John F. Brinster
A new novel by a noted author of science, philosophy and religion with its subplot set in first century China when massive walls were built for protection against Mongolian hordes and alliances were sought with the mushrooming Roman Empire far to the west.
An ancient legend suggested the abduction of the Christ child by an ambitious Chinese ambassador, an early traveler, who replaced him in the manger with his own twin son. Influenced by the messianic prophesy, his mission was to return to China with the secret of Roman success and the potential for Chinese superiority. Following his brother’s crucifixion and burial, the second twin was mistaken for resurrection. With similar previously undisclosed events in first century Judaea an historical account was contained in the controversial Book of Chan, hidden in the Great Wall for two thousand years. The location was inscribed in a set of Chinese seals with sculptured ivory handles since scattered among world collectors of sigillography.
Two Harvard and Oxford professors, meeting on an Oriental cruise, teamed up in search of the legendary book but encountered very rough competition from religious agents determined to prevent disclosure. Amidst touches of romance they uncovered a unique culture at the conflux of the Great Wall and Silk Road. Finding a number of the ancient seals, including several that later had been carried to Venice by the Marco Polo entourage, the academic couple succeeded in computer analysis producing a usable matrix map.
Written in the genre of The DaVinci Code, the book includes an important philosophical addendum on the search for greater realism in biblical understanding that strongly influenced the creation of this unique and somewhat controversial story. Proof readers see it as a best seller and the next major "Hollywod Project".
Noted author of science, philosophy and religion, recent publications under John F Brain are “The Way things Are: The Changing perspective of Human Existence” (2001) Xlibris, “The Natural Bible for Modern and Future Man: The Ultimate Theology of the Still Evolving Mind” (2004) University Press of America, and a satire “The Man Who Created God” (2005) Xlibris, a Philadelphia Inquire op/ed for the Einstein annus mirablis celebration entitled “Albert Einstein’s Cosmic Reverence. Member the Author’s Guild, a supporting member of Princeton Institute for Advanced Study and member of the NY Academy of Science.
Graduated magna cum laude, physics at Princeton 1943, elected to Sigma Xi scientific honor society and Phi Beta Kappa scholastic society. Wartime research and development at Palmer Physical Laboratory of Princeton development of advanced armor piercing shells, the first atomic bomb and remote instrumentation for moving vehicles. Principal contribution acquisition of data by radio means for missiles, aircraft, bombs and later space vehicles. founded the National Radio Telemetry Group and coined the term telemetry.
Headed the Princeton V-2 project for use of captured German missiles for research, a member of the National V-2 Panel leading to US missile development. Worked with Werhner von Braun at White Sands Proving Grounds providing the first direct high altitude measurements of cosmic rays, neutrons, ionization, temperature and pressure.
Founded The Applied Science Corporation (ASCOP) for instrumentation and early computer devices. Founded General Devices, and its General Thermoelectric Corporation subsidiary. Owner Marine Drive Systems Inc for small vessel propulsion worldwide. He holds a number of US Patents.
Student of the human brain, Brinster sponsored undergraduate awards at Princeton, Rutgers and Drew Universities and organized a 1993 symposium entitled “The Amazing Human Mind”. Shared the 1958 Princeton Class of ’43 Achievement Award with Nicholas Katzenbach, former US Attorney General.
Move over Dan Brown as John Brinster raises the biblical bar just a few giant notches higher in The ABDUCTION.
The ABDUCTION makes no pretenses in its bold reinterpretation of biblical revelations. Its search for realism in appraising human purpose challenges ancient notions that have long served as the basis of belief and penetrates fixations endlessly kept alive through imaginative rather than substantive teachings. Its moral is entwined in puzzle and intrigue that spans the gamut of righteousness and evil with Black Devil symbolism. It is a fitting modern satire laced with true Roman and Chinese history, woven around the little known art of Sigillography.
After thousands of years of religious teaching the world finds itself in great turmoil, still divided in its search for ideal life and death. It contains a strange mixture of imaginative concepts, indeed, a porous mixture of wishes and hopes and equal doubts and reservations. Christians and Moslems make up half the world, at least in name, committed to their own form of god and manner of devotion. Subjected to global diversion and distraction, they are now rapidly playing a more political or military rather than devotional role.
The world is increasingly moving into two basic ideologies with many variations, those taught to believe in the existence of a human-like being that controls man and his world with a role in his life after death, and those who have learned through education and experience that a human-like superior being does not exist and that man and his universe are guided by natural forces that have no relationship to humans. These may be simply termed believers and non-believers, somehow misrelated to the old conflict between religion and science. This may be because religion requires strong emotion and imagination whereas science is associated with factual observation and testing. In the final analysis there is no valid test of imaginative concepts and the judgmental human mind must be guided by reliance on knowledge. Although no harm is done by imaginative belief, consistent reliance on imaginative worlds may slow the evolutionary improvement of the logical mind to future detriment.
As old-time religion descends from heavenly lofts and relentlessly merges with earthly material interests, new science may portend better definition of his lot with better guidance. Virgin birth, resurrection, conversion of Saul, the behavior of Mary Magdalene and many other aspects of lore are constantly in issue. In its satirical manner, The ABDUCTION qualifies as one of the newest controversies intended to lead man to realization of realistic alternatives as was intended by the Dennett “spell” and the Dawkins “delusion” along with scores of other recent published writings.
The endless search for divine proof, such as the Turin “shroud”, Noah’s “Ark”, and the tomb of Jesus, is reflective of the spiritual intensities of man, desperately clinging to fuzzy lore when only his factual role can determine his fate. As the brain continues to evolve, the judgmental lobe, that distinguishes man from animal ancestors, may eventually have greater influence over his emotions and behavior. Accordingly, both Chan II and Jesus as Jem in this story represent early indications of that long process. Fully informed intellectuals such as Albert Einstein and Carl Sagan may well be later examples of man’s changing nature and, as Dr Anton Schicter wisely points out in this story, there is much more to come.
The ABDUCTION is not intended as a religious work but represents food for thought that is of great interest to all modern minds. Its readers and critics already see it as a best seller with Hollywood potential.
