Prompt Response - Non-fiction Matrix

Killing Jesus by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard

Henry Holt and Company, 2013.

Narrative Continuum:  Parts of the book read in a narrative style, with a few sections straying more into the style of a magazine article or opinion column from a newspaper.

Subject: The subject is the death of Jesus of Nazareth. Part of this comes from the Gospels; however, there are other historical elements added to it. For example, the death of Julius Caesar is given some coverage. The question of how Jesus would have been viewed by the political and religious authorities who carried out his execution is also explored. The history and views of Roman, Jewish, and Galilean political authorities as well as Jewish religious ones are explored to give some insight into their perceptions of Jesus of Nazareth and his message.  

Type: This is largely a historical narrative. It is researched, but not academic. There are notes, maps, and lists of sources and such. It has both the feel of a history text and enough narrative elements to make it read fairly easily. The note to the reader at the start of the book make the point that the book is intended to be historical rather than religious in purpose. At the same time, it also states that both authors are Roman Catholic, and that the Gospels were used as historical source material.  

Pacing: The book reads rather easily. There are many facts, but they are not presented academically, but rather in an accessible way.

Characterization: The main characters in the book are Jesus and a variety of political and religious leaders. Julius Caesar, Tiberius, King Herod, and Caiaphas (the high priest) and Pontius Pilot are part of the book.

Storyline: The purpose is to be factual, but the book was made to be accessible and readable. The purpose is also one to set out a history of Jesus and his times.

Detail: There is a note at the beginning of the book that sets out the purpose. There are some pictures of artwork and a handful of maps throughout the book. Further, there are several lengthy notes on some pages. The source materials used are listed at the end of the book along with an index. While the approach of the book is not exactly scholarly, the approach does seem to be quite serious.

Learning / Experiencing: Part of the purpose seemed to be to lay out some elements of the Gospels chronologically and look at those elements with the addition of the history of Jerusalem, Israel, Galilee, and Rome.

Language:  The writing style is simple and accessible. When there is commentary, it tends to simply stated. As a consequence, most statements are stark and bold.

Setting – The book describes the city and time of the action as possible. The number of places includes Jerusalem and Rome, but several other locations are included as well.

Tone- The tone is not dark, but serious. Further, the book does not shy away from some of the grisly details of flogging and crucifixion.

Additional Note:  One side note concerns the audio book version of the book. The narrator is Bill O’Reilly. For some, that may affect their experience with the audio book.