Hail Judeas Caesar

by Ryan Fleming

In the first century CE during the Roman occupation of Judea, the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, and his wife, Claudia, find a country steeped in deep religious traditions and zealot resistance. The people of Judea believe the Roman presence is a defilement to a land promised to them in a Holy Covenant with their god, and are passionately defiant. Pilate elicits clandestine liaisons within the Jewish community to manipulate religious forces and subvert the populace against the established religious order. He seeks to increase tax collection and recruit men for fielded armies to further Rome's power and his own political aspirations. Interwoven into this intense conflict between two vastly different cultures is the love story between Pontius and Claudia.

This is a compelling and timely book that places ancient written accounts of the origins of Christianity in an historical paradigm rather than a supernatural or theological context. It proposes a remarkable theory of Rome's direct involvement in the inadvertent formation of the early Christian movement. The story builds towards an amazing climax of one of the most important and potentially misunderstood events in the history of the world. Pilate's strategies result in a consequence of which he never dreamed—a religious offshoot of Judaism—Christianity. In one final staged miracle Jesus survives a Roman crucifixion, the culmination of Pilate's actions, perpetuating a movement that otherwise would have withered, lost to history.

350 pages, Paperback

Published May 27, 2017

About the author

Ryan Fleming was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming and raised in the Midwest. After graduating from college, Mr. Fleming developed strong interest in the origins of religion including Christianity and Judaism, researching their earliest written records and how they evolved through culture, art, word of mouth, and literature. Historical records of the Israelites and Hebrew people date back over three thousand years, followed one thousand years later with the birth of Christianity. Mr. Fleming took particular interest in the development of the different sects of Christianity, their perceived authority in interpreting and disseminating supernatural truth and how these perceptions were handed down from the time of Rome’s occupation of Judea. "Exile Exodus" and “Hail Judeas Caesar” are culminations of these studies and Ryan’s first two novels.

Mr. Fleming graduated from Columbia University in New York City with a Master of Science and from the United States Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science.

Reviews

[Scott Haraburda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story that puts a secular spin on the beginnings of the Christian faith. I really enjoyed reading the author's notes that adds some level of credibility behind his attempt to offer an alternative explanation for some of the mysteries surrounding Christianity and the life of Jesus. Unfortunately, many close-minded religious zealots would find this book blasphemous heresy and would rather believe in their faith instead of documented facts.

[Aubry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Alternative history books, or alternate tellings of stories in general, are some of my favorite books to read. As someone who grew up in the church and knows the story of Jesus and his disciples, I found myself particularly interested in this read.

While I don't necessarily believe the Bible's version of the story of Jesus, I had never given much thought to what the "real" story could be. This book changed that. It was fascinating to see Jesus's miracles and other classic scenes from the Bible recreated in a secular way. It really makes you think about the motivation behind Christianity.

I especially enjoyed that there was an academic paper at the back of the book that the story was based upon. This author obviously did research on the subject and put a lot of effort into using the findings to create a compelling story. I highly recommend this for anyone who is interested in another side to Jesus's story.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you love Roman history, you are going to enjoy this book! I was hooked from page one!

Ryan Fleming did a fabulous job with this book, giving an in-depth view, and also bringing these characters to life. With Christianity just making an entrance in the Roman world, there were quite a few things to overcome.

The way this book was done made the characters feel alive again, while bringing a fresh perspective. Perfect weekend reading!