Tree of Knowledge
Story of Terrorism Saga One
Set in the first century and marked by palpable tension, the Christian novel Tree of Knowledge covers the Roman Empire’s encroachment on the Middle East.
BC Crothers’s Christian novel Tree of Knowledge centers a first-century revolt against the Roman Empire.
As the book opens, Judas, a leader of the Zealot Freedom Fighters, makes plans to get supplies and weapons to his fellow fighters. He works with his close friend and compatriot, Simon of Kerioth, to do this. Their group hopes to rid Palestine of Roman occupation; the methods that they use range from warfare to educating children in Jewish law.
Complications rise, suggesting a great revolt to come. Many dream of a coming warrior messiah. In the meantime, there are moments of love and companionship in the community. Simon’s youngest, named after Judas, is implied to have a great role to play in the future.
Judas is the best fleshed out among the cast, though too much emphasis is placed on how passionate he is about his work. This passion undergirds all of his actions, including him ordering that thieves be put to death for knowing where the fighters are. But he’s also depicted playing with the village children, centering him in his community and exemplifying the idea that such bonds are at the core of all that he and his fellow fighters do. Most of the other characters are underdeveloped beyond their core traits, though, as with Damaris, Simon’s wife, who most often functions as the voice of reason, warning her husband and his friend away from rash decisions.
Its style sometimes veering toward that of a historical text, the book moves between focus on Judas and providing significant amounts of context. Some exposition is incorporated into conversations, as where people describe their preparations for holy days and their household work. Notes covering significant figures, aspects of daily life, and difficulties in translation interrupt the book’s progression somewhat, though the book’s list of relevant historical figures and explanations of the names of God are edifying.
The book strives for a neutral tone, but this sometimes impedes immersion in its story, which is written in the present tense. The events are covered with an eye toward the facts, and characters’ feelings are incorporated in a more limited manner, reflective of contemporaneous texts. The story’s tension increases, though, as the Romans encroach, becoming palpable.
Tree of Knowledge is a stirring historical novel in which a first-century community leads a desperate fight against persecution.
Reviewed by
M. W. Merritt
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