Divine Consciousness: The Secret Story of James The Brother of Jesus, St Paul and the Early Christian Church by Reena Kumarasingham is a book that captures a religious phenomenon — the birth of the Christian Church — in a powerful way and the life of the early Christians. Filled with history, this book follows the story of two powerful influences on the birth of Christianity. One is the Gentile lawman who persecuted Christians, St Paul, and the other is James, the brother of Jesus. The author delves into the early lives of these two men and explores their lives before and after the dramatic events of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The author then writes about how Paul established the Church among the Gentiles and the powerful influence of James in the Judeo-Christian Church.

Reena Kumarasingham captures the religious atmosphere of the early Christians, a powerful divine consciousness permeating the spirits of the two men and the effect it had on their audiences. In this book, the reader will learn about the life of St Paul before his encounter with Jesus and the vocation that transformed him, his travels preaching the word of God, and his dismal end. We also meet James in his younger years, his perspective of the crucifixion, and the role he played in the birth of the Church. The book is filled with relevant religious themes and references and I particularly enjoyed the author’s take on how the two men experienced and lived through the crucifixion. Writing in a style that is simple and easy-to-read, the author poses important questions. Where has this zeal gone? Divine Consciousness is an invitation to go back to the message of the early Christians and rediscover the beauty and power of the message of Jesus.

Divine Consciousness: The Secret Story of James the Brother of Jesus, St Paul and the Early Christian Church by Reena Kumarasingham is a non-fiction theology book wherein the biblical context of messages thousands of years old are re-examined in the original lexicon of their delivery. Over the course of two solid parts and fourteen distinct but interconnected chapters, Kumarasingham covers multiple points of argument, some of which may be considered highly controversial by other scholars, with topics ranging from the disciple Paul's relationship with Christ and his life as a witness to Christ's own, as well as a look into Paul's mostly unknown pre-Christ upbringing, to Paul's travels and establishment of the Gentile Church. The second part refocuses on James, the younger brother of Paul, and his movement in the Judeo-Christian church.

Reena Kumarasingham has compiled a fantastic alternative to the first-century following in Diving Consciousness. For the most part, the writing is tight and concise and most readers will find the book easily accessible with regard to the breaking down and simplifying of explanations. I found the parts on past-life regression a contentious theory that is deeply explored by Kumarasingham, who bravely asserts practical reasoning and a probable likelihood in the face of what one would imagine to be fierce resistance to such an outlook. The theories presented are grounded in a great deal of indisputable terrain, rooted by scripture. It's nearly impossible to attempt to counter a theory when its source is the very book—the Holy Bible—that has been translated hundreds of times over centuries, but from whence Kumarasingham makes a compelling case. I think this book will make a great addition to the collection of any true theologist and scholar.