The Gospel of Damascus is an eschatological
novel that weaves Jewish, Christian and Islamic
traditions to tell the story of eight angels who
identify and prepare Yune Bukhari, a Damascene
man born to a Christian mother and Muslim
father, to be one of the successors to the
Disciples of Christ. The preparation process
is complex and entails spiritual and sensual
experiences which Yune must successfully
undergo. Guiding the preparation process are
golden scrolls which can only be opened at very
specific dates. The story appears to culminate
on Christmas Eve 1999 when Yune, along with
his co-disciples, believe Christ will return. Yune
is shattered when Christ fails to descend on the
White Tower east of Damascus. But thirty-three
years later, the preparation of Yune is over and
he is finally permitted to witness the event he
had anticipated for so long.