Allen & Unwin Apostle book History English Paperback 432 pages

In this profound and moving journey into the heart of Christianity past and present, Tom Bissell travels across the world to explore the lives and legacies of the Twelve Apostles.

Peter, Matthew, Thomas, John: Who were these men and what was their relationship to Jesus? Tom Bissell gives us rich and deeply informed answers to those ancient questions.Written with warmth, humour, and a rare acumen, Apostle is a brilliant and exhaustive synthesis of travel writing, centuries of biblical history, and a deep lifelong relationship with Christianity. Bissell explores not just who these renowned and pious men were (and weren't), but how their identities have taken shape over two millennia.Bissell, in his search for this elusive set of truths, has traveled the world, visiting holy sites from Rome and Jerusalem to Turkey, India, and Kyrgyzstan, and he captures vividly the rich diversity of Christianity's global reach. Apostle is an unusual, erudite, and hilarious book, an intoxicating combination of religious, intellectual, and personal adventure.

Tom Bissell's first book, Chasing the Sea, was selected by Conde Nast Traveler as one of the 86 best travel books of all time. His second book, God Lives in St. Petersburg, won the Rome Prize. And his third book, The Father of All Things was selected as a best book of the year by Salon, The Christian Science Monitor, the Chicago Tribune and the San Francisco Chronicle. He is a contributing editor for Harper's Magazine and currently lives in Portland Oregon where he teaches fiction writing at Portland State University.