The Betrayal

I have a terrible confession to make. I’m a believer in the Lord Jesus, I grew up in church, and yet I know little or nothing of the history of the church. I mean, I know my Bible and the incidents of the early church recorded there but when it comes to major events like the Reformation or early church leaders like Luther or Calvin, I’m pretty ignorant. Did you know, for example, that early believers were burned at the stake for believing that the Bible should be available to the common people in their common language? That the privilege of having a Bible of my own that in a language I can read was bought with the blood of martyrs? Nope, me neither.

Douglas Bond’s novel The Betrayal looks at the life of one of the early reformers, John Calvin. I know, I know, Calvin carries a bit of theological baggage for some, yet, regardless of where you stand on his doctrine, his contribution to the Christian faith cannot be discounted. Bond’s biographical novel provides a fascinating glimpse into the passion and sacrifice of 16th century believers committed to biblical literacy and the gospel of grace.

The Betrayal begins with the horror of the Black Death and from there relates the events of Calvin’s life and ministry from the perspective of a (fictional) enemy who swears to betray him. Jean-Louis becomes integrally involved in Calvin’s life as his personal assistant and as such gains firsthand knowledge of Calvin and his compatriots in the battle for the true gospel. This is no dreary history lesson; Jean-Louis’s voice rings true (so true, in fact, that I didn’t realize he was fictional until I tried to google his name). There are burnings at the stake and pursuits in the dark of night. A difficult time in history, no doubt about it.

I will say that parts of the novel seemed just a little contrived. Jean-Louis hears Calvin preaching and what follows is several paragraph’s worth of one of Calvin’s actual sermons. Interesting stuff, don’t get me wrong, it just seemed a little bit manufactured. A minor quibble, though, and only concerns a miniscule portion of the book.

On the whole, The Betrayal is an exciting and interesting book, one that can be read quickly yet entertains as well as educates. I liked it.

Wife and mother, Bible teacher and blogger, Lisa loves Jesus, coffee, dark chocolate and, of course, books. Read more of her reflections at Lisa writes….