Epic in scope, yet deeply personal, this novelization offers a unique perspective on the story of the resurrection. Roman Tribune Clavius is assigned by Pilate to keep the radical followers of the recently executed Yeshua from stealing the body and inciting revolution. When the body goes missing despite his precautions, Clavius must hunt it down.
His investigation leads him from the halls of Herod Antipas to the Garden of Gethsemane and brings him in touch with believer and doubter alike. But as the body still remains missing, Clavius commits to a quest for the truth--and answers that will not only shake his life but echo throughout all of history.
My Take: This was a wonderful book. It is a novelization of a movie coming out this month.
I liked the opportunity to see these events from a very different perspective. I think it resonated with me so much because I could relate to Clavius. He's a Roman soldier and thinks logically. He believes in the power of his ability (and the ability of Rome) to reason and come to the right outcome. He is a firm believer in duty and loyalty.
He's charged by Pilate to ensure Jesus' body is not stolen - and then to investigate when the tomb is found empty. He starts in one place -- with his own ideas about what happened and why. He is intelligent and fairly content with his world order. His one area of discontent is that he is tired of death. He's seen and dealt too much it and doesn't have any faith in his gods to stop it.
I also approached the idea of faith like some scientist trying to dissect it and come to some logical conclusion. So I can relate to how he questions things and tries to make order out of the chaos of political machinations, zealots, miracles... He is open enough to see what has actually happened and how it may change everything.
I read in the author's notes that Rachel's character was cut from the movie and I think that's sad. Her story gave his context -- and allowed us to see a side of him that I don't think would be seen without her. I also thought her story was important in and of itself. A woman alone in that time period faced a lot of trials and I thought the way she dealt with that was very interesting.
I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
