Killing Jesus - Bill O'Reilly/Martin Dugard

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Singalphile
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Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2012 12:46 pm

Killing Jesus - Bill O'Reilly/Martin Dugard

Post by Singalphile » Mon Dec 15, 2014 12:37 am

I listened to the audio book a couple of weeks ago. Until I finished reading it, I'd heard almost nothing about it (and nothing that I recalled). Dugard is unknown to me, but Bill O'Reilly is a well-known U.S. political cable news anchor/commentator, and he's a Roman Catholic. The book itself is a straight forward retelling of the life of Jesus as recorded in the gospels, though with a lot left out for no given or apparent reason, and with more purportedly historical details regarding 1st century life.

There's some speculation about motives or behind-the-scenes activity such as you're bound to get in any dramatization, which is how I took it, but nothing bizarre. I don't recall anything agenda-driven. There's little or nothing in the way of proper theology.

I've read some reviews, and a lot of them seem to work hard to condemn the book for something or other, most of which is baseless or else consists of criticism for leaving something out or even for taking Jesus seriously at all. In my opinion, though, taken by itself, the book is uncontroversial (at least for a Christian) ... maybe even a bit bland.

But I enjoyed it. Some of the historical asides are interesting and it's certainly not profane in any way. I see that the authors have similar books out about Kennedy and Lincoln. If the library has 'em, I'll get them too.

One criticism about the audio book: O'Reily reads it himself. I haven't watched TV news in years, but I still recognized his voice and it's a bit distracting to be constantly aware of the reader's identity. Plus, they could have got someone with a more dramatic vocal flair and less of a "just-the-facts" news-anchor style.

That's my little review. Anybody else read it?
... that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. John 5:23

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