I will say that after working on the book for so long, I had a difficult time letting go of it. I kept tinkering with it even after I delivered the manuscript to the publisher.
WPK:What ultimately made you get serious and finish it?
JS:I worry about the future of humanity, about the world my daughters will inherit. There’s too much hate and suffering, much it centered on religious intolerance, despite every religion’s tenets of love, compassion, mercy, and charity. Too many people use religion to sow divisiveness and prejudice, to foster separation instead of unity, and to build walls between us, both physical and metaphorical. To paraphrase the poet Robert Frost, be careful what you wall in or wall out. There are too many atrocities, large and small, inflicted against humanity every day in the name of religion. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. When it came to violence his response was emphatic: No violence. Yet, it seems to me, his followers all too willingly abandon his directive and follow instead the drums of war. I felt the world needed to be reminded that Jesus’s message was love and peace and mercy. I wanted to accomplish something beautiful and meaningful, something capable of challenging and affecting millions of hearts and minds. Because the desire for love, kindness, forgiveness, mercy, and peace is universal, The Gospel of Simon is a book for the world. That’s why I sought help from people from other world religions.
WPK:I’m glad you finished it. It’s a work of extraordinary power and resonance. You also mention that the book had many different beginnings over the years. Can you give an example?
JS:For the longest time, the story began with the old Simon sitting on a stool in the goathouse with his extended family sitting on the dirt floor all around him as he recited the story of what had happened to him and Jesus almost forty years earlier. But I felt that version read like an artifact. I was afraid it wouldn’t resonate with modern readers. I wanted readers to feel that Jesus was speaking directly to them and to our contemporary problems. The issue was resolved by setting the beginning of the story in present day Jerusalem. And without specifying the year, the story should remain fresh and relevant for years to come. It will always be now.
WPK:Would you say you grew spiritually from the experience of writing this book?
JS:More than I ever could have imagined in the beginning. Although the general idea of the story came to me in a flash, my insecurities forced me to do a ton of research. It is no exaggeration to say I read more than one hundred fifty books on religion while writing Simon, as well as having countless conversations with religious clerics. I also enrolled in graduate courses in world religions at Harvard. In the process, I g
rew to respect and to appreciate the similarities and the differences between religions. Peace and understanding begins with listening.
WPK:You’re clearly spiritual. Have you ever considered a life in the clergy?
JS:When I was a young man, I considered a vocation as an Army chaplain, but I felt like my true calling and true gift was to be a writer.
WPK:My last question is the most personal. What question does The Gospel of Simon answer in your heart of hearts?
JS:I yearn for a world where the messages that Jesus carried to us are ingrained in the fabric of our existence. Sometimes I weep for it. We pay lip service to them, but we don’t live by them. If you don’t believe me, just listen to the news and to the inflammatory speeches of politicians who, proclaiming their Christian-ness, incite hatred, divisiveness, oppression, prejudice, intolerance, and violence, despite Jesus’s decree on the Mount that “blessed are they who are kind-hearted, who show mercy, compassion, and sympathy, and who aspire to peace in all things” (Matthew 5:1-16). I think it’s too easy to say, “I am saved simply because I believe in Jesus and God.” I would think they want more from our faith than just our words. Faith demands actions of love. Jesus said as much. I long for a world full of joy and kindness and love and peace and healing and wholeness, a world where compassion and mercy is given to those who need it. Our mercy. Our compassion. To me, that is what Jesus meant when he said the Kingdom of Heaven was already at hand, right here, today, if only we would realize it. How bright the world would be if we were all ablaze by what St. John of the Cross called “the kindled flame of love.” By writing The Gospel of Simon, I hope to share my vision of that glorious and sacred place, a world alight with the transforming power of mercy, where suffering is diminished and where we love and care for one another to the fullest of human capacity. Your praise on the cover says this book is capable of changing the world. I hope you’re right. But it can’t do it alone. It needs the help of readers around the world who share the dream—one kindled heart at a time.
Help Spread the Good News of Simon
If you love this book, if it has affected you or deepened your faith, please help spread the word. Give it to friends and relatives, young and old alike, as a gift. Buy copies for your local library. Write a book review for your local newspaper or church newspaper or newsletter, radio station, or favorite magazine. Write a review on amazon.com or goodreads.com or elsewhere. Talk about the book on social media and “Like It” on Facebook. Tweet about it. Post a YouTube video. Send an Instagram of the book cover. Ask your local librarian to recommend it. Ask your local bookseller to order it. Discuss it in book clubs and Bible study groups. Recommend it on your church website. Invite the author to speak at your institution. The Gospel of Simon is also available as an ebook, in both English and Spanish. The success of a book depends on readers like you who recommend it to their friends. A portion of the author’s royalties will be donated to charities. Learn more at www.thegospelofsimon.com
About the Author
John Smelcer, Ph.D., is the author of more than fifty books, many translated and published worldwide. His bestselling books of mythology include The Raven and the Totem (foreword by Joseph Campbell) and Trickster. With Russian Orthodox Archbishop Benjamin, John contributed to the revised map of global Christianity in the 10th edition of Living Religions (Mary Pat Fisher, Ed.). With the Dalai Lama, John co-authored a poem on compassion. With astrophysicist and popular science writer Carl Sagan (Cosmos), John had earnest discussions about science and religion. Dr. Smelcer’s education includes postdoctoral studies at Cambridge, Oxford, and Harvard, where he studied Buddhism, Islam and Sufism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, and Christianity, including the historical Jesus of Nazareth. Learn more at www.johnsmelcer.com
Links
Visit Leapfrog Press on Facebook
Visit The Gospel of Simon on Facebook
Or in Spanish at:
www.facebook.com/elevangeliodesimon/
Leapfrog Press Website
www.leapfrogpress.com
The Gospel of Simon Website
www.thegospelofsimon.com
Author Website
www.johnsmelcer.com
Other Leapfrog Press Books
by the Author
Stealing Indians
John Smelcer
1950: Four Indian teens from different regions of America are forcibly taken from their families and shipped to a faraway boarding school where their lives will be immutably changed by an institution designed to eradicate their identity. And no matter what their home, their stories are representative of every story, every stolen life. So far from home, without family to protect them, only their friendship helps them endure. This is a work of fiction. Every word is true.
“A poignant story of colonization and assimilation, something I know a little bit about. A masterpiece.”
—Chinua Achebe
Edge of Nowhere
John Smelcer
Sixteen-year-old Seth and his dog fall off his father’s commercial fishing boat in Prince William Sound. They struggle to survive off land and sea as they work their way home from island to island in a three-month journey. The isolation allows Seth to understand his father’s love, accept his Native Alaskan heritage, and accept his grief over his mother’s death.
“Smelcer’s prose is lyrical, straightforward, and brilliant . . . authentic Native Alaskan storytelling at its best.”
—School Library Journal, starred review
“A spare tale of courage, love and terrible obstacles . . . may have special appeal to teens who like to wonder how they would do if they had to survive in the wild.”
—Wall Street Journal
“Brief, thoughtful, and often lyrical, this is a quick pick for young teens who have the good sense not to confuse a short book with a shallow book.”
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“More psychological depth than Robinson Crusoe.”
—Frank McCourt
Chosen for the 2014 Battle of the Books by the
Alaska Association of School Libraries
An American Booksellers Association
ABC Best Books for Children title
Lone Wolves
John Smelcer
Deneena Yazzie isn’t like other 16-year-old girls in her village. Her love of the woods and trail come from her grandfather, who teaches her the all-but-vanished Native Alaskan language and customs. While her peers lose hope, trapped between the old and the modern cultures, Denny and her mysterious lead dog, a blue-eyed wolf, train for the Great Race—a thousand-mile test of courage and endurance through the vast Alaskan wilderness. Denny learns the value of intergenerational friendships, of maintaining connections to her heritage, and of being true to herself, and in her strength she gives her village a new pride and hope.
“A beautiful and moving story of courage and love.”
—Ray Bradbury
“With this inspiring young adult novel, Smelcer promises to further solidify his status as ‘Alaska’s modern-day Jack London.’”
—Mushing magazine, Suzanne Steinert
“Powerful, eloquent, and fascinating, showcasing a vanishing way of life in rich detail.”
—Kirkus
“An engaging tale of survival, love, and courage.”
—School Library Journal
Amelia Bloomer List of recommended feminist literature
(American Library Association)
Savage Mountain
John Smelcer
In the summer of 1980, brothers Sebastian and James Savage decide to climb one of the highest mountains in Alaska to prove themselves to their father, a tough and unloving man who has always belittled them. The brothers, always at odds, develop different ways of coping with this rejection,
but each yearns to finally have his respect. Inspired by true events, this story is not about father-son reconciliation. Some relationships can never be mended. Instead, it’s a touching story of two brothers who test their limits and realize, finally, that their worth is not dictated by their father, and that no matter how different they might be, the strongest bond of all is brotherhood.
“Set in the interior of Alaska, this novel balances family dynamics, brother-bonding, and high-stakes adventure. . . . The mountaineering and Alaskan drama is both realistic and exotic, suspenseful, and exciting. . . . Extreme adventure sequences and the strong brotherly relationship make this a solid general purchase.”
—School Library Journal
