In this book, the authors do not address Jesus as Messiah, but as a man
who was preaching about peace and love, His standpoint as opposition of the
religious leaders for which had made Him as the most wanted enemy of Sanhedrin,
and, how the plot to kill Him was planned.
The story about Jesus (and killing Jesus) of course will not be
completed without looking at the Roman empire domination in the land of Israel
prior to Jesus birth, as we can see in this book how the emperor governed the
defeated land; from Julius Caesar until Caesar Augustus under whom baby Jesus
born, then Emperor Tiberius who ruled the Roman when Jesus was killed.
Not only were the Roman emperors, but several important figures
surrounding the killing of Jesus also being told such as Pontius Pilate, Herod
Antipas as well as Caiaphas.
The Roman rule with the crucifixion –as the most brutal and terrifying
punishment in the world history—was imposed to Jesus as written so detail by
the authors. This part will make us take a deep breath.
The authors who are also historical investigators are supported by a lot
of references as well as facts to build the story systematically and
chronologically which make the book is worth to read.
The last chapter of the book tells about Jesus’s tomb, the third day
since Jesus’s death when Mary Magdalene visited the tomb. As Mary approached
the tomb, she was stunned. She stepped forward, looked inside and smelled the
myrrh and aloe. She saw the linen shroud but found nothing. “To this day, the
body of Jesus of Nazareth has never been found,” the authors close the story.
This book indeed a
history, not a religious book.
***
Serpong, 19
Aug 2023
Titus J.
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