Killing Jesus

After I took a book recommendation from my step-mom I decided to switch referrals and took a recommendation from my father. Dad highly recommended Killing Jesus, along with several other Killing works by O'Reilly (Killing Patton has been recently included in my Kindle library). I also read this as an actual book instead of eBook and it made me nostalgic for the oomph-ness of a tangible piece of literature. I finished this book on the plane from NYC to Austin, and carried it around the airport and shuttle services and many people commented on how much they enjoyed Killing Jesus - people can't comment on eBooks. However, when I finished the book with 70 minutes left in my flight, I was glad to have my Kindle with 5 novels waiting for me in a device that doesn't take up much space in my carry-on.

Killing Jesus by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

Genre: Nonfiction (crucifixion of Christ)
Publication Date: September 2013
Setting: The Roman Empire, 50 BC - 33 AD

I have previously admitted that my historical knowledge outside of America is pretty limited, but this book did an excellent job catching me up to what was going on before and during the time of Jesus. The authors begin with the murder of Caesar and explain how his assassination lead to the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire. In my opinion, the book focused more on leaders who would be threatened by Christ rather than the Son of God himself. The authors detailed the lives and politics of Julius Caesar, Octavian, Tiberius, Pontius Pilate, Herod the Great, and Herod Antipas as well as some of the religious figures such as John the Baptist, Mary, Jesus, Mary of Magdala, Judas, and other disciples and the high priests and Sanhedrin (Caiaphas). The work is a global/Roman history of events that lead to the death of Jesus.

The authors do an incredible job of explaining each character and their personalities/motives as well as the politics of the time. The emperors of Rome didn't care much for the Jews, they just wanted to rule, therefore Pontius Pilate was instructed to stay out of Jewish affairs but ensure Judea adhered to Roman rule. Herod the Great and Herod of Antipas wanted to appease Rome while still maintaining control of Judea (therefore Jesus, the King of the Jews, posed a great threat). Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin wanted to religiously rule the Jews, and see Jesus as a blasphemer for claiming to be the Son of God.

And then there is Jesus... just a simple man, carpenter, and devout Jew who lives a good and modest life. The book talks about Jesus from his birth, some of his childhood, and then skips to his baptism and eventual active teachings. It's not until Jesus meets and is baptized by John that he begins to cause trouble for those in power. Jesus only preaches for about three years until he is tried and crucified, yet those three years of teachings, along with his death and rise, shaped our world forever.

The book isn't religious, but is about religion from a historical standpoint. The authors use Biblical and Jewish narratives to explain the world during the time of Christ and the events and individuals who lead to the Passion of Christ. Overall, it is a great book for those curious about the supposed Son of God and the formation of Christianity. I would recommend to anyone, regardless of religious beliefs or backgrounds. As I mentioned, Jesus's teachings and death shaped our world forever, and we would benefit from trying to understand how/why that is.

Finished reading: Monday, June 8, 2015

DD's Rating: A
I have a soft spot for captivating nonfiction and Killing Jesus is just that. I am most interested to hear what my mother, a devout Catholic, has to say about the book, and how accurate it is according to the Church.