The Third Day Paperback – July 1, 2001

Different take on a well known story. some ah ha moments.

This intriguing tale involves Thomas Ford, faithful Aramaic language professor, and Mariam Roberts, once Muslim, but now unbelieving with the recent death of her husband. They each receive a call about an unusual archeological find -- a 2000 year old piece of parchment, but written in English and in Mariam's hand, describing how she and Thomas had been transported back to the time of Christ. Mariam promises to write about what actually happened in another letter, not yet discovered. Soon, Thomas and Mariam are preparing to go back to the land and time of Jesus' last year and death.For me, the most interesting dynamic was the tension and interplay between a person of faith and a non-believer. In this, I'm reminded of G.K. Chesterton's "The Ball and the Cross" about an atheist and believer traversing Great Britain, searching for a location to 'battle it out,' yet finding conversation and respect along the way. In "The Third Day" Thomas and Mariam both must come to grips with their preconceived notions as they join Jesus' followers and journey to Jerusalem. I won't give away the ending, but it kept me drawn in to the last page.I thought Graham rather brave for taking on this book. Given the diversity of Christian beliefs, there is the danger that some will object that he didn't tell it 'their way.' There are critics and fans of Charlton Heston and "The Ten Commandments" and Mel Gibson's "The Passion of Christ.". I was not offended and found Graham very respectful. (I found it interesting that he gives thanks to a Lutheran congregation in his acknowledgements.) At the same time, he also is good at presenting the atheistic/agnostic perspective.Over a lifetime in a mainstream Protestant church, I've read and listened to the words of the Bible and tried to imagine what it would be like to have been a participant. "The Third Day" allows just that. Graham's characters give us that 'you-are-there' frisson -- Thomas and Mariam do not leave behind their modern sensibilities as they encounter the sounds, smells, tastes and sensibilities of that era.I am not usually a fan of science fiction and/or time travel novels but this book is an exception. Graham doesn't get bogged down in the mechanics which is just as well. The driving force of the narrative is that the couple gets there, not how it happens.This is a fresh and enjoyable look at what for many is familiar ground. I will be happy to recommend to my friends.

In The Third Day, two people, one of them a faithful Christian and the other a diehard skeptic, are given the opportunity to travel 2000 years back in time and participate in the teachings of Christianity as told by Jesus himself. Not surprisingly, this turns into one exciting trip, as they both become part of Jesus' inner circle and together with his other disciples get a first-hand look at his rise to notoriety in the eyes of the Romans.From time to time it's an exciting book to read. However, especially Mariam's character don't feel credible at all since she acts and talks in ways that sometimes are just plain stupid. When travelling back in time she and Ford (the believer) is separated, and thus the story of the book is divided into two separate paths. In the beginning Mariam is somewhat interesting - that is, before you've gotten to know her and she spends some time wandering the desolate landscape on her own - but this interest quickly turns into boredom as soon as she's no longer in any real danger.Ford, on the other hand, both thinks and acts very credible, from the viewpoint that he actually is a 21st century man back in historical times. Early on his faith is put to severe tests, and his inner struggle against the belief that's always been with him is very interesting to take part of.The text is often made up of segments from Jesus' preaching, but this doesn't mean it's all about convincing the reader of the rightness of Christianity. It's not completely apologetic (the defence of the Christian faith against the arguments of the unbelievers), and even though large segments contain the words of Jesus the focus is more his spectators and how they reacted to his often controversial and insulting words. Fortunately the book is not a rerun of the most pointless movie of all time, The Passion of the Christ, and the end (for both Jesus and the book) arrives suddenly and is quickly dealt with. And that's pretty good, because by this time it's easy to be sick of the whole thing, and especially of Mariam and her stupid actions and thoughts. However, the strange fate of Ford is nothing but weird, and since he was the greatest thing this book had to offer this turns out to be very, very annoying.

An excellent page turner with an intriguing viewpoint of humanities burning questions about the Messiah.Well written and thought provoking.