Journalist, radio personality and commentator for Fox News, Bill O’Reilly, together with writing partner Martin Dugard, took upon themselves the task of writing a historical account of the life of Jesus. The book is available from most book retailers of the digital and brick-and-mortar variety for under $20 hardback and under $10 for the e-book.

The purpose of the book was to write a first of its kind historic account of the days leading up to the death of Jesus. Unfortunately O’Reilly and company are about two thousand years late, as this is also the expressly stated purpose of the gospel of Luke (1.1-.4)

Similar to their previous work, Killing Lincoln, the duo sets the stage by detailing the history that lead up to the events of interest. In this case, O’Reilly expends great effort to make sense of the times and death of Julius Caesar before reaching the titular material. Even as an interested student in both Scripture and history, I admit to struggling through this introductory material – especially as its relevance to the death of Jesus was only minimally helpful by explaining the relationship of the rulers from Jesus’ time to Rome. That said, once the book turned that corner and introduced us to an adult Jesus the book moves quickly and becomes impossible to put down.

Due to his journalist background the writing is clear and tight, without wasted words and depictions that require long-suffering to plow through. This translates into both an interesting and entertaining approach. I give him and Dugard high marks for their research prowess and for the way they cited their sources. The book will be of great value to anyone interested in Jesus though it is not to be considered an inspirational book.

In fact the treatment of the subject matter is so historically sterile that “inspiration” is nigh impossible, and yet Jesus is so compelling that the book may leave some feeling that very emotion. While it is clear that the order of events in the life of Christ was sourced from the New Testament, the authors attempt to confirm what they report with extra-biblical sources. They lean heavily on the works of Josephus as a result. This approach may lend credibility with those who do not believe the Bible to be historically faithful, but niggles a bit for those whose faith is in the gospel accounts.

For instance, on the night of Jesus’ arrest it is mentioned that Peter cuts off a guards ear – but they do not record that Jesus then healed the wound. While this silence in regard to something clearly expressed in the Bible is bearable, the opposite treatment – stating as fact traits of beloved Biblical characters nowhere mentioned in the Scriptures – is uncomfortable. Nowhere is this clearer as when the writers refer to Mary Magdalen, more than once, as a harlot, something not mentioned in any of the gospels. Even so, it is understandable when one takes into account the author’s use of non-biblical source material.

More disturbing are the factual errors (of which there are quite a few) and assignment of motives that cannot possibly be known from any source. The clearest example is the representation of Jesus turning over the tables of the temple money changers not once, but twice. The first account is near the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and is well documented in the Gospels. The second, which is not mentioned anywhere, they insert into the story on the last day before the Son of God’s arrest. Not only is this in error, but they then ascribe Jesus’ action on the second occasion to political motives.

Aside from these few problematic pages, the book overall represents the life and times from a Roman and Jewish cultural perspective and explains many cultural references that most casual readers of the Bible would miss completely. The representation of social, religious and political forces is well documented and described. And while we may criticize the political motives the authors ascribe to Jesus from time to time, they also suggest possibilities that may be true. A case in point can be found on page 145 where we are told that Judas’ motive was not to betray Jesus, but rather to force his hand in bringing about the kingdom of heaven.

Perhaps the most glaring error of the book is in describing the verification of Jesus’ death. The book states that a Roman soldier speared Jesus in the chest (page 179) yet the apostle John clearly describes, “But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out immediately.”

A few historical inaccuracies aside, the book is extremely helpful in making sense of the world in which Jesus lived, ministered and died. No matter how well read, every reader will gain some bit of new information or concept not before heard or explored. I give this tome a high recommendation to every reader, with the caution that what is represented, while largely accurate, may not be completely true. For the most compelling, honest, historic and inspiring accounts of the life of Jesus are still to be found in the pages of God’s Word.