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The Man Born to be King: Wade Annotated Edition
From December 1941 until October 1942, the BBC broadcast a series of radio dramas written by Dorothy L. Sayers. Against the backdrop of World War II, the plays presented twelve episodes in the life and ministry of Jesus, from the visit of the magi to his death and resurrection, collectively affirming the kingship of Christ.
Noted for their use of colloquial English as part of Sayers's effort to bring the Gospels to life in a new way for listeners, the plays were both controversial and incredibly successful, bolstering the morale of the country during the war. They were subsequently published in 1943, and they stand among Sayers's most beloved works to this day.
In this new critical and annotated edition, scholar Kathryn Wehr brings fresh insights to the plays, their background, Sayers's creative process, and the ongoing significance of the life of Christ today. Listen again, or for the first time, to the story of the man who was born to be―and still is―king.
Noted for their use of colloquial English as part of Sayers's effort to bring the Gospels to life in a new way for listeners, the plays were both controversial and incredibly successful, bolstering the morale of the country during the war. They were subsequently published in 1943, and they stand among Sayers's most beloved works to this day.
In this new critical and annotated edition, scholar Kathryn Wehr brings fresh insights to the plays, their background, Sayers's creative process, and the ongoing significance of the life of Christ today. Listen again, or for the first time, to the story of the man who was born to be―and still is―king.
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1943
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2098 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy L. Sayers
703 books2,994 followersThe detective stories of well-known British writer Dorothy Leigh Sayers mostly feature the amateur investigator Lord Peter Wimsey; she also translated the
Divine Comedy
of Dante Alighieri.
This renowned author and Christian humanist studied classical and modern languages.
Her best known mysteries, a series of short novels, set between World War I and World War II, feature an English aristocrat and amateur sleuth. She is also known for her plays and essays.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy...
This renowned author and Christian humanist studied classical and modern languages.
Her best known mysteries, a series of short novels, set between World War I and World War II, feature an English aristocrat and amateur sleuth. She is also known for her plays and essays.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 191 reviews
August 27, 2021
I started this for Lent and at first it seemed like a slog but the more I read the more I got drawn into the narrative told in this fresh way. I continued to read slowly but began to look forward to it. These plays simply helped me love Jesus more.
June 8, 2019
Really moving.
February 20, 2018
With her typical integrity and perspicacity, Dorothy L. Sayers tackles the problem of perspective in looking at the life of Christ -- through a series of twelve electrifying radio plays.
Sayers argues in her insightful introduction that people follow the story from a post-Resurrection point of view. As a result, the characters involved are one-dimensional; they are so wicked that they are effectively removed from real life. It's more comfortable that way; nobody's actually like that anymore; it wouldn't happen here. The stateliness of the Authorised Version and the dignity of the church furthers the notion. "The characters are not men and women: they are all "sacred personages", standing about in symbolic attitudes, and self-consciously awaiting the fulfillment of prophecies." (p. 22)
So she wipes that all out and makes the story real again. She shows us how familiar the motivations behind the characters' actions are--love, pride, arrogance, simple faith, etc. She makes the story ordinary, and in doing so she reveals just how extraordinary and close to the heart the whole story is.
The disciples are no different than you and me. Her description of Matthew the tax collector is shockingly vulgar--and yet she ends it with "Jesus likes Matthew very much." Simon Peter, with all his ups and downs, recognizes he is in the presence of something much greater than mere man that first night with the fish. "And I lost my head--it seemed so queer, and I was tired, and I fell on my knees and said: 'Sir, go away and leave us--I'm a sinful common man, and I can't bear it.'. And he laughed, and said, 'Have courage; follow me and I will teach you to catch men.'" (p. 121)
And Judas broke my heart. She made him the most intelligent of the disciples--and yet, he is all brain. "He can see the meaning of sin and repentance and the fearful paradox by which all human good is corrupted as soon as it comes to power. He is as yet only beginning to see it--but presently he will see it plainly, and be the only disciple to grasp the necessity of the crucifixion. And seeing it, as he does, only with his intellect and not with his heart, he will fall into a deeper corruption than any of the others are capable of." (p. 69)
Her characterization of Judas is eerily reminiscent of Dostoevsky's Grand Inquisitor and, to a lesser extent, his Ivan Karamazov and Faulkner's Quentin Compson (two of my favorite characters in literature, and now after reading this book I need to go reevaluate why I sympathize with them and if I am right to do so!). Though the other disciples are not as intelligent as Judas, they instinctively grasp what Judas cannot: that Jesus is more than a man. As they grow, they all understand and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.
Judas desperately wants Jesus to be the Messiah, but he doesn't have faith that He is. So when it seems like Jesus is doing the wrong thing, Judas would rather have Him killed. It breaks Judas when he sees his own true self in the end, and yet his pride keeps him from repenting, even though he knows Christ will forgive him.
Sayers makes the reader understand that the characters in the story - the greatest tragic irony, she calls it - they don't know what we know. She manages to make us walk that path with them and see it unravel again anew even though we already know the outcome. It's electrifying - and it's real.
I can't recommend this book highly enough.
Sayers argues in her insightful introduction that people follow the story from a post-Resurrection point of view. As a result, the characters involved are one-dimensional; they are so wicked that they are effectively removed from real life. It's more comfortable that way; nobody's actually like that anymore; it wouldn't happen here. The stateliness of the Authorised Version and the dignity of the church furthers the notion. "The characters are not men and women: they are all "sacred personages", standing about in symbolic attitudes, and self-consciously awaiting the fulfillment of prophecies." (p. 22)
So she wipes that all out and makes the story real again. She shows us how familiar the motivations behind the characters' actions are--love, pride, arrogance, simple faith, etc. She makes the story ordinary, and in doing so she reveals just how extraordinary and close to the heart the whole story is.
The disciples are no different than you and me. Her description of Matthew the tax collector is shockingly vulgar--and yet she ends it with "Jesus likes Matthew very much." Simon Peter, with all his ups and downs, recognizes he is in the presence of something much greater than mere man that first night with the fish. "And I lost my head--it seemed so queer, and I was tired, and I fell on my knees and said: 'Sir, go away and leave us--I'm a sinful common man, and I can't bear it.'. And he laughed, and said, 'Have courage; follow me and I will teach you to catch men.'" (p. 121)
And Judas broke my heart. She made him the most intelligent of the disciples--and yet, he is all brain. "He can see the meaning of sin and repentance and the fearful paradox by which all human good is corrupted as soon as it comes to power. He is as yet only beginning to see it--but presently he will see it plainly, and be the only disciple to grasp the necessity of the crucifixion. And seeing it, as he does, only with his intellect and not with his heart, he will fall into a deeper corruption than any of the others are capable of." (p. 69)
Her characterization of Judas is eerily reminiscent of Dostoevsky's Grand Inquisitor and, to a lesser extent, his Ivan Karamazov and Faulkner's Quentin Compson (two of my favorite characters in literature, and now after reading this book I need to go reevaluate why I sympathize with them and if I am right to do so!). Though the other disciples are not as intelligent as Judas, they instinctively grasp what Judas cannot: that Jesus is more than a man. As they grow, they all understand and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.
Judas desperately wants Jesus to be the Messiah, but he doesn't have faith that He is. So when it seems like Jesus is doing the wrong thing, Judas would rather have Him killed. It breaks Judas when he sees his own true self in the end, and yet his pride keeps him from repenting, even though he knows Christ will forgive him.
Sayers makes the reader understand that the characters in the story - the greatest tragic irony, she calls it - they don't know what we know. She manages to make us walk that path with them and see it unravel again anew even though we already know the outcome. It's electrifying - and it's real.
I can't recommend this book highly enough.
March 7, 2024
Absolutely superb. The intention is very similar to something like the TV series The Chosen (which I have mixed but not hostile feelings toward) in that it's basically a miracle play in informal language for the masses, but it's infused with Chestertonian/Lewisian passages of great literary and theological beauty that make it just that much more than a very good, faithful adaptation of the Gospels. I would find it almost impossible to accept that a believer would not burst into tears at several points. Nothing is really added to the accounts save what is already inferred there, but those things that Sayers does add for creativity's sake, like the deeply moving tragic portrayal of Judas, Lazarus, and (my favorite part) the details of Pilate's wife's dream, are so effective. I was reminded of Erich Auerbach's remark that in the Gospels, we see literary interest in the activities of peasants and common folks for the first time in history. Sayers illuminates both the Gospels and the Gospel as the source of all drama, and does it without a trace of maudlin. I would love to hear these plays on recording as they were intended to be: maybe next year, as I'm certainly making this a new Lententide tradition.
September 25, 2018
Dorothy Sayers is a m a z i n g
January 7, 2023
This collection of radio plays follows the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It tells the history of Christ from the perspective of the ordinary people around Him. The Three Wise Kings visit Bethlehem, John the Baptist preaches in the wilderness, and the twelve disciples are called to follow Jesus. Christ begins his ministry, performing miracles and healing people. Gradually Judas Iscariot is tempted into betraying Jesus. Caiaphas and Pilate and King Herod all try to manipulate the political situation at Jesus' trial, ending with His crucifixion. The women find His tomb empty on the third day and Jesus visits his disciples after His resurrection.
These plays really capture the completely extraordinary experience of meeting God Himself in human form and shows how ordinary people were drawn to Christ. It's really interesting to imagine more details around the actual history in the Bible. Some of the dialogue is straight from Scripture, and some of it is imagined or paraphrased.
I was especially interested to read about the gradual descent of Judas Iscariot into evil and hatred. The Bible doesn't really explain why Judas betrayed Jesus, so these plays give an imagined scenario where Judas is angry with Jesus because Judas wants to be the one in control. Just like every sinner, his pride is his downfall. Judas wants to scheme and pull the strings. He's clever and intelligent, so he thinks he knows more than Jesus. The other disciples have an innocent child-like faith in Jesus. They are humble enough to accept His teachings. But Judas is too proud to accept forgiveness. He would rather suffer in the depressing knowledge of his own evil than ask for mercy. It's a very tragic character arc, and serves as a spiritual warning.
I loved exploring the imagined personality of John! He is sensitive and emotional. He is definitely a "son of thunder" with a quick temper whenever anyone threatens or disrespects the people he loves. Otherwise he is patient and humble. He is fiercely protective of Jesus, but also ready to submit to Christ's lightest rebuke. There were some bits of dialogue that I felt as though John were speaking directly from my heart. I really connected with his perspective because he is a dreamer. He is almost disconnected from the world, because his focus is on higher spiritual things.
Peter is just what you would expect, a blustery hearty fisherman. Matthew is shrewd and practical, from his days of tax collecting. Phillip is entirely unselfconscious and innocent like a child; he performs a miracle in Jesus' name and feels humble and a little frightened at the power of God.
James and Andrew and all the disciples have such vivid personalities, and it is funny to see how they interact in normal everyday situations. One of them goes to the market to buy some food for the group, and the vendor swindles him out of his correct change. He apologizes to the group and to Jesus for losing their money, and the way the other disciples react is so hilarious.
They are just normal people going about their normal business, making mistakes and feeling grumpy and getting tired. And right there in their midst is God Himself! It really makes you think differently about the Bible to imagine what it must have been like for them to sit across the table from Jesus Himself.
The writing is absolutely genius! I loved the way the scenes were set up and the way other imaginary characters were brought in. I think the author did an excellent job of balancing the actual history of the Bible with the added imaginary elements. You can tell that she put a lot of careful thought into the disciples personalities and into Jesus' words and attitudes.
I'm so glad that I read these plays instead of listening to the radio version, because then I got to read all the director's notes at the beginning of each play. These include extensive notes about each of the characters and what they are thinking and feeling in particular scenes and how their lines should be delivered. It added another layer to the plays that was very enjoyable!
These plays really capture the completely extraordinary experience of meeting God Himself in human form and shows how ordinary people were drawn to Christ. It's really interesting to imagine more details around the actual history in the Bible. Some of the dialogue is straight from Scripture, and some of it is imagined or paraphrased.
I was especially interested to read about the gradual descent of Judas Iscariot into evil and hatred. The Bible doesn't really explain why Judas betrayed Jesus, so these plays give an imagined scenario where Judas is angry with Jesus because Judas wants to be the one in control. Just like every sinner, his pride is his downfall. Judas wants to scheme and pull the strings. He's clever and intelligent, so he thinks he knows more than Jesus. The other disciples have an innocent child-like faith in Jesus. They are humble enough to accept His teachings. But Judas is too proud to accept forgiveness. He would rather suffer in the depressing knowledge of his own evil than ask for mercy. It's a very tragic character arc, and serves as a spiritual warning.
I loved exploring the imagined personality of John! He is sensitive and emotional. He is definitely a "son of thunder" with a quick temper whenever anyone threatens or disrespects the people he loves. Otherwise he is patient and humble. He is fiercely protective of Jesus, but also ready to submit to Christ's lightest rebuke. There were some bits of dialogue that I felt as though John were speaking directly from my heart. I really connected with his perspective because he is a dreamer. He is almost disconnected from the world, because his focus is on higher spiritual things.
Peter is just what you would expect, a blustery hearty fisherman. Matthew is shrewd and practical, from his days of tax collecting. Phillip is entirely unselfconscious and innocent like a child; he performs a miracle in Jesus' name and feels humble and a little frightened at the power of God.
James and Andrew and all the disciples have such vivid personalities, and it is funny to see how they interact in normal everyday situations. One of them goes to the market to buy some food for the group, and the vendor swindles him out of his correct change. He apologizes to the group and to Jesus for losing their money, and the way the other disciples react is so hilarious.
They are just normal people going about their normal business, making mistakes and feeling grumpy and getting tired. And right there in their midst is God Himself! It really makes you think differently about the Bible to imagine what it must have been like for them to sit across the table from Jesus Himself.
The writing is absolutely genius! I loved the way the scenes were set up and the way other imaginary characters were brought in. I think the author did an excellent job of balancing the actual history of the Bible with the added imaginary elements. You can tell that she put a lot of careful thought into the disciples personalities and into Jesus' words and attitudes.
I'm so glad that I read these plays instead of listening to the radio version, because then I got to read all the director's notes at the beginning of each play. These include extensive notes about each of the characters and what they are thinking and feeling in particular scenes and how their lines should be delivered. It added another layer to the plays that was very enjoyable!
April 20, 2025
[Original review 3/15/23]:
CS Lewis would read through this dramatization of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus every Lenten season, and now I can understand why. It’s quite powerful.
Sayers provides a number of very intriguing—and seemingly plausible—interpolations that spark deeper and further reflection even for those who are very familiar with the gospel accounts.
Adam wrote a great and very helpful review. Like Adam, I listened to the Audible version of the BBC broadcast (which is very well done) and read along in the book which includes more material and extra notes.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
[Edit 3/20/24]:
Just finished the BBC broadcast again. So good. It was great listening to the Garden of Gethsemane section while we were covering John 18 in BSF. It made it all the more impactful.
I’m probably going to have to pull a page from CSL’s playbook and listen to this production every Lent.
Sayers does something very interesting with her portrayal of Judas and the motives behind his betrayal of Jesus. Bob discusses it in his excellent review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
[Edit 4/19/25]:
Just finished listening to the BBC production today. Looks like I’m following in CSL’s footsteps by making this a Holy Week tradition.
I think I should go ahead and bump this up to 5 stars. Surely if I read it (maybe I should use air quotes there?) three times in 3 years then it deserves a 5, right?
CS Lewis would read through this dramatization of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus every Lenten season, and now I can understand why. It’s quite powerful.
Sayers provides a number of very intriguing—and seemingly plausible—interpolations that spark deeper and further reflection even for those who are very familiar with the gospel accounts.
Adam wrote a great and very helpful review. Like Adam, I listened to the Audible version of the BBC broadcast (which is very well done) and read along in the book which includes more material and extra notes.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
[Edit 3/20/24]:
Just finished the BBC broadcast again. So good. It was great listening to the Garden of Gethsemane section while we were covering John 18 in BSF. It made it all the more impactful.
I’m probably going to have to pull a page from CSL’s playbook and listen to this production every Lent.
Sayers does something very interesting with her portrayal of Judas and the motives behind his betrayal of Jesus. Bob discusses it in his excellent review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
[Edit 4/19/25]:
Just finished listening to the BBC production today. Looks like I’m following in CSL’s footsteps by making this a Holy Week tradition.
I think I should go ahead and bump this up to 5 stars. Surely if I read it (maybe I should use air quotes there?) three times in 3 years then it deserves a 5, right?
April 21, 2025
// 3
This is becoming part of my yearly Lenten practice! This year felt special, because I read this play cycle on paper and read it slow: during lunch break, before bed, on the one-hour bus on Good Friday to my church as the sun shone through the window and a breeze tickled my forehead... and because it came my turn to lead morning staff devotions at work during Holy Week, and I chose to share part of "Kings in Judaea" for devos. After some thought, I chose the exchange between Mary and the three Magi in that first play, intending to bring to the staff team's attention how Jesus can redeem pain, sorrow, suffering and how He will make all things new. Preparing for those ten minutes of sharing was really special, and I did (as I did last time..... sigh) cry in front of the whole high school staff team because I got really overwhelmed at the end (ha HA).
Beautifully and thoughtfully written as always. I do wish the new edition (footnoted by Kathryn Wehr, a Catholic scholar who graduated from the same grad program that I will be starting soon, and whose interviews I've been watching with great interest) wasn't $60, otherwise I'd buy copies for friends with wild abandon.
// 2
I know C.S. Lewis read these plays annually during Holy Week, but I can't read them as fast. I have to go slowly to really appreciate the story and the way Sayers frames it. She's put a lot of thought into these plays (as is evident in the notes on the characters and her creative choices in the copy that I own).
The first time I was introduced to these plays, I listened to them on Youtube with my book club. Actually reading them on the page was a very different experience and one that I wanted to savour rather than rush through at 2x speed.
My favourite parts this time around:
- LAZARUS: I love you dearly. To say that I would die for you is nothing. I would almost be ready to live for you if you asked me.
- JUDAS: Is God merciful? Can He forgive? ... What help is that -- Jesus would forgive. If I crawled to the gallows' foot and asked his pardon, he would forgive me -- and my soul would writhe for ever under the torment of that forgiveness... Can anything clear me in my own eyes? Or release me from this horror of myself? I tell you, there is no escape from God's innocence. If I climb up into Heaven He is there -- if I go down to hell, He is there also. What shall I do? Caiaphas, High Prist of Israel, what shall I do?
- MARY: My child. When he was small, I washed and fed him; I dressed him in his little garments and combed the rings of his hair. When he cried, I comforted him; when he was hurt, I kissed away the pain; and when the darkness fell, I sang him to sleep. Now he goes faint and fasting in the dust, and his hair is tangled with thorns. They will strip him naked to the sun and hammer the nails into his living flesh, and the great darkness will cover him. And there is nothing I can do. Nothing at all. This is the worst thing; to conceive beauty in your heart and bring it forth into the world, and then to stand by helpless and watch it suffer...
- MARY MAGDALEN: Are you not ashamed to stand upright when the lord of love is brought so low? Where is your heart, John bar-Zebedee? / JOHN: My heart is dead. It died last night in the garden. I can feel nothing.
- CLAUDIA PROCULA'S DREAM ABOUT PONTIUS PILATE AND THE MINGLING OF GREEK AND LATIN LITURGIES AND ADULT AND CHILD VOICES RECITING THAT PART OF THE NICENE CREED
- MARY: Give me my son into my arms... I know you, King Balthazar. These are the baby hands that closed upon your gift of myrrh. This is the fair young head, crowned once with gold by Melchior, bu now with thorns to be a king of sorrows. The third gift is to come. / JOHN: What was that third gift, Mother?" / MARY: Frankincense.
- MARY MAGDALEN: Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don't know where they have laid him. / RAPHAEL: She has turned away. / GABRIEL: Say nothing. He is coming, before whose feet the wilderness breaks into blossom--
// 1
I love how you come away from these plays feeling completely stunned by the extent of His grace: God loves us this much?? He suffered excruciatingly and died the most painful death so that we could live??? He rose again and promised to be with us until the end of time???? As Andrew Peterson says, the old stories are true... as J.R.R. Tolkien says, this is the fairy-story (because it was penned by the Maker himself, because it's real, because it goes on and on and has the happy ending to trump all happy endings). Incredible. These plays make me want to cry and sing at the same time.
"We thought you would be sour and grim, hating all beauty and treating life as an enemy. But when I saw you, I was amazed. you were the only person there that was really alive. The rest of us were going about half-dead—making the gestures of life, pretending to be real people. The life was not with us but with you—intense and shining, like the strong sun when it rises and turns the flames of our candles to pale smoke. And I wept and was ashamed, seeing myself such a thing of trash and tawdry. But when you spoke to me, I felt the flame of the sun in my heart. I came alive for the first time. And I love life all the more since I have learnt its meaning." (!!!!!)
This is becoming part of my yearly Lenten practice! This year felt special, because I read this play cycle on paper and read it slow: during lunch break, before bed, on the one-hour bus on Good Friday to my church as the sun shone through the window and a breeze tickled my forehead... and because it came my turn to lead morning staff devotions at work during Holy Week, and I chose to share part of "Kings in Judaea" for devos. After some thought, I chose the exchange between Mary and the three Magi in that first play, intending to bring to the staff team's attention how Jesus can redeem pain, sorrow, suffering and how He will make all things new. Preparing for those ten minutes of sharing was really special, and I did (as I did last time..... sigh) cry in front of the whole high school staff team because I got really overwhelmed at the end (ha HA).
Beautifully and thoughtfully written as always. I do wish the new edition (footnoted by Kathryn Wehr, a Catholic scholar who graduated from the same grad program that I will be starting soon, and whose interviews I've been watching with great interest) wasn't $60, otherwise I'd buy copies for friends with wild abandon.
// 2
I know C.S. Lewis read these plays annually during Holy Week, but I can't read them as fast. I have to go slowly to really appreciate the story and the way Sayers frames it. She's put a lot of thought into these plays (as is evident in the notes on the characters and her creative choices in the copy that I own).
The first time I was introduced to these plays, I listened to them on Youtube with my book club. Actually reading them on the page was a very different experience and one that I wanted to savour rather than rush through at 2x speed.
My favourite parts this time around:
- LAZARUS: I love you dearly. To say that I would die for you is nothing. I would almost be ready to live for you if you asked me.
- JUDAS: Is God merciful? Can He forgive? ... What help is that -- Jesus would forgive. If I crawled to the gallows' foot and asked his pardon, he would forgive me -- and my soul would writhe for ever under the torment of that forgiveness... Can anything clear me in my own eyes? Or release me from this horror of myself? I tell you, there is no escape from God's innocence. If I climb up into Heaven He is there -- if I go down to hell, He is there also. What shall I do? Caiaphas, High Prist of Israel, what shall I do?
- MARY: My child. When he was small, I washed and fed him; I dressed him in his little garments and combed the rings of his hair. When he cried, I comforted him; when he was hurt, I kissed away the pain; and when the darkness fell, I sang him to sleep. Now he goes faint and fasting in the dust, and his hair is tangled with thorns. They will strip him naked to the sun and hammer the nails into his living flesh, and the great darkness will cover him. And there is nothing I can do. Nothing at all. This is the worst thing; to conceive beauty in your heart and bring it forth into the world, and then to stand by helpless and watch it suffer...
- MARY MAGDALEN: Are you not ashamed to stand upright when the lord of love is brought so low? Where is your heart, John bar-Zebedee? / JOHN: My heart is dead. It died last night in the garden. I can feel nothing.
- CLAUDIA PROCULA'S DREAM ABOUT PONTIUS PILATE AND THE MINGLING OF GREEK AND LATIN LITURGIES AND ADULT AND CHILD VOICES RECITING THAT PART OF THE NICENE CREED
- MARY: Give me my son into my arms... I know you, King Balthazar. These are the baby hands that closed upon your gift of myrrh. This is the fair young head, crowned once with gold by Melchior, bu now with thorns to be a king of sorrows. The third gift is to come. / JOHN: What was that third gift, Mother?" / MARY: Frankincense.
- MARY MAGDALEN: Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don't know where they have laid him. / RAPHAEL: She has turned away. / GABRIEL: Say nothing. He is coming, before whose feet the wilderness breaks into blossom--
// 1
I love how you come away from these plays feeling completely stunned by the extent of His grace: God loves us this much?? He suffered excruciatingly and died the most painful death so that we could live??? He rose again and promised to be with us until the end of time???? As Andrew Peterson says, the old stories are true... as J.R.R. Tolkien says, this is the fairy-story (because it was penned by the Maker himself, because it's real, because it goes on and on and has the happy ending to trump all happy endings). Incredible. These plays make me want to cry and sing at the same time.
"We thought you would be sour and grim, hating all beauty and treating life as an enemy. But when I saw you, I was amazed. you were the only person there that was really alive. The rest of us were going about half-dead—making the gestures of life, pretending to be real people. The life was not with us but with you—intense and shining, like the strong sun when it rises and turns the flames of our candles to pale smoke. And I wept and was ashamed, seeing myself such a thing of trash and tawdry. But when you spoke to me, I felt the flame of the sun in my heart. I came alive for the first time. And I love life all the more since I have learnt its meaning." (!!!!!)
September 15, 2025
2025: What she said.
20??: ❤️ Dit laatste hoofdstuk (opstanding), zoveel liefde.
20??: ❤️ Dit laatste hoofdstuk (opstanding), zoveel liefde.
January 12, 2023
Definitely one of my 2022 favorites!
April 8, 2021
This play has been like what the Left Behind movie was for me- revealing the corruptibility of Man. When watching that movie as a child, and young Christian, it baffled me that preachers could be “left behind” I asked my parents how that could be so?
We are all like Judas Iscarot: viewing Jesus through the lens of our lofty, finite ideals and the moment He will not match them, we doubt that He could hold any good for us and we betray Him.
This work of Dorothy’s is so layered, I know that I am going to want to come back to it often to explore its depths again. I loved her portrayal of Jesus- gentle, but yet potent. This was an exciting dive into Sayer’s work, I’m really eager to read more!!
We are all like Judas Iscarot: viewing Jesus through the lens of our lofty, finite ideals and the moment He will not match them, we doubt that He could hold any good for us and we betray Him.
This work of Dorothy’s is so layered, I know that I am going to want to come back to it often to explore its depths again. I loved her portrayal of Jesus- gentle, but yet potent. This was an exciting dive into Sayer’s work, I’m really eager to read more!!
March 29, 2025
Fabulous. I cried. Behold the offence of the cross. I read somewhere that C. S. Lewis read this every Lent from its publication until his death. If you need more recommendation than that, I don’t know what to tell you.
Pro tip: there’s an excellent version free on YouTube, for those who (like me) prefer to consume a radio drama as a radio drama.
Pro tip: there’s an excellent version free on YouTube, for those who (like me) prefer to consume a radio drama as a radio drama.
March 25, 2024
10/10 would recommend reading this aloud with friends during Lent.
March 31, 2024
This audiobook is going to be a Lent fixture in my home from here on out. I might listen to it again during Holy Week. Sayers' cycle of plays spans Jesus' life--from his birth to his resurrection. They're beautifully done; the writing is powerful and the performance moving. While I am very cautious about any extra-Biblical texts that put words into the mouth of Jesus, Sayers is careful to stick to the actual text of scripture whenever possible. She does engage in a "supposal" (as CS Lewis called it) and fleshes out Judas's character, offering a look into his possible thoughts and motivations, as well as adding in additional historical information about the Roman occupation of Israel.
Highly recommended.
Update 4/17/22:
I don't usually re-read (or in this case, re-listen) to a book less than a month after finishing it, but I pulled out The Man Born to be King for the girls and I to listen to during Holy Week. I was able to line up the timing so that we listened to Jesus' arrest, trial, and crucifixion on Good Friday and the resurrections on Easter. This will definitely be something we repeat in future years.
Update 4/9/23:
A beautiful and moving cycle of plays on the life of Jesus--the perfect listen for Holy Week. We ate our Easter breakfast while listening to the followers of Jesus find the empty tomb.
Update, 3/31/24:
As we began Lent, this was the one thing the girls asked to do again. They weren't entirely pleased to have to wait until Holy Week to begin the cycle of plays, but loved our time listening. Finishing with "The King Comes into His Own" on Easter morning is absolutely perfect.
Highly recommended.
Update 4/17/22:
I don't usually re-read (or in this case, re-listen) to a book less than a month after finishing it, but I pulled out The Man Born to be King for the girls and I to listen to during Holy Week. I was able to line up the timing so that we listened to Jesus' arrest, trial, and crucifixion on Good Friday and the resurrections on Easter. This will definitely be something we repeat in future years.
Update 4/9/23:
A beautiful and moving cycle of plays on the life of Jesus--the perfect listen for Holy Week. We ate our Easter breakfast while listening to the followers of Jesus find the empty tomb.
Update, 3/31/24:
As we began Lent, this was the one thing the girls asked to do again. They weren't entirely pleased to have to wait until Holy Week to begin the cycle of plays, but loved our time listening. Finishing with "The King Comes into His Own" on Easter morning is absolutely perfect.
May 17, 2021
This book had the least cheesy portrayal of Jesus that I have ever seen or read in a story. I highly recommend!
March 27, 2023
Superb reading during Lent; highly recommended.
March 31, 2024
I listened to the BBC Audiobook version of these plays written by Dorothy Sayers and really enjoyed them. Will be thinking about how to implement sharing these plays with my children as part of our Lent and Easter traditions. My favorite creative license that Dorothy Sayers took with the plays was with the character of Judas. I really enjoyed how she depicted his downfall coming through pride that caused him to misinterpret the signs and actions of Jesus. It was very convicting.
April 11, 2020
Second reading. Dorothy Sayers’ play cycle is wonderful. Her introductory notes are invaluable to give context to the times and customs.
March 31, 2024
C.S. Lewis read this every year during Lent - and I see why.
November 27, 2015
A modern passion play
12 May 2012
I remember when I first stumbled across this book. I had heard of Dorothy Sayers, though my first encounter with one of her books was a translation of Dante. While I had heard of her I had never thought too much of her until I discovered that she was more than just a writer of detective fiction. I am not really a big fan of detective fiction, which I why I never really went looking for any of her works, but I was suitably impressed with her writings on Dante, that when I found this book I grabbed it. However, the guy behind the counter at the second-hand bookshop where I found this book was just as surprised to discover that this book was amongst his collection, and had hinted that if he knew that it was there then it would not have been for sale. Unfortunately, after I had picked it up, it was a little too late.
I recently discovered a 200 year old book on my bookshelf that I paid 10 quid for, only to discover that it was significantly undervalued (by about 50 quid). It makes me think about the idea of collecting old books. There is always discussions of what people can invest money in, and while there is the standard superfunds and the stockmarket, and even commodities like gold, one of the more exotic investment opportunities involves antiques and artwork. The trouble with that is that you need to have a good knowledge of such items to be able to successfully invest in them. It is no good buying a crappy painting by an unknown painter in the hope that in the future it may be worth a packet. It is also pointless paying the actual price for an antique in the hope of getting a 10% to 20% gain over a period of say ten years. If one is going to successfully invest in such items one needs to go by what I call the Warren Buffett method: look for something that holds value but is going at a discount because then a real gain can be made.
For example, with a 200 year old copy of Frankenstein you would be hard pressed to get change from $120 000.00. Buying it at that price is incredibly risky, because you are more likely to lose money than to make money. However, if you find a copy of the book for, say, $200.00 (very, very unlikely, particularly since the Antiquarian Booksellers are more than likely to have got to it before you) then purchasing it is a much more safer bet. As for me, I generally purchase books for interest, and based upon the author and the subject. I am more likely to pass over a 200 year of copy of Jane Austen's Persuasion than a 50 year old copy of H.G. Wells' Time Machine. However, that is actually getting more unlikely the more interest I develop in old books.
Well, that diatribe above has little to nothing to do with this book, but I felt that with the adventure I had in buying this book I felt that I should make mention of a little interest that I have. Anyway, this book is based on a series of radio plays that were released on the BBC around Easter during the 1930's. The style is based on the old York Mystery Plays, where during the Middle Ages actinf troupes would travel the country visiting the towns and villages of England to perform what is termed as a cycle. This idea actually goes back to the ancient days when Bards would travel the country telling epic tales to the villages and towns that they visited. This is how scholars believe that the Odyssey and the Illiad came down to us.
I found the story enthralling, and it would have been really good to have actually been able to listen to the play as opposed to simply reading it off of the page. I find that a lot with many of the plays that I read. Watching them being performed, especially by a competent group of players, is much more entertaining than simply reading the play from a book. It is a shame that a lot of my favourite plays are simply no longer performed, and the one time I had an opportunity of seeing the plays in London (and Athens) I ended up missing out on them by a few days (I was really disappointed to discover that the Medea finished the day before I arrived in Athens, and the next play wouldn't begin until the day after I left).
As for the subject matter of the play I must say that many of us are already familiar with it, and in many cases it does not delve deeply into the ideas behind it. Much of the play is written more in the vernacular than the high flowing language that appears in many of the Bibles of the day (and even today). The thing is that Jesus spoke in the vernacular. Yes, he was interested in approaching and speaking to everybody, but his main purpose was, in his words, 'to seek and save the lost'. It raises the dilemma of who we should spend our time sharing the gospel with: the high born or the low born. Jesus mixed with both, but it seems from the gospels that the high born tended to react negatively to his sayings whereas the low born welcomed him. However, there were still many of the high born (Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus) who understood him and committed themselves to him. One of the things we see in this play are the tensions between the members of the ruling elite, particularly with Nicodemus, who was a member of the Sanhedrin. They were the ones that pushed for his execution, however Nicodemus was left with a decision, and the implication from the Bible is that he threw his lot in with Christ.
As for me, I must admit that my evangelism of late has been a little non-existent. However, as I face a crisis of faith, I suddenly discovered friends who are not believers who get beside me to encourage me to stick it out. As one friend said, 'don't let a few tools force you to ditch your faith'. I have heard many Christians (including my father) slander non-believers, treating them as if they hate God and will do anything to undermine a Christian's faith. However my experience is that this is not necessarily the case. Many non-believers that I have met have respected, and even encouraged, my faith. In other cases, after having come to know me, they have developed a new found respect for Christianity. It makes me wonder even more since many Christians seem to treat evangelism as little more than a fishing expedition and simply do not take the time to actually build relationships with non-believers. I have discovered (and maybe it is one of my gifts) that it is the relationship that counts, and by offering a hand of friendship and kindness we can have a much greater impact than simply going in hammer and tongs.
12 May 2012
I remember when I first stumbled across this book. I had heard of Dorothy Sayers, though my first encounter with one of her books was a translation of Dante. While I had heard of her I had never thought too much of her until I discovered that she was more than just a writer of detective fiction. I am not really a big fan of detective fiction, which I why I never really went looking for any of her works, but I was suitably impressed with her writings on Dante, that when I found this book I grabbed it. However, the guy behind the counter at the second-hand bookshop where I found this book was just as surprised to discover that this book was amongst his collection, and had hinted that if he knew that it was there then it would not have been for sale. Unfortunately, after I had picked it up, it was a little too late.
I recently discovered a 200 year old book on my bookshelf that I paid 10 quid for, only to discover that it was significantly undervalued (by about 50 quid). It makes me think about the idea of collecting old books. There is always discussions of what people can invest money in, and while there is the standard superfunds and the stockmarket, and even commodities like gold, one of the more exotic investment opportunities involves antiques and artwork. The trouble with that is that you need to have a good knowledge of such items to be able to successfully invest in them. It is no good buying a crappy painting by an unknown painter in the hope that in the future it may be worth a packet. It is also pointless paying the actual price for an antique in the hope of getting a 10% to 20% gain over a period of say ten years. If one is going to successfully invest in such items one needs to go by what I call the Warren Buffett method: look for something that holds value but is going at a discount because then a real gain can be made.
For example, with a 200 year old copy of Frankenstein you would be hard pressed to get change from $120 000.00. Buying it at that price is incredibly risky, because you are more likely to lose money than to make money. However, if you find a copy of the book for, say, $200.00 (very, very unlikely, particularly since the Antiquarian Booksellers are more than likely to have got to it before you) then purchasing it is a much more safer bet. As for me, I generally purchase books for interest, and based upon the author and the subject. I am more likely to pass over a 200 year of copy of Jane Austen's Persuasion than a 50 year old copy of H.G. Wells' Time Machine. However, that is actually getting more unlikely the more interest I develop in old books.
Well, that diatribe above has little to nothing to do with this book, but I felt that with the adventure I had in buying this book I felt that I should make mention of a little interest that I have. Anyway, this book is based on a series of radio plays that were released on the BBC around Easter during the 1930's. The style is based on the old York Mystery Plays, where during the Middle Ages actinf troupes would travel the country visiting the towns and villages of England to perform what is termed as a cycle. This idea actually goes back to the ancient days when Bards would travel the country telling epic tales to the villages and towns that they visited. This is how scholars believe that the Odyssey and the Illiad came down to us.
I found the story enthralling, and it would have been really good to have actually been able to listen to the play as opposed to simply reading it off of the page. I find that a lot with many of the plays that I read. Watching them being performed, especially by a competent group of players, is much more entertaining than simply reading the play from a book. It is a shame that a lot of my favourite plays are simply no longer performed, and the one time I had an opportunity of seeing the plays in London (and Athens) I ended up missing out on them by a few days (I was really disappointed to discover that the Medea finished the day before I arrived in Athens, and the next play wouldn't begin until the day after I left).
As for the subject matter of the play I must say that many of us are already familiar with it, and in many cases it does not delve deeply into the ideas behind it. Much of the play is written more in the vernacular than the high flowing language that appears in many of the Bibles of the day (and even today). The thing is that Jesus spoke in the vernacular. Yes, he was interested in approaching and speaking to everybody, but his main purpose was, in his words, 'to seek and save the lost'. It raises the dilemma of who we should spend our time sharing the gospel with: the high born or the low born. Jesus mixed with both, but it seems from the gospels that the high born tended to react negatively to his sayings whereas the low born welcomed him. However, there were still many of the high born (Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus) who understood him and committed themselves to him. One of the things we see in this play are the tensions between the members of the ruling elite, particularly with Nicodemus, who was a member of the Sanhedrin. They were the ones that pushed for his execution, however Nicodemus was left with a decision, and the implication from the Bible is that he threw his lot in with Christ.
As for me, I must admit that my evangelism of late has been a little non-existent. However, as I face a crisis of faith, I suddenly discovered friends who are not believers who get beside me to encourage me to stick it out. As one friend said, 'don't let a few tools force you to ditch your faith'. I have heard many Christians (including my father) slander non-believers, treating them as if they hate God and will do anything to undermine a Christian's faith. However my experience is that this is not necessarily the case. Many non-believers that I have met have respected, and even encouraged, my faith. In other cases, after having come to know me, they have developed a new found respect for Christianity. It makes me wonder even more since many Christians seem to treat evangelism as little more than a fishing expedition and simply do not take the time to actually build relationships with non-believers. I have discovered (and maybe it is one of my gifts) that it is the relationship that counts, and by offering a hand of friendship and kindness we can have a much greater impact than simply going in hammer and tongs.
December 28, 2021
In the Man Born to be King, Sayers brings us close to Jesus of Nazareth. She puts you in the Gospel as if you were in an Ignatian meditation. She shows us the apostles quirky personalities, flaws, and they ways they loved Jesus. Martha bustles about asking if Jesus would prefer dates or figs, and Matthew is a Cockney! The most powerful part of the cycle comes in her depiction of the events of Holy Week. The portrayal of Judas as a haughty intellectual, jealous of Jesus and hurt Christ will not be the Messiah he expected, is masterful. You will shed tears as you read this. I started it on Dec 24 thinking it was a good Christmas read, and while the first play is about the birth of Christ, I’ll have to pick it up again at Lent as 5/12 plays depict the last days of Christ.
December 17, 2021
It took me a little while to get into it, but by the end, I was in tears. It was a very gripping account of the life of Christ and prompted many questions and conversations.
I’d definitely recommend it!
I’d definitely recommend it!
February 20, 2024
Update: Lent of 2023 was the first time I followed C.S. Lewis' footsteps in reading this as we neared Easter, and I'm so glad I did.
The first few plays unrolled as normal - intriguing, breath-taking, and grittily real . But as we neared Holy Week, it was all the more wonderful. I read the eleventh play on Good Friday - then took a step back through Saturday.
It was. . . strange, to walk through it almost as they must have. Saturday began with a dull ache as I remembered - the Messiah was dead, the kingdom felt as if it was crumbling. . .
But then, on Sunday, when I read the twelfth play, and there was joy and reuinion and a gradual withdrawl, becoming grander, more majestic, more achingly real, but in a new way. . .
Sayers tells the old story in an old way - yet she leads you up to it in a wholly different way.
--
The Man Born to Be King is a cornerstone of biblical fiction. The unique storytelling via radio drama is wonderful, and the moment you think you know where Sayers is going with a thread, she twists it out from under your feet and phrases it in just the right way to make you think of the familiar story in a fully fresh way. <3 It's very worth the read.
The first few plays unrolled as normal - intriguing, breath-taking, and grittily real . But as we neared Holy Week, it was all the more wonderful. I read the eleventh play on Good Friday - then took a step back through Saturday.
It was. . . strange, to walk through it almost as they must have. Saturday began with a dull ache as I remembered - the Messiah was dead, the kingdom felt as if it was crumbling. . .
But then, on Sunday, when I read the twelfth play, and there was joy and reuinion and a gradual withdrawl, becoming grander, more majestic, more achingly real, but in a new way. . .
Sayers tells the old story in an old way - yet she leads you up to it in a wholly different way.
--
The Man Born to Be King is a cornerstone of biblical fiction. The unique storytelling via radio drama is wonderful, and the moment you think you know where Sayers is going with a thread, she twists it out from under your feet and phrases it in just the right way to make you think of the familiar story in a fully fresh way. <3 It's very worth the read.
April 23, 2017
The more Dorothy Sayers I read, the more Dorothy Sayers I want to read. This cycle of radio plays is just the sort of imaginative interaction with scripture in Ignatian style that I'm becoming more and more hungry for. As farseeing and thoughtful as always, Sayers brings Jesus, the disciples, and others to life in the richest, most human way I've encountered through written word. Particularly fascinating is her depiction of Judas as the brightest and most talented of the disciples, which, combined with his zeal, plays a large part in his fall as his faith in Jesus gets eclipsed and undermined by his greater faith in himself. For anyone used to being one of the sharpest in the room but willing to see her or his self in this character, Sayers brings plenty of opportunity for sharp conviction and rightful fear of the Lord.
March 10, 2021
Part of my "breaking bread with the dead" project...Dorothy Sayers entertained me with her Lord Peter" mysteries many years ago, but I had never read anything else by her. This was a remarkable series of 12 plays depicting the life of Christ from birth to resurrection. I read it over a lengthy period of time, with lots of thinking in between.
January 12, 2016
Wow! Just wow!
March 26, 2023
Fabulous. Gave a freshness to the life of Christ in a special way. Interesting portrayal of Iscariot. Definitely has sent me back to the gospels different.
From Wiki: "Sayers felt that the inherent drama of the Gospel story had become muffled by familiarity and a general failure to think of its characters as real people, was determined to give the plays dramatic immediacy, featuring realistic, identifiable characters with human emotions, motivations, and speech-patterns."
The BBC audio is really strong, though I still have unreconciled iconoclast sentiments about dramatic portrayals of Jesus.
One drawback to imaginative illuminations of the text like this is it can quickly muddle our sense of what is actually in scripture. Something to watch.
From Wiki: "Sayers felt that the inherent drama of the Gospel story had become muffled by familiarity and a general failure to think of its characters as real people, was determined to give the plays dramatic immediacy, featuring realistic, identifiable characters with human emotions, motivations, and speech-patterns."
The BBC audio is really strong, though I still have unreconciled iconoclast sentiments about dramatic portrayals of Jesus.
One drawback to imaginative illuminations of the text like this is it can quickly muddle our sense of what is actually in scripture. Something to watch.
May 11, 2025
(I actually have this edition in paperback, but that doesn't seem to be an option here!)
I'm so glad I finally read this--it's been on my TBR list for a few years now. My Dante book club worked through it over Lent, discussing it along the way, and it helped each of us grow. I feel like it's to 1940's Britain what the show The Chosen is to the 2020s. Beautiful writing, a thoughtful elaboration of the people who surrounded Jesus during his life.... We did have some quibbles with Sayers' mashup of Mary Magdalene and Mary the sister of Lazarus--was that a common understanding in the mid-1900s? I'll have to look into that more. Overall, though, it was excellent. The introduction alone is worth the whole book.
I'm so glad I finally read this--it's been on my TBR list for a few years now. My Dante book club worked through it over Lent, discussing it along the way, and it helped each of us grow. I feel like it's to 1940's Britain what the show The Chosen is to the 2020s. Beautiful writing, a thoughtful elaboration of the people who surrounded Jesus during his life.... We did have some quibbles with Sayers' mashup of Mary Magdalene and Mary the sister of Lazarus--was that a common understanding in the mid-1900s? I'll have to look into that more. Overall, though, it was excellent. The introduction alone is worth the whole book.
June 23, 2024
(This feels like rating the Gospels :) I listened to the BBC audio version of this dramatized version of the life of Jesus, as told by Dorothy Sayers. It was interesting to listen and discuss with my kids, as well as to see the creative choices she made concerning Judas and a few other elements from the accounts that aren't as clear. One or two of the voice actors were a little strange, but most were quite good. Overall, it was a really worthwhile listen.
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