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Views from the Choir Loft

Book Review: Killing Jesus

Fr. David Friel · April 20, 2014

DMITTEDLY, I am a little late to throw my hat in the ring. Nevertheless, I would like to share my thoughts about one of the best-selling books of the last year, since one of my Lenten projects was to read it. Co-authored by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard, Killing Jesus: A History is an exploration of the Person of Jesus and a view into the experience of life in ancient times.

[DISCLAIMER: I don’t like television; I seldom watch television; I don’t even own a television. As such, my reasons for reading this book and blogging about it have nothing to do with Bill O’Reilly, his politics (about which I know little), or his news show (which I understand draws sharply divided responses from the general populace). My interest is Jesus and what this book has to say about Him.]

With its concise subtitle, this book claims to be “A History.” What is meant by that would be difficult to intuit without reading the book. Categorizing this text in the history genre, to me, seems at once accurate and inaccurate. If the purpose of the subtitle is to dissuade potential readers from expecting a devotional work, then the term “history” works well. The book includes more than a few imaginative sections, however, wherein historical events are told in narrative format, and at these times the term “history” appears misapplied. A librarian could have real difficulty assigning a Dewey Decimal System number to this volume, but arguments could be made for the 200’s, the 900’s, or even the 92 biography section.

What I enjoyed most about this book was its presentation of major characters in the life and times of Jesus. These characters include Herod & Pompey the Great, John the Baptist & Mary Magdalene, Caiaphas & Pontius Pilate. So often, these can become mere names confined to the pages of history texts, rather than dynamic persons who shaped history. In developing these characters and others, the authors obviously utilized extra-Biblical sources. The book also describes in great detail for readers several important locations, such as Sepphoris, Jerusalem, and the Kidron Valley. In general, the sketches of both characters and places were helpful in establishing the wider context of Biblical life & times.

Another aspect of the work that I enjoyed is the authors’ decision not to divide the supposed “historical Jesus” from the “Christian God.” Since the advent of the historical critical method, it has become vogue to separate the “Jesus of history” from the “Christ of faith,” but O’Reilly and Dugard seem content to address matters factually and leave it to the reader to determine whether Jesus constitutes a divide or a unity.

Many reviewers have criticized the authors’ tendency to take the Gospels at face value, rather than treating them with the trenchant skepticism that is more acceptable in modern academia. For my own part, as a believing Christian who accepts wholeheartedly the canon of Sacred Scripture, I do not question the historicity of the Gospels. Actually, I rather appreciate the matter-of-fact acceptance of what the Evangelists have written. What other sources exist that are more worthy of trust?

Most of the “inaccuracies” highlighted by other reviewers are not so much true historical inaccuracies as points of squabble among the authors’ adversaries. For instance, was Paul a “former Pharisee who became a convert to Christianity,” as the authors describe him? Presuming that by “Christian,” one means a follower of Christ, this seems like a perfectly true statement.

I possess no faculties to grant an imprimatur, but for those who are concerned about issues of orthodoxy or scandal, I found nothing questionable in Killing Jesus. What I found was an eminently readable portrait of Jesus of Nazareth that has helped me to see His life in fuller context and to recognize some of the many factors that precipitated His death.

Is this book the definitive account of Jesus’ life? No, we still have the four Gospels for that. But is it a worthwhile companion that might spark new ideas, perspectives, and questions in the heart and mind of a believer? I believe so.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“How can we account for differences in the Gospel accounts? Well, suppose after we left Church today, there was a terrible accident or explosion or fire. Soon the news media would be here, interviewing people as to what they saw or heard. Each person would probably say or report what struck him—or what he saw or noticed. All these reports would be different and yet they would be true.”

— Fr. Valentine Young (February 2019)

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  • Now Available! • “Hymns of Cardinal Newman: Kevin Allen’s Legendary Choral Settings”
  • Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)

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