Customer Reviews

Pontius Pilate: A Documentary Novel

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(7)
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Paul Maier, a nationally recognized teacher of History broke ground with this classic historical biography of Pontius Pilate.

This book taught me more about the New Testament than 20 undergraduate and graduate classes in Biblical Studies.

Rejecting the carelessness that dominates the genre of historical fiction, Dr. Maier created his own genre which could be called "documented historical fiction". He adopts 3 rules,
1) He doesn't invent characters and only uses names of real people 2) He uses information in the primary sources whenever possible and only speculates on plot features where the sources are lacking. 3) He includes documented footnotes for a great number of events in the life of Pilate, these not only lead you to the primary sources, they also give the author's justification for how he interprets them and incorporates them into the story.

If you want to read the Christ story from a new perspective, this book will give you an eyewitness account from the eye sockets of one of the key players in Christ' life. You will understand the political background to the New Testament and gain a new appreciation for how the miraculous events in Jesus ministry were interpreted.

Paul Maier does an excellent job in this historical novel of being true to the facts where they are available, and being believably fictional in places where there are no facts available. This book traces the career of Pontius Pilate in Roman administration, his prefecture in Judea before, during, and after Christ. Highly researched and with full reference notes. I think the book is more guided to the student of history than of religion, but it will fit on both shelves.

Two thousand years ago, there was a trial that changed history. Jesus Christ was dragged before the Roman politician who had to make the fateful choice that would place the Messiah on the cross. Who was this man, Pontius Pilate? What was life really like in those days, what political forces shaped events of that moment?

***** Paul Maier does an excellent job of exploring these questions in his novel that was published decades ago, but due to the timelessness of the subject, has held up well over the years. Pilate's choices are seen as both political and perhaps even divine necessity as the day that will become Good Friday unfolds. With the use of real figures and well researched customs, Dr. Maier sweeps readers back two millenia. Calling it fiction is almost an insult, because it is so very realistic. One complaint is that there is not a sequel exploring Pilate's wife, a woman who stands beside Caeser's wife in fascination.

This is the kind of book one can hardly put down, reads eagerly, and is sorry when it's finished. Maier is clearly a scholar, who has included as much historical data as can be found (from a variety of sources), and has plausibly interpreted gaps in the record. He draws an interesting picture of first-century life in Rome and Palestine, and makes the reader aware of events that otherwise might have escaped notice. Throughout, he realistically weaves elements of the life of Christ from different points of view, especially Roman, and one comes away from the book with the impression of how the emergent Christian faith appeared to people of that era. For both people of faith and those without, this account provides a fascinating vantage point, and is worth reading as fiction, as history, as an adjunct to belief, or all three.

I thought this book would be all fact, but it is a novel at heart. Pilate is new territory for me, so I didn't realize how little information there was on him.
The fiction is painted with a larger brush than the facts to complete the picture and to Mr. Maier's credit, he is very specific about when, how, and why he includes the made up sequences.
As a Seminary student, I am very picky about keeping fact seperate from fiction. What is great about Dr. Maier's book is the documentation he has done. An excellent addition to my bookshelf.

Maier is a first-rate theologian-historian, who utilized history as backdrop for this novel. He notes where history is on his side, and on those that he inferences what it would be like, he also provides the historical references which swayed him.

The style is smooth and moves from context to context with ease and style. The context of Pilate's role in history of the Christian church is significant, and Maier draws on this to portray an amazing tale of suspense and intrigue.

Readers will be captivated and will enjoy giving this as gift for reading as well.

The review written by Marianne S. Rankin of University Park, Maryland is clearly the most insightful of the reviews written to date on Amazon. I have read all three of Dr. Maier's historical fiction (one being an historical fiction / mystery) and can say that few authors have such a command of subject matter -
historical, religion, science, etc. - to write works of such quality. One can say, without qualification, that the research is not superficial. His writing style is magnificent. This book, and the others, are truly "hard to put down." I read all three within two weeks and only regret that there are not more available. Needless to say, his works of non-fiction are also superb. Whether he has authored or collaborated, a book with Paul L. Maier's name on it is a worthwhile investment.

What a great book. It's historically accurate and makes learning history fun. It's also a great book to learn about the relationship between the Jews and the Roman and that fateful trial. I recommend it highly, specially for teens who don't want to learn history the old way. Maier predates Dan Brown in this genre and has a key difference, he has the credentials and the accuracy to write a novel that takes no creative license with history.

Outstanding book! I love to see the politics of Pilates decision come to life. Seeing a possible portrayal of his human side is also entertaining and thought provoking.

I had to get this book after reading "The Flames of Rome." I did not enjoy this novel as much as "Flames," but it still was an entertaining and informative read. I think I learned a lot of Biblical history by reading this book, without the boredom sometimes associated with historical reading. This is an entertaining read for someone looking for an author who doesn't make his stories too complex with figurative language and lengthy, detailed descriptions. Maier effectively brings characters to life without getting lost in the wording. The story flows well.