Customer Reviews

Kingdom and the Crown Volume 1: Fishers of Men (Kingdom and the Crown) (Kingdom and the Crown, Vol 1)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fisher's of Men is a wonderful inside look on Jerusalem at the time when Jesus was beginning His ministry. David ben Joseph is a prominant merchant in Capernaum who is eagerly waiting for signs of the Messiah. Although David can see that Jesus is the Messiah almost instantly, his family-including the leader of the Zealots, is a little more in doubt. This book not only is a wonderful historical novel, but really helps you to understand and learn more about the time when Christ was here.

I must admit, I didn't care for The Work and the Glory Series also by this author, so I was hesitant to buy this book. Am I glad I did! I was drawn into the story right from the start. I especially liked the way Lund worked the teachings and events from Jesus' life into the narration in a natural way, as if we were there watching the actual events transpire. I finished this book in less than two weeks--despite the fact that it was Christmas! I can hardly wait for the next installment.

In this excellent book, Gerald N Lund takes you back in time to a land called Capernaum where David Bin Joseph watches eagerly for any sign of the Messiah ever since thirty years ago when in Bethlehem, David saw an angel who told him of Christs birth. Now He is hearing tales of John the Baptist, who claims to be the forerunner for Christ. David sets off to find him, and is inspired by John's teachings. David soon meets Jesus and quickly accepts him as the Messiah. However, Davids wife Debrah, and his son Simeon, are not so quick to accept him. They want a Messiah who will destroy their enemies and overthrow the hated Romans. However, Jesus teaches of forgiveness and of loving your neighbor. They wonder, "could this really be the Messiah?"
I gave this book 4 stars because I really enjoyed it. It teaches you alot about what life was like when Jesus was alive and the miracles he performed. It even has chapter notes at the end of each chapter for extra information. It has believable characters, and the author paints a picture in your mind of what is happening. I took away one star because there is too much dialogue and sometimes it got boring while explaining unimportant detail. Other than this, the book was great, and I reccomend it to anybody.

I have heard people say that the story of Jesus is the greatest story ever told, but have wondered how that could be when I found the New Testament so difficult to understand when reading straight from beginning to end. Now having finished this series of books I add my vote that the story of Jesus Christ is really the greatest story ever told.

Upon finishing I have felt driven to explore the New Testament again. I recently purchased a version of the New Testament which attempts a chronological harmony of the four gospels. I am amazed at how closely Lund's series shadows the chronological harmony version of the King James Version of the New Testament. Lund's work has helped me attain a level of clarity regarding the Savior's ministry that I didn't even know I was missing. Lund also did a great job in helping me understand which characters in the book are really from the New Testament, and where he was favoring certain scriptural interpretations over others. The chapter endnotes were fantastic!

Having now finished the whole series that this book belongs to I realize that without the historical insights that Lund provides into the political, social, and cultural setting of the people who lived in that area of the world at that time, I would not fully understand the life and mission of Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. For me this series is now the standard for all other historical fiction that attempts to represent the ministry of Jesus Christ, or the origins of Christianity.

Gerald Lund tapped into the mind of Messiah YaHSHUA in this masterpiece. Like many other readers I only put it down when my eyes could read no longer. I too finished reading it in less than five days. I was like a happy puppy when I discovered his second of the series was available. IF you want to be absolutely transported to the time of YAHSHUA -READ THE BOOK- FISHERS OF MEN. I also enjoy good historical novels ; and having read Plato, Socrates,and Homer at the age of twelve - and, I am now 57- I am a very discriminating reader. To paraphase Thomas Manns' brilliant pen in "Joseph and His Brothers", he picked words like angels pick flowers from the fields of heaven.SMJ.

Kingdom and the Crown Volume 1: Fishers of Men is one of the better books I have read lately. Although it was a bit hard to get into at first, I was captivated once the book got going. I am already in anticipation for the next book to come out. I would recommend this book highly.

I am now on the second book... the first book in this series is so wonderful. I takes you there to Jerusalem and Galilee. You feel as if you walk with Jesus and experience his miracles and teachings first hand. It is an ambitious achievement for the author. You learn and come to know Christ more deeply. At times it can get a bit preachy and I feel like I am in one of Lund's classrooms, but I dig it anyways (other people may not). But the story is well crafted.

I always hate it when authors take too much artistic license and try to guess what a real historical person is feeling or what their motivation is (when there isn't a written record of it anywhere and it is completely up to the interpretation of the author). I am grateful that Lund never attempts that, and for Heaven's sake, especially not with Jesus. All of the dialogue that is written for Jesus can be found directly out of the New Testament.

Read this book and come to know the Savior even more deeply than you have before.

Yes I grew up going to church hearing and learning all of the stories. You can only get so close to these stories. I did not live in the time of Jesus' ministry, so imagine how amazing it would be to actually experience the culture, the Sermon on the Mount. What Gerald Lund does is he takes history and throws in a family or two to experience the situations. In the front and back there are drawings of what the actual cities would have looked like back then. At the end of each chapter there is a brief explanation of what was the authors' rendition and what is actual facts and where you can find them. I learned so much about the different cultures. This series brought me closer to my Savior, Jesus Christ. And has changed the way I think about most things.

I had the privilege of meeting the author and hearing him speak. Although he is a learned man, he is also very humble and genuine. I had the chance to thank him for writing this series and his answer was that it held a special place in his heart also.

This was a spectacular story! From the first pages, I felt like I could close my eyes and imaging I was walking the dusty roads between Jerusalem and Galilee. The author really does an excellent job of explaining the Jewish culture and politics of the time. Also, the interpretations of scripture that he attributes to his characters are quite enlightening. I managed to finish this book in 4 days, even though I work full-time and have 2 young children (though I haven't slept much!). I can't wait to start the second book in this series...

This is my favorite author in all the world. I was thrilled to see the beginning of another series. All too soon I finished it. This book gives you an idea of what it would have been like to live during the time of Christ's ministry on the earth. I gained new understanding of how some of the Jews of that time would have felt, and what they were expecting from a Messiah. I can't wait for the next book and reccommend this book to everyone. Christians of all denominations will find this book very worthwhile.