La sombra del Galileo: Las investigaciones históricas sobre Jesús...

by Gerd Theißen, Theissen

¿Qué resulta cuando un especialista de los estudios bíblicos, la arqueología mediterránea antigua y la cultura e historia judías del siglo I, intenta reunir en un libro breve y accesible a todos los públicos los resultados que las ciencias sociales han aceptado como seguros sobre Jesús de Nazaret? Una novela peculiar. Andrés, un joven judío, es obligado por Pilato a recopilar diferentes materiales sobre los nuevos movimientos religiosos que existen en Palestina. En el transcurso de la investigación, y de forma casual, se cruza en su camino un tal Jesús de Nazaret, personaje sobre el que intenta elaborar un informe. Siempre desde la distancia que impone su trabajo, el joven Andrés se acerca a la predicación y las actuaciones del profeta de Galilea, tratando de elaborar un retrato lo más exacto posible y coherente con el judaísmo de la época.

Genres: Religion, Theology, Fiction, Christian, Historical Fiction, Christianity, Biblical Studies

276 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Gerd Theißen (or Theissen; born 24 April 1943) is a German Protestant theologian and New Testament scholar. He is Professor of New Testament Theology at the University of Heidelberg.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure what to say about this book. I read it for a class and found it interesting but also rather uninspiring. On the plus side, I appreciated Theissen's efforts to render historical information in the form of a novel. It was certainly a nice alternative to the usual class reading. On the negative side, Theissen is not a great fiction writer; rather than feeling immersed in the time period, I was often all-too-aware of the author's efforts and intentions. The historical information frequently felt unnatural to the context, with characters giving facts to each other that seemed taken out of a classroom lecture.

Theissen's letters between chapters, written to a fictional Dr. Kratzinger, provided a useful way to discuss the methodology of the author without interrupting the story, but they too felt a bit contrived. My reaction to most of the letters was, "Wow, Dr. Kratzinger is a critical jerk. Does he really have something negative to say about every chapter?"

Finally, I would say that the biases involved in writing about the "historical Jesus" put me off a bit. Thiessen includes huge amounts of Jesus' sayings, quoted word for word from the gospels, but then down-plays, ignores, or explains away the miracle accounts. Apparently he thinks the gospels are highly accurate regarding Jesus' speech and "non-miraculous" action, but unreliable about the miracles. I'm not sure it makes sense to take one without the other, but then again I have a lot to learn about this "historical Jesus" research stuff.

[Ieva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grāmatas ideja likās bezgala interesanta - romāns, kurā aprakstītas jūdu zemes laikā, kad sludina Jēzus. Galvenais varonis tiek romiešu savervēts (nu tā kā nesenā vēsturē to darīja čeka) ziņot par reliģiskajiem strāvojumiem un pats tā arī Jēzu nesatiek, tikai dzird runas par to. Tā kā autors ļoti cenšas būt maksimālais vēsturiski precīzs, diemžēl viņa radītie tēli nav apaudzēti ar miesu un asinīm. Turklāt vēl tekstā tiek ieliktas vēstules, kurās autors fiktīvam ekspertam attaisno katru savu vārdu, kāpēc tas rakstīts tā un ne citādi (pēc aptuveni trešdaļas atmetu to lasīšanu, jo tās jauca jau tā vājo iejušanos stāstā). Interesants likās Jēzus brīnumu atstāsts, bet tā arī nesapratu attieksmi pret tiem, it kā apsprieda kā īstus, it kā baumas... Ideja tiešām tāda, kādu gribētu lasīt vairāk, bet šī konkrētā grāmata laikam nav labākais tās piemērs.

[Neil Denham · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting work of fiction overwhelmed by the weight of scholarship. The scholarship flattens the story and takes all the power out of it. A shame, as a nive premise. I remember in my younger days as an evangelical Christian this book angered many in the church, reading it again it seems so tame!

[wes Goertzen · Rating 4 out of 5]

N.T. Wright called it "brilliant" in NTPG and since i'm a bit of a Wright lackey I decided to read it. Theissen won't be winning an literature prizes any time soon; his prose is a bit, um forced and simplistic but he's a scholar. In his defense he was dealing with alot of historical and biblical information that he had to fit his narrative into...a really gutsy, laudable effort! If you're reading for the pure fun of it then you might want a different book by a different author (Tom Clancey maybe-he worked for me back in the day)!

On the other hand, tSofG is really a good way to read historical context after having read other more scholarly (dry and clever alike) books. Even if the prose isn't great, it's still a great way to think of the events and times surrounding Jesus' life in real-live narrative form. It really put "flesh" (for me anyways) on the writings of the period and highlights the tensions within 1st century Judaism and also "fleshes" out rather sympathetically (something i'm not at all used to) the tension between the Jews and the Romans (or their cohorts).

Also each chapter ends with a letter to a colleague in which he discusses his method. These are a bit repetitive but also helpful if you're reading for understanding (as opposed to some other pleasure).

[Tim Otto · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, New Testament scholar constructs a novel about a Jewish businessman conscripted by the Romans to spy on various Jewish sects including the Jesus movement. While the dialogue is a little clunky at times, it gives a terrific sense of the complex relationships at play. As so many works of good scholarship do, it "greys" things (demolishing the easy black/white distinctions we tend towards) in favor of a more truthful picture of the various movements and forces at play in first century Palestine.

[Lucas Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very fun book to read. The only thing that chopped off one star was that the narrative could sometimes be clunky and forced with inserting historical Jesus scholarship. However, the author is quite clear about the intentions and shortcomings of the book. He recognizes that the portrait comes in part from his perspective of Jesus and what was actually important to the Jesus movement. Humble in the writing, some pieces of scholarship are slightly outdated at this point but in large I would definitely recommend.

[Anne Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unusual book, following the story of a privileged young man of the first century who becomes involved in political intrigue. His life intersects that of Jesus and His disciples in thought-provoking ways.

Each chapter is followed by a raison d'etre for the approach of the text; a kind of defence of the fictional method. Yet, of course, fiction weaves a background tapestry of allusive depth that non-fiction can never hope to emulate.

[Ron Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this tale about a man sent to spy on Jesus' doings, by the Romans. It gives a glimpse about what Jesus was doing to the system of power the Romans and also the high Jewish clergy fed off of, how Jesus was bringing a counter-culture movement to the people. There's great philosophy found throughout, especially in one particular conversation between the main protagonist and a Roman officer, near the end of the book. I loved this book.

[Angela Pieper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly I really wanted to like this book - a historical narrative in the time of Jesus, but it disappointed. You can tell the historian who wrote it is not a narrative writer as the plot line is very hard to read. It is also a small thing, but why the author used apostrophes and not quotation marks really bugged the grammar nerd in me.

[Zach Waldis · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be fair to Theissen, this was the first "historical Bible novel" of its time, and it does a fair job of establishing the milieu of Jesus. But other, more recent works are a more enjoyable read and story (I particularly like "Day of Atonement" about the Maccabees).

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

En efecto, este libro me ha aportado una visión de conjunto del contexto histórico en el que transcurrió la vida de Jesús, y creo que este es el principal objetivo del libro. Sin embargo, como "novela" no acaba de convencerme, en algunos momentos pierde ritmo y muy a menudo se acumulan los datos. Puede gustar si uno lo toma como un libro didáctico con el que "aprender". Es admirable el rigor y la profundidad que muestra.

[Allison Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading for the nth time. This book isn't perfect, but I do love teaching with it, and it's one of the only approaches to Historical Jesus research (through narrative!) that doesn't leave me bored to tears.

[Jonkitley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an academic's novel and as such is more of an extended narrative exercise than a real novel. It's emphasis is to educate the reader and explain to them the theological concept of "the Historical Jesus" rather than really to tell a good story. Or in layman's terms, it's trying to show us how the real historical person of Jesus might in some way relate to the biblical narratives which we now have about him and how one thing lead to the other. As such the narrative is not as flowing as would be expected from a professional novelist, but I think that's OK, provided the reader's prepared for this. One reason that the narrative is clunky is that Theissen includes a fictional letter at the end of every chapter from himself, the author, to an imaginary friend who is "proofreading" his work for him. In this letter he justifies all the editorial decision's he's made in the previous chapter, engaging with his own handling of historical sources and choices of focus. I personally found this interesting but I could readily see someone else finding them tiresome instead.
In general though, I thought that this book was thought provoking, interesting and well worth a read (especially if you have an interest in the life of Christ), provided you don't come to it looking for a smooth page-turner.

[Jordan Tomeš · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vyprávění z doby Ježíšova působení v Palestině. Autor vše poctivě komentuje poznámkami pod čarou, takže ačkoli je hlavní dějová linka příběhu fiktivní, zdála se mi věrohodná a ještě jsem se toho nenásilnou formou spoustu dozvěděl o tehdejších reáliích. Závěr knihy mě dostal. Pro mě jakožto studenta teologie byla četba téhle knížky zážitek; "normální" čtenář by však narativ mohl označit za ne moc poutavý či příliš uměle vytvořený. Za mě ale: vřele doporučuji!

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure someone out there will get a lot out of this book, but I for one don't have time to fool with stilted dialogue and forced prose. This is a case in point of academia lacking in artistic sensibilities. I applaud Theissen's effort, but I think he should have invested some time and effort in learning the finer details of fiction writing before setting out to cross-breed genres.

[Cliff · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story and prose are weak, but the book offers insights into the life of Jesus in a creative and accessible way. I'm convinced that "narrative criticism" is a worthy pursuit for experts in biblical studies (see also Bruce Longenecker's Lost Letters of Pergamum, which I like better), but I'm still looking for a biblical scholar who can write a compelling extended narrative.

[Mitchell Ebbott · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Spoilers included*
Originally prompted by rationalism and rising questions of Biblical authority, the “Quest of the Historical Jesus” brings the field of historiography to bear on the identity, actions, and surroundings of Jesus. The quest rose in the 18th century with scholars who sought to obtain a more accurate picture of Jesus than what we have in the Gospels. Others followed this endeavor with a new look at doctrinal questions in light of historical research. The “third quest,” emboldened by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, sought to bring fresh rigor to Jesus studies by placing him solidly within his first-century Jewish contexts.
It is within this “third quest” that we find our present work. Written in 1987 by Gerd Theissen, a professor of New Testament at the University of Heidelberg, The Shadow of the Galilean places contemporary scholarship on the life and times of Jesus within a narrative framework. His approach takes cues from historical fiction, but adds scholarly rigor through citation of primary sources and through discussions of methodology at the end of each chapter, couched as fictitious letters to a colleague. Theissen’s goal is to illustrate, in an accessible format, the ways in which knowledge of Jewish religion and Palestinian social conflict can shape our picture of Jesus.
The Shadow of the Galilean follows the journeys of Andreas, a wealthy Jewish grain merchant who finds himself unwittingly caught up in the political and social conflicts surrounding Jesus’ ministry. The story begins in Jerusalem, where Roman forces arrest Andreas in connection with a political protest and Pilate blackmails him into service as an informant on movements in the region. This mission turns Andreas into a sort of historical investigator in his own right, through whom we are invited to explore the world of first-century Judaism. Throughout the following chapters, Andreas meets representative characters from the major religious and political factions of the time, and we hear the situation and events of the time discussed from their perspective.
In Andreas’ first mission, he befriends an exiled Essene. Drawing heavily on the Dead Sea Scrolls and Josephus, Theissen describes a community dedicated to purity and asceticism in expectation of God’s immanent reordering of the world. The execution of John the Baptist then brings Andreas to Chuza, a member of Herod Antipas’ court. Through Chuza, we discover the political history of Galilee and the Herodian dynasty, along with a second Jewish sect: the Sadducees, an upper-class movement of non-supernaturalists. Andreas’ friend Barabbas represents the ideological side of the Zealot resistance movement, balanced by others who joined simply to escape the oppressive economic system. Through Andreas, we explore many others peoples and customs of the day – toll collectors, fishermen, beggars, slaves, and more.
Theissen makes a special point to refute stereotypes of the Pharisees as strict legalists. He states that “scholars have a great duty to restore the reputation of the Pharisees,” and does his part by portraying his representative Pharisee, Gamaliel, alongside an Essene foil. Though Gamaliel is concerned with purity laws, he is perfectly willing to make exceptions for practicality, while his less moderate Essene counterpart demands strict obedience. Theissen uses the Roman commander Metilius to similar ends, inviting readers to view Roman occupiers, even Pilate, as more misguided than malicious. Metilius sees himself as a peacemaker, not an occupier, and is genuinely interested in respectful and friendly relations between Rome and its Jewish subjects.
The story of Jesus weaves through these encounters, and each group has their own take on his life and teachings. Theissen takes advantage of the format here to show a diversity of views. Depending on who is speaking, Jesus is variously described as a populist hero, an inciter of unrest, an itinerant philosopher, a miracle-worker, and the coming Messiah. As the time of the crucifixion draws near, Andreas finds himself increasingly implicated in Jesus’ story and convicted by his message.

LESSONS FROM HISTORICAL STUDY
The Shadow of the Galilean has much to commend it, alongside the wider genre of historical Jesus studies. A working knowledge of Palestinian people groups can help the acute Bible student draw formerly hidden connections. For example, Metilius informs Andreas (and us) that most Roman soldiers in Judea came from the surrounding Greek and Syrian cities, which had been recently subjugated by Israel. This history of conflict lent itself to anti-Semitic attitudes, to which Theissen attributes the beating and mocking of Jesus by the Romans. First, this knowledge underscores the complicity of all nations in the death of Jesus and allows us to connect that theologically with the universal efficacy of Christ’s death. Second, it directly implicates anti-Semitism in Jesus’ death. As Andreas observes, “that means that hatred of the Jews is also behind the execution of Jesus.” One wonders if some of Christendom’s crimes could have been avoided were this more widely known.
Eschatological expectations take priority in Theissen’s descriptions of the Jewish factions, and this knowledge helps us place messianic claims about Jesus within their proper context. Jewish expectations of the Messiah, by Theissen’s presentation, have little or nothing to do with personal forgiveness of sins. To the contrary, a claim to bring about God’s reordering of the Cosmos would have been explicitly social, economic, and political. With the exception of the Sadducees, who held no hopes for the future, all major Jewish factions expected God to bring the rich and powerful to justice, institute perfectly-ordered divine rule, and free the oppressed. Learning about these sects also alerts us to the ways in which the Gospel of Jesus frustrates their expectations of the end times. Against the Essenes, for example, the new age is for all nations, not just a “community of light” separated from the world. Against the Zealots (and the Romans, for that matter), peace cannot be obtained through violence, but only through nonviolence, even weakness.
Perhaps the greatest value of The Shadow of the Galilean is the humanizing effect it has on people and groups that are otherwise easy to categorize and dismiss. The narrative format shines here. By adding names, stories, families, hopes, and troubles to labels like “Pharisee” or “tax collector,” Theissen forces the reader to think twice before making sweeping generalizations or condemnations of an entire class of people. The characters aren’t beyond all criticism, but by seeing the human elements behind the belief systems in the Bible we can sympathize with them, rather than seeing them as odd and alien.
Though helpful in these areas, the historical approach to Jesus falls short when treated as an end in itself. Chief among the problems is that it treats the Gospels as just another source by which we can get to the “actual” Jesus who lived and died in 1st Century Palestine. Theissen himself admits to the impossibility of this task, saying, “historical sources cannot give us the actual person but only a shadow of the historical reality.” When the Gospels are read with the primary intent of getting to a “historical Jesus” that we can never truly know, theological interpretation gets pushed aside and we can miss the wider message. For example, when confronted with the Matthean ending to the parable of the banquet, he dismisses it as a later addition that contradicts the message of the original parable. Closer attention to the text as it stands could find a critique on the Temple cult’s handling of the covenant, but Theissen misses that by treating Matthew as a means to a historical end. He similarly doesn’t address the structural contribution of the two multiplications of bread in Mark, instead dismissing them as the same event expanded by an ahistorical “growth of the miraculous.”
Theissen’s treatment of the feedings illustrates another liability of his approach, namely the imposition of one’s own epistemological assumptions into historical interpretation. The narrative at several points offers physicalist explanations for Jesus’ deeds of power. The feeding of the multitudes is explained with donations from rich supporters of Jesus, whose contributions were mistaken by the crowd for miraculous multiplication of bread. Later a disciple of Jesus reports that Ananias and Sapphira died not by the hand of God, but because “the verdict came as a shock to them.” Medical probability aside, the idea that the disciples would have interpreted these deaths as anything other than divine intervention is incredible. Theissen’s notes, usually quite thorough, offer no source to support either of these reductions.
Studies of the historical Jesus are prone to forget that the Christian faith is concerned primarily with the Jesus proclaimed by the Evangelists. Dangerous as it is to divorce this proclamation from historical reality, historical studies must remain secondary to the proclaimed word, helping us understand it but never replacing it. Viewed in this light, however, The Shadow of the Galilean provides valuable insights and perspectives on the sociopolitical world of Jesus’ day.

[Jayci Givens · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Shadow of Galilean, Gerd Theissen depicts the story of Andreas, a Galilean merchant, who becomes involved with Roman officials and ultimately collects information for them about Jesus of Nazareth.
A key aspect of this narrative is the contemplation of the protagonist Andreas. Throughout the story, his reflections give insight to the reader not only on his perspective as a Jew, but also on the perspectives of the Romans, Zealots, and women such as Joanna, among others. Theissen remarks in a letter that “the narrative has been structured deliberately so that no one could come to the conclusion that this is another picture of Jesus as he was. It is Jesus from the perspective of particular social experiences” (147). In addition, as the reader follows Andreas’ conversion to Christianity, demonstrated in the way he “defended [Jesus’s] gentle way of rebellion” (170) in the face of Pilate, the influences upon him are clear. One example includes Andreas’ relationships with others who do not believe Jesus, such as Barabbas who asserts “this Jesus is crazy” (84). This influence relates to modern readers of faith as they face criticism in relationships with those who do not adhere to Christianity.
Distinctions of social class and reciprocity permeate the story. For example, as Andreas and Metilius ponder culprits implicated in the death of Jesus, he cites: “the tensions between the aristocracy and the ordinary people… the aristocracy want to maintain their power” (165). These social class distinctions create tension in light of Jesus’ teachings. Andreas himself is conflicted, as he comes from a “well to do family” (73) and Jesus speaks of the difficulties the rich find getting to the kingdom of God.
Reciprocity is seen through Andreas’ relationship with Barabbas. Barabbas helps Andreas when he is kidnapped, then when Barabbas is arrested, Andreas’ first thought is “I had to help him; I owed my life to him” (138). In addition, reciprocal honor is seen in Pilate’s viewpoint: “every child… knows that a virtuous man does good to his friends and harm to his enemies” (151). Jesus’s Christianity flips this notion, teaching instead to “love one’s enemies” (151) and this creates fear for Pilate of the danger that these new ideas may bring to his power. Andreas, having decided to protect Jesus, responds: “Jesus teaches a new doctrine. Is it impossible because it’s new?” (151). This indicates to the reader how difficult it may have been for many to accept the radical changes to their way of life that Jesus brought.
Overall, this narrative was an enjoyable read. I especially enjoyed the interspersed commentary by the author, which aided in my understanding of his intention and development of the story within a scholarly historical context. The only improvement that I would suggest for this book is further expansion within these sections; they truly enlightened my understanding. I would rate the book overall a 4. The separation of Andreas’ account from the story of Jesus helps to avoid mistaking the author’s interpretations and creative liberties from the history (157). These two storylines, that of Jesus and of Andreas, are aligned as part of a successful narrative approach, and help to provoke thoughtfulness and attention in the reader about the way of life during Jesus’ time, and the numerous factors that influenced and continue to influence our understanding of his teachings. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in engaging with an excellent interpretation of how Jesus may have been viewed through the lens of people with various political, social, and economic perspectives.

[Shaaraniwaleedyahoo.Com · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Shadow of the Galilean by Gerd Theissen is a narrative that remarkably subsumes non-fictional and fictional events at the time of Jesus Christ. The story is based on a fictional Jewish character by the name of Andreas. The book gradually leads up to the development of Jesus’s teachings and ministries that bring a change to all of the factors in Andreas’s life and others.
Andreas’s world is different from the world we know today. In his society, distinctions in social class and the pursuit of honor, patronage, and reciprocity affected daily life. The social class hierarchy was present and exemplified through the couple in Nazareth, Tholomaeus and Susanna who were oppressed by the rich. The recurring idea of honor throughout the book was demonstrated when the Romans would constantly claim to honor the Jewish faith by letting Jews practice their religion. Similarly, the patronage of Roman officials with groups like the Sadducees served only the interests of those specific groups. Such practices in that society were all supported under the ideology of reciprocity, in other words, “quid pro quo”. This was seen twice in the book when the Roman officials would grant Andreas amnesty in return for spying on potential threats to the Roman kingdom. These factors allowed the Romans to ensure tranquility and to stay in power. Jesus coming and correcting the practices of the society disturbed this tranquility.
Jesus practiced counter-cultural ideas that eliminated barriers of social class by being around tax collectors, prostitutes, sinners, and the poor. He taught it was honorable under the kingdom of God to be a poor spirit, a sinner who repents, and a peacemaker. During his ministries, Jesus would preach that God was the ultimate patron for those in need. The book shows that Jesus eliminated the societal norm of “quid pro quo” when he would say not to invite your friends or brothers for dinner but to invite the poor, lame, and blind that owe you nothing. It was sayings by Jesus like, “Freely you have received; freely give” that eliminated that idea of reciprocity.
These teachings made people from numerous groups in Andreas’s society feel equal, honored, and loved. This new cultural movement of Christian theology posed a huge threat to the Roman government which lead to the investigation of Jesus. The words of God enabled Jesus to correct people and turn a society that was upside down, right side up. In the end, Jesus left a big impact on that society as a whole, which eventually lead to leaving the ways of conventional thinking and adopting the ways of Jesus Christ. Overall, I would give this book a 4 out of 5 and would recommend it to everyone; religious and non-religious individuals. The literary work is outstanding and the narrative approach engages the reader in a contextual way. Gerd Theissen transports the reader on a journey to the prevalent environment of the times before, during, and after Jesus. Understanding the time, place, and people of that particular society introduced me to a captivating side of Jesus that many people are unaware of. In today’s society, many people picture Jesus like a peaceful hippie of the 1960s. This book eliminates that stereotype by realistically showing how Jesus spoke prophetically and authoritatively while being peaceful and compassionate in his manners. Therefore, the theme of the book offers a glimpse into the society at Jesus’s time and to his teachings enabling the reader to accurately form a different perspective on who Jesus was.

[Corey Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had read this book 8 years ago. I probably would have not understood it whatsoever, but alas, I think I could have benefitted from it then as I do now.

Theissen not only reconstructs the social-historical world in which Jesus’ ministry took shape in, but he also masterfully crafts characters that somehow cross the bounds of space in time, in which you can see yourself, and your own faith journey.

I am only nominally familiar with the “quest for the historical Jesus” within the academic sphere that studies Jesus and the history of Christianity in the world, but the way Theissen builds his story felt careful, intentional, and with a heavy dose of humility in order to provide readers an opportunity to experience Jesus anew in his own historical context. The Jewish nature of the fabric of the world that surrounded Jesus and made up his own story is extremely hard to contextualize for our post-modern experience, but the way Theissen shapes dialogue between characters allows you to understand the array of sentiments that littered the Judean landscape. It brought to life individuals in scripture that tend to remain flat characters because of only being mention in 2-3 passing verses, like the Roman Centurion, Essenes, Zealots, Pharisees, and more.

I was also overwhelmed by how the character of Andreas acted as a contemporary character in Jesus' setting that could easily be transposed on our own stories in the ways we experience Jesus now - from afar, with time and space requiring us to exercise faith in the history of forerunners who have proclaimed Jesus as Messiah.

There is much great discussion that could arise from a book like this, and I think it provides a helpful imaginary framework to come to know further the person Jesus was and still is.

[Lisa Frauens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you want to learn more about the cultural and social world that Jesus lived in? Then, check out Gerd Theissen’s book the Shadow of the Galilean. Theissen is Professor of New Testament at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. While the story itself is fictional, Theissen sprinkles it with details that cast a light on life in 1st century Palestine, its rule by the Romans, the different factions of Judaism practiced at the time, and how each viewed this man called Jesus.

Another reviewer commented that “it was frustrating trying to figure out what in the novel is fiction and what is historical.” I would have to disagree with this. At the end of each chapter, Theissen wrote a fictional letter to another professor defending his literary choices which also illuminated which choices were based on academic research and which were merely conjecture.

With its many facts and educated guesses about the political and religious world during Jesus’ lifetime, this book complemented the course on the gospels that I was taking while reading it. It made 1st century Palestine come to life for me. I am taking off one star because I was a bit disappointed by the depth of the storyline, and the writing style is closer to that of a historian than a novelist. I would still recommend this book as an excellent way to learn more about the social, political, and religious perspectives of the day and how each of those viewed the man called Jesus who was walking among them.

[Sarah Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Shadow of the Galilean does a very good job of bringing the world of the New Testament. Gerd Theissen creates interesting characters and dynamic life that helps to put the story of Jesus into a much larger picture. While there are many intriguing dynamics in this novel, it is sometimes difficult to stay in the story. In the pursuit of historical instruction, the story is often interrupted by bits of information that feel shoehorned into the narrative. I respect Theissen's goal of trying to create a historical fiction that leans more on the side of history, but it seemed like there was more telling than showing. Including the letters to a fictional colleague was a clever way to acknowledge some of the challenges Theissen faced in writing this unique style of narrative. One thing that Theissen excels at is widening the view of the reader. He is able to give weight to the political unrest that surrounds the Jesus movement and helps to weave together the New Testament and more secular history. The character Andreas gives life to the people of the time, a life that is recognizable to a modern reader. Concerns for career, politics, friends, and curiosity about the unknown. Andreas helps the reader to place themselves into the world of Jesus without tunnel vision focused on Jesus.

[Fred Kohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A number of reviewers are saying this is not well written fiction. I thought it was ok. What sets it off, of course, is not the quality of the fiction but rather the author's ability to weave various historical facts into his story because of his profession as a historian. I thought the device of having Pilate seek out a spy to keep tabs on the Jesus movement seemed a bit suspect. Would Pilate really care? This does dovetail nicely though with the theory of Paula Fredriksen's that Pilate knew Jesus was politically harmless and thus did not crucify Jesus's followers. If Pilate had people spying on Jesus he would no the man was not a political threat.

I enjoyed the appendix where the author explains our primary sources about Jesus. He claims four reasons why we cannot deny the historicity generally of the Jesus traditions (including the historicity of Jesus):

i. the locality of Jesus traditions
ii. the dating of Jesus traditions
iii. the sayings of Jesus were partly handed down by itinerant preachers who continued Jesus's style of having no home
iv. the inner coherence of the Jesus tradition

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have had this book on my "want to read" list for over 12 years, so that I have no memory of the impetus for putting it on that list. I don't think it is extremely hard to get ahold of, but my desultory efforts over the years were never successful until I found a used copy from BetterWorldBooks.com in my recent Christmas shopping.

The book is all told from the viewpoint of a fictional merchant in Judaea named Andrea who hears about Jesus and interacts with some of the people with whom Jesus interacts, but never actually meets Jesus. Consequently, it was a little more removed from Jesus than I had hoped. The bibliography and footnotes gave me some valuable information about some of the non-biblical historical sources that mention Jesus.

The author points out that Jesus taught with stories, and I completely understand how powerful stories, even if fictional, can enhance a true message. I felt that this story was not powerful or memorable enough to me to strengthen the effectiveness of the message. So, in this case, I think a shorter and more direct discussion of the sources would have been better for me.

[John Wessels · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very clever and rewarding read. The story is gripping and flows well, but you soon realize that you are reading more than just a story of things that could have happened then. I find it helpful to think of it as an extended parable. Just as the parables of Jesus could have happened, but have deeper representative meanings that are so helpful in relating to truth - so is this story. The characters and plot represent the work of the third quest for the historical Jesus!

This is much more therefore than a historical fiction. The Christian historical fiction shelves overflow with books that are not thoroughly and academically researched - rather picking up on sensational theories or ideas and weaving narratives around them - or worse, imposing modern evangelical infatuations onto Biblical characters. This book was written by one of our greatest and most rigorous and thorough academic scholars. But don't think it feels like a textbook. No - it is a great read in which you smile at the cleverness of it all.

[Kevin Kroitor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book illuminates well the social-historical context of first century Palestine, including the various Jewish groups and their relationship to the Romans, specifically Pilate and the Roman presence in Jerusalem. While the various engagements are fictional, they are based on what is known from that time period. The book also portrays how certain groups would have perceived of Jesus’ teachings. However, it is important to note that this is a work by a critical New Testament scholar, and his presuppositions are evident in the text, including anti-supernatural explanations of Jesus’ miracles and his personal views of the motivations of the “historical Jesus.” This book was helpful for imagining the context in which one reads the events and teachings of the canonical Gospels.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genuinely helpful for understanding the historical situation of first century 2nd temple Judaism (especially about the essenes, zealots and tax collectors) and I was surprised by how into the (albeit limited) story I got, which was written fairly well. The letters after each chapter that explained his methodology were also stimulating. Lots of references and paraphrase of Josephus which was nifty.

Of course Theissen explains away any miraculous elements of the gospels (the healings, earthquake at crucifixion and the resurrection, etc.). That being said, his portrayal of Jesus and the early church is sympathetic. I also found his writing pretty existential and angsty... Much more than I wager a North American scholar's similar work would be.

[Noah Oanh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished reading "The Shadow of the Galilean" by Gerd Theissen, and it's a really intriguing historical novel. It's like a little time machine that takes you back to the days when Jesus was doing his thing. You follow this guy named Andreas, and his adventures give you a glimpse into what the world was like back then.

The writing is easy to get into, and even though it's based on history, you don't feel like you're reading a boring textbook. It's like you're right there with Andreas, seeing everything through his eyes. The book doesn't try to push any religious stuff on you, which is nice. It's more about showing you a slice of life from that time.

[Brittany Wiley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth Your Time

I had to read this book for a class and was not all too excited to read it, but after the first chapter I was engaged and yearning to finish it. This book is a good book for those who want/need some historical context of what life looked like politically and socially for the people of this time. The author is engaging and has done his fair share of research in making this book. I would reccommend this for those who want to just exapnd their knowledge outside of dry historical literature, especially if you need something more engaging to read.

[Kaylee B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theissen does a great job of explaining what the time of Jesus would have been like for non-scholars. I also read this book for my religion class, and it gave me a greater knowledge base about various groups of Jews at the time and how they viewed the Romans, Jesus, and other sub-groups of Jews. The way the end notes are set up leave much to be desired since they are in the back of the book rather than at the end of the chapter or at the bottom of the page. I do not think that I would have gone out of my way to read this book, but I am not upset that I had to read it for class.