Initially, I thought this book was simply a collection of Christian hymns and music, but the opening starts in a manner befitting historical fiction. It begins with the Massacre of the innocents, in which King Herod send his soldiers to kill all male children in order to murder the newly born Jesus, who is foretold to be the King of Kings.
This would be fine to start out with, if it wasn't so confusing as to which 'king' the soldiers were talking about during any given sentence. I understand the author wants to make a parallel between Jesus and Herod, since they are both kings, but you really need to make the distinction clear and not refer to them both as 'king' constantly.
I'm not going to discuss how factual any of this is to what the Bible says of these men and their actions, only that I am reluctant to paint anyone involved in the murders as a irredeemable villain. These were different times, with different cultures and ways of handling things. Had a solider disobeyed Herod's order, they would have likely been killed for treason. And that's not to say that all the soldiers did commit murder during this night. However, the book makes the claim that the people were warned to get the hell out of dodge by men at an inn and the civilians ignored it.
While the narrator does say that these people figured that there was no way the king would really order the death of their children, it's like saying that it's their fault their children died since they didn't heed the warning and leave. It's no ones fault save for Herod and any soldier that went through with the massacre.
Another odd thing with the writing is this:
'His commandment from the King was not to take, it was to kill. Every child in the town living under the guiding star the magic men had followed...'
Magic men? The Wise Men were very knowledgeable (likely being scholars and perhaps kings themselves) and aware of the prophesy of the Messiah if not, at least, aware that a special person was born and that they should locate him and give gifts. They had nothing to do with magic as far as I know. Then again, I don't know the origin of the word 'magi,' so perhaps magic had something to do with their schooling at the time.
And then comes the end of this opening. I understand the author is trying to make an analogy between the massacre and Jesus dying on the cross, but see, here's the thing:
'The General raised his weapon. The mother cried out in agony: my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? He methodically lowered the blade and laid the steel tip on the baby’s breast. He cautiously and callously pierced the soft skin surrounding the ribcage causing a single drop of blood to spill. He paused to consider his task, ignorant to the wild shrieks and wailing about him.
Soullessly, he pushed the blade into the baby’s chest perforating his lung. The boy exhaled a final time. Then with one last, horrid and hateful thrust, he impaled the infant with his sword leaving the baby to hang in oblivion on the cross post.
There they were together in this time: a king and his henchmen, a persecuted people, three wise men, a mother and her newborn son—the Savior of the world—crucified on the cross.'
Yeah, but no. This doesn't work due to the fact that if Jesus had died as a baby, He would have never fulfilled His mission. On top of this, Jesus didn't die on the cross as a baby. This isn't even a good metaphor or transition into what He would later do in life. This is upsetting to me, because this never happened in the Bible and ruins the message of hope that Jesus brought with His birth.
What I think this author wanted to do is offer the story of Jesus' life as if it was happening in modern time and that somehow would make it more relevant to the unsaved of today.
Only...why? How does this actually help those who are lost find God when, really, the only people who will be picking up this book are already religious?
If you want to know Christ, don't bother with this book and instead find someone in the belief to talk to. Maybe attend a few different churches on Sunday. There are also churches you can stream online and forums you can visit to ask questions. If you feel tugged to go one way or another, fallow that feeling. You can only learn by experiencing life. God will help you. It may not be obvious at first, but He is there.
Extra:
'He had ordered that the fire be set after Emmanuel’s death, not before. He wanted to ensure that there were no physical remains for his followers to claim. Emmanuel’s promise that he would pass from death to life would be proven a fairy tale fiction, determined Herold.'
Right, because 'fairy tale' and 'fiction' don't mean the same thing. I got you.