Herod and Mary: The True Story of the Tyrant King – 1 Ancient Evil, Living Hope PB

Delve into the complex history of Herod the Great—his rise to power and ultimate fall in pursuit to be the “King of the Jews.” Under a flourishing yet tumultuous background of Jerusalem, consider Mary of Nazareth’s place under Herod’s rule and the promise of a Messiah to free her people. Kathie Lee Gifford with Bryan M. Litfin, Ph.D. deftly weave a truthful historical narrative full of accurate details and sweeping prose that ushers in the true King and glorifies God’s powerful plan to bring a savior into the world through unlikely means. A coda between the authors, full of honest revelation and insightful meaning, follows each chapter for added in-depth reading.

The first installment in the Ancient Evil, Living Hope series, Herod and Mary begins with the tragic life of King Herod—Christianity’s first true persecutor. As an impressionable boy, he is forever marked by the raw power of Rome. Throughout the course of Herod’s career, he gains power, fame, and riches beyond belief. Yet murderous intrigues stalk this man—and infect his own dark soul.

Under the rule of King Herod, Jerusalem becomes a prominent city of wealth and prosperity, but Mary saw the struggle of her people under a tyrant. Like all Jewish women, she knew the promises of Torah and longed for a deliverer. But no one could have prepared her for what the angel of God revealed: that the Messiah wouldn’t arrive with the blaring of trumpets, the clash of arms, or the fanfare of a mighty host. He would arrive as an infant within her own womb. The light of the world was born in a cave: not a king who maims and destroys, but the gentle King of the Jews.

This riveting narrative nonfiction work reveals deep insight to how Herod came to power, how corruption and an ancient evil threatened the stability of a nation, and how a teenage Mary was called to traverse these obstacles to bring the Savior, Jesus, our living hope, into the world.