Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
First of all, it was refreshing to read something clean and inspiring after some of the garbage I've been exposed to lately. Secondly, there were times when this book dragged, times when it seemed silly, and times when it made me mad, but on the whole I enjoyed it. More importantly though, I felt a greater desire to come to know Christ for myself and to shed the worldliness that continues to creep into my life. To live more for Him and His children and less for myself. And for that, the book definitely deserves an extra star.
When Jesus was crucified, the Roman soldiers on duty cast lots for his robe. This book follows the story of the Roman who won the robe. Marcellus, the young Roman Tribune, who crucified Jesus, is least interested about the Jews, their language, beliefs and lifestyle. He has no clue why this young Jew is being crucified. But he notices how Jesus comes across as an exceptionally brave man at the face of isolation, hatred and impending death. His Greek slave Demetrius informs him how he won Jesus' robe. From then on, the lives of Marcellus and Demetrius, and everyone they came in contact with, including their families and loved ones, change forever.
Douglas' historical fiction is set in Rome, Athens and Judea (now Israel). The key historical points around Jesus' death, like the reign of King Herod in Judea, the reign of Emperor Tiberius in Rome, his grandson Prince Gaius Drishy Agrippa, and the reign of the evil emperor Caligula have been kept consistent in this story. But it also presents a detailed and accurate narration of the social, political and religious conditions which existed during that time; especially the early Christian movement which erupted and spread across Judea, Rome, Greece and other places.
The early Christian movement is the key theme of this book, set under the backdrop of Jesus' crucifixion. It narrates how initially the Jewish king and authorities were the only ones trying to curb Christianity, until it hit Rome. Caligula succeeded Tiberius and Christianity was now akin to sedition and outlawed, and anyone professing this new belief was to be persecuted and put to death. A great portion of the book basically summarizes the work of the apostles.
But this book doesn't merely narrate historical incidents. As Marcellus and Demetrius travel across the 3 nations trying to learn more about Jesus, this book covers the core messages delivered by Jesus, which formed the foundation for Christianity. Douglas takes a religious tone when he writes from the Christian's perspectives, and from a non - believer's attempt at logical explanations and drawing parallels to ancient philosophies of the Romans, the Greeks and humanity itself, when he writes from the perspective of Marcellus and Demetrius.
Being a 500+ paged book, it gets lengthy and slow at times. The characters take a long time discussing certain points, sometimes it even gets repetitive. Douglas took some liberty with the miracles done by Jesus and their interpretation. For a non - Christian, the portions related to religion may get lengthy and boring. But what appealed to me the most was the detailed description of people and their lifestyle: Caesars Tiberius and Caligula, the various Roman officers and senators, their slaves, the common people living in Greece, Rome and Judea, and most importantly the Jews who believed and became the early Christians: their secret meetings in designated households and the infamous catacombs, the fish symbol used by them to identify their faith, the stoning of Stephanos and the arrest and freeing of Simon Peter. It helps understand how this significant religion spread out its first roots amidst poverty, persecution and death, until it became so strong a revolution that the Roman Empire had to embrace it and then modify and influence it.
I'd recommend it to anyone interested in Christian literature, theology and history.
Douglas' historical fiction is set in Rome, Athens and Judea (now Israel). The key historical points around Jesus' death, like the reign of King Herod in Judea, the reign of Emperor Tiberius in Rome, his grandson Prince Gaius Drishy Agrippa, and the reign of the evil emperor Caligula have been kept consistent in this story. But it also presents a detailed and accurate narration of the social, political and religious conditions which existed during that time; especially the early Christian movement which erupted and spread across Judea, Rome, Greece and other places.
The early Christian movement is the key theme of this book, set under the backdrop of Jesus' crucifixion. It narrates how initially the Jewish king and authorities were the only ones trying to curb Christianity, until it hit Rome. Caligula succeeded Tiberius and Christianity was now akin to sedition and outlawed, and anyone professing this new belief was to be persecuted and put to death. A great portion of the book basically summarizes the work of the apostles.
But this book doesn't merely narrate historical incidents. As Marcellus and Demetrius travel across the 3 nations trying to learn more about Jesus, this book covers the core messages delivered by Jesus, which formed the foundation for Christianity. Douglas takes a religious tone when he writes from the Christian's perspectives, and from a non - believer's attempt at logical explanations and drawing parallels to ancient philosophies of the Romans, the Greeks and humanity itself, when he writes from the perspective of Marcellus and Demetrius.
Being a 500+ paged book, it gets lengthy and slow at times. The characters take a long time discussing certain points, sometimes it even gets repetitive. Douglas took some liberty with the miracles done by Jesus and their interpretation. For a non - Christian, the portions related to religion may get lengthy and boring. But what appealed to me the most was the detailed description of people and their lifestyle: Caesars Tiberius and Caligula, the various Roman officers and senators, their slaves, the common people living in Greece, Rome and Judea, and most importantly the Jews who believed and became the early Christians: their secret meetings in designated households and the infamous catacombs, the fish symbol used by them to identify their faith, the stoning of Stephanos and the arrest and freeing of Simon Peter. It helps understand how this significant religion spread out its first roots amidst poverty, persecution and death, until it became so strong a revolution that the Roman Empire had to embrace it and then modify and influence it.
I'd recommend it to anyone interested in Christian literature, theology and history.
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, there are some moments in the story with real pathos and heart--but on the other, the narrative is a bit rambling, and seems to cut off suddenly rather than end.
Set in first-century Rome and Judea, the story follows Marcellus (a noble but somewhat arrogant Roman) and Demetrius (his equally noble but thankfully less arrogant slave), as Marcellus falls into political disfavor and is sent away to command a slovenly penal garrison in Judea--where, by chance, he witnesses (and takes part in) the crucifixion of Christ.
I really loved the beginning of the story. There were heavy reminders both of Rosemary Sutcliff's fantastic Roman Britain stories and Francine River's Mark of the Lion trilogy, and I enjoyed re-living both. The characters of Demetrius and Marcellus were extremely well-developed (I admit, I fell a little in love with Demetrius), and the story itself was powerful and seemed to be going somewhere. There was a lot of truly beautiful character development as Marcellus's grief and guilt drove him on, and Demetrius's steady loyalty to him, resulting in the eventual healing and friendship of both parties, was one of the coolest character arcs I've ever read.
However, once the characters have finished developing, the story continues for a couple hundred more pages. Things happen, but none of them were particularly interesting, and when the story does end, it's on a slightly unsatisfying note--not necessarily a bad note, just an unfulfilling one.
Overall though, this was an awesome story, well worth reading and savoring, and I'll most likely be carrying the characters and scenes in my heart for some time :)
Set in first-century Rome and Judea, the story follows Marcellus (a noble but somewhat arrogant Roman) and Demetrius (his equally noble but thankfully less arrogant slave), as Marcellus falls into political disfavor and is sent away to command a slovenly penal garrison in Judea--where, by chance, he witnesses (and takes part in) the crucifixion of Christ.
I really loved the beginning of the story. There were heavy reminders both of Rosemary Sutcliff's fantastic Roman Britain stories and Francine River's Mark of the Lion trilogy, and I enjoyed re-living both. The characters of Demetrius and Marcellus were extremely well-developed (I admit, I fell a little in love with Demetrius), and the story itself was powerful and seemed to be going somewhere. There was a lot of truly beautiful character development as Marcellus's grief and guilt drove him on, and Demetrius's steady loyalty to him, resulting in the eventual healing and friendship of both parties, was one of the coolest character arcs I've ever read.
However, once the characters have finished developing, the story continues for a couple hundred more pages. Things happen, but none of them were particularly interesting, and when the story does end, it's on a slightly unsatisfying note--not necessarily a bad note, just an unfulfilling one.
Overall though, this was an awesome story, well worth reading and savoring, and I'll most likely be carrying the characters and scenes in my heart for some time :)