The Third Thief
()
About this ebook
Adoram and Zadok were still asleep when Ephraim left the house. He had covered his head with a cloth. He also kept a black eye-patch in his bag for covering his left eye. This would serve as a form of disguise. He also carried a staff that served as his weapon. He journeyed to the city of Jerusalem which was only about half-a-mile from Bethany.
Norbert Mercado
"In this age of revolution, the contemporary writer should utilize the pen for the preservation of peace," Norbert Mercado, a Filipino author, stressed. The books he has written and published, including his anthologies, unapologetically assert the indispensability of peace in a nation’s progress. The author has written more novels than any Asian writer had in just a brief period of time. In fact, he has surpassed the number of novels written by world-renowned novelists like Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn (winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, 1970) and American authors Ernest Hemingway (winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, 1954). Solzhenitsyn has four novels to his credit, while Hemingway has eight. His style of writing is simple and succinct, but poignant and colorful like Hemingway’s THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA, and Solzhenitsyn’s ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF IVAN DESONOVICH. "The simpler the novel, the better," he said. In line with Japanese Yasunari Kabawata’s writings about the Japanese way of life, most of Norbert’s novels focus mostly on the current situation in his country. Kabawata is the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968. His books present hope to the Filipino, especially to the "economic exiles" in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan whom he has spent most of his time with, in their daily struggles. But most of all, his novels lucidly show the futility of war and violence in the resolution of political-economic-class conflicts in the Philippines. "War should not be used as an instrument in resolving political conflicts. Writers who abet wars and revolutions must think of the widows and the fatherless, the chaos, destruction, and suffering of the people whom they claim to be concerned about," he said. What if, like Solzhenitsyn, Hemingway, and Kabawata, he eventually wins the Nobel Prize? What will he do with the US$1,000,000 award? "I will use the prize for establishing a Peace Foundation that will assist in the formulation of policies which will resolve the current shooting conflicts in the country and help alleviate the continuing poverty of our countrymen." He will take charge of the foundation and personally campaign for a peaceful settlement of the conflicts in the Philippines. "The insurgency and the secessionist rebellion have foreign support. A Nobel title will give me the personality to approach the leaders involved in the conflicts," he explained. Born on March 25, 1955, he is the youngest among the children of Mr. and Mrs. Aurelio Mercado, Sr. of San Manuel, Tarlac. He graduated from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, with two degrees, Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication. Voted Outstanding Campus Journalist in 1974, he was a columnist and associate editor of the Philippine Collegian, the campus publication of the University of the Philippines. He has also written articles for various newspapers and magazines in the Philippines, as well as abroad. He also won the 1981 National Essay Writing Contest sponsored by SIDESTREETS Magazine. Norbert is a graduate of the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP), the topmost armed forces school in the country, where he was conferred a Master’s degree in National Security Administration (MNSA) and the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). He graduated from the NDCP at the age of 32, the youngest in Class 21 which had already produced several generals in the Armed Forces, and the youngest graduate in the history of the National Defense College of the Philippines. He was elected one of the fifteen directors of Class 21. He was conferred the degree of Doctor of Divinity (Applied Servanthood), Honoris Causa, for his almost 30 years work in Christian literature. His batch mates include Senator Robert Barbers, Undersecretary of Trade and Industry and Bulletin Columnist Nelly Villafuerte, Actor and Producer Fred Galang, Rev. Peter Vasaya, and the His Royal Highness Sultan of Sulu and Sabah Ishmael Kiram. A sports lover, he was a rifle marksman in his UP ROTC days, and a winner of the 1988 and 1989 5,000 meter-run sponsored by the National Defense College Alumni Association. His sports include swimming, basketball, volleyball, boxing, karate, cycling, and marathon among others. A traveler, he has attended various international conferences and trainings in Asia and Europe. His travels have widened his insight not only of places, but also of people he has constantly observed and empathized with. He is the youngest graduate of the Singapore Haggai Institute for Third World Leaders in 1980 at the age of 24. "Let us work for peace in our country, in any way we can," Norbert stressed. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers." Ria M. Mercado
Read more from Norbert Mercado
Miracles Never Stop Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnchained Melody Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOh, Jerusalem! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGolgotha! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Children of Mars Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Sands Of Time Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Day The Sun Stopped Shining Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGoodbye Babylon! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLove Blooms Where April Lilies Grow Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNineveh! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHadrian's Curse & Balfour's Error Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTutored By The Thomasites Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Grand Archon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI Grieve For You My Brother Jonathan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEscape To Egypt Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlessed Is The Fruit Of Thy Womb Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Windmills Of Amsterdam Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSome Winds Blow Forever Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Child In The Storm Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSaigon: War's Remembrance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Korean War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Fall Of Egypt's Islamist Dictator Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPoetry A Collection Throughout The Years Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Third Thief
Related ebooks
Strangers In Egypt Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEscape To Egypt Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Flowers Of Beersheba Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Silk Trade Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPresumed Guilty: Southern California Legal Thrillers, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAbraham's Treasure Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReady Reference Treatise: Joseph Andrews Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsComing Home Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMAHOMET THE BALD-HEAD - A Turkish Fairy Tale with a moral: Baba Indaba Children's Stories - Issue 439 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Blind Man In Rhinocolura Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Day The Sun Stopped Shining Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPeace on Earth Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Affluenza Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Emma of Iran Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTears in the Eyes of My Enemy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Most Expensive Spice: Have Body, Will Guard, #11 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Encounter: Short Stories, #7 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsZonaton Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Most Expensive Spice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Zephyr: The Hidden Series, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Chosen One Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Resurrector Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYaad, the Girl With No History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSins of the Father: A Lady Marmalade Mystery, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlack Mamba Boy: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Angel's Game Of Destiny Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHis Hour Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHis Last Nine Words Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsScorpion One First Strike Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEmma's Camp Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Christian Fiction For You
The Book of Mysteries Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hinds' Feet on High Places: An Engaging Visual Journey Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Someone Like You: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pilgrim’s Progress: Updated, Modern English. More than 100 Illustrations. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Stranger in the Lifeboat Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5And the Shofar Blew Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Visitation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pilgrim’s Progress (Parts 1 & 2): Updated, Modern English. More than 100 Illustrations. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Beast as Dark as Night: The Winter Souls Series, #4 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Warrior of the Light: A Manual Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bridge to Haven Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Next Person You Meet in Heaven: The Sequel to The Five People You Meet in Heaven Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Lineage of Grace Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fifth Mountain: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Nefarious Plot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Three Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nicolae: The Rise of Antichrist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hurricane Season Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Screwtape Letters: Annotated Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Monster Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Prophet: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Perelandra: (Space Trilogy, Book Two) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Illusion: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Present Darkness: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The End of the Affair Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The List Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Tower: And Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Harbinger II: The Return Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Third Thief
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The Third Thief - Norbert Mercado
THE THIRD THIEF
by
NORBERT MERCADO
Also by Norbert Mercado
NOVELS
72 Hours in Moscow
Cambodia's Children of Sorrow
The Children of Mars
Even the Grass Bleeds
I Don't Need A Throne
The Korean War
The Last Romanov
BOOKS IN THE SHADOW OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE SERIES
In The Shadow Of The Roman Empire
Farewell Darkness!
The Roman Governor of Judaea
BOOKS IN THE MORNING GLORY SERIES
Morning Glory
Love Is Beautiful
Prepare For Eternity
Dulce Extranjera
BOOKS IN THE ENSOMO SERIES
Pilgrims To Jerusalem
The Burning Of The Fields
A Year Without Summer
Oh, Jerusalem!
Goodbye Babylon!
BOOKS IN THE SANGKHLABURI SERIES
The Bridge
The Divide
The Union
For more information on Norbert Mercado, visit
http://norbertomercado.blogspot.com
THE THIRD THIEF
Norbert Mercado
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Except in cases of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016
All rights reserved. This book is sold, subject to the condition that is shall not, by way of trade or otherwise be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form or binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
ISBN: 978-1-370-03472-7
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
VERSION: 2017-03-01-2315
This novel is dedicated to my beloved sister
Aida Mercado-Magalong,
an alumna of the National Teacher’s College,
to the President of the National Teacher’s College,
Dr. Priscilla Arguelles
and to the following students of the National Teacher’s College:
Ana Marie Acosta
Marielle Diaz
Maries de los Reyes
Ruth Dejepe
Bea Sy
Yen Tiballa
Janina Urge
and
Hazel Yadao
Norbert L. Mercado
Historical Novelist
February 10, 2016
National Teacher’s College
Manila, Philippines
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Final Chapter
Dedication
References
A Historical Novelist For Peace
You Can Also Connect with Me Online:
Discover Other Titles by Norbert Mercado:
Back to Table of Contents
. . . CHAPTER . . .
1
It was dawn over Bethany.
The constant crows of the roosters in the village where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead awakened Ephraim. He was a shepherd who had been tending to his uncle’s flock. His uncle’s name was Adoram. Adoram was a widower, and had a fourteen year old son whose name was Zadok.
Ephraim came to the village