Donovan Maxwell Joyce (31 October 191016 October 1980) was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

radio producer and writer, best known as the author of the international

best-seller A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, cookb ...

The Jesus Scroll ''The Jesus Scroll'' is a best-selling book first published in 1972 and written by Australian author Donovan Joyce. A forerunner to some of the ideas later investigated in ''The Da Vinci Code'', Joyce's book made the claim that Jesus of Nazaret ...

''.

Life

Joyce was born in 1910 in

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, and educated at Scotch College. On leaving education he was employed by

BHP BHP Group Limited (formerly known as BHP Billiton) is an Australian multinational mining, metals, natural gas petroleum public company that is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Broken Hill Proprietary Company was founded ...

but, finding himself unsuited to that work, he performed in amateur theatricals in Melbourne and was stage manager for several productions of the Little Theatre Company. In 1932 Joyce entered

commercial radio Commercial broadcasting (also called private broadcasting) is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship. It was the United States′ first model of radio (an ...

, working in various stations across Australia, and eventually rising to station manager. He could not enlist during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

because of a childhood injury, so instead he served as an air-raid warden. At this time he wrote a regular and occasionally controversial column in ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'' under the pseudonym 'Slapper'. He formed Donovan Joyce Productions in 1945. For his new company he wrote and commissioned dramas and documentaries for radio, many of which he exported, particularly to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, where he also advised on local radio production. Although Joyce wrote the script for a television episode of ''

Homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

'' in 1966, he never adapted to writing for the small screen. Joyce traveled to

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

in 1964 to visit

Masada Masada ( he, מְצָדָה ', "fortress") is an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau, akin to a mesa. It is located on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dea ...

in order to write a book about it. Joyce claimed that he was prevented by

Yigael Yadin Yigael Yadin ( he, יִגָּאֵל יָדִין ) (20 March 1917 – 28 June 1984) was an Israeli archeologist, soldier and politician. He was the second Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces and Deputy Prime Minister from 1977 to 1981. B ...

from visiting the

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

digs at Masada. In his book ''

'', Joyce claimed he met someone who had discovered a scroll at Masada. The scroll was allegedly written on 15 April 73 AD and signed by "Yeshua Ben Ya'akob Ben Gennesareth, the last rightful inheritor of the Hasmonean (Maccabean) Kings of Israel" – this is interpreted as Jesus of Gennesareth in this book. After a brief return to radio in Australia, he published ''The Jesus Scroll'' (

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, 1972;

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, 1973), an original account of the life of Christ that became a best-seller and led to controversy and death threats. Joyce died of hypertensive heart disease on 16 October 1980, aged 69, at

Prahran Prahran (), also pronounced colloquially as Pran, is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City ...

in Melbourne and was cremated. He was survived by his wife and a son.

Radiography

Below are a list of radio shows produced by Donovan Joyce Productions or penned by Donovan Joyce. *A Matter of Luck *Adam and Eve *Amazing Duchess *Case of the Purple Cow, The *Convict Girl *Departure Delayed *Devil's Duchess, The *Devil's Holiday *Empty Arms *File of Queer Stories *Forty Glorious Years *Gabrielle *Image of Dorinda *Knave of Hearts *Legend of Kathy Warren, The *Lilian Dale Affair *Mad Monk Man *Man Hunt *Office Wife *Passing Parade *Popular Fallacies *Scarlet Harvest *Search for Karen Hastings, The *Sparrows of London *Stepmother *Strange House of Jeffrey Marlowe, The *Stranger in Paradise *T-Men (''The first Donovan Joyce Radio Production ever submitted to the United States, was sold to US networks and independent stations within a week of its arrival.'') *This Man is Mine *Two Roads to Samarra *Walk a Crooked Mile *Woman in the Mirror

References

External links

Joyce on the Australian Dictionary of Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joyce, Donovan 1910 births 1980 deaths Australian religious writers Australian radio executives Australian radio writers Swoon hypothesis