A review by jakewritesbooks
The Gemini Contenders, by Robert Ludlum
4.0
This is up there with Ludlum's best work, which for me includes "The Matarese Circle" and "The Holcroft Covenant." A superbly written thriller spanning almost 5 decades and WWII. Plus if you're into books with religious intrigue by author's not named "Dan Brown," you might wanna give this one a try.
::SPOILER ALERT::
As a student of theology, one problem I had with the book was the way that Ludlum talked about the filioque controversy and how it led to denials of Christ's divinity. In reality, the Eastern Orthodox have never denied Christ's divinity at all, rather the understanding of trinitarian unity is different for the East and West. Roman Catholics (and most western offshoots of them) believe that Christ is co-equal with the Father and the Spirit in trinitarian theology. The East does NOT deny Christ's divinity or trinitarian right, rather they believe that because God is the source, the original creator, that the Holy Spirit cannot proceed through the Father AND the Son since the Father is the source (despite what is written in the Nicene Creed). Finding sources is very critical to eastern thought and it once again proves that religion (no matter what you believe) is often viewed through the lens of culture. I did my senior paper on the filioque controversy so I felt compelled to add this. It did not detract from what was otherwise a marvelous read, rather just was a recurring annoyance. Were I raised in the Eastern tradition, I would probably have been more upset.
::SPOILER ALERT::
As a student of theology, one problem I had with the book was the way that Ludlum talked about the filioque controversy and how it led to denials of Christ's divinity. In reality, the Eastern Orthodox have never denied Christ's divinity at all, rather the understanding of trinitarian unity is different for the East and West. Roman Catholics (and most western offshoots of them) believe that Christ is co-equal with the Father and the Spirit in trinitarian theology. The East does NOT deny Christ's divinity or trinitarian right, rather they believe that because God is the source, the original creator, that the Holy Spirit cannot proceed through the Father AND the Son since the Father is the source (despite what is written in the Nicene Creed). Finding sources is very critical to eastern thought and it once again proves that religion (no matter what you believe) is often viewed through the lens of culture. I did my senior paper on the filioque controversy so I felt compelled to add this. It did not detract from what was otherwise a marvelous read, rather just was a recurring annoyance. Were I raised in the Eastern tradition, I would probably have been more upset.