Frank Becker

Age is no handicap.

In spite of battling two kinds of cancer and undergoing a heart procedure, 80-year old Frank Becker just published his seventh novel in six years.

The book is a Christmas adventure entitled, “Saving Jesus: The Untold Story of the Wise Men.”

But while Becker insists that his latest novel is well-worth reading, many people consider this octogenarian’s high-energy life-style of equal interest. Becker, now in his ninth decade, keeps in shape by walking a couple of miles every morning, and by lifting weights three times a week. Although he was born before America entered World War II, you can view a recent video of the 80-year old bench-pressing a hundred pounds on the author’s website (frankbecker.com).

What some consider amazing is that last year Becker underwent (1) abdominal surgery for cancerous tumors, (2) radiation therapy for prostate cancer, and (3) had a stent implanted in his heart. And, like all of us, he has been dealing with the stresses of Covid-19.

Yet he regularly spends four to eight hours a day at his computer, and somehow finds time to work on home improvements and to share many of the household chores.

Apart from that, he keeps up email correspondence with friends and colleagues, and is also a salaried consultant for a firm that provides enterprise software solutions to government, corporations, and universities. He reads a couple of books each week, and occasionally dabs some paint on canvas.

It is hard to categorize Frank Becker. A manager at GE one said he had “a checkered background.”

Frank claims to base his writing on careful research, but his own diverse real-world experiences obviously lend credibility to is writing. During a long and seemingly frenetic lifetime, he founded a chain of RV retail outlets, managed an upscale restaurant, stood as a candidate for the New York State Senate, was appointed a civil defense officer, was a building contractor, served as a pastor, educator, and radio talk-show host, and was employed as an award-winning technical writer.

Perhaps that is why he laughingly calls himself “a jack of all trades and master of none.” He relies on his diverse background to bring realism to his books. When questioned about his colorful background, he simply smiles and says, “You can cover a lot of ground in eighty years!”

The title of Frank’s latest novel, “Saving Jesus: The Untold Story of the Wise Men,” suggests that there is a lot more to the account of the Wise Men than the commonly held misconception that they simply showed up at Christ’s manager to worship and bring him gifts. The cover of the book states, “They followed the wondrous Star a thousand torturous miles to help save the Christ child from the fury of a jealous king,” and that encapsulates the story.

But Becker strives to uncover the historical events surrounding the birth of Jesus, and helps us understand why the baby’s life was in mortal danger. He points out that the Jews of Palestine had been victims in a tug of war between Imperial Rome and the mighty Parthian Empire for over half a century, and their land had, at one time or another, been occupied by both. As a result, the Jews seethed with rebellion as they waited impatiently for the Messiah they dreamed would deliver them.

So while the Palestinians simmered, a group of Wise Men far to the East began following a wondrous Star, only to find themselves embroiled in a cauldron of political and religious intrigue.

Becker’s main point is that God chose to send the Wise Men from Parthia (formerly Babylon) to offer financial assistance to the family of Jesus. He asks, “Why didn't some faithful Jew in Palestine provide the resources needed so that Joseph’s little family could flee Herod’s wrath and make their escape to Egypt?”

Becker skillfully weaves into his tale the likely involvement of the kings and queens who held sway over Jerusalem during this period—Augustus of Rome, Phraates of Parthia, Herod of Palestine, and a little known queen named Thea Musa. They were all, without exception, jealous of their positions and unscrupulous in guarding their power.

King Phraates of Parthia, for example, murdered all of his brothers to secure the throne of that vast empire, and he was still ruling at the birth of Jesus. In an attempt to manipulate him, the emperor of Rome, Augustus Caesar, sent Thea Musa, a former serving girl and concubine, as a gift, and Phraates was so taken with her charms that he married her. About the time of Jesus’ birth, Thea Musa murdered her husband and married her own son, with whom she then served as co-regent. This is merely one example of the political and religious intrigues of which Becker writes, events that would have impacted the lives of the baby Jesus and the Wise Men who would worship and aid him.

Becker argues that those Jewish “Wise Men" were heirs of the “Sages” of Old. Such Wise Men had advised kings, instructed the young, and penned the books of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. Becker points out that the prophet Jeremiah listed the Jewish Wise Men alongside the Priests and the Prophets, and considered their ministry to be vital to the practical and philosophical life of Israel.

Becker believes that the Wise Men risked their own lives by defying the world’s rulers and delivering the gold needed to save the baby Jesus from their wrath.

Whether you consider the story of the Wise Men to be legend or legacy, Becker insists that “Saving Jesus” is a fascinating study, based on the well-attested biblical account of the child who ultimately changed the history of the world.

And when asked what advice this 80-year old has for those who wish to be forever young, he counseled, “Find something that interests you and pursue it with passion and love. The Truth is out there, and if you find it, the truth shall set you free!”

I want to thank my fine editor, Rachel Bernatowicz, for her hard labors, and commend her services to other writers.