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In his book, the fifth in a series, Markevich argues that there have been four major civilizations and that humanity now stands on the brink of the fifth. Many of the great spiritual and scientific giants of history—Aristotle, Jesus, Napoleon, Richard Feynman—have belonged to what he calls the fifth civilization, which will transcend those that have gone before and towards which humanity has been striving from its inception. He maintains that modern people have moved beyond the primitive idea of God espoused in the various religions, all of which pointed towards a mystical cosmic force—the “perpetuity principle” that we’re only beginning to understand. He urges readers to relinquish their hope of personal immortality and accept that the immortality of which the sages and prophets spoke was the continuing survival of the human race. He posits that the truth of his message is hidden allegorically within the world’s myths and legends for those with the intellectual boldness to seek it out.
The author’s book is wide-ranging and ambitious, drawing on everything from quantum physics to the teachings of the Sufi mystics to the Nigredo, the black stage of alchemy. At times the book evokes the grand scope of a novel like Moby Dick, with its visions of “God’s foot” upon the treadle of the world. Readers who are deeply versed in Jungian psychoanalytic theory may find it rewarding, while others—who haven’t read the previous four books or lack the author’s understanding of science, theology, and cosmology, may be a bit puzzled. His decision to use a heavily fictionalized contemporary novel as his primary source on the life of Jesus is an interesting choice. For those who possess the stamina and a sense of adventure, reading this book is a unique and memorable experience.