Synopses & Reviews
In this classic travel narrative, journalist Paul Williams Roberts visits the Middle East to trace the Magi's legendary journey through Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Jordan to Bethlehem. Chasing clues from Marco Polo's
Travels and the Dead Sea Scrolls to the stories of King Solomon and the Crusader Knights, Roberts seeks the historical truth behind Matthew's account in the New Testament. Filled with encounters with eclectic characters, from smugglers to Zoroastrian priests,
Journey of the Magi is the story of an extraordinary adventure and an illuminating voyage of discovery into the truth behind the Magi and the birth of Jesus. This latest edition includes a new introduction by Roberts.
Review
"I cannot recommend this book too highly: it is not only an outrageously funny travel narrative but also a work of radical scholarship that challenges and enlarges our readings of the gospels. Rare is the book that works so well on so many different levels all at once."--Pico Iyer,
Time "The book is full of observation, beginning with a flight from Frankfurt to Tehran, when passengers emerge as different people to those that originally climb aboard." --
CNN Traveler "Too many travel books hype the amusement value to make up for their lack of scholarly content, but this one is learned, informative, inquiring - and seriously funny." --
GeographicalPraise for earlier editions:
"An instructive and entertaining travel book, a high comedy of cultural dissonance and a profound exploration of the evolution of the three great modern religions."--The New York Times
"Thought-provoking, laugh-provoking."--Martin Amis
"What a valuable book! At the very least, it is an engaging travelogue, and Roberts' account of his journey through Iran, Iraq, and Syria to retrace the steps of the Magi will easily hold an audience from beginning to end. But, more than travelogue, it is a provocative invitation to reexamine the Zoroastrian background of Christianity, providing an occasion for serious reflection on the intersection of religion and politics in one of the most troubled regions on the planet."--Booklist
Synopsis
An award-winning journalist retraces the journey of the Magi through the Middle East
About the Author
Paul William Roberts is a journalist, producer and filmmaker and a scholar of Jewish and Arabic history and religions. He is the author of many books including
A War against Truth. Awarded the inaugural PEN Canada/Paul Kidd Courage Award in 2005, he lives in Toronto.