Book Club Reader's Guide
Welcome to The Secret Scroll's book club page. My goal as an author has always been first, to entertain you. I also hope my novel might provoke an ongoing discussion in your book group over some of the themes I've explored.
Here are some questions to help get the conversation started.
- Early in The Secret Scroll we learn about Josh Cohan's first archeological find. How did that experience impact his actions after finding the scroll?
- The concept of trust plays a large role in the plot. Who does Josh trust? Is he correct in his judgment? How has misplaced trust changed a situation in your life?
- The Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) is comprised of experts from a variety of religious and national backgrounds. Do you think this diversity helped or hindered their review of the scroll?
- Josh hid the scroll in a few different places before turning it over to the IAA. Do you think he was right to hide it? What would you have done?
- Josh asks his friend Avner to hide the scroll for a while. Avner's involvement 0leads to his death. Is Josh responsible for Avner’s death? Is the scroll's preservation worth his friend's sacrifice?
- The Secret Scroll supposes the existence of a secret gospel written by Jesus of Nazareth. Do you think it is possible that such a text exists? Would its existence change the way you think about religion?
- The Vatican has confirmed that there are many unreleased gospels in its library in Rome. Do you think such texts should be available to the public? Should archeological findings such as the one in The Secret Scroll always be made public? Are there situations in which discoveries should be kept secret? Why?
- What role does adoption play in the plot? How do you think this twist adds to or detracts from the story?
- The identity of the Master is revealed only at the very end of the novel. Did you guess his identity earlier? How does this affect the way you read the book?
- What do you feel is the main message of the novel? Do you agree with the message?
- A line of the secret scroll translates: "The existence of evil in the world can be attributed to mankind alone" (p.324). Discuss.
(You may download this list as a .pdf file,by clicking here)
If you have further questions, feel free to continue the conversation by corresponding with me at Ron.Cutler@thesecretscroll.com. I'd love to hear from you.
In writing The Secret Scroll, I've researched over 75 books on biblical history. Very soon I'll provide links to some of them. My goal is to always favor dialog over diatribe.
Keep reading. Keep talking. Keep growing.
Ron.