
The Year God Died
Jesus and the Roman Empire in 33 AD
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Narrated by:
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Mike Cooper
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By:
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James Lacey
About this listen
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 Testament: 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 malpractice 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.
©2025 James Lacey (P)2025 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“The Year God Died 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. . . . A much-needed resource for scholars, students, and anyone interested in understanding the ways in which Roman imperialism actually contributed to the birth of Christianity.”—Dr. T. J. Wray, professor of religious and theological studies and author of Good Girls, Bad Girls of the New Testament: Their Enduring Lessons
“Historically rich and meticulously researched, Lacey’s latest volume assesses the evidence for the existence of Jesus of Nazareth. The Year God Died submits the Gospel records to a captivating scrutiny of contemporary scholarship on the first-century Roman Empire.”—William D. Barrick, Th.D., professor emeritus on Old Testament at The Master’s Seminary
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Story
This audiobook narrated by Jim Lee provides a rich, discovery-filled account of how a forgotten empire transformed the ancient world.
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Demystifying the mysteries of the Ancient Worlds through a common source
- By cpdb on 02-10-23
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The Eagle and the Lion
- Rome, Persia and an Unwinnable Conflict
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Mark Elstob
- Length: 20 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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The Roman empire shaped the culture of the Western world against which all other great powers are compared. Stretching from the north of Britain to the Sahara, and from the Atlantic coast to the Euphrates, it imposed peace and prosperity on an unprecedented scale. However, the exception lay in the east, where the Parthian and then Persian empires ruled over great cities and the trade routes to mysterious lands beyond. This was the place Alexander the Great had swept through, creating a dream of glory and conquest which tantalized Greeks and Romans alike.
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Good Goldsworthy, Not greatest
- By Timothy Hopper on 07-27-23
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536 AD
- The Worst Year to Be Alive in the History of Humankind
- By: Kamal Khalaf
- Narrated by: Zack Zimbler
- Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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In 536 AD, the sun dimmed, the sky turned a ghostly gray, and global temperatures plummeted. Crops withered, famine spread like wildfire, and entire civilizations were thrown into chaos. Historians and scientists now recognize this year as one of the most catastrophic climate events in human history—a volcanic winter that reshaped the world.
By: Kamal Khalaf
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Scorched Earth
- A Global History of World War II
- By: Paul Thomas Chamberlin
- Narrated by: Jefferson Mays
- Length: 23 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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In popular memory, the Second World War was an unalloyed victory for freedom over totalitarianism, marking the demise of the age of empires and the triumph of an American-led democratic order. In Scorched Earth, historian Paul Thomas Chamberlin dispatches the myth of World War II as a good war. Instead, he depicts the conflict as it truly was: a massive battle beset by vicious racial atrocities, fought between rival empires across huge stretches of Asia and Europe.
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Shamanism
- The Timeless Religion
- By: Manvir Singh
- Narrated by: Frits Zernike
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Traveling from Indonesia to the Colombian Amazon, living with shamans and observing music, drug use, and indigenous curing ceremonies, anthropologist Manvir Singh journeys into one of the most mysterious religious traditions. Fundamentally, shamans are specialists who use altered states to engage with unseen realms and provide services like healing and divination. As Singh shows, shamanism’s appeal stems from its psychological resonance.
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Amazing storytelling
- By sally marcus on 06-28-25
By: Manvir Singh
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The Prophet
- The Life of Leon Trotsky
- By: Isaac Deutscher
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 62 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Few political figures of the twentieth century have aroused such intensities of fierce admiration and reactionary fear as Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky. His extraordinary life and extensive writings have left an indelible mark on the revolutionary consciousness. Yet there was once a danger that his life and influence would be relegated to the footnotes of history. Published over the course of ten years, beginning in 1954, Deutscher's magisterial three-volume biography turned back the tide of Stalin's propaganda, and has since been praised by everyone from Tony Blair to Graham Greene.
By: Isaac Deutscher
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Roman Warfare
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Roman warfare was relentless in its pursuit of victory. A ruthless approach to combat played a major part in Rome's history, creating an empire that eventually included much of Europe, the Near East and North Africa. What distinguished the Roman army from its opponents was the uncompromising and total destruction of its enemies. Yet this ferocity was combined with a genius for absorbing conquered peoples, creating one of the most enduring empires ever known. In Roman Warfare, celebrated historian Adrian Goldsworthy traces the history of Roman warfare.
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Outstanding audiobooks
- By Larry W. Patrick on 05-26-25
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Epic of the Earth
- Reading Homer's "Iliad" in the Fight for a Dying World
- By: Edith Hall
- Narrated by: Edith Hall
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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The roots of today's environmental catastrophe run deep into humanity's past. Through this unprecedented reading of Homer's Iliad, the award-winning classicist Edith Hall examines how this foundational text both documents the environmental practices of the ancient Greeks and betrays an awareness of the dangers posed by the destruction of the natural landscape. Underlying Homer's account of brutal military operations, alliances, and cataclysmic struggle is a palpable understanding that the direction in which humanity was headed could create a world that was uninhabitable.
By: Edith Hall
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Apocalypse
- How Catastrophe Transformed Our World and Can Forge New Futures
- By: Lizzie Wade
- Narrated by: Christina Delaine
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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A drought lasts for decades, a disease rips through a city, a civilization collapses. When we finally uncover the ruins, we ask: What happened? The good news is, we’ve been here before. History is long, and people have already confronted just about every apocalypse we’re facing today. But these days, archaeologists are getting better at seeing stories of survival, transformation, and even progress hidden within those histories of collapse and destruction. Perhaps, we begin to see, apocalypses do not destroy worlds, but create them anew.
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On human resilience
- By Molly on 06-05-25
By: Lizzie Wade
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The Cruel Sky
- A Heavy Bomber Group in World War II
- By: Robert Thompson
- Narrated by: David Marantz
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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The men who flew American heavy bombers over Europe in World War II were very young—most were either in their late teens or early twenties. There they faced a gauntlet of razor sharp antiaircraft artillery bursts and fighter aircraft firing cannons that shattered Plexiglas, metal, engines, and bone. It is no wonder that bomber crews suffered some of the highest casualty rates of any service during the war. Yet, their courage and sacrifice would help the Allies secure an overwhelming victory. That bravery and the extreme dangers these young men faced are vividly portrayed in The Cruel Sky.
By: Robert Thompson
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