Review: "Reality is not real", Peter says. "Then what am I?" Paul asks.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 22, 2013
I can't remember when I read a historical novel the last time. Probably many years ago. This is not my genre. However, now that I have read "Peter and Paul", this may change. I have read three other brilliant books by the same author and received this one as a gift. It is a fascinating read. It presents the early days of Christianity in a historical, philosophical and personal context. We get to know Peter and Paul. We walk with them. We identify with their struggles and understand their different and often contrasting personalities. One is almost inclined to say: one of them looks after the quality and the other one after the quantity that's needed to establish a religion. On the philosophical side: "Reality is not real", Peter says. Paul has no idea what Peter's talking about. "Then what am I?" he asks. They are both trying to come to terms with the often emblematic messages Jesus left behind. Thinking about it and looking around at what's happening today in the worlds of religion and philosophy, nothing has changed. Well, not entirely, today we can also throw physics into the "reality equation". But that doesn't bring us closer to an answer - who are we? - it only adds further complexity to the question.This book is a truly remarkable work by a remarkable author. I highly recommend it. Reviewed by Fred Schäfer, author of The Invention of the Big Bang.