April Book of the month: The Longest Week by Nick Page

Reviewer: Ali Hull

Book: THE LONGEST WEEK: THE TRUTH ABOUT JESUS’ LAST DAYS by Nick Page
(Hodder & Stoughton, 2010), 320pp, paperback

Though this book was published 15 years ago, Ali suggests it remains both relevant and highly readable today.

This is, quite simply, one of the best books on Easter that you can buy. Nick Page is an excellent writer – he knows how to make the complicated not only simple but also interesting. Drawing on a wide range of sources, he weaves together information from the Bible, from archaeology, from the apocryphal writings about Jesus, from others from the time – particularly Josephus and Philo, both Jewish historians – to tell the story of that first Easter, from the triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, to the resurrection and beyond.

Having looked at the background to this most important week, the book then goes day by day, listing the events, giving them times and locations when appropriate, comparing what one said with what another reported: analysing, considering and concluding. He throws in the information that we need to make sense of the story – from how much the soldiers were paid, how crucifixion actually killed its victims, the power struggles of the Roman Empire and so on – but in a way that always seems seamless. He looks in particular at the individuals involved: their actions, their reactions and their importance. He also explodes a few myths along the way.

The book gradually builds to the climax of Good Friday and its dreadful events, and doesn’t shrink from describing its full horror. Then it moves on to consider why Jesus died – before looking at the resurrection and whether anything other than a real, physical reappearance could have galvanised the lost group of disciples and followers into the powerhouse of the Early Church.

The book ends with a full list of sources and extensive suggestions for further reading, and I recommend Nick Page’s other books, particularly the two in this series – The Wrong Messiah and Kingdom of Fools. The book mentions a devotional guide, available on his website, that can be used alongside The Longest Week, and it is still downloadable.

Reviewer: Ali Hull has worked as a press officer, a commissioning editor and a writing coach.