Two from Galilee

Life of Jesus #1

by Marjorie Holmes

Marjorie Holmes's skillful writing takes these two wonderful characters off the calendars and Christmas cards and makes them genuine human beings with whom people can identify. Mary is portrayed as a lovely young woman just emerged from girlhood, and Joseph as a smitten, hardworking carpenter - both of them deeply in love, joyously betrothed, and preparing for their wedding and new home.
Holmes treats the nativity reverently, without deviating from the biblical account, but makes it live for readers as the intense love story it must have been.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Christmas, Christian Fiction, Book Club, Christian, Religion

223 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Marjorie Holmes (1910—2002) was an American columnist and best-selling Christian author of 134 books, 32 of which were best sellers. Holmes is known best for her biblical trilogy which began with the novel Two From Galilee, a love story about Mary and Joseph, published by Fleming H. Revell.

Reviews

[Therese · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really held my attention, telling the familiar story of the birth of the Christ child, but with an interesting twist. Presented somewhat in the format of historical fiction, the story is told from the time a very young Mary passes into womanhood, which in those days is after a girl has her first period, and so is eligible to be wed; the deep love Mary and Joseph have for each other and the happy occasion of their betrothal; Mary’s union with the spirit of God to conceive a child and the difficulty explaining her pregnancy to her parents and to Joseph, and their struggle to believe her incredible explanation; what their journey to Bethlehem must have been like for Mary being nine months pregnant, riding on a donkey and sleeping on the ground during a trip that took many days; Mary going into labor, still on that donkey, as they reach Bethlehem, but with the city jammed with many travelers who need to register for their taxes, the best the inn keeper can offer them for rest and privacy is barn stall behind the inn; Mary going through the pain of childbirth without the benefit of a midwife or any other women, with only her husband that doesn’t know the first thing about how to support her during birth; the joy experienced by new parents after the birth of their child, mixed with the wonder of what is in store for this particular child; their suspicions, but then acceptance, of strange shepherds and wise men coming to see the child and offering them gifts; their warnings that Herod is aware of the child and wants to destroy him, and so instead of returning home with their new baby to reunite with their families, they must journey on to Egypt until it’s safe to return.

Many of us are familiar with the biblical story, but the book tries to fill in a lot of details, and so makes their love, relationships and challenges so much more real. A beautiful read, especially during the Christmas season.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Originally posted June, 2024)

2.5✨️

I feel really bad about saying this of a book based (albeit loosely) on the Christmas story, but this one really didn't sit well with me.
I honestly don't know quite what to think. On the one hand, it's very well written, interesting, mostly enjoyable.
On the other...well, I get that the time period was different than it is now, & so the whole age difference thing was more common, & and is a true fact of the Christmas story, and private things were much more freely spoken of. But to write about the whole physical side of relationships in such unnecessary DETAIL. It felt perverse, really. Things that are meant to be sacred and private written down and spoiled.

Also, in the scene where Mary finds out she is going to give birth to Jesus...it was really awful. I don’t really even want to talk about it, but it seemed very unbiblical bordering on blasphemous.

So…🫣🫣🫣

Note: There is no ACTUAL on-page (or off, as I recal, unless implied inside of marriage) stuff going on, but the way the book talks so openly and freely, especially in a relationship with ages thirteen and twenty-ish, felt sooo icky to me.

Anyways. Moving on. 🥴☺️👀😆

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I will admit to struggling with fiction written about real people. I always wonder what they are thinking of the fictional dialogue and situations. I wouldn't want someone to fictionalize my life.

Parts of the book were interesting, and some parts dragged on too long, but the thing that made me put the book down was that it seems wrong somehow to fictionalize the life of the mother of our Savior. It just seems icky.

I know a lot people like this book, and that is fine, but it isn't for me.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED reading this book and finishing it right before Christmas. It really brings their love story to life. I really liked it and had no problem with any of the fiction the author added. It was so fun to read during th Holiday season, too.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second reading of this book. I read it the first time about 20 years ago and loved it. My opinion hasn't changed. Although fictitious with lots of liberties in regard to personalities and family descriptions, the scriptural evidence of the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ is retold in a personal, tender way. Reading it before the month of December begins has helped me be in the frame of mind to think more deeply about that sweet babe and His humble beginnings, as well as the sacrifices Mary and Joseph made to bring him into the world.

[Katy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but it read like a cheap romance novel disguised as historical fiction.

[Marty Solomon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read from Marjorie Holmes.

As I first began to read the book, I was annoyed with Holmes' desire to romanticize the story so much. It was not long, only a couple chapters, until I fell in love with her perspective as a woman and was incredibly blessed to enjoy her fictional retelling of the context of the birth of Jesus.

While I found some of the historical details to be debatable, I was repeatedly impressed by how accurate the story's setting was as Holmes described the culture of the Galilee (in my historical opinion, of course).

All in all, the book was a great read with a thunderous chapter 17 and deserved a second reading.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautiful story about the true meaning of Christmas. Told through the eyes of Mary, Joseph and other members of their family, Marjorie Holmes meticulously crafted this story of love and the promise of salvation for all. What I liked about this book was that the reader got to imagine what it was like for the Blessed Mother when she found out she was with child. I also enjoyed the romance between Mary and Joseph; I found it to be very heartwarming. Overall I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a touching story about the Christian faith. I will definitely read the next one.

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF after two chapters and skipping to the angel scene because my daughter wanted to see if it was as creepy as the first two chapters where we started cringing at how creepily bad it was (And it was indeed just as creepy).

I mean, it's so weird, I'm taking the time to find gifs! (Before anyone gets mad at me for this one star, I do say in my bio if it's a book I DNF it's a one (I really don't hold to the idea you have to finish a book to one star it), and this author has long since passed, so she doesn't care what I think of her book--I checked.)

Like a train wreck, you wanted to keep watching,



but I was like, I'm sorry, as fun as this might be to envision/re-enact the rather creepy descriptions (like her father "awkwardly fondling her wrist," what?),

I have better things to do with my time. Ms. Holmes needed a writing partner (or better editor) who would have told her that some of her descriptions needed to be rewritten.
I'm sure she didn't mean to make her action beats creepy, but if you literally did some of the things she wrote out, it would make the weirdest movie in your head. I guess I just don't need an over-the-top romantically sappy B movie of Mary and Joseph in my life.


And the constant talking to people and of themselves in the third person and the very big focus on menstruation, and being bedded, and intimacy and stuff between 12 year olds. And flashbacks to when she was like 8-10 and Joseph being like 18 hand feeding her? That's even creepy if they were older (I know some people out there think it romantic since it shows up a lot in movies, but that's a no for me.)
Anyway, I could list out all the multiple things we cringed at--at one point we were wondering if Mary had found a patch of magic mushrooms --but I won't.

So yeah, we're moving on! Sorry if it's your favorite book, but it's a nope from me.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once upon a time in real history a real child was born who changed the world. Marjorie Holme’s Two From Galilee imagines the story of that child’s parents, Mary and Joseph, in their small town of Nazareth in Galilee. The novel was published in the 1970s and the research may not be entirely up to date, but it’s close enough. Families dream of great futures for their children, love intervenes, and unplanned pregnancies are as hard a fate to cope with then as now. But this pregnancy has more than the usual cause behind it, and the author blends a well-drawn evocative vision of time and place with nicely imagined mystery and deep faith. Following the road from Bethlehem to Nazareth and back, working in the fields, toiling with wood, rebelling against Roman rule, and more, these characters live real lives in real places and eventually place their trust in a very real God. For all that the reader must know the end of the tale, this novel’s a thoroughly enjoyable read, its details enthralling as a well-told historical romance, and its plot pleasingly different even as it follows a well-trodden path. If you’ve ever wanted to imagine how Mary felt, or even her mother, this is the book for you.

Disclosure: A friend loaned me this book.

[Rachael Marsceau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, you know what? 4 stars. I was gonna give it 3 but I just finished it and I'm emotionally wrecked so 4 stars it is.

I think when anyone tries to write biblical historical fiction, it gets weird a bit. And because this is Joseph and Mary we're talking about, it feels even weirder. Here are the random things I didn't love:

- it's assumed Joseph and Mary were already madly in love with each other.
- Mary's mother is portrayed as a narcissistic pain in the NECK
- in Mary's thought process after the angel's visit, she considers herself the "mate of God" and I was like can you just not because that just makes me extremely uncomfortable
- bodily functions (eg: getting a period, having a period, suffering through a period, etc etc etc) were mentioned probably 20 times, and this is not a very long book. I really don't understand old-lady authors' obsessions with talking about this. I don't enjoy reading about it.

BUT all that aside, the writing is really good somehow. It's deeply emotional, and a few scenes, while completely imagined, really helped me go deeper in my contemplation of the relational and societal aspects of Mary's pregnancy. It was a nice just-before-Christmas read.

[Natalie Scherck · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, life-changing book. THEY WERE REAL PEOPLE. That is the constant thought I have as I read and reflect on this book, which I have probably read a dozen or more times (I used to read it every Christmas, although it’s been a couple of years since I have done that.) While not everything is necessarily historically accurate, and there’s so much we don’t know about Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, I absolutely love how the author brings you into the reality of what it could have been like to be a part of the Holy Family. What would it really like to be Mary, a young girl who is pregnant, but not fully married? What would it be like to be Joseph, to find out that your beloved is pregnant and not by you? How would the people around them have reacted? How would this have impacted their life? I feel like deep appreciation for Mary and Joseph and the sacrifices they made to raise the Messiah. They truly were REAL PEOPLE.

[Anzie Layton Jethro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two from Galilee is a Must read. It is the most beautiful story Every written

I have read this book each year and can never put it down. You are there with Mary and Joseph as they are given the glorious honor of God's love for us all. As you walk with them in this book you realize all the human journey they walked .
Share and read this marvelous book and share in His ponderous love. You will cry with them and breath the joy that they share and we share each day through his birth.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this at my brother's when I was newly married and had the then-popular short 'fro perm, so I'm guessing 1979? I like to read this at Christmas time and think about how it must have been.... Like the author, just to sit and ponder that these were real people and this miracle actually happened in their previously ordinary lives.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an OK book. I didn't really agree with the author's interpretation of the characters, especially Mary's parents. I could see why this would be appealing to read, most people like to read a good love story, right. But, the assumptions of how each person felt just didn't seem right to me.

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books like that always make me think. I've read this scriptural account many, many times, but putting these characters into a fictional story--supposing their actions and thoughts--made these people come alive. It made me wonder what they really did and said, and what they truly thought and felt. It was a good story with a lot of elements that we had fun discussing at our book club.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this would be really nice to read, what with it being Christmastime and all, and I've had a secondhand copy kicking around since high school, but it reads like fanfiction about Joseph and Mary. And that's just ... creepy.

[Priscilla Westover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this 20 years ago. I read it again this week. I still like it.

[Sharlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a great Book! I loved the way this book made Mary and Joseph so real to me! Great love story! Loved seeing more into the Jewish Culture.

[Hannah Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annual Christmas read never disappoints. ❤️

[Ellie Danker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet rendition of Mary and Joseph’s love story before Jesus’ birth :) I would love to know the kind of research that went into this beforehand.

Added after some time to process: Whenever Mary or Joseph went through something hard or faced a challenge, I found myself thinking, “They shouldn’t be worried because this whole journey was ordained by God. He literally told them exactly what was going to happen, so why would they worry?” Obviously they didn’t know exactly how everything would turn out, but God did. And he still does. He is in control when I can’t see the outcome. I don’t need to worry because just like God knew the outcome of Mary and Joseph’s trials, he knows the outcome of mine. I am not in control and I don’t need to be—how much better it is for me to let my Creator lead my life than for me to try to stumble along and do it myself.

[Mae Clair · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful recounting of the love between Mary and Joseph, and the birth of baby Jesus.
This book starts with Mary and Joseph before their betrothal, and introduces family on both sides. We see their love and their courtship, along with both the blessings and trials they endured when Mary's pregnancy becomes apparent. True to Biblical accounts, and written with an overflowing of love, this joyous and moving tale is a beautiful blessing and heartfelt reminder of God's extraordinary love for the world.

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm conflicted with this book because I enjoyed it as a story, yet there were some aspects of the story that contradicted the Bible. It is unclear what religion the author claims or what her source was for studying the details of this story, but it obviously influenced some of her writings such as the false claim that Mary is "the mother of God." Another blatant flaw in the writing was when she claimed that John the Baptist was a "holy child." I recognize that Elizabeth's womb was opened and in that sense his birth was miraculous, but he was never presented as a "holy child" in the Bible. The author also portrayed Joseph's father as an alcoholic and a sluggard. I'm not sure what her reason was for this, and while it could technically have been true, I think it was a bit of a stretch. I also did not think she portrayed the women accurately for the time period; they were much too opinionated and sometimes almost brash at times. One of the characters also used the word "ass" to refer to another person when in a fit of rage; I felt this was totally uncharacteristic and unnecessary.

Obviously, I do realize this is a "Biblical fiction" and to make a story, the author had to add a lot of her own fictional information. I get that. But I do think that if you are going to read this book, you should be aware of the Biblical contradictions and remember it is a fictional story based on a little bit of truth.

I will say the this book does give one a lot to think about how things may have been for Mary and Joseph. There's the thought that perhaps Mary and Joseph grew up together in the same area and were childhood friends; the possibility that there may have been other parents who wished to betroth their sons to Mary; the likelihood that it was difficult for Mary to grasp the fact that she was the virgin chosen to bear the Messiah; the mental conflict it must have caused Joseph to realize his betrothed was pregnant; the misunderstandings and awkwardness of explaining her pregnancy to her parents and the possibility that they may not have believed her initially; the ridicule they likely received from family and friends around them. While the author clearly takes liberty with these unknown areas of Mary's and Joseph's lives, it does cause the story to come to life in a greater way. It makes you wonder what it must have been like for this couple who were completely human in every way to be honored with being chosen of God to bear and raise baby Jesus.

I will say that I would not recommend this to young ladies (teens) due to the frequent, though discrete, mention of intimacy. She also is rather candid about Mary's "becoming a woman" which was a little odd, though I suppose it was likely appropriate for the culture.

From a strictly literary view, I thought the story was great and I enjoyed it quite a lot! The author is a very good storyteller! She brought emotion and conflict into the story very naturally. The story flowed well and had it not been for my previous Biblical knowledge, would have been completely convincing. For these reasons, I did give this book 4 stars.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as a teenager and LOVED it. I read it again this month and really enjoyed it. It's helped me see the nativity and Christmas story in a much more personal and real light.

I've never considered what a scandal it must have been for Mary to become pregnant while engaged (but not married) to Joseph - or how hard it must have been for him and for the parents and friends of both of them. Did her parents believe her when she told them what had happened? Did her friends and family stand by her? Was she the subject of scorn, ridicule and gossip?

I've always been fascinated by Mary and would love to know more of her story. Even though this is a fictional story, it was thought-provoking and interesting. Great Christmas book!

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Respectful, engaging, and thought-provoking. I gave this to both of my grandmothers, and they both loved the story and shared it with their other grandchildren. (I'm not a religious person, but I did like this book.)

2025
It's been almost 30 years since I read this book. It's time to read it again -- do I need to keep it on my shelves?

So Mary was 14 yo when she gave birth to Jesus?

needed: Authors note explaining what is fiction and what is fact. Of course, the Bible is one of her resources, and she visited Israel. But what other resources did she use?

Beautifully written sentences.

Lots of emphasis on peoples' appearances. And, of course, Mary is the most beautiful and she was a perfect child.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marjorie Holmes in Two from Galilee paints a beautiful picture of the Christmas story. She begins her story with the development of Mary's character and a depiction of what her life and family were like before she began the greatest adventure of her life. Holmes closely follows the Biblical narrative of Mary's and Joseph's story creatively weaving in descriptions of the terrain of Israel and the hardships faced by the Israelites.

Of course we know the end to this story; however, the author brings it to life in a way I have never experienced before. The birth of our Savior as described by Holmes brought me to tears as I lived this moment with Mary and Joseph. I highly recommend this series of three books.

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this before Christmas and am just now getting around to finishing it. (Crazy busy holiday!) I tend to rate books according to others I've read in that genre. So compare this to several of the dystopian novels I've read lately, and I probably would have rated this a 3. But compared to the other biblical novels I've read (namely Orson Scott Card), I think this book is right up there. I enjoy having the Bible or history come alive, and I thought the author did a great job with the story. The love story between Mary and Joseph was so sweet, and I loved seeing all the character's perspectives once Mary was pregnant. So interesting and a great Christmas read.

[Vivienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, especially reading it during the Christmas season. At first I was unsure if I was going to like it, as I didn't want it to change the way I already envisioned the Christmas Story. But I fell in love with the characters and reading about what might have happened deepened my feelings about each important person in this most glorious birth. I want to read it again in December and perhaps make it one of my traditions. Thank you, Corinne, for recommending it for our Bookclub.

I enjoyed rereading this good book, Dec. 2019 into Jan 2020, but I didn't like it as much the second time around.

[Erica T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. This is the story of Mary and Joseph as love interests, as a couple, as the unexpected recipients of a miracle. Obviously the author had to fictionalize many of the details, as very little is actually written in the Bible about Mary and Joseph, but I loved that the author really got me to think of them as real people who faced real life situations. Mary was a very young mother and an unexplained pregnancy would have really made people wonder. Despite the challenges they faced Mary and Joseph were the perfect parents to raise Jesus. This is a great read for Christmas time.

**Clean read

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve known about Mary and Joseph my whole life, seen the pageants, heard the Christmas songs. But never have I actually delved into the human emotions that go along with their story. The grieving the life you thought you were preparing for, the pain of perceived betrayal. Just all the raw humanness. And their love story? Stawp! I don’t know how, but somehow Marjorie Holmes really turned this into a suspenseful love story. I stayed up way too late, with butterflies in my stomach, reading page after page thinking “but wait are they going to end up together??!” for a story that I CLEARLY knew the ending to. Props to her on that!