Nero and Paul: How the Gospel of Grace Defeated the Ruler of Rome

by Kathie Lee Gifford, Bryan M. Litfin (Primary Contributor)

Does gaining power, possessions, and popularity lead to happiness and fulfillment? Or does inner transformation and self-sacrificial love bring the most joy and satisfaction? New York Times bestselling author Kathie Lee Gifford and scholar Bryan Litfin dive into these questions by bringing the stories of Nero and Paul to life in this creative nonfiction tale and identifying how these moral questions can be applied to modern Christian life.

Centuries ago, against the backdrop of Roman domination and decadence, a rabbi-turned-evangelist challenged the ideology of an immoral emperor. Two competing messages clashed—and they were messages that echo into our modern world.

One voice says, Do what feels good. Gain more influence. Focus on yourself and build your own kingdom. Another says, Live for something beyond yourself—something eternal. Carry out your God-given mission, no matter the cost. Follow your King to the end of the world if you must . Only then will you truly live.

Combining historical accuracy with narrative imagination, Nero and Paul drops you into the drama of human pride and divine destiny that unfolded on the stage of imperial Rome.

You'll travel with Paul as he ventured from Jerusalem all the way to Spain, making friends, winning converts, and persisting through grueling opposition. You'll see up close Nero's kingdom of wealth, glamour, sex, and power—the proud trappings of a self-proclaimed god. In contrast, Paul boldly offered what the world desperately the Messiah's life-giving good news of God's presence indwelling his people.

Though this epic clash of worldviews led to bloodshed and death, the crown of eternal life triumphed over the laurel wreaths of Rome—just as the light of Jesus triumphs over the darkness of the world in every age.

Don't miss this ancient story with a timeless message that reverberates across the centuries and will light the fire of your faith today.

Genres: Christian, History, Nonfiction, Christianity

240 pages, Hardcover

Published March 10, 2026

About the author

Kathryn Lee Gifford (born Epstein, previously Johnson; born August 16, 1953) is an American television host, singer, songwriter, author, comedian, and actress. She is the co-host, with Hoda Kotb, of The Kathie Lee and Hoda Show, the fourth hour of NBC Today. She is best known for her 15-year run (1985–2000) on the talk show Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee, which she co-hosted with Regis Philbin. She has received 11 Daytime Emmy nominations and won her first Daytime Emmy in 2010 as part of the Today team. Gifford's first television role had been as Tom Kennedy's singer/sidekick on the syndicated version of Name That Tune, from 1974 to 1978. She also occasionally appears on the first three hours of Today and is a contributing NBC News correspondent.

Kathie Lee married Paul Johnson, a Christian composer/arranger/producer/publisher in 1976. After their divorce in 1982, she married sportscaster and former NFL player Frank Gifford in 1986. He died in 2015. Kathie Lee has released a number of studio albums and written a number of books.

For earlier works, see Kathie Epstein.

Reviews

[Ang · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a review of Nero & Paul by Kathie Lee Gifford and Dr. Brian Litfin that I received on NetGalley in return for my honest opinion. At first I wasn't sure how it,was going to go with some drama, history and Scripture all wrapped into one, but I loved it!  I learned so much about Nero that I didn't know, and had always seen him in an evil light because that was the way he was portrayed, but Kathie Lee and,Dr. Brian gave insight into him that made me realize that he was a man whose choices were influenced by his past, his family and his circumstances, just as mine was! Then to contrast his life of cruelty to Paul, which at first I was thinking they were polar opposites, but then realized that they were really both alike, except for Jesus!  Nero continued in the cycle of the past and his upbringing, but did not turn to Christ.  Paul too continued down that same road, but an encounter with Jesus completely turned him around heart, soul and body, which is what repentance actually is... It's coming to Jesus as we are, filled with sin, and letting Jesus cleanse us, and restore us.  It's basically comes down to who we say Jesus is - Nero wanted to snuff out that "sect" by letting followers of Christ take the blame for some of his sins, and make life horrible for them, but Paul realized through his encounter with Christ that since He gave His life for all sinners, then Paul would give the rest of His life to showing Him love through obedience, proclaiming the Gospel to both Jews & Gentiles, and serving his brothers and sisters in Christ for the rest of his life, no matter where that would lead him!  It's like Dr. Brian said when he was contrasting Nero and Paul in Rome: "But Nero was like, “What can I take from the Romans? How can I make myself more powerful? More for me, less for you!” And Paul says, “Less of me, more for you.” What a contrast, right?" Dr. Brian was talking about "you" being Jesus! 

This book was interesting, thought provoking, educational, and eye opening! I learned a lot, and highly recommend it. The biggest thing I learned is remember that God loved and created both Nero & Paul, but sadly we see one life transformed by his encounter with Jesus, and surrendered his life to spreading the Gospel, and one who chose to not bend his knee to Jesus, and who then rely on himself, his culture, power and greed to shape his life, and ended up not only killing and destroying many, but sadly was destroyed himself as well.  Wow, like Dr. Brian said, "What a contrast!"

#kathieleegifford #drbrianlitfin #neroandpaul #netgalley

[Donna Latham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to thank @thomasnelson and @netgalley as well as authors @kathielgifford and Bryan Litfin for gifting me this ARC for review.
In this new nonfiction book set to publish on March 10, 2026, the authors use well researched facts to create the stories of Nero and Paul in a style that reads like fiction. At the end of each chapter, the authors have discussions that further enlighten you on what you've just read. If you think nonfiction is boring, you need to try this book. I was very pleasantly surprised to find it not only interesting, but it kept me turning pages.
The major theme of Nero and Paul is the disparate worldview of these men. Glory now or glory in Heaven.
Nero was an egomaniac, self serving and seeking all the desires of the flesh. Conversely, Paul, after his conversion, lived a life of service and sacrifice in his mission to spread the Gospel. Even seasoned Christians will enjoy the retelling of Paul's life and will likely learn something new about the level of evil in Nero.
I highly recommend this book to new and longtime Christians or anyone curious about this time period.

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and TLC book tours. Thank you for the copy.

I unfortunately did not finish this book because for so many reasons I couldn’t get into it. I was excited to read a book by Kathie Lee Gifford, but this was just not it for me. I couldn’t follow a lot of the writing and the CODA or conversations at the end of each chapter bored me. I didn’t pick up Herod & Mary and if it’s like this one I won’t.

[Lianna Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ancient evil highlighted in this story provides a striking contrast with the Apostle Paul. What I most appreciated about the book was seeing how the gospel shines against the backdrop of the world’s order. It becomes clear that the gospel flourishes precisely where the alternative is most abhorrent. We especially see this in Paul’s ministry, where the message spreads not through institutional power or human strategy, but through simple preaching and personal testimony (and of course because of the Spirit).

I will say that the Codas were sometimes distracting from the overall flow of the book. While Litfin does a commendable job of keeping the conversations with Gifford on track, I found myself wishing they had been omitted altogether. That said, the book is a worthwhile read—particularly for Litfin’s contributions, which make up the great majority of the work.

[Lyra Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley

3/5 stars. The main informational and narrative part of this book was great. I loved the juxtaposition of Paul, an incredible evangelist who spread the early church faithfully, with the utter depravity of Nero and his family before him. I also enjoyed seeing Paul's life, which I was already familiar with, in a chronological, narrative story. However, where I struggled was with the author conversations at the end of each chapter. They added nothing to the book and really took me out of the narrative. Kathie Lee Gifford was also annoying with how much humble-bragging she inserted. I would have enjoyed the book more if those end conversations weren't included.

Read my full review here: https://lyrat16.wixsite.com/read-it-a...

[Richard J. Velasco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and beautifully written book.

Very concise in the story of Nero and Paul. She is very accurate in her knowledge of retelling the story with historical facts and with knowledge of the scriptures as well as her relationship with her Heavenly Father. Beautifully and inspiring book to read.

[Pam S · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this and am now reading the first in the series, “Herod and Mary.” I consider myself a student of the Bible, yet EVERY chapter provided insights to the ancient world that I had never heard. It is gripping, spiritual, and an incredible look at the juxtaposition between incredible evil and amazing light. Highly, highly recommend!

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoy history and it was interesting to read about these two vastly different men who were contemporaries. Nero was one of the most depraved men in history.

I found the Coda sections very distracting; it interrupted the flow of the reading and, realistically, the Kathie Lee Gifford name dropping got old very quickly.

[Stephen Brannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little fluffy. Kathie Lee Gifford (yes her) teams up with Dr. Bryan Litfin of Liberty University to write a creative non-fiction describing the lives of contemporaries Nero and Paul. I learned a little and it definitely whetted my appetite to learn more about the sadistic emperor. One thing I will say, in a world full of Neros, be a Paul.

[Nancy Schaeffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite... but still a VERY worthy read!! About horrible King Nero and the disciple Paul

[Meagan | The Chapter House · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. The writing style wasn't my jam and I had a hard time engaging with the read; found myself bored easily. I had a similar experience with Herod and Mary, so am passing on this for now.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a novelized biography of Nero, a Caesar of Rome, and Paul, the author of approximately half of the Christian New Testament. Paul was a bit older than Nero so the beginning of the book focuses mainly on Paul. Christians who are familiar with Paul and his writings will know most of this part of the story. Nero’s story is not as well known and makes for interesting reading, as does Paul’s once his story moves beyond the biblical accounts. Where I struggled was with the codas at the end of each chapter. They are a recap of conversations between the two authors, tying into the chapters but many times more of a correlation between the chapters and Kathie Lee’s life. The chapters are short and the constant interruptions about modern day things cause the story to lose momentum.

Overall, the story was good and I enjoyed it, but the layout of the book does it a disservice.

Not family friendly due to subject matter.

Thanks to NetGalley and W Publishing. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Bibliohiker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. This was an interesting read about the lives of Paul and Nero and how their paths eventually intersect. The book delves into who Paul was before he became a follower of Christ and how he changed after following Christ. Paul spreads the gospel regardless of the cost and what happens to him.The book also talks how Nero came to power and what he did when he had absolute power. Some things I knew he did and other things I had no idea. He would do anything to stay in control and remain emperor. Yet he couldn’t cheat death and he learned in the end, he wasn’t a god after all. At the end of each chapter, the authors give a bit of insight and thoughts about each chapter.

[Julia Shelburne · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, Nero and Paul’s worldviews and legacies are compared. The authors offer speculative stories to dramatize some facts known about Nero and Paul. Chapters include insightful dialogue between the authors, which provides a conversational, immersive tone and allows the reader to explore each topic bit by bit.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

[Peregine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book comes across a bit like a docu-drama in book form. It contains a historical fiction like section, similar to a dramatization in a documentary, followed by a dialogue between the two authors called a Coda. As such, it very good at what it is. The dramatization is well done, but it a lot of speculation. The main source is the Bible, and one can easily see that the Bible doesn't tell us about Paul's inner thoughts or fears. There is also some extra contextual information, for example describing the prison in Rome. The Coda reminds me of a Bible study, where participants try and understand the story and relate to it using eisegesis. This isn't a scholarly work, but for Christian fans of Kathie Lee Gifford.