Publication 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.

James Lacey

GoodReads says:

A groundbreaking account of how the Roman Empire shaped the life and death of Jesus, overturning centuries of historical beliefs around the world—from the New York Times bestselling author of The First Clash.

“Skillfully guides readers on a journey through the complexity and tumult of the Roman occupation of first-century Judea and its inevitable collision with the Jesus Movement.”—Dr. T. J. Wray, professor of religious and theological studies and author of Good Girls, Bad Girls of the New Their Enduring Lessons

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.

This profound connection between the lives of Sejanus and Jesus is the first of many revelations in this startling reexamination of the Roman world in which Jesus walked. With new evidence and meticulous research, Dr. James Lacey weaves a majestic and accurate description of who Jesus was.

The Year God Died contradicts longstanding historical beliefs to reveal the most comprehensive and accurate view of the New Testament. Lacey explains how the events in Rome drove events in Judea—which is directly linked to Jesus’ crucifixion. He uncovers a vibrant and rich world, but one still coming to grips with the reality of Roman power. He introduces ten-year-old Boadicea, who is destined to lead Britain’s tribes in a great revolt against Rome. He depicts Varus marching his legions past a four-year-old Jesus on his war to Jerusalem. And he describes how Herod prospered by appeasing some of the most dangerous people in history—Pompey, Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony, Cleopatra, and Augustus.

In this sweeping chronicle, Lacey dissects reams of misinformation to reveal, for the first time, Jesus, as he was born and lived within the grand spectacle of the Roman world.