From Publishers Weekly
The appearance of the Jewish messiah within the leadership ranks of the Catholic Church creates a spiritual and political crisis in Shapiro's heavy-handed first novel. The man in question is a humble South American cardinal named Isaac Benda Cortes, a rising candidate for the papacy. As the election draws closer, Benda Cortes not only discovers that he has Jewish ancestry, but also learns that he may well be the long-awaited messiah of the Jewish people. Cortes's family history attracts the attention of a number of powerful figures, including a South American drug lord, a quartet of wealthy American executives visited by mystical visions after suffering heart attacks, a professional basketball star who shares those visions and a Turneresque media mogul who seeks to promote Cortes as the new pontiff after a prominent Israeli rabbi informs him that the cardinal's rise to prominence matches a prophecy predicting the arrival of a Jewish messiah. The secular situation is complicated when a group of Israeli scientists discover the formula for cold fusion, then take the world to the edge of Armageddon when they refuse to share their work until the messiah is revealed. Shapiro's prose style is strictly by the numbers, and despite his attempts to erase the long-standing antagonism between Judaism and Catholicism, the gist of Cortes's message is that the Jewish faith should assume primacy because longevity gives it the greatest historical validity. In a spiritual world in which most readers have lost their tolerance for interfaith squabbling, such a conclusion may strike most as simplistic and divisive. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Rabbi David Adatto, Former Chief Sephardic Rabbi of the State of Texas
"The Promise of God unlocked areas of my imagination that I never had the courage to explore. From the outset, I was struck by the author's unflinching sense of purpose. An enthralling, visionary work."


Reverend Dave Wollert, Practicing Minister and Consultant to UCLA Writers Program
"There are times when I've wondered if there was something out there in the universe that could persuade followers of the world's prominent religions to step back from their own rigid beliefs and take a fresh look at God from someone else's point of view. Of course, whenever most authors attempt to take us on such an excursion, the journey is generally derailed by the flurry of zealots who stop reading and start crying foul as soon as their religious practices are questioned in any way." "It is my hope that the highly entertaining story line Mr. Shapiro has utilized to deliver his message in The Promise of God will allow people of every faith to come along for the entire ride, and maybe, just maybe come to the realization that we all answer to the same God. And if that's the case, we would all do well to show more respect and tolerance for the beliefs of everyone... not just the beliefs of those who attend our own particular church, mosque, or temple."


ForeWord Magazine, March 2000
"Rich in Jewish theology, this book's theme is at once inspiring and challenging for both Jew and Gentile. Drawing on Orthodox teachings, Shapiro makes the case for the Jewish Messiah while implicating Christianity in centuries of Jewish persecution. Theological perspectives notwithstanding, The Promise of God is an enjoyable book. Well-developed characters, an action-packed plot, intriguing sub-plots and thought-provoking themes all go to make a full-bodied story. As The Promise of God races to its conclusion, Shapiro skillfully draws together all the elements for a jaw dropping close. "All over the world, hundreds of millions of people watching reacted in identical fashion. And two brothers separated by seven thousand miles knew their efforts to alter the history of the world and save their people rested on the shoulders of one man, and one moment...the human beacon who light the path for the world to follow"


Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz, Founder, Jews for Judaism International
David Shapiro is not merely telling an amazing story, he is guiding you on a breathtaking expedition!


Book Description
Mysterious events are happening. Five of the most powerful corporate chairmen in the world have suffered heart attacks and had the same exact vision during their near-death experiences, a word written in an arcane, ancient language they cannot identify. Cold fusion, an unlimited source of energy, has been achieved in Israel but the scientists responsible for it refuse to reveal the formula for its use. Isaac Benda Cortes, a passionate, outspoken Brazilian Cardinal who is one of the two likely candidates to succeed the elderly ailing Pope, is targeted by the drug cartel that he condemns. Cortes' passionate thirst for justice leads to a search for his own origins--a search that leads him to discover the future of Western faith. And, Grant Tyler, the head of the worlds' most powerful media network watches distraught as his beloved wife dies of cancer. What she whispers to him on her deathbed sends him spiraling through an epic odyssey that will unite all the mysterious strand of events and enlighten the world to its destiny. In David Shapiro's first work of fiction, and the first work of fiction for Simcha Press, readers will take an edge-of-their-seat journey into the religious and powerful structures of Brazil, Israel, Rome and the United States. A certain bestseller, The Promise of God is packed with suspense, mystery, romance and intrigue.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Mysterious events are happening. Five of the most powerful corporate chairmen in the world have suffered heart attacks and had the same exact vision during their near-death experiences, a word written in an arcane, ancient language they cannot identify. Cold fusion, an unlimited source of energy, has been achieved in Israel but the scientists responsible for it refuse to reveal the formula for its use.

Isaac Benda Cortes, a passionate, outspoken Brazilian Cardinal who is one of the two likely candidates to succeed the elderly ailing Pope, is targeted by the drug cartel that he condemns. Cortes' passionate thirst for justice leads to a search for his own origins--a search that leads him to discover the future of Western faith.

And, Grant Tyler, the head of the worlds' most powerful media network watches distraught as his beloved wife dies of cancer. What she whispers to him on her deathbed sends him spiraling through an epic odyssey that will unite all the mysterious strand of events and enlighten the world to its destiny.

In David Shapiro's first work of fiction, and the first work of fiction for Simcha Press, readers will take an edge-of-their-seat journey into the religious and powerful structures of Brazil, Israel, Rome and the United States. A certain bestseller, The Promise of God is packed with suspense, mystery, romance and intrigue.

SYNOPSIS

Mysterious events are happening. Five of the most powerful corporate chairmen in the world have suffered heart attacks and had the same exact vision during their near-death experiences, a word written in an arcane, ancient language they cannot identify. Cold fusion, an unlimited source of energy, has been achieved in Israel but the scientists responsible for it refuse to reveal the formula for its use. Isaac Benda Cortes, a passionate, outspoken Brazilian Cardinal who is one of the two likely candidates to succeed the elderly ailing Pope, is targeted by the drug cartel that he condemns. Cortes' passionate thirst for justice leads to a search for his own origins--a search that leads him to discover the future of Western faith. And, Grant Tyler, the head of the worlds' most powerful media network watches distraught as his beloved wife dies of cancer. What she whispers to him on her deathbed sends him spiraling through an epic odyssey that will unite all the mysterious strand of events and enlighten the world to its destiny. In David Shapiro's first work of fiction, and the first work of fiction for Simcha Press, readers will take an edge-of-their-seat journey into the religious and powerful structures of Brazil, Israel, Rome and the United States. A certain bestseller, The Promise of God is packed with suspense, mystery, romance and intrigue.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The appearance of the Jewish messiah within the leadership ranks of the Catholic Church creates a spiritual and political crisis in Shapiro's heavy-handed first novel. The man in question is a humble South American cardinal named Isaac Benda Cortes, a rising candidate for the papacy. As the election draws closer, Benda Cortes not only discovers that he has Jewish ancestry, but also learns that he may well be the long-awaited messiah of the Jewish people. Cortes's family history attracts the attention of a number of powerful figures, including a South American drug lord, a quartet of wealthy American executives visited by mystical visions after suffering heart attacks, a professional basketball star who shares those visions and a Turneresque media mogul who seeks to promote Cortes as the new pontiff after a prominent Israeli rabbi informs him that the cardinal's rise to prominence matches a prophecy predicting the arrival of a Jewish messiah. The secular situation is complicated when a group of Israeli scientists discover the formula for cold fusion, then take the world to the edge of Armageddon when they refuse to share their work until the messiah is revealed. Shapiro's prose style is strictly by the numbers, and despite his attempts to erase the long-standing antagonism between Judaism and Catholicism, the gist of Cortes's message is that the Jewish faith should assume primacy because longevity gives it the greatest historical validity. In a spiritual world in which most readers have lost their tolerance for interfaith squabbling, such a conclusion may strike most as simplistic and divisive. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Craig J. Oconnor - Foreword Magazine

From the towers of American industry to the power bases of the Colombian and Sicilian crime syndicates; from the majesty of the Vatican to the humility of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, The Promise of God is a Messianic tale with a difference.

Rich in Jewish theology, this book's theme is at once inspiring and challenging for both Jew and Gentile. Drawing on Orthodox teachings, Shapiro makes the case for the Jewish Messiah while implicating Christianity in centuries of Jewish persecution. Theological perspectives notwithstanding, The Promise of God is an enjoyable book. Well-developed characters, an action-packed plot, intriguing sub-plots and thought-provoking themes all go to make a full-bodied story.