Examines the Nativity story as the origin of Christmas, viewing it in both scriptural and secular contexts.

In a world full of DVD extras, behind-the-scenes commentary, and social media, people are used to getting the story behind the story. Readers want to understand not just what happened but why. This historical novel of the man who washed his hands of the crucifixion does just that! Award-winning historian and best-selling author Paul L. Maier has created a compelling style of documentary fiction. He uses what is historically known of Pilate's life...

" ... Christopher's grandfather teaches him about the drama of Pentecost and the powerful change God brought to the world through Peter, Paul, and the very first Christians."--Jacket copy.

"Paul Maier visits the origins of Christianity, taking the reader back to the first Christmas, the first Easter, and the first Christians. His ... research and ... insights correlate history, archaeology, and the New Testament to bring alive the true drama of earliest Christianity."--Amazon.com.

After five hundred years of examining the "father of the Reformation," surely we know all there is to know about Martin Luther - but is that true? Did he nail his famous Ninety-Five Theses to the Wittenberg church door? Did his wife escape her convent in a herring barrel? Did he and his wife have spectators on their wedding night? Did he say, "Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise"? German radio and television journalist Andreas Malessa dives gleefully...