Who was the Nazarene? This new novel by the author of international bestseller, A Mapmaker's Dream, tells the story of Gamaliel, a priest on the Sanhedrin that convicted Christ of heresy. He travels about Palestine meeting Jesus' old friends in the hope of shedding some light on what they might think about the loss of their avatar and friend. In a dramatic confrontation with Christ's bet noire Caiaphas the high priest, during a zuggot, Gamaliel manages to argue in defense of this new dispensation. Who was the Nazarene? Why was he such a threat? And why was it so important to crucify him? Gamaliel begins to realize that there are two different perceptions at work: the old Jewish insistence on the letter of the law, and those new perspectives already taking root among Jesus' followers. This powerful new novel explores what moral courage means when opposing opinions collide. Gamaliel has to make a choice in the wake of outmoded thought-patterns and beliefs. It is not the Crucifixion, he discovers, that points the way to the future, but the Transfiguration. "A resonant work of historical fiction." Alan Cheuse, National Public Radio "Compelling... a genuinely entertaining book." The Observer (London) "Full of startling leaps of imagination and thought." Publishers Weekly "Who was Jesus of Nazareth, really? Join an investigation into being itself in this finely crafted novel by award-winning author James Cowan, and see the ancient story through new eyes. In The Deposition, every word counts-savor it!" Arthur Versluis, author of The Ash Wednesday Supper