Alejandra PenaProfessor CateCST130April 21, 2014Book review: The Shadow of the GalileanSummary:Gerd Theissen, author of The Shadow of the Galilean: The Quest for the Historical Jesus in Narrative Form, is a book fictional story of a man named Andreas. The author crafts an account of the life of Jesus through various characters mentioned in the Bible and its historical context. The Shadow of the Galilean is an imaginary story about Andreas, a Jewish merchant from Sepphoris. Andreas is forced by Pontius Pilote, the Roman governor at the time, to reveal the truth about Jesus and discover any important information about his disciples. During his journey, Andreas tells the story himself and takes the reader along on his journey. Theissen never writes that Jesus appears directly in the narrative, but instead the audience only gets a glimpse of Him, a "shadow", Andreas encounters people that Jesus influenced or affected. Through her meetings with these people, Andrea learns about the ministry of Jesus, what he said and what he stood for and all the miracles he performed. Theissen cleverly uses his character Andreas as a means to help the reader piece together an idea of ​​the historical Jesus. The story begins with Andreas attending a political demonstration against Pilate. He is imprisoned by the Romans, suspected of having links with the terrorists Bannus and Barabbas. Andreas must choose between being persecuted and imprisoned or gathering information about the growing Jewish movements that threaten Roman control over the lands. Forced by Pilate, Andreas had to go into hiding, but fearing to betray the Jewish people, he gave irrelevant evidence to the Romans, and they believed him despite his unreliable information.... middle of paper ..... After having read the book, it made me more accessible to this side of Jesus. I loved the character of Andreas and I am trying to become more and more like this Galilean from Nazareth who was looking for Jesus. I loved his passion and constant anxiety about needing to learn more about Jesus, something I long to do. I enjoyed the book and thought it was easy to read and understand. The constant adversities Andreas faces makes me want more, from the prison scene to his kidnapping, I wonder what would happen for the next chapter. I also enjoyed learning about the Jewish culture and traditions mentioned in the book, and getting a new perspective on the arguments regarding Sabbath practice or how Jesus' teachings might have appeared to a Gentile at the era. Overall, this is a fun and interesting book to read and challenged by views on the humanity of Jesus..