The Beheading of John

by Jason E. Royle

The Beheading of John is an imaginary short story written from the perspective of John's executioner. It is a brief, thought-provoking recreation of the events leading up to the beheading of John the Baptist.

32 pages, Paperback

Published August 3, 2017

About the author

Writing, for Jason, is a way to express the ongoing story of theology. With every book or article, he hopes readers get a sense of the complexity of God and the necessity of faith. Captivated by the spiritual component of life, Jason loves to read everything from the Greek classics to the Sunday comics.

Unafraid to tackle topics many people don't want to talk about, Jason has a concise, lighthearted style of writing about difficult subjects. From the serious to the humorous, Royle weaves stories that make you grin, ponder, and perhaps plunge anew into your own leaps of faith.

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read that gives you a look at the execution of John the Baptist from the view of the executioner. In less than 30 pages Royle gives a different perspective on execution by bringing you into the head of the one who has to swing the axe. We see the character develop from a man who doesn't thing about the work he is doing, into someone who is starting to question his role.

While this is a tale of the past, we know that people are still put to death in modern society. Most of us forget that there is someone who must carry out each every execution. After reading this you take time to ponder what this job must do to a person. Does the executioner just see his job as a button that needs to be pushed? (In this case an axe that needs to be swung). Or do they see there is more to their role? Then in turn you ask yourself: how would I feel if I was the one who must carry out the act? While this read is short it makes you question aspects of the human existence that you normally would not think about and asks you to think what you would do were you told to bring the King a prisoner's head.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book over all, but wish it would have been “fleshed out” a little bit more. I liked how it was written from the excutioner’s point of view giving it a little bit darker feel. I felt like it wasn’t quite finished when I completed the reading. I will definitely reread this one.

[Netanella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Downloaded and read on an impusle, I'm still contemplative over this book, having finished it hours ago. It's a short story told from the point of view of John the Baptist's executioner, and authored by a theologian.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another view of a significant event in history as seen from another viewpoint. We saw how the King was swayed by a planned action and leaves us with the question, was it just another task?

[Jessica Rickert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very morbid short story but it left me definitely wanting more. The lesson behind the story was good as well.




I won this book on the Good reads giveaways