Iscariot: A Novel of Judas by Tosca Lee is a compelling, well-researched piece of historical fiction that helps give us an idea of what Judas might have been like and how his past may have influenced his final action of betrayal.

The Bible tells us little about Judas – about his past, about his life in general – so we have no context on which to base our assumptions about why he would choose to betray Jesus into the hands of His enemies. The author spent a year and a half researching the cultural and religious context of those years and of people like Judas in order to paint a clearer picture of what his life may have been like, and the result is a wonderfully written, thought-provoking novel that made me think differently about Judas and about what it was like to follow Jesus, too. Ms. Lee also spends a great deal of time focusing on Jesus and His ministry, bringing the words of the Bible to life in a new way.

Yes, this is a work of fiction, but it brings such a different perspective of Judas that it is worth reading and considering. We do not know what Judas’ motivations were, and it is possible that he wasn’t the purely evil man I was raised to think that he was. Of course, it is possible that he was evil and we were right in our assumptions. Only time will tell.

Pick up a copy and allow your mind to be open to the possibility that Judas wasn’t who you thought he was and that he was a man who made mistakes, just like us. I really enjoyed this book!

I received a copy of this book from Howard Books in exchange for my honest review.