Description
America was ablaze with millennial anticipation in 1844. Reflecting upon Scriptural prophecy, signs in the heavens, and the gospel of the kingdom having been preached to all nations, religious leaders expected Christ’s return was imminent. Hundreds of thousands of laypeople also looked to the skies in joyous anticipation — or dread.
Clearly, their expectations were not fulfilled; were these wrong, or simply misunderstood?
In Perth Amboy, New Jersey, devout Quaker Josiah Thompson is convinced the answers lie in the Holy Land but is too aged to travel. So his son Zach and British scholar James Lawrence take up the quest, only to realize the question is far larger than they imagined. And what they discover will have profound implications not only for them but all humanity as the modern age unfolds.
About the Author
Jay Tyson grew up outside of Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Civil Engineering in 1976. Shortly thereafter he married Eileen Cregge. They spent four years in Liberia, West Africa, where Jay worked on road construction projects. They settled in Haifa, Israel for seven years, where he assisted with historic restoration at the Baha’i World Center. They returned to New Jersey in 1989, where they raised two daughters and Jay continued his career in engineering. Raised in a Presbyterian household, Jay wondered why God had sent Messengers on a regular basis from the time of Noah to the time of Jesus but seemed to have fallen silent for the past 2,000 years. This question led him to investigate and eventually accept the idea that there is a common Source of all religions-a theme that he first encountered while learning about the Baha’i Faith. Diving into the depths of religious prophecy, he has found the commonality between religions is much deeper than just a similarity of ethical teachings. For the prophecies, when carefully understood, can lead to a profound appreciation of an unseen Intelligence from which they emanate. In addition to his research and writing, Jay is an active proponent of recognizing the commonalities across religious traditions in his local community.
Born in Connecticut, raised in New England, Gellatly, living and working in Miami for the last 8 years, has recently rerooted back up north, to Dutchess County, upstate New York. He has exhibited throughout New England and New York in both solo and group shows and continued that practice in Florida. A recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant, a Pollock/Krasner Foundation Grant, and numerous state Individual Artist Grants; CT, MA,. He has been the recipient of several full fellowships at the Vermont Studio Center, to the Millay Artist Colony, NY, and was granted a 2-year project residency at the Deering Estate, Miami, FL.. Along with this, Gellatly has been working as a freelance illustrator for the past 25 years and has taught art intermittently throughout the years to every academic level and to all ages.
James Traub –
Jay Tyson’s novel Wise Men of the West is a compelling read describing a search for the return of Christ in the mid-1800’s. The novel imaginatively creates dialogue between various individuals recreating the issues and thoughts that occupied the minds during an intense period of religious expectation in the West, and the consequent Great Disappointment when Christ failed to return as expected. I was intrigued to see how this could be portrayed. Mr Tyson weaves into the discussion the much broader search for a Promised One that moved scholars and clerics in many different religions and continents including the Jewish, Muslim, and various Christian congregations. A very engaging book.
E. Maddocks –
Who said that theological theories are boring? Or that Daniel’s prophecies are incomprehensible? Jay Tyson has written page-turning mystery novel about the expectations for the “return” or the “latter days” in both the West and the East in the 1840s. Readers will be fascinated by the discussion and emerging points of view.
In the 1840s, the northeast United States was abuzz with the teachings of William Miller and other biblical scholars and preachers about the imminent return of Jesus Christ. Through careful Bible study and mathematical analysis of the prophecies of Daniel, they had determined that Jesus would return in 1843 or 1844, in the clouds and in His same body.
But one Zach Thompson considered how the Zoroastrian wise men of the East had found the infant Jesus. Could the anticipated “return” possibly be the founding of another religion? He and a friend go to the Holy Land in quest of the return of the Christ spirit, probably at that time sill a child but an unusual child with innate knowledge.
During their search they have fascinating talks with Jews, Christians, and Muslims. They have riveting conversations about what Jesus said about His return in Matthew 24, about the prophecies of Daniel, and about parallel expectations in the Islamic world. They learn much about the religious history of the Middle East that is often ignored in the West.
However, no sign was found in the Holy Land of the child they were looking for. But they did receive a clue that their search might be furthered if they went to Karbila, a city on the banks of the Euphrates River, and meet with a like-minded person who had been quietly leading a similar search. The Zoroastrian wise men of the East had traveled west to find the baby Jesus, the Prophet predicted by Zoroaster. Now Zach and his friend would be the wise men of the West, traveling east in search of the return of the Christ spirit.
Janet H. –
A compelling read! The book takes one through a Valley of Search, seeking prophecies of multiple faiths & Holy Messengers.
Jacquelyn Pillsbury –
The author is clearly very knowledgeable of both history and geography of the Holy Land. His descriptions of the lead characters travels are very vivid and created cinema-scope images in my mind while reading. I enjoyed the historical information interjected with the plot to help me appreciate the context. Can’t wait to see what’s next for the protagonist.
Scott Duncan –
I was fortunate to be a reviewer of the draft chapters of this book. I enjoyed the scholarship quite a lot, but found the narrative to be a successful way to introduce that scholarship. I think anyone with an interesting in religious history and progressive revelation will find this book worthwhile of their time. It is an interesting historical fiction approach to dealing with actual events in religious history while staying true to factual information.
Maryann P. DiEdwardo –
Jay Tyson has written a magnificent historical fiction account with structured Table of Contents. The material is well designed for all levels of readers as well. The conclusion is awesome and hopeful. I highly recommend this book.
Eric Mondschein –
Jay Tyson’s book The Wise Men of the West is a fascinating exploration of religion. It is both a fictional mystery adventure and a historical account, especially of the 1800s of humanity’s efforts to understand the meaning and purpose of life. The author challenges us to look more deeply and with an inquisitive eye as to what might have really been happening and what is happening today. I thoroughly enjoyed The Wise Men of the West. It is well written and well researched. I highly recommend this book.
David Walline –
vol 1 is a terrific spiritual adventure, launched by a father who cannot go himself and a son whose spirit catches fire with the drama of possibilities that Christ’s prayer may be at last and, perhaps, on time, fulfilled. Learned lots about other Faiths as well. And I thought I already knew alot about them!
I learned so much about the relationships among the Zoroastrian Faith, Judaism and Christianity in volume I and quite a bit more; what a great way to explore the fulfillment of prophecies from all 3 religions and then including Islam, from various perspectives; that was very helpful.
DeborahM19 –
I cannot say enough about the extensive and thorough research that went into the factual foundation for this complex story. It is a superbly written and thoroughly captivating and engrossing tale of spiritual searching! I found it quite difficult to put this book down. I cannot wait to dive back into it, in order to begin a deeper study of the various topics presented.
I recommend this book for multiple audiences: 1) those intent on a leisurely literary journey, 2) those interested in the field of comparative religion studies, 3) those on a serious spiritual quest to better understand prophecies of their own religions through new perspectives, and 4) those questing souls who cannot quite put their finger on the crux of their longing.
Cottage Classy –
A brilliant combination of historical fact and creative drama. It made me feel like I was on the journey with the characters, in search of a modern-day Messiah.
Michael E. Banister –
I couldn’t put the book down. I’ve been a fan of religious history since my youth, and this book (and its sequel, Volume Two) fit the bill. Kudos to you, Mr. Tyson.