The Messiah by Marek Halter

What a fascinating portrayal of European Jewish life during the Inquisition through the eyes of a Middle Eastern Jewish military leader who attempted to convince the pope to allow him to recruit a Jewish navy to recapture Jerusalem and cut off the Muslim advances towards the West. The same religious excesses that plague authentic practicioners of every faith are demonstrated by the various characters. The Messiah, David Reubeni, is serious and dedicated albeit lacking in empathy, probably diagnosably narcissistic, and possibly living with Asperger's Syndrome. His persona is compelling, pursuasive, magnetic and his arrogance and disinterest in the acclaim of the crowds makes for interesting reading- you get his reasons and you dislike him for them all the while excusing him as he does himself because of the greater good he aims for. His fans and his enemies all clothe themselves in religious fervor and he disdains them both equally. Every so often an altruistic act happens but usually it ends up being self-serving at best anyway. This is worth the time it takes to read. It's uncomfortable reading for people who are motivated from spiritual centers because it shows the incredible loneliness that accompanies a sense of vocation when the "call" is to the top of the pyramid- the kind of "call" which the masses
venerate and the Lord may eshew...
Halter, Marek. The Messiah. c. 2008. New Milford, CT: The Toby Press.