Does anyone else out there love Biblical history but struggle to read through boring history books? I admit to being one of those people who find dry history books to be a cure for insomnia. That's probably the main reason I put off reading "Killing Jesus" by Bill O'Reilly for so long. When we used to frequent a little library by our home which no longer exists, I remember seeing "Killing Jesus" on the shelf and making myself a mental note to read it later on. I placed this book in the same category as Mr. O'Reilly's other historical books I saw on the shelf such as "Killing Lincoln," and "Killing Kennedy" - books I would probably enjoy if I could make myself sit down for a historical read. More exciting books always pushed "Killing Jesus" to the back burner and I read different books instead. Fast forward many other books, a college degree, and a job later, I re-found this book and decided it was time to give it a go.
Let me just say - wow. I was expecting a fact-heavy, put-you-to-sleep, force-yourself-to-finish-what-you-started book, and I couldn't have been farther from the truth. This book reads more like a fast-paced murder mystery - one where you are a fly on the wall and you know an ending that some of the characters don't yet know. Of course, I enjoyed the chapters best that centered around Jesus, as the book goes into depth about other people as well. Of note, this book goes into great detail about some gruesome details and chronicles the lives of people who led less than upstanding moral lives. This didn't bother me, working in the medical field, but could be difficult for those with a super sensitive stomach or those not yet mature enough for a read of this kind. Despite the aforementioned, I found this book extremely hard to put down and finished it very quickly. I learned a lot from this book about the culture in Jesus' time, as well as a lot about the Jewish law and context from the scriptures.
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