Return to Zion has Arrived!

Return to Zion has Arrived! November 20, 2015

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The last of the Art West thrillers is now available, and as my Granny would say— it’s a doozy! It includes: 1) the blowing up of the Temple mount, 2) the uncovering of the cause of Yassir Arafat’s death; 3) an archaeological discovery at Caesarea Maritima that shakes up the Christians in Israel; 4) a reunion of the old friends; 5) a new baby…… and much much more. Check it out. Here is the back cover tease, and blurbs.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR KHALIL EL SAID, AS HIS CANCER.
treatments have become less and less effective. And so it is that his old friends Art West, and
his new wife Marissa, and Grace Levine, plan something very special for Khalil, while there is
still time—the opening of an el Said wing of the Israeli Museum of Antiquities, which includes
many of the items he bequeathed to the museum over many years. All of this might be quite
enough, but as the Wests and others arrive in Jerusalem, a huge explosion blows the top off of
the Dome of the Rock. How did it happen? Will there be war? And who is this person hiding in
the shadows who seems to be the spitting image of the well know dead villain el Tigre? Along
the way new archaeological discoveries come to light and Yelena, the adopted daughter of
Grace and Manny, must decide if her future lies in Israel or not. The old friends discover they
are at a crossroads in all their lives—which avenues will they take as the future beckons?

“Ben and Ann Witherington have given us another Art West adventure, which, like the previous novels,
blends imagination with the realities of archaeology and the holy land. In reading this book you will not
only be entertained, quickly turning the pages to find out what happens next, you will also be acquiring
an excellent education relating to biblical scholarship, Christian origins, Jewish customs, life in Israel
in the time of Jesus, history, and archaeology. In short, the Witheringtons have made entertainment
educational and education entertaining!”
—CRAIG A. EVANS John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins and Dean of the School of Christian Thought Houston Baptist University

“What happens when a Jewish zealot conspires to blow up Jerusalem’s temple mount with a Palestinian
Muslim? Ben Witherington’s seventh Art West novel is a compelling account of murder, stolen
antiquities, archaeological discoveries, and the cold case revelation of Yasser Arafat’s murder,
capped off with the destruction of the temple mount. Return to Zion is a gripping story that’s hard to
put down.”
—MARK R. FAIRCHILD Luke J. Peters Professor of Biblical Studies, Chair Dept. Bible & Religion, Huntington University

“Witherington plants the reader between the frenzy of religious extremism—Christian, Jewish, and
Muslim—and the impetus of people of good conscience toward peace and cooperation across faiths.
But this is also a story about valuing life, facing death, and finding direction in the midst of danger and
opportunity. The result is a story as multi-layered as the archaeological digs that inevitably come into
play where Art West is involved.”
—DAVID A. DeSILVA Trustees’ Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Ashland Theological Seminary


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