In 36AD radical Jewish teacher and zealot, Yeshua ben Pandira lies dying of his wounds in Judaea. Disturbed by a vision that his teachings will be misused by the Roman Empire, Yeshua lives long enough to dictate his final testament, later known as The Word, to Joseph of Arimithaea. However because of its radical teachings, The Word is suppressed by the early church and completely disappears in the third century.
Then in 2015 The Word is re-discovered buried under the ruins of an ancient church in Ireland. How did it get there from biblical Judaea and what are the implications for the modern world of its radical message?
An Irish desert father, Cormac mac Fliande, is called upon by the Coptic Patriarch in Alexandria to deliver these scrolls to Ireland; far enough away from the established church which fears the radical challenge to its authority contained in The Word. Cormac is forced to return to the land of his birth: a land he fled after the death of his wife and children during the Justinian Plague in 540AD.
Cormac’s companion on the journey and muse is a mystical golden hare who claims to be the reincarnated soul of the biblical prophet, Zachariah. They are accompanied to Ireland by a Greek philosopher, pagan priestess and close friend, Melania, who is escaping persecution in Egypt; along with a young Judaean scholar, Brother Simon of Bethaza. In Ireland they are joined on their odyssey by a young Irish poet, Bretha and helped the eminent Celtic abbot and High Druid, Colum Cille.
Sixth century Ireland is a mystical land where the old pagan beliefs peacefully coexist beside the new Christian religion. In Ireland Cormac and his companions are helped by Iucharba of the Tuatha De, a magical subterranean fairy folk who once ruled Ireland and Feth Fio the ferryman, a changeling who is part otter, part man. This is a world before scientific thought, where the membranes between worlds are very thin. Imagination and superstition are as real as everyday experience and the interactions between humans and the natural world are very different from today.
In this time Rome wishes to suppress all potential challenge to its growing religious power and sends its fearsome emissary, Augustine of Nubea to Ireland to find and secure The Word for the Holy See. On his way through France to Ireland Augustine enlists the support of the legendary British military leader, Artur of the Gododdin and plans are laid to invade Ireland to capture The Word.
Cormac’s mentor as a young monk was Colum Cille, an eminent abbot and High Druid within the Celtic Christian church. He has a troubled past for which he seeks redemption. Guardianship of The Word offers Colum Cille an opportunity to build a church that would become the salvation of western Christendom.?
Then in modern times The Word is discovered on an archaeological dig on the north coast of Ireland with few clues as to how it got there. Its discovery once again challenges those in power.
Industry Reviews
"This is a remarkable book. It has a smooth narrative flow and a great visual appeal and I keep thinking of it in terms of a film, possibly along the lines of Lord of the Rings, it reads like a traditional Irish myth."
Colin McAlpin
Author, Journalist and Film critic
"A glorious tale."
Helen Mark, BBC Radio presenter.
"This is such an important book for the Irish people, because they all will be inspired to the original faith they will find in their own hearts and it could give the Irish the promise of a new start in life among each other. Therefore, I expect it to be a real and very important bestseller in Ireland, and hopefully in the whole world.
I am flabbergasted by this book. It remains exciting until the end (and afterwards somehow). The story is always unexpected and surprising. ...... And one is left with questions and speculations, but not so that it is disappointing, no, it is quite alright and wonderful."
Emy Ten Seldam
Editor in Chief
BRES Magazine
Holland
"This book shows an author who has steeped himself in Christian history and used it to tell a tale of early Christianity and its long and complicated development throughout the world. We feel the heat of the sun, the arrogance of power, the grief of the disciples over their dead Master as though it was a contemporary tale. For those with no religious belief, this is an absorbing tale of deception, hidden documents, a hidden body. For those with religious belief, it brings alive the early days of Christianity in all its bloody fearfulness. The writing is lively and accessible. William Methven is a writer who has the invaluable gift of making the familiar, unfamiliar and the unfamiliar, familiar."
Jude Collins
Political commentator, author and broadcaster
"The Hare's Vision is a compelling, gripping and above all very plausible story. Comparable to the works of Dan Brown et al. Methven has captured the mood very well and takes the reader on an unbelievable journey through history and how this has shaped the world of today. Unputdownable..."
Dr. James Hiddinga
Author of The Vision, Transformation to a New Life
"Thank you for your book, The Hare's Vision......it was my favourite book of the year and I read a lot!"
Shirley McMichael, Lisburn, Northern Ireland.
"Ever read a book that as you get closer to the end that you slow down so it lasts longer? That's what I'm doing with this book by William Methven."
Dave Hiltz Ontario, Canada.
"William Methven's " The Hare's Vision" is a tale about a trip from Eqypt to Ireland to protect some holy scrolls . The Travellers have the last Testament of Jesus Christ written by JC himself. The Roman Church is also trying to get a hold of these scrolls and there is a race and a chase to get the scrolls to the safety of Ireland. While the Testament is at odds with The standard Christian narrative of the Resurrection it does emphasize the Golden Rule - Do onto others as you would have them do onto you. You are in suspense for much of the book as to what is contained in the Testament. But really the book is a great tale about a trip from Eqypt to Ireland with changelings such as Zachariah the talking hare. This is what makes the book so wonderful. You can imagine the conversations between the monk Cormac and the talking hare Zachariah. It reminded me of the Hobbit stories. A great read! I think it would make a wonderful movie."
James McCumiskey, accountant, Ireland
