Bill O'Reilly's Killing Jesus
April 2, 2014
The authors have divided their book into three sections dealing respectively with:
Book I: The World of Jesus
(Why Caesar Augustus was Emperor When Jesus Was Born)
Book II: Behold The Man
(Scenes from Jesus' Life from Baptism to Passover Week)
Book III: If You Are The Son of God, Take Yourself Off This Cross
(The Arrest and Crucifixion of Jesus)
Only the last section of the book deals directly with "killing Jesus." In the middle section, the authors highlight Jesus' cleansing of the Temple as the direct cause of his arrest and the authors suggest that Jesus' action struck a blow at the economic well being of the priestly leadership, thus calling for drastic action. The first section tells us how the major players came to their roles and how crucifixion itself was used by the Romans to deter rebellion. Thus, while only the last section deals directly with "killing Jesus" the first two books deal with the subject indirectly.
What The Book Helps Us With
The Roman World
As you can tell from the attached listing of the chapters, much of the book is devoted to the context in which Jesus lived and was crucified. In fact the authors actually say, "This is a book that gives context to the life of Jesus..." (p. 276). Although I am not a historian and not really able to say that O'Reilly has described the context accurately, I believe what he has given us will be of interest and help to the average Christian reader.The chapters in the book move back and forth between the life of Jesus and life in the Roman Empire. O'Reilly offers those of us who are not historians of the Roman Empire a lot of interesting and helpful information about the context for Jesus' life. We are introduced to the events in the Roman Senate before the time of Christ that eventually gave us the Roman officials who were in place in Judea when Jesus appeared. The figures of Pilate and Caiaphas are fleshed out for us and help us to see behind some of the scenes in the Gospels. O 'Reilly gives us a lot of information about the details of a soldier's equipment and the actual process of crucifying a person that makes the biblical story come alive. I found the book helpful in this regard.
While I think this material is fairly well done, I have read another account of all this same information that does a better job of setting the scene than O'Reilly has done. The book is Pontius Pilate by Paul L. Maier. Maier's book is admittedly a book of historical fiction, but it is a gripping story in which every person and action is historical (even though their interactions are not historical). While O'Reilly mentions, for example, the role of a man named Sejanus in securing Pilate the job of Prefect in Judea, he does not take the time to tell this man's story as Maier does, and it is a story that needs to be told.
A Sense of How It Might Have Been
Upon a first reading of the book I was offended by the over-dramatization of the life of Jesus. I will say later that I think much of this is a detraction, but I think the book helps the average reader imagine the scenes and helps the scenes come alive. Did things happen the way the authors imagine them? Did Jesus as a 12 year old boy actually "sit in the shadow of the Great Temple, on a terrace next to the Chamber of Hewn Stone...." (p. 70) to dialog with the rabbis? How would anyone know. But he had to sit or stand somewhere and imagining the location brings the scene to life. I think the book does the average reader a service by fleshing out the scenes even though there are problems with this process as I will point out below.How The Book Doesn't Help Us
This is the third book that O'Reilly and Martin Dugard have co-authored. Killing Lincoln and Killing Kennedy preceded this book which O'Reilly says was "much more daunting that each of our past two efforts." I haven't read either of the first two books, but I would readily agree that writing a book about Jesus of Nazareth is a daunting task partly because there have been so many over the past two thousand years whose works should inform a modern author and partly because of the cultural and linguistic obstacles that confront a modern American author who writes about the first century. The authors do not provide many footnotes in the text of the book, but they do give the reader some indication of where they got their information about the Roman world and the life of Jesus. It will be apparent to those who know the literature about the New Testament that the authors either are not aware of long established scholarly positions or they have chosen to ignore them. Thus they still picture Mary Magdalene as a prostitute, an identity that has been pretty thoroughly cast aside (p. 144). They do indicate some significant works that deal specifically with crucifixion and/or with the last week of Jesus' life, but they show little familiarity with technical New Testament scholarship about the relationships of the four Gospels.Smoothing Out The Rough Places
One of the characteristics of the book is that the authors have harmonized the four Gospels and used the narratives as if they were all one story with no different emphases. This is most obvious in that the authors have Jesus cleanse the Temple twice! In Chapter 8 of the book which the authors date to A.D. 27 they have Jesus overturn the tables of the moneychangers in the Temple. The fact that they describe him as clenching a "coiled whip in his fist" tells the observant reader that they are fleshing out the story told by John in his Gospel (2:13-22) where Jesus makes a "whip of cords." In John's Gospel this event comes right at the beginning of Jesus' ministry. The other three Gospels place this event in the last week of Jesus' life and none of them mentions a whip. So, in Chapter 13 of the book, the authors have Jesus do it again!"Once again the group walks into Jerusalem and straight to the Temple. It has been three years since Jesus turned over rhe money changer's tables, but now he plans to do it again. Only this time he has no whip, and he is no longer an unknown figure." (p.192)
Obviously none of our Gospels records two occasions on which Jesus took such drastic action and I know of no scholar who thinks Jesus did so. But since one Gospel puts the event at the beginning and the others put it at the end, O'Reilly just has Jesus do it twice. This kind of simplistic smoothing over of the differences in our Gospels is inexcusable.
Obscuring the Source of Their Narrative
Much of the book is, therefore, a re-telling of the Gospel accounts with fictional padding to make the scenes come alive. For the average reader of the Bible, O'Reilly has produced a highly readable, interesting, fictional version of the New Testament. It is not surprising that the masses of readers like the book. However, the version of the story O'Reilly gives us is not consistent with any of our New Testament Gospels. It is a composite picture made up of some of all four but not all of any of them. And the two authors have added details that are not in the Gospels at all without alerting the reader that the details are without any historical basis.While the authors indicate at the end of the book some of the sources they have used, they do not give chapter and verse references for much of what they use. Thus, unless the reader knows the Bible very well it is not likely that they would know that one of the Temple cleansings comes from John and the second comes from the other three. And if one wanted to follow up the book's description by checking the biblical text ,they would have to consult a reference work to help them find it.
Historical Errors
While the average church-goer will probably find this book both entertaining and enlightening, there are several things that will keep others from appreciating the book. For example, right at the beginning of the book in a footnote (p. 14) O'Reilly attributes the conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. to "Philistines." He should have given the Assyrians credit for this. Apparently neither Mr. Dugard nor Mr. O'Reilly nor any of the multiple editors who proof-read the copy before it was published knew even a very basic outline of biblical history. (This would be tantamount to claiming that Vikings destroyed the World Trade Center!). Another historical error appears on page 241 when O'Reilly has Pilate call "the high priests and church elders together to announce his decision"! Obviously there were no "church" elders there before there was a church. O'Reilly apparently meant the Jewish high priests and the Jewish elders. By adding specific times to his book O'Reilly has made another error very visible. He notes that when Jesus was born (in March, 5 B.C.) he had 36 years to live (p.7). That would seem to place his crucifixion in A.D. 31, but the heading to Chapter 18 indicates that Jesus was crucified on April 7, A.D. 30 (p. 242). We might have assumed that there was a partial year in there, but on page 64 O'Reilly specifically notes that as of March 22, A.D. 7 at noon "The child with twenty-three years to live is missing." Somewhere he lost a year.Presenting Fiction as History
And, while the fictionalizing of the events makes them come alive for modern readers who have little knowledge of the Gospels, the authors have imagined details and added them to the biblical narrative as if they were part of it. Mezuzahs have long been a fixture in Jewish homes, but we have absolutely no information about Joseph and Mary having a home much less having a mezuzah beside the door! The same can be said for the imagined date and time that Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the Temple: "March 23, A.D. 7, Afternoon." The authors created a timeline for the events they describe, but there is no basis for this attempt to add reality to the story. They went on to imagine the scene when the parents found Jesus in the temple: "Jesus had never shown any sign of possessing such deep knowledge of Jewish law and tradition. So Mary and Joseph gasp in shock at the ease with which he is discussing God" (p.76). Of course our Gospels tell us nothing about the early childhood of Jesus so this scene is pure imagination used to fill out the story.
Poor Editing
The historical errors in the book and the use of imagined details to paint a supposedly historical picture detract from the book. Poor editing contributes too. I didn't try to find typographical errors because there was so much else that caught my attention, but I found several anyway. It is fairly clear that the editors of this book either were not familiar with the subject matter or did not do a very good job of cleaning up the text. The most blatant editorial errors, however, come at the end of the book when O'Reilly tries to be very specific with dates. Note the headings in the last few chapters:13. Jerusalem Monday, April 3, A.D. 30 Morning 190
14. Jerusalem Tuesday, April 3, [sic] A.D. 30 Morning 197
15. Jerusalem Wednesday, April 4, A.D. 30 Night 208
16. Lower City of Jerusalem Thursday, April 4, [sic] A.D. 30 Night 212
17. Jerusalem Friday, April 7, A.D. 30 Early Morning/Day 226
Apparently the authors used a word processor as we all have done and simply copied from one heading to the other, but this leaves us with two April the Thirds and two April the Fourths and no April 5 or April 6! In most histories the editors would catch such obvious errors if the author submitted it that way. Obviously, neither the editors nor the authors took much time looking carefully at the text.
O'Reilly says that he and Dugard used the New International Version but they quoted biblical texts that do not appear in the New International Version. An example is the quotation of Deuteronomy 6:4 which is quoted as saying, "Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah and thou shalt love Jehovah your God.....". The NIV does not use the name "Jehovah." Apparently the authors chose deliberately to change the text, but the editors should have corrected this blatant alteration. One page prior to the Deuteronomy quote the authors quote John 3:21 and once again, although the words are enclosed in quotation marks, they are not the text of the NIV Bible. The NIV text reads: " But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God." In the book the latter part of this verse reads: "...that what he has done had been done through God." The point is not that the authors have grossly misrepresented what the Bible intends; the point is that the quotation marks mean nothing. They are not quoting the NIV Bible. They are giving a free rendering of verses. It is either very sloppy writing or very poor editing. There are more examples but the point is the same.
What Others Are Saying
I looked at several reviews of the book by others. In closing I'll share just a couple of comments that will give you the sense of what is being said about Killing Jesus.Both O'Reilly and Dugard are Catholics so I looked for comments from fellow Catholics. Candida Moss is a professor of New Testament and early Christianity at the University of Notre Dame and author of The Myth of Persecution. She pointed out that:
Of the first 80 or so pages of "Killing Jesus," only 15 are about Jesus himself. The rest is history, biography, and politics of the ancient Mediterranean. Much of this is gleaned from Roman and Jewish historians like the imperial biographer Suetonius and the Jewish general Josephus.
These are authors that O’Reilly trusts implicitly. Maybe it’s because Suetonius reads like the National Enquirer, maybe it’s because the Romans loved eagles, but whatever the reason, O’Reilly gives them too much credit.
And finally, these comments from a review that appeared in The Guardian, a British newspaper:
But historical detail does not in itself make a history – that requires analysis. Despite the subtitle, Killing Jesus is not "A History". It is a breathy retelling of the gospel stories by two conservative Catholics, one of whom, O'Reilly, believes that he was inspired to write the book by the Holy Ghost. It might be unfair to expect too much in the way of nuance or new material from Killing Jesus, but since it calls itself a history, one does expect accuracy. So when the authors claim that "the incredible story behind the lethal struggle between good and evil has never been told" – cue drumroll – "until now", the reader is entitled to feel a little misled.
APPENDIX A
The Contents of the Book
Book I: The World of Jesus
1. Bethlehem, Judea March, 5 B.C. Morning"The child with thirty-six years to live is being hunted." 7
2. Rome March 15, 44 B.C. 11 A.M
"The dictator with one hour to live rides atop the shoulders of slaves." 23
3. Philippi, Northern Greece October 23, 42 B.C. Morning
"The son of God thinks himself immortal." 52
4. Jordan River Valley, Judea March 22, A.D. 7 Noon
"The child with twenty-three years to live is missing." 64
5. Jerusalem March 23, A.D. 7 Afternoon
"Mary and Joseph's long walk back in to Jerusalem in search of Jesus is finally complete." 70
Book II: Behold The Man
6. Jordan River, Perea A.D. 26 Midday
"John the Baptizer stands waist deep in the cold, brown river, waiting patiently
as the next pilgrim wades out to stand at his side." 95
7. Villa Jovis, Capri A.D. 26 Night
"Far away from Galilee, the Roman who considers himself to be the stepson of
god is on the move." 108
8. Jerusalem April, A.D. 27 Day
"Jesus clenches a coiled whip in his fist as he makes his way up the steps
to the Temple courts." 119
9. Capernaum, Galilee Summer, A. D. 27 Afternoon
"The local fishing fleet has just returned from a long night and day on the water,
and great crowds fill the markets along Capernaum's waterfront promenade." 134
10. Galilee April, A.D. 29 Day
"Jesus has become a victim of his own celebrity and with every passing day, his
life is more and more in danger." 153
11. Jerusalem October, A.D. 29 Day
"Pontius Pilate sits tall as he rides to Jerusalem." 165
Book III: If You Are The Son of God, Take Yourself Off This Cross
12. Outside Jerusalem Sunday, April 2, A.D. 30 Afternoon
"The dusty dirt road from Galilee is once again clogged with Passover pilgrims
eager to enter the walls of Jerusalem and put their journey behind them." 181
13. Jerusalem Monday, April 3, A.D. 30 Morning
"It is dawn. Jesus and the disciples are already on the move walking purposefully
from Bethany back into Jerusalem." 190
14. Jerusalem Tuesday, April 3, A.D. 30* Morning
"The serenity of Lazarus's home provides Jesus and the disciples instant relief." 197
15. Jerusalem Wednesday, April 4, A.D. 30* Night
"Judas Iscariot travels alone....Judas walks into Jerusalem by himself." 208
16. Lower City of Jerusalem Thursday, April 4, A.D. 30 * Night
"Jesus has so much to do in a very short period of time." 212
17. Jerusalem Friday, April 7, A.D. 30 Early Morning/Day
"The assault comes out of nowhere, a hard punch to the head delivered
by a short-fused Temple guard." 226
18. Jerusalem's Upper City April 7, A.D. 30 8:00 A.M-3:00 P.M.
"Jesus endures. As with any other victim, his hands are manacled to the metal
ring atop the scourging post, rendering him unable to move." 242
19. Jerusalem's Upper City April 7, A.D. 30 3:00 P.M.--6:00 P.M.
"The race is on. The Roman death squad has had a hard day, but there is still
more work to be done." 252
20. Pilate's Palace, Jerusalem Saturday, April 8 A.D. 30 Day
"Pontius Pilate has visitors. Once again Caiaphas and the Pharisees stand before him." 256
21. Jesus's Tomb Sunday, April 9, A.D. 30 Dawn
"The morning is dark. Dawn will soon break over Jerusalem, marking the third
day since Jesus's death." 256
Afterword "What Comes Next is the very Root of the Christian faith." 261
Postscript "Both Martin Dugard and I learned a tremendous amount while researching
and writing this book." 271
Sources "Researching and writing a book about the life and death of Jesus was
much more daunting than either of our past two efforts." 275
* These dates are obvious typographical errors, but they appear this way in the book.
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