The Year God Died was an excellent exploration of the history of Jesus and the political and cultural environment of the 1st century. Often, historians have discounted the 4 Gospels as historical texts to prove the existence of Jesus and the events chronicled. However, James Lacey does a terrific job of showing the method how other historical texts are validated and how to apply it to the Gospels' description. He also pulls in many contemporary sources to further strengthen the argument.
For a reader not well versed in the Roman empire, Lacey's book does a terrific job in laying out the culture, politics and events that led up to the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. The book is well researched and laid out in a narrative manner that makes for easy and compelling reading.
While I may not agree with all of the theories presented, I can see the sound reasoning that Lacey uses to lay out his argument.
I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about the historical record relating to Jesus.

I think I was a little out of my depth with this. I am definitely not an expert on the history of the Roman Empire, and don't have a ton of knowledge on Jesus' life and death besides the basics.

This didn't just cover the year Jesus died, but many years before his birth, during his life, and then his death. Most of what is covered is the history of the Roman Empire and how it influenced Jesus' crucifixion. While the history is definitely interesting, there are a lot of people to keep track of and it can a bit dry at time with all the info dumping. The author did a ton of research, which shows throughout the book. He defends his stance, and points out why other scholars who don't believe in Jesus or the resurrection may have interpreted their research wrong.

My biggest issue is with myself really. There was just so much I didn't know, and I think it would have helped me get into this more if I had. There were plenty of places and cities mentioned which used their names at the time that I needed to look up in order to understand better of where they were. And since I wasn't raised in a very religious household, I missed out on reading the Bible and learning more in depth about Jesus. Some things are explained, but there is definitely a lot that isn't, as it's assumed the reader is already aware of such things.

This probably would have appealed to me more if I had had more understanding beforehand of the life of Jesus, but this will definitely appeal to those who enjoy history and religion, or anything to do with the life of Jesus.

This book does a worthy job of putting the Jesus story in context by grounding it in the known history of the Roman Empire and reminding us that everything we know about Jesus, or purport to know, gains credibility by being put through that filter. A few matters of surprising speculation arise, all of them plausible.

Thank you to Bantam and John Lacey for this ARC.

While non-fiction isn’t usually my go-to genre, the title and subject matter of this one immediately caught my eye, and I’m so glad it did. 😉

🏛 What did you love the most?
Reading this felt like sitting down for a deep, personal conversation with the author. It’s an engaging and accessible look at both the historical legitimacy of Jesus and the larger political and cultural context of Ancient Rome. 📚 If you’re curious about the intersection of religion and history, this one delivers.

🏛 What to expect:
💬 Breaking the 4th wall narration
🗡️ Ancient Roman Empire setting
⛪ Christianity & historical theology focus

🏛 How was the pace?
The structure of the book is super approachable. Lacey starts by tackling the core question: Did Jesus exist as a real person? 🤔 Then he layers in historical context, covering political figures like Herod and the larger Roman world that shaped Jesus’s life and eventual crucifixion.

🏛 Do you recommend this book?
Yes! This is a thoughtful, well-researched deep dive that feels surprisingly easy to read. As someone already familiar with Jesus’s ministry, I still walked away with a deeper understanding of the world he lived in. If you’re curious about the historical underpinnings of early Christianity or love Roman history, definitely check this one out.

🏛 Perfect for fans of:
🖤 Mary Beard
🖤 Reza Aslan
🖤 Bart D. Ehrman

🏛 Mood: 🧠 Thought-provoking | 📜 Historical | ✝️ Spiritually curious

🏛 Read if you like:
📚 Exploring the roots of Christianity
🗡️ Ancient Roman politics and culture
🔍 Debunking myths with historical analysis
🗣️ Conversational, accessible non-fiction

A true history book which would be fantastic as a resource for church leaders as well as those more casually interested in the history of the times around AD33.

The book sets an amazing image and background of all the forces and peoples at work across the known world, leading to a much better understanding of how those worked to form early Christianity.

Drawing from both archeological and a lot of historical documents, the author weaves a view of what life was like in that time period. I really enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

This is a case where the description for the book completely grabbed my attention and I just had to read it… but then the book fails to live up to the description in major ways. In James Lacey’s upcoming The Year God Died: Jesus and the Roman Empire in 33 AD, the description and the prologue both center around the execution of Sejanus, the recent right-hand man of the emperor Tiberius in 31 AD and claim that his death is tied directly to the crucifixion of Jesus. While Lacey does adequately argue that the death of Sejanus likely played a part in Jesus’ crucifixion, there are a lot of tangents and academic grudges addressed along the way that I had to take Lacey’s claims with a pile of salt. And there just doesn’t seem to be enough in Lacey’s arguments to support the claim from the description that “If Sejanus had not been murdered, Jesus would never have been crucified.”

Exploring the political tensions and rivalries of Rome in the decades leading up to the death of Jesus as well as where local matters stood in the far reaches of the Roman Empire at that time, Lacey traces how what happened in Rome rippled outward. He also examines existing arguments around the historical figure of Jesus, why the Gospels aren’t treated as historical sources (but he thinks they should be), and looks at what can be supposed based on gaps in the information and sources available. Ultimately, Lacey argues that news of the sudden downfall and violent execution of Sejanus as well as the repercussions to his supporters likely affected the way Pontius Pilate handled the case of Jesus when it was brought before him.

For me, the clearest and most engaging elements of Lacey’s book were when he was going through the Roman political machinations – the ways that heirs were treated and tested, the maneuverings by marriages and adoptions, the situations manufactured to generate specific outcomes while leaving room for saving face if things didn’t go according to plan. If the book had focused solely on the Roman situation during those decades leading up to and surrounding Jesus’ life, I would have enjoyed it more and found it more worth the investment of time and energy. However, so much of the book seems more focused on addressing academic grudges and tearing into the theories and methodology of others in the field, disparaging their methods for reaching those conclusions before turning around and drawing conclusions of his own that rest on ground at least as rocky as those just denounced. It all left a bad taste in my mouth and undermined the whole endeavor.

For instance, though he criticizes others as not having their theories based in any solid historical evidence, Lacey argues several times that the Gospels can in part be taken seriously because there would have been people with living memories of the events who surely would have contradicted them if they hadn’t happened. I find it difficult to take that particular claim seriously after watching the rewriting of a major event like January 6th by a huge portion of the population, to say nothing of the way that the narrative around the American Civil War was rewritten in the decades after its conclusion (and the continued debate around it). Lacey similarly makes a lot of claims based around deductive assumptions – some of them interesting interpretations, but they’re often based on gaps in the record so they don’t prove his point so much as leave open its possibility. If so much of the book hadn’t seemed so focused on disproving others with an open bitterness, I might be more inclined to give Lacey the benefit of the doubt but all of that distracts so much from the points laid out in the prologue and the book’s description that it was easy to lose track of what the book was supposedly trying to prove. While I was initially excited by the proposed subject matter, I was left feeling like I’d stumbled across an extended rant on Twitter.

The Year God Died will be available May 20, 2025.

Fascinating. This was more accessible than I anticipated especially this is not a book I would normally have picked off the shelf (thanks to Netgalley for the ARC). I learned a great deal. I understand it's provoked criticism but give it a read with an open mind.

An incredible theological study into the time surrounding Jesus and his personal life. Very detailed and focused on the scientific facts and evidence.

"The Year God Died: Jesus and the Roman Empire in 33 AD," by James Lacey, is an extraordinary text in that it seeks to inform our understanding of the life of Christ by carefully placing it in the context of the Roman Empire as it had evolved up to the Crucifixion and, conversely, it grounds early Imperial history in the events surrounding the birth of Christianity. I am working here from an ARC provided to me by the publisher, Random House-Ballantine. The approach is unique in my own experience since few histories of Imperial Rome that I have read take much time to explore Christ and the events in His life in the context of wider events in Judea and the Roman Empire. This is extraordinary in the way that it illuminates both events for those trying to ascertain the truths surrounding the figure of Christ and those focusing on the Empire and the events surrounding its complex relations with Judea. Lacey's historical training comes through as he tries to sort out historical events and show how they are frequently interpreted with a rather cavalier approach to the historical record, such as it may be. This is an absolute revelation, both for me as a Christian and for me as a trained historian and interpreter of literary texts. I would recommend it for anyone who, like me, has never really explored the importance of historical framework to an understanding of the growth of Christianity and the way it has been interpreted. It belongs in any serious scholarly collection, both secular and theological.

Book Review: The Year God Died by James Lacey
Historical Nonfiction

James Lacey, an accomplished writer and historian, delivers a compelling exploration of the Roman Empire in The Year God Died. Covering the years from roughly 30 BC to 33 AD, Lacey’s clear and direct prose still demands thoughtful reading—a challenge I thoroughly enjoyed.

The book dives into the political, religious, and economic landscape of the era, offering insights into how Rome ruled, grew rich, and shaped the world around it. Particularly fascinating were the discussions on the existence of Jesus, the authorship of the Gospels, and the influence of figures like Herod. I was especially intrigued by how deeply economics influenced Rome’s rise and governance. Lacey’s ability to connect historical facts with larger questions made this a standout read.

I learned a great deal and plan to read it again. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing an advance digital review copy. This is my honest review.

4 stars for a revealing book about Jesus, the 4 Gospels in the New Testament, and how the Roman Empire affected his execution. The blurb: "In late 31 AD, after the Roman senators murdered Lucius Sejanus, the Roman Emperor Tiberius's closest confidant, the Empire was forever changed. If Sejanus had not been murdered, Jesus would never have been crucified."
The first two chapters are devoted to the author addressing two myths propagated by various "historians." The first myth is that Jesus was not a real person. He quotes various Roman sources mentioning Jesus and disproves this canard. The second chapter is more involved, as he sets out to prove that most of the 4 Gospels are authentic history. He agrees that parts of them are embellishments and untrue. He goes on to say that whole forests have been cleared by various authors advocating these two myths. He explains that while the Gospels were written after Jesus died, they were written by people who knew him and they were based on oral history recited repeatedly in front of audiences.
Some other misconceptions that he addresses: Joseph. father of Jesus was a poor carpenter. The author meticulously presents evidence that he was more likely a master stonemason or a master contractor.
Pontius Pliate was a indecisive ruler of Judea. But the death of Sejanus had put Pilate in difficult position and he had to walk a fine line so as not to offend Emperor Tiberius.
One quote: "By 30AD, it seems clear that Sejanus held it within his sway to appoint every governor and prefect within the Empire. Thus, there is very little doubt that Pontius Pilate was a creature of Sejanus, totally beholden to him for his position in Judea and whatever other ambitions he had once he returned to Rome."
Thank Yo Amy Jackson at Random House Publishing Group Ballatine for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
#TheYearGodDied #NetGalley.

Pub Date May 20 2025 |

I’ve read a few scathing reviews of this yet-to-be-published nonfiction book. I’m not sure if the reviewers are being deliberately obtuse or if they are doing exactly what James Lacey claims many people do—discounting the historicity of Jesus and the New Testament because one-third of the global population claim he is the son of God.

But Lacey, who is the author of The Washington War: FDR’s Inner Circle and the Politics of Power That Won World War II and The First Clash: The Miraculous Greek Victory at Marathon and Its Impact on Western Civilization, as well as co-author with Williamson Murray of Moment of Battle: The Twenty Clashes That Changed the World, is a widely published defense analyst.

In other words, he has done a lot of historical research and when he says that we should treat the New Testament and other sources contemporary to that time as genuine accounts then I believe him. We would do no different for Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great. What he’s doing, most importantly, is letting us see the life of Jesus in the context of the Roman Empire in 33AD, helping us to understand how things came to be that Jesus was executed how and when he was. You can agree or disagree with some of his arguments (that Joseph (and, therefore, Jesus, was more likely a general contractor than a carpenter, for example) but his argument for why Pontius Pilate allowed Jesus to be crucified seems valid to me.

In general, I found the book very interesting and learned a lot I didn’t know, and I have read a lot and taken a lot of classes on all things Christian from Hebrew to ethics. If you’re interested in that time in history or if you are a Christian, I highly recommend this book.

The Year God Died is a remarkably detailed and fascinating look into the political and socioeconomic Roman world during the days of Jesus Christ and leading up to the crucifixion. While most of the book was devoted to Roman emperors and their various politics, it provided a very rich backdrop of context when placed up next to the Gospels in the New Testament.

This book is seemingly written from a very secular perspective, so the passages that do discuss Jesus directly does seek to offer reasonable and human explanations for some of the omniscience demonstrated by Jesus in the Gospels, I did not find the authors approach as insulting or otherwise offensive to the Christian faith. I very much appreciated that the author did not seek to dispel the veracity of the New Testament but instead used them as historical documents worthy of reference when studying that age in that context.

I really appreciated and learned a lot from this book though admittedly, I didn’t care for the title. It is a bold choice.

I would like to thank Random House and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Interesting reading. It took a long time to read this. It was a bit involved and hard to follow in places. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

This book is a contemplative academic examination of Jesus of Nazareth's life and crucifixion, along with the political landscape of that era . . . a thoughtful process of collating and examining ancient Jewish history, events referenced in gospel stories, and other significant supporting evidence. As with any religious-related text, you will view the information through your existing filters and eventually come to your own conclusions.

I thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of The Year God Died for my unbiased evaluation.  3 stars

The book was much better than I had anticipated. He did a good job of tying together the multiple versions of several aspects of the life of Jrsus asprtrayed in the 4 gospels. He also tied in Roman history as a an effect on the stories told in the gospels. It gave me much to think about

When I started reading this book, it felt almost a little too scholarly, and I thought it might not be for me. But after a slower start, I really got into it and started loving this book. I enjoyed it a lot. I’m not a religious person, but I love looking at religion and people through historical point. This book made me think and consider things that I’ve never thought about in my life, and I always welcome new ideas that stimulate my mind. I would love to read more from this author.

This is a good read for history readers who also may be believers of the Christian faith. James Lacey does a good job presenting the evidence of this period of time during the Roman Empire that exists and where it does not exist, his hypothesis correlates with reasonable solutions for the existence of Jesus and his life and death. I definitely have a better understanding of those times and the story of Christ than I ever have had.

#NetGalley gave me a copy of The Year God Died by James Lacey. It is a long book which at times can be slow. It is informative of the Roman history and politics of the time. You learn about Herod and pirate and why Mr. Lacey feels at least some things are true in the Gospels. This will appeal to anyone wishing to know about Jesus' life. He tells us why he thinks Joseph needed to go to Bethlehem and that he was probably a stone Mason or builder not a carpenter. Why he thinks Jesus came from a well to do family based on his clothing and being able to discuss scripture. I would recommend this book

Interesting read, Dr. Lacey clearly understands the Roman Empire and the politics and strategy of all the players scheming to become Emperor. A majority of this book introduces the readers to the Roman Empire, the players, the schemes and the political landscape. His overall theory is had Sejanus not been executed, it is unlikely that Pontius Pilate would have ordered Jesus’s crucifixion. Dr. Lacey does a compelling job of laying out his theory, with proven historical facts, documents and with each chapter having many references supporting this theory. In essence, Dr. Lacey provides another perspective of how to understand the history surrounding Jesus. Who was Jesus? How did he live? Where did Jesus live and how did that affect or influence him? What caused Jesus to be arrested? Why was Jesus crucified? This point of view is well researched, well told and is compelling, as a fan of history I actually enjoyed reading this. The book can be a bit long winded at times and some of his research I think could have been shorten or summarized to prove what the chapter was discussing. My biggest complaint is the way the book ended. After the final chapter, that’s it. No summarization, no conclusion, the chapter ends, the references are cited and done. Overall, interesting book.