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Behold Your King
Here is another truly compelling novel that has for its setting the Holy Land at the time of Christ. It is the story of a young man who, at the cost of being renounced by family and friends, cannot deny his belief in the great teacher, Jesus of Nazareth.
Jonathan of Cyrene was a handsome well-born youth who came to Jerusalem to live with his wealthy, childless uncle. This move promised a glowing future - he would probably become heir to his uncle's vast estates and, under his uncle's auspices, he would no doubt find a young woman, charming and beautiful, who would make the appropriate wife he longed for. It might all have happened had not Jonathan met the young Jewish teacher whose beliefs seemed so heretical to his uncle and friends. It was not long before Jonathan realized that he would never be happy unless he followed Jesus, for he knew He was the Messiah.
Jonathan of Cyrene was a handsome well-born youth who came to Jerusalem to live with his wealthy, childless uncle. This move promised a glowing future - he would probably become heir to his uncle's vast estates and, under his uncle's auspices, he would no doubt find a young woman, charming and beautiful, who would make the appropriate wife he longed for. It might all have happened had not Jonathan met the young Jewish teacher whose beliefs seemed so heretical to his uncle and friends. It was not long before Jonathan realized that he would never be happy unless he followed Jesus, for he knew He was the Messiah.
408 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1945
About the author
Florence Marvyne Bauer
5 books"We find very little material on Florence Marvyne Bauer, She married Dr. William Waldo Bauer Feb. 8, 1920, children William Waldo (deceased) John, Robert, Erminie Anne, Charles Marvyne. Mrs. Bauer has written several magazine articles and some plays. She and her husband wrote Eat what you want [sic], published in 1942. Address [...] Ill." -Circulation Dept., Oregon State Library, Jan. 24, 1946
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 7, 2019
Really it's three and a half. Not quite four, not quite three.
The author's writing style is exquisite. The language is not so old that no one can understand it, yet the characters all speak with an elegance that I honestly picture they might have had back in their time. The author also did an amazing job about bringing the old Jewish culture to life. I do not claim to be an expert in Judaism or Jewish culture in general but according to my studies so far, she depicted their culture back in the time very, very well.
There may be some spoilers in here, but nothing too serious. The story details a young man, Jonathan, and the people in his life. The story happens upon a day in his every day life until a man named John the Baptist - followed shortly by a Rabbi named Jesus - show up in town and everything changes. What I really liked was that the author took the lives of some of the people mentioned in the Gospels, i,e, Jarius, Nicodemeus, Joanna etc and built a story around them, and their every day lives, not just around the way they interacted with Jesus.
The reason that I rated it as low as it did was that I ran into a few things for me. In one scene, Jonathan calls Jesus to come and heal a friend of his and when Jesus does come to heal him, He rebukes Jonathan for his lack of faith stating that Jonathan could have healed him if he believed. A little while later, Jesus summons Jonathan along with a few friends who weren't a part of the twelve and gives them the exact same commission he gave His twelve disciples - to go from town to town, preach the Gospel, cast out demons, heal the sick, etc. I couldn't find anything in the Scriptures about Jesus giving this commission to any but the twelve at that point in time. I felt that the particular healing scene bordered on the Word of Faith movement a little too closely. The author also toyed with the idea that there was a notion that there would be two Messiahs, a suffering one and a victorious one. She also made it out to be that Bar Abbas was going around claiming to be the suffering Messiah, which wasn't mentioned in the Scriptures to my knowledge. But I have to say that the scenes surrounding the crucifixion were pretty accurate. Those scenes were a very powerful section in the book.
All in all, it was a good story and I really enjoyed the author's take on some things, and I especially enjoyed the stories around the people involved in Jesus' earthly ministry. But if you do read this book, please do not take it as 100% Biblically accurate. It is a fictional story that involves many characters in the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, and expounds on what their lives might have looked like.
The author's writing style is exquisite. The language is not so old that no one can understand it, yet the characters all speak with an elegance that I honestly picture they might have had back in their time. The author also did an amazing job about bringing the old Jewish culture to life. I do not claim to be an expert in Judaism or Jewish culture in general but according to my studies so far, she depicted their culture back in the time very, very well.
There may be some spoilers in here, but nothing too serious. The story details a young man, Jonathan, and the people in his life. The story happens upon a day in his every day life until a man named John the Baptist - followed shortly by a Rabbi named Jesus - show up in town and everything changes. What I really liked was that the author took the lives of some of the people mentioned in the Gospels, i,e, Jarius, Nicodemeus, Joanna etc and built a story around them, and their every day lives, not just around the way they interacted with Jesus.
The reason that I rated it as low as it did was that I ran into a few things for me. In one scene, Jonathan calls Jesus to come and heal a friend of his and when Jesus does come to heal him, He rebukes Jonathan for his lack of faith stating that Jonathan could have healed him if he believed. A little while later, Jesus summons Jonathan along with a few friends who weren't a part of the twelve and gives them the exact same commission he gave His twelve disciples - to go from town to town, preach the Gospel, cast out demons, heal the sick, etc. I couldn't find anything in the Scriptures about Jesus giving this commission to any but the twelve at that point in time. I felt that the particular healing scene bordered on the Word of Faith movement a little too closely. The author also toyed with the idea that there was a notion that there would be two Messiahs, a suffering one and a victorious one. She also made it out to be that Bar Abbas was going around claiming to be the suffering Messiah, which wasn't mentioned in the Scriptures to my knowledge. But I have to say that the scenes surrounding the crucifixion were pretty accurate. Those scenes were a very powerful section in the book.
All in all, it was a good story and I really enjoyed the author's take on some things, and I especially enjoyed the stories around the people involved in Jesus' earthly ministry. But if you do read this book, please do not take it as 100% Biblically accurate. It is a fictional story that involves many characters in the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, and expounds on what their lives might have looked like.
March 5, 2012
Excellent book that takes place during the time of Christ. It is the tale of a young Jewish man from Cyrene who goes to Jerusalem to learn the family business from his uncle, Joseph of Arimathea. Through his adventures you get a pretty good feel for the culture and attitudes of the time. Through friendships the main character develops with biblical figures Jairus, Nicodemus, and Nathanael, we see the unfolding of the ministry of Jesus.
November 11, 2025
This put me in the time and place of Jesus, and gave me insight into peoples' reactions, questions, faith or resistance to Him.
March 22, 2021
Great read that sets you thinking
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews