Memoirs of Pontius Pilate: A Novel: Amazon.ca: James R. Mills: Books

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From Library Journal

Thirty years after the death of Jesus of Nazareth, an exiled Pontius Pilate compiles his memoirs into a history of the Jewish faith and the rise of Christianity. He contemplates his role in sentencing Jesus to death by crucifixion and puzzles at the rapid spread of the teachings of that simple man. A true politician, he denies any blame for his part in Jesus' final hours. Instead, he lays the blame at the feet of the crowd who cried for Barabbas to be released and at the feet of the temple officials who called for his trial. Subtly, Pilate's fascination with Jesus and his teachings gives life to his recital, and glimpses of Pilate's own thoughts and feelings surface. Mills's (Gospel According to Pontius Pilate) expertise with his subject provides unexpected depth to this intriguing glimpse at a man vilified for his place in history. Recommended for all collections.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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"OUTSTANDINGLY ORIGINAL, SUPERBLY WRITTEN, FASCINATING AND ENGAGING."
--Midwest Book Review

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15 Reviews

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3.9 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting interpretation from a different viewpoint., Aug 10 2003

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Beth Cholette "doctor_beth" (Upstate NY USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Memoirs of Pontius Pilate: A Novel (Paperback)

This author has come up with a unique concept by novelizing the life of the historical Christ and then telling the story from the point of view of a relatively minor character, Pontius Pilate. As the title suggests, the novel is written in the form of memoirs as Pilate nears the end of his life. Pilate tries to come to some resolution of his own involvement in Jesus's death by reviewing Jesus's life, beginning with the unusual circumstances of his birth and continuing to the genesis of Christianity after his death. The author utilizes plain, accessible language to tell a story which includes a surprising amount of humor. You may not feel sorry for Pilate by the end, but you should at least wonder if perhaps there is more to the story of Jesus than we will ever know. An engaging, thought-provoking book.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The biography Pilate himself might have written., Feb 17 2002

By

Erick Franz P. Vergara (Manila, Philippines) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memoirs of Pontius Pilate: A Novel (Paperback)

Although it is a work of fiction, "Memoirs of Pontius Pilate" comes close to deserving a place in the history section. Much of this well-researched book is devoted to Pilate's own biography of Jesus; nevertheless, there is enough supplementary material here to leave the reader a bit more knowledgeable on the history of Roman Palestine.

Mills' Pilate begins with an introductory discussion about the Jewish people (written from a perspective that feels authentically Roman). The rest of the book traces the life of Jesus from the Nativity to the Crucifixion, after which the exiled former procurator adds his own views on the events that he had just described. Throughout the work Pilate remains sufficiently sceptical of the miracles and odd "coincidences" that his spies report to him, but the reader soon realises that this Roman is at least open to the possibility that the "strange carpenter" may actually be who he says he is.

A word of caution, though: readers who insist on seeing a cruel, heartless tyrant of a governor in this book will be sorely disappointed. Though the historical Pontius Pilatus may have been a man who truly deserves the wicked reputation he is cursed with today, would he have written about himself that way? In all certainty he would have described actions we now see as barbaric within the context of his own culture and upbringing; that is, he would have said that he was simply "doing his job" when he mowed down the Samartians on Mount Gerizim and threatened to hack a crown of Jews to death in Caesarea. Out of his love for Rome, his loyalty to Caesar and perhaps even his own strange form of concern for the well-being of the Jewish people, he did what he felt he had to do.

I am no relativist. From the very little that we know about Pilate, there is no doubt that he was -- to put it bluntly -- a very bad man. But it would be ridiculous to assume that he would have seen himself as anything other than a devoted public servant who tried to do his duty well.

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5.0 out of 5 stars From a different prospective, Aug 15 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Memoirs of Pontius Pilate: A Novel (Paperback)

I found this book to be very enjoyable. It told a very well known story from a diffenent prospective. It was easy reading and followed events in a chronological order which made the story flow much better than reading disjointed gospels. It made me see those historic events in a differnt light.

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1.0 out of 5 stars PONTIUS PILATE: CAVETE EMPTOR
After reading the scathing review from the New York contributor - - I really wanted to like this book. Read more

Published on July 9 2000 by The Buddha Pest

1.0 out of 5 stars PONTIUS PILATE: CAVETE EMPTOR
After reading the scathing review from the New York contributor - - I really wanted to like this book. Read more

Published on July 9 2000 by The Buddha Pest