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Son of Mary: A Tale of Jesus of Nazareth (Crown of Thorns Book 1) Kindle Edition

by R.S. Ingermanson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 150 ratings
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The Ultimate Jesus Novel for Deconstructing Christians

Nazareth has been cruel to my mother, more cruel than any village ever was.

All the village says that my blood father is not the man who married my mother.

They have shamed her on the matter all my life.

Every woman asks which man of the village is my blood father.

Every man scowls and says he was not the one my mother seduced.

My mother will not tell who is my blood father.

My mother will not speak on the matter.

My mother bears her shame in silence.

Some righteous man, a prophet, said a word over me when I was a babe in arms. He told how I will redeem Israel when I grow to be a man.

Now I have grown to be a man, but I do not know how to redeem Israel. The scriptures do not explain the matter.

My people say that the man who redeems Israel must take up the sword and throw off our enemy, Rome, which we call the Great Satan.

My family says I must take up the sword.

Only I am no man of the sword. I wish with all my heart to redeem Israel, but HaShem, the God of our fathers, must tell me how.

Lately, there came a new prophet to Israel, who immerses for repentance at the river Jordan.

I went to ask the prophet how I should redeem Israel.

He said I am to smite the four Powers.

I asked what are the four Powers.

He could not say, but he said HaShem will reveal the matter to me.

I wish HaShem will reveal the matter, only I am not a prophet. Not yet.

But I will be.

Here is what I know. Every hour of every day, I feel the Presence of HaShem.

I do not know why I should feel the Presence always. My mother does not. My village does not. Even the prophet of HaShem does not.

I think the Presence will teach me the way to redeem Israel.

But I am afraid to redeem Israel.

To redeem Israel is to leave my mother to the scorn of the village.

The rage of the village.

My mother begs and cries on me to make a justice for her.

To make a justice on the village.

I do not know how to make a justice on the village.

I do not know how to redeem Israel.

But HaShem will show me the way.

I will learn how to be a prophet of HaShem.

I will learn how to redeem Israel.

I will learn how to make a justice for my mother.

I will smite the first Power.

Or I will die in the trying.

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  1. Book 1 of 2
    Crown of Thorns
  2. Print length
    594 pages
  3. Language
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  5. Publication date
    April 5, 2020
  6. File size
    3961 KB
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From the Publisher

Jesus in the streets of ancient Jerusalem

Total Immersion in the World of Jesus

If you could step through a time-portal into Jerusalem in the first century, would you go? And once you got there, would you stay?

Moonrise over the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem

Welcome to my World ...

I took this photo at 5 AM, just as our day was beginning on the Mount Zion archaeological dig in Jerusalem.

The moon is rising over the Mount of Olives . To the left, you can see part of the Temple Mount. And in the darkness just ahead of me...

That's the dig site I work on every summer I can. We're excavating a first-century palace in the shadow of the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. We don't know who lived in this palace. But we know it was a rich family. We also know that the high priest, Caiaphas, lived somewhere within a couple of hundred yards of this spot.

Archaeological work is hot, sweaty, filthy, and exhausting. If that sounds like fun, you're dead right. I can't wait to go back. Because this is my world -- the streets of ancient Jerusalem. I have no doubt that Jesus of Nazareth passed by this very spot many times. This was his world too.

This is the world of my Crown of Thorns series. I invite you to hang out there with Jesus and his motley crew.

The two books currently available in Crown of Thorns: Son of Mary and Son of David.

Crown of Thorns: The Epic Series of Novels on the Life of Jesus

If you're looking for a Jesus who never sweats, struggles, or bleeds, these books are not for you.

But if you want a Jesus who is just as human as you are, then step into this world and put your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Son of Mary, Book 1 in the Crown of Thorns series

"An engaging and intricate account of the early days of Jesus' teachings." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Son of Mary by R.S. Ingermanson is a captivating and lively retelling of the story of Jesus Christ (Yeshua in the book). The author is a highly accomplished writer and physicist who has personally visited Jerusalem and researched it in-depth." -- Raju Chacko, Reedsy Discovery Reviews

"Son of Mary: A Tale of Jesus of Nazareth is a profound and deeply moving novel that ranks with some of the finest Christian-themed fiction ever written. I was led to Christ by the writings of George MacDonald and C.S. Lewis, so when I tell you this book is on par with their works, that's the greatest compliment I can give." -- Jess Lederman, WorksOfMacDonald.com

"I cannot praise this book enough. Son of Mary is a masterwork brimming with mystery and humanity and so rich in detail that reading it is to experience the gospel story and life of Jesus Christ with brand new, ancient eyes. More than once, I gasped aloud as I grasped an aspect of the account I thought I knew so well with fresh insight as a result of Ingermanson's decades of dedication and immaculate research. The result: History's most celebrated drama shimmers with profound life." -- Tosca Lee, New York Times bestselling author of Iscariot.

"Every now and then a book comes along that stuns me. That opens my mind (and more importantly my heart) in ways they've never been opened before. A book that makes me forget I'm reading, where I become fully immersed as if I'm living inside the story. For ages I've longed for a novel that shows me fuller, deeper, and richer imagining of Jesus than I've ever known, and now that gift has been given." -- Five-time Christy Award winner, James L. Rubart.

"I LOVED Son of Mary! Totally loved this book. Walking with Yeshua within these pages caused my heart to burn within me. Tears filled my eyes so many times, and my heart exploded with thankfulness to seethe gospel story through the eyes of those who knew Yeshua best." -- Tricia Goyer, USA Today bestselling author of 70 books, including From Dust and Ashes.

"Ingermanson's Son of Mary is at once both thought-provoking and soul-stirring. The familiar story is told with such freshness that a window opens, not only into first-century Judea, but also into the extraordinary life and heart of Jesus himself. When I turned the last page, I felt as though I knew him better." -- Tracy Higley, author of The Incense Road.

"I have been on a personal quest for the real Jesus for a long time. Who is this man that I'm supposed to worship? Into what kind of culture was he born? Son of Mary brought Jesus and the others in the biblical story down to a level that was real to me. I was immediately drawn into the story -- could almost feel the dust on my face, the mud on my feet, and the cold (funny, I never think of that part of the world as being cold.) This is such a well- written captivating book. It will draw you in and present to you the real Jesus of Nazareth. Highly recommended." -- Linda Hall, bestselling author.

"The skills of a master storyteller, researcher, and knowledgable Bible historian delve deeply into the life of Jesus in this amazing new series. Always one of my favorite authors, Randy Ingermanson shines a fresh light on the most important time in history. I could not stop reading!" -- Hannah Alexander, Christy Award winner.

"Wow! A remarkable achievement. Ingermanson uses his deep knowledge of New Testament Israel to paint a fresh and vibrant portrait of Jesus, his family, and the disciples. I can't wait for the sequel!" -- bestselling author Rick Acker.

"Emotional. Powerful. Exceptional. Randy makes the familiar new again in this well-crafted novel. Fans of Biblical fiction will find themselves grabbed and thrust into the past and quite unable to put this book down. Randy has written not only years of hands-on research into this book, but also his heart. I could not recommend this book more."
-- Lacy Williams, USA Today bestselling author.

"Son of Mary picked me up and dragged me through one of the hardest times of my life. The truthful beauty of Randy's storytelling moved me to tears. It is the best work of Biblical fiction I have ever read." -- John B. Olson, award-winning author of Oxygen.

"A provocative read. One I did not always agree with, but that definitely got me thinking." -- Bill Myers, best-selling author.

From the Author

When I began writing fiction, I had a dream to write a particular kind of suspense novel. It would be similar to the historical suspense Ken Follett writes, and somewhat like the historical action-adventure fiction of Wilbur Smith's River God, but it would be set in first-century Jerusalem.

Why first-century Jerusalem? Because that place and time set the direction for the next twenty centuries of western civilization. Something big happened in Jerusalem in the first century.

Not just one big thing. Not even two big things. Three big things--the Jesus movement, the Jewish revolt, and the birth of rabbinic Judaism.

And they were related.

My gut instincts told me that the Sunday-School version of those three things wasn't quite right.

As I dived into research, I found that my instincts were correct. I discovered an amazing and exciting world. I felt sure that many people would care about this world if only they could see it the way I saw it.

My first published novel was book 1 in what became my City of God series, an epic tale of the Jewish revolt. After three books in City of God, I interrupted work on it.

Why? Because the epic tale of the Jewish revolt is closely tied in with the epic tale of Jesus. So began work on a project that would go deeper into this strange and mysterious world--the Crown of Thorns series--telling the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0863CSFDG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ingermanson Communications; 1st edition (April 5, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 5, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3961 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 594 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 150 ratings

About the author

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R.S. Ingermanson

R.S. Ingermanson

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Randy Ingermanson wants to take you on an adventure to ancient Jerusalem.

He has worked on archaeological digs in both Jerusalem and Magdala and thinks it's fun to swing a pick, sift dirt, haul buckets, move stones, fill sandbags, wash pottery, and sweat like a pig with dozens of other crazy people. A favorite memory is facing down two pickpockets in a back alley in Jerusalem. On his bucket list is a wish to someday windsurf across the Sea of Galilee.

Randy likes to mix science, religion, history, romance, philosophy, and adventure into his novels. That's just asking for trouble, but he doesn't seem to know any better, and his friends are too kind to explain the matter.

He has a PhD from UC Berkeley in theoretical physics and has won two Christy awards for excellence in Christian fiction. Library Journal has called him "one of the best authors of biblical fiction today."

Randy lives in the Pacific Northwest and works as a manservant to two surly and demanding cats. Visit Randy at www.ingermanson.com.

For a limited time, you can get a free e-book: "7 Tales About Jesus & His Family" at www.ingermanson.com/follow. You can't get this e-book anywhere else.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
150 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Dr. MaryAnn Diorio
5.0 out of 5 stars An Authentic and Transformational "Magnum Opus"
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2020
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With this novel, Randy Ingermanson has completed the first book in the series that will, I believe, become his magnum opus and will define not only his career as a novelist but also his place in literary history. SON OF MARY is a compelling, heart-stirring story, authentic in its writing and transformational in its impact. You will weep, worry, laugh, and learn as the story immerses you in the pivotal days when Jesus Christ walked the earth. I highly recommend this novel to all fans of Biblical fiction—and non-fans, as well--and look forward to reading the next one in the series. ~ MaryAnn Diorio, Novelist
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Rahman K Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening on many levels.
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2020
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When you delve into this book you will not find yourself reading about men and women who lived in 1st century Israel. Instead, you will find yourself actually living in 1st century Israel with them. You will be in the thoughts of the characters as they navigate the world as they saw and felt it two-thousand years ago. You will learn of their hopes, confusions and dreams and you will experience it in the way they thought about and experienced it. You will read the book in English but experience it in the Hebrew they spoke; their lives were not based on science, instead, they told stories, sang songs, and composed poetry. The author has figured out how to write a story in English yet give the reader the flavor and feel of Hebrew. It is an amazing book about an amazing man and his mother. I look forward to all three sequels. Highly recommended.
8 people found this helpful
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J.D.M.
4.0 out of 5 stars A deep and thoughtful story
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2020
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This is a tale. It stirs the imagination to consider what relationships may have been like for Jesus, his family, their fellow Nazarites, and Jesus's disciples. It was slightly disturbing for me to consider Mary as being a deeply fearful and bitter woman. But, when thinking about the possible reactions one might have to continual scorn, rejection and threats, Mary's response doesn't seem so unbelievable. Jesus's example of love and respect for others was a highlight throughout the story. I happened to be reading "Son of Mary" at the same time our family was watching "The Chosen" film series. They complemented each other well. I look forward reading Book 2!
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M. Hughes
5.0 out of 5 stars Will keep you on the edge of each page, wanting to find out what happens next.
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2020
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Anybody who has read the four gospels thinks they know the story of Jesus. Anybody who has read Old Testament prophecy thinks they really understand the story of Jesus. But there's so much white space, so little day-to-day, in the Bible. No one living today knows exactly what life was like in Nazareth, Capernaum, or Jerusalem then.

This is a book that dares to fill in the blanks, and do you know, I think he got a lot of it right. I won't address the theology; some of it you may agree with, some you may not. But the author says right off, this is a fictitious account based on a true story, so don't get hung up on whether this disciple was really that bad-tempered, or whether Jesus's mom could really think some of the thoughts that run through her head in this book. Just read the story and love it for what it is. WHAT IF...this is what happened?

Written in such a different style as to suck you in from the first sentence, "Son of Mary" tells the story of an alien world right here on earth--one where men wade in pools of urine to dye leather, one where men come in smelling of fish and sweat six days a week and think nothing of it. One where a woman has no voice. If she has a bosom of noticeable size, she is leered upon by men, who project their own desires on her and then accuse her of being lewd. And yet despite the strangeness of the customs, there is much to identify with in almost every character.

I won't name the Biblical characters, because Ingermanson has such a completely unique take on them as to make you huff in disbelief, frown in bafflement, and laugh in sheer joy. There's a know-it-all kid who really does know more than he's given credit for. There's a woman who is shocked and offended by most of what happens around her, even while she's taking notes to relay it all to her gossiping buddies. There are men who can't wait to get home to their wives after a prolonged absence and joke with each other about whose wife will "shout" the most. These are down-to-earth people, people who carry the hurt and bitterness others have heaped on them for years, and they want revenge, even if they call it justice. These are men sick and tired of God raising up prophets like Samuel and soldiers like David or the Maccabees, only to let Israel fall into the hands of an even bigger enemy each time; men who want the Messiah to come and fix the world, and they want him RIGHT NOW, not next year.

I was a huge fan of the author's "City of God" series from the first time I read it years ago, so I'll admit to being an Ingermanson fan. However, despite the closeness of the subjects, there is so little similarity in style with "Son of Mary" that if I hadn't seen the author's name, I would never have guessed it was written by the same person. There is a completely different feel to this book. The only likeness is in subject and in Ingermanson's trademark--tension ratcheted up to the breaking point and then just a little more.

This book is set in the year that Jesus--Yeshua (Hebrew names are used in this book, so get used to it) performs his earliest miracles, so you might not think there could be much to be tense about. That would be a wrong thought. The tension begins on page one and lasts for the rest of the book, only occasionally given relief by a few hysterically funny moments. And a few throat-tightening, heart-breaking, tear-inducing moments. And despite already knowing "the old, old story," we find our fingers on the edge of the page, not wanting to wait to find out what happens next.

Now having finished "Son of Mary," I am STILL anxiously anticipating finding out what happens next. I can't wait for Book 2 in "Crown of Thorns." If the author is reading this review, I hope he'll write a little faster, knowing that we're waiting for more!
16 people found this helpful
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Diane
5.0 out of 5 stars Time Travel Experience
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2021
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Wow! Incredibly great book and an easy, fast read. The unique style of writing makes you feel like you time traveled and are in Ancient Israel. Coupled with the historical, cultural details and you feel transported.

The author is a person of Christian faith and it shows in the writing. Very respectful, curious and with a joy that is intrinsic to the essence of this book.

I cannot wait for the sequel so I can go back in time again!
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Kathleen Bruner
3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed feelings
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2020
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I had a hard time figuring out how many stars to give. It was interesting in the beginning and I liked the end, but in between it kind of lost my interest. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around Jesus not understanding who he was, and the biblical inconsistencies.
One person found this helpful
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Kathryn Morgan
5.0 out of 5 stars So good!
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2020
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This book was written by one of my favorite authors. It was SO good. The perspectives through the yes of each character gives you such an interesting view. It gave me a completely different realization of what Mary the mother of Jesus’ life may have been like. I felt like I was living out this book as I read it. I cannot wait to read the next! I highly recommend the authors trilogy City of God as well.
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Top reviews from other countries

Gary
3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as City of God series
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 23, 2020
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To my mind not the same standard as his City of God series. Difficult to get into. Have put to one side and will pick up again in a few weeks. If I persevere I may change my opinion.
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SnehaK
5.0 out of 5 stars It got me into the skin of the characters ...
Reviewed in Australia on April 12, 2020
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Absolutely luurrved it! Wish I could keep reading, so hurry up & finish the series, please Randy! I loved getting into the heads & hearts of all the characters. Which might explain why I bawled my way through the book! Probably the thing that most scraped my heart raw (in a good way) was how joyful & tender & openly loving towards women Yeshua was. I loved seeing Him through such eyes. And I really enjoyed Randy's writing style with its unusual cadence & its humour. I will stop now before I write "a review of many ten thousand words"! "A strong right hand" of congratulations to the author and "a kiss and a kiss and a kiss"! :-)
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Tanya
2.0 out of 5 stars Good story but unsure of it's accuracy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 9, 2020
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It's a good story but I do not feel that it was Biblically accurate. I was disappointed as love his other books. Sorry!
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