Great fun! Might contain some deprecated historical info because it’s from the 70s and based on only a handful of written sources, but who cares.
I picked up this book by accident when Ryan Holiday recommended a book of the same title by a different author. I read the first chapter of both books, and liked this one by Paul Maier much better than the original recommendation. I guess Mr. Holiday and I have different tastes in books. ( )

A clearly well researched historical novel, speculating on the political career of Pontius Pilate.

It's an interesting read and it serves to provide insight on events given little attention in the gospels. Pilates moment of infamy, in which he washes his hands of responsibility and allows for Jesus' crucifixion isn't actually covered until the second half of the book. We are shown how he comes to be prefect of Judah and his relationships with other political figures of the time, including his rivalry with Herod. It details political squabbles and ties in the events of his life with historical landmarks of the time which Pilate could well have been present at. Unfortunately, since this is the novelisation of a series of historical facts, it suffers from lack of story. Much of it is interesting and it's definitely gripping at times, but for the most part it can seem to drag and it doesn't really flow consistently. I also thought the author cheated a bit when the whole book had been focused on Pilates point of view but then suddenly shifted to the Pharisees in order to give context for Jesus' trial. I definitely think these scenes could have been handled better by the writer.
Some of the dialogue also comes across as a bit contrived, clearly written only to communicate the authors historical knowledge, rather than provide realistic development for the characters or to further the plot.

So, it's worth a read. I enjoyed it for the most part, but this definitely serves better as a history lesson than a gripping novel.
It's well researched and interesting... but unfortunately, a book being well researched and interesting doesn't necessarily make a it good novel. It just makes it well researched and interesting.


Side rant: The illusion was somewhat broken for me in a scene where pilate is considering the uncanny resemblance between two characters. Fair enough, but he is shown to be thinking about this in terms of genetics. The field of genetics (or any science similar to what pilate possibly could have been thinking about) wasn't invented, nor had the term been coined, until the 19th century. ( )

Dr. Maier, a conservative Lutheran, has given us an enthralling history and fictional biography of Pontius Pilate. I've always been fascinated by Pilate because of his historical importance coupled with so few written sources. There's been much speculation on this controversial figure. I think Pilate would be surprised that today his name, that of a simple equestrian ex-prefect, is arguably the Roman name people remember the most, except possibly Julius Caesar or Nero. Dr. Maier has done a creditable job in taking the paucity of available material and constructing a plausible book. His writing style is not outstanding--rather pedestrian--but his use of historical material is impeccable.

This 'documentary novel' traces Pilate's background, marriage to Procula, posting to Judaea as prefect, then his tenure there and subsequent recall to Rome. His administration includes: besides presiding at Jesus' trial and Pilate's sentence of crucifixion; the uproars against military standards, the golden shields in the praetorium, both of which offend the Jewish prohibition against graven images; building projects such as the Jerusalem aqueduct and the Tiberiéum basilica; and lastly, a violent confrontation with Samaritans. I give this book a 3.5. The writing style pulls it down.

The book posits possible reasons for Pilate's recall to Rome after ten years in Judaea, and gives us some of his subsequent life. I feel in the Creed "suffered under Pontius Pilate" means not the man's guilt, but an attempt to fit Pilate into the chronology of events. I ended up with complete sympathy for Pilate; in troublesome situations I felt he wanted to do what was what he considered best and to follow Roman law but was caught between the vagaries of Roman politics back home and the sensibilities of his Jewish subjects in Judaea. He had to walk a thin line. How could he avoiding displeasing one side or the other? I did like the speculation about Procula's horrific dream and message to Pilate, also that the Gospel accounts were viewed from a Roman perspective. There was a certain amount of Christian apologetics, which I felt 'went along with the territory.' There were extensive Chapter Notes and a Historical Note. ( )

First line:
~ A salvo of trumpet blasts echoed across Rome, saluting the sunrise on the first of April, A.D. 26 ~

Even though this is a novel, I enjoyed it from a biblical and historical perspective.

It was interesting to learn more about Pontius Pilate, his personal life, and why and how he came to be in Israel.

Reading this book got me wondering about what would have happened to Christianity had Jesus not been crucified.

I figure any book that gets me thinking about broader issues is a good one! (3.5 stars) ( )