The Secret of the Kingdom
Encyclopedia
The Secret Of The Kingdom is a 1959 novel
by Finnish author Mika Waltari
about the early days of Christianity
. The story is told through the eyes of Marcus, a Roman
citizen who arrives in Jerusalem on the day Jesus
is crucified. As he rides into the city he sees a distant hill on which three men are being crucified. When he pays the customary courtesy call on the governor, Pontius Pilate
, he learns that one of the three men, Jesus of Nazareth, is the leader of a religious sect suspected of sedition
. Pilate confides to Marcus that there are rumors that the disciples of Jesus will steal his body and then claim he is risen from the dead. To prevent this, Pilate has posted a guard of Roman soldiers at the tomb of Jesus.
A couple of days later, Marcus is summoned before Pilate. He is told that the soldiers at the tomb claim to have been blinded by a great light, and that when they regained their sight, the body of Jesus was gone. Pilate suspects that the guards were drunk or sleeping on guard. He asks Marcus, as a newly arrived and presumably impartial observer, to go to the tomb and investigate.
Marcus becomes convinced that Jesus did rise from the dead, and over the next weeks and months he tries to learn all he can about the man Jesus, who he was and what he stood for. He talks to anyone he can find who knew Jesus or who had any contact with him, including Mary Magdalene
, a number of the disciples, Lazarus
, whom Jesus reportedly raised from the dead, and even Simon of Cyrene
, the man dragged out of the crowd and forced to carry the cross of Jesus.
What Marcus learns is that all those whose lives were touched by Jesus are changed in some way, in varying degrees, but all remain human, with human flaws and frailties. Mary Magdalene, for example, is envious of the disciples and their special relationship to Jesus, resentful at what she sees as their lack of sufficient respect for her, and contemptuous of what she considers their lack of sophistication. And Zaccheus, the man Jesus called down from the tree, is much more generous than he had been before his encounter with Jesus, but is also vain of the special favor shown to him.
As Marcus learns more about the teaching of Jesus, or The Way, as the disciples call it, he becomes a believer, and longs to be a part of the Kingdom of God
. But the Disciples, while quite willing to accept Marcus's assistance, financial and otherwise, are not yet ready to accept him into their circle, nor to interpret Jesus's commission to spread his gospel 'to all the world' as meaning acceptance of Gentiles into full Christian
fellowship.
Most of the latter half of the novel recounts the quest of Marcus for acceptance into the Kingdom. In the end, he finds peace, as he reconciles himself to his own unique place in the birth of this new faith.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Finnish author Mika Waltari
Mika Waltari
Mika Toimi Waltari was a Finnish writer, best known for his best-selling novel The Egyptian .- Early life :...
about the early days of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. The story is told through the eyes of Marcus, a Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
citizen who arrives in Jerusalem on the day Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
is crucified. As he rides into the city he sees a distant hill on which three men are being crucified. When he pays the customary courtesy call on the governor, Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilatus , known in the English-speaking world as Pontius Pilate , was the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36. He is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus...
, he learns that one of the three men, Jesus of Nazareth, is the leader of a religious sect suspected of sedition
Sedition
In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
. Pilate confides to Marcus that there are rumors that the disciples of Jesus will steal his body and then claim he is risen from the dead. To prevent this, Pilate has posted a guard of Roman soldiers at the tomb of Jesus.
A couple of days later, Marcus is summoned before Pilate. He is told that the soldiers at the tomb claim to have been blinded by a great light, and that when they regained their sight, the body of Jesus was gone. Pilate suspects that the guards were drunk or sleeping on guard. He asks Marcus, as a newly arrived and presumably impartial observer, to go to the tomb and investigate.
Marcus becomes convinced that Jesus did rise from the dead, and over the next weeks and months he tries to learn all he can about the man Jesus, who he was and what he stood for. He talks to anyone he can find who knew Jesus or who had any contact with him, including Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
, a number of the disciples, Lazarus
Lazarus of Bethany
Lazarus of Bethany, also known as Saint Lazarus or Lazarus of the Four Days, is the subject of a prominent miracle attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus restores him to life four days after his death...
, whom Jesus reportedly raised from the dead, and even Simon of Cyrene
Simon of Cyrene
Simon of Cyrene was the man compelled by the Romans to carry the cross of Jesus as Jesus was taken to his crucifixion, according to all three Synoptic Gospels...
, the man dragged out of the crowd and forced to carry the cross of Jesus.
What Marcus learns is that all those whose lives were touched by Jesus are changed in some way, in varying degrees, but all remain human, with human flaws and frailties. Mary Magdalene, for example, is envious of the disciples and their special relationship to Jesus, resentful at what she sees as their lack of sufficient respect for her, and contemptuous of what she considers their lack of sophistication. And Zaccheus, the man Jesus called down from the tree, is much more generous than he had been before his encounter with Jesus, but is also vain of the special favor shown to him.
As Marcus learns more about the teaching of Jesus, or The Way, as the disciples call it, he becomes a believer, and longs to be a part of the Kingdom of God
Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven is a foundational concept in the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.The term "Kingdom of God" is found in all four canonical gospels and in the Pauline epistles...
. But the Disciples, while quite willing to accept Marcus's assistance, financial and otherwise, are not yet ready to accept him into their circle, nor to interpret Jesus's commission to spread his gospel 'to all the world' as meaning acceptance of Gentiles into full Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
fellowship.
Most of the latter half of the novel recounts the quest of Marcus for acceptance into the Kingdom. In the end, he finds peace, as he reconciles himself to his own unique place in the birth of this new faith.