The Shadow Of The Galilean Sparknotes

The Shadow of the Galilean was published in 1987 by Fortress Press. This book is a historical fiction written by Gerd Theissen. Theissen does a great job of making it more relatable to the reader by using accurate historical facts and also using his creativity to help us try and see what life would be like at the time of Jesus. The main character in this story is Andreas, a Jewish merchant from Sepphoris, who is tasked to uncover the truth about Jesus. Although Andreas never meets or sees Jesus, he detects signals of him everywhere such as hearing rumors about him from the families he meets, traditions that are followed, and anecdotes. Theissen is explaining Jesus’ story by using the facts that he has gathered through Andreas interactions …show more content…
Andreas was put in prison, along with his friends Timon and Malchus, for getting caught up in a demonstration against the cruel Roman government. Andreas was only there to talk to one of his acquaintances, Barabbus, about a time when they were in the dessert but a riot broke out among the Roman guards and Jewish demonstrators. While in prison Andreas was interrogated about his year he spent in the desert and was curious about his involvement between Bannus and Barabbus. He was also questioned about his knowledge of different languages, family, His heritage, and his stance on Roman rule. When Andreas would not answer the questions he was blackmailed by a Roman officer and given an ultimatum. He would either continue to sit in jail for 2 years or he could act as a spy for the Romans, and get valuable information regarding Jewish movements that could possibly threaten their power over the lands. Because of his ties to Jewish and Roman heritage Pilate believes that he is perfect for the job. Andreas ends up accepting their offer and becomes the “adviser in religious affairs.” However, just because he agreed to help them it does not mean that he was actually going to. Andreas planned to pass on inaccurate information to the Romans to avoid betraying his own …show more content…
For me personally, it takes a lot for me to enjoy a book especially in a subject that I am not knowledgeable about. I thought that Theissen did a great job of of making it relatable to the reader by being creative with the story of Andreas as a spy but also tying in accurate historical facts so that we can try and really dive into how time was when Jesus lived. Most of us don’t even have a clue of what time was like when Jesus lived but to have a book that allows you to rejoin that time period is pretty interesting. I enjoyed when Andreas started to realize that Jesus, who he had been searching for, had been helping and aiding to families in need. Andreas had not seen Jesus but was seeing the work he was doing in other peoples lives. This relates to me in a big way because I did not come from a religious background. I always understood who Jesus was but never had a relationship with him so I never felt that love just quiet yet. As I have been in college and made friends I found out that some of my closest friends are firm Jesus followers and is one of the most impactful that has happened to me. Just like Andreas I had an in-person experience of what God was doing in other peoples lives. This only made me want to make my relationship stronger with him. One of the things that I disliked about this book is Theissens is his lack to engage in ideas talking about as Jesus as a man and as God. From what I