NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jon Meacham explores the seven last sayings of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels, combining rich historical and theological insights to reflect on the true heart of the Christian story. For Jon Meacham, as for believers worldwide, the events of Good Friday and Easter reveal essential truths about Christianity. A former vestryman of Trinity Church Wall Street and St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, Meacham delves into that intersection of faith and history in this meditation on the seven phrases Jesus spoke from the cross. Beginning with “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” and ending with “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,” Meacham captures for the reader how these words epitomize Jesus’s message of love, not hate; grace, not rage; and, rather than vengeance, extraordinary mercy. For each saying, Meacham composes an essay on the origins of Christianity and how Jesus’s final words created a foundation for oral and written traditions that upended the very order of the world. Writing in a tone more intimate than any of his previous works, Jon Meacham returns us to the moment that transformed Jesus from a historical figure into the proclaimed Son of God, worshiped by billions.

What really happened at the crucifixion? How can one who is immortal die? How can eternity be compressed into six hours? What really held Jesus' body to the cross? Chuck explores the hyper-dimensional aspects of a love letter written in blood on a wooden cross erected in Judea almost two thousand years ago. Dr. Mark Eastman highlights the medical and forensic aspects of the crucifixion.

“It is not merely penance that the Church asks of us during Lent. It is extra prayer.” Some preachers are more notable than others. Fr. Gerald Vann, O.P., was ordained in 1929 at the remarkable age of twenty-three in a Dominican Order known for its careful discrimination about its candidates. Despite fame both in his native England and in the United States, his brilliant and accessible writing has largely disappeared from view. Of great significance is this compendium of Lenten inspirations. In seven chapters marked by originality and striking clarity, Fr. Vann gets under the rind and into the heart of every aspect of Christ's Passion. You'll learn: What the Agony in the Garden tells us about our own struggles, sorrows, and sins What Christ's betrayal reveals about the depth of our love, fait

The kingdom of God and the atonement are two of the most important themes in all of Scripture. Tragically, theologians have often either set the two at odds or focused on one to the complete neglect of the other. In The Crucified King, Jeremy Treat demonstrates that Scripture presents a mutually enriching relationship between the kingdom and atonement that draws significantly from the story of Israel and culminates in the crucifixion of Christ the king. As Israel’s messiah, he holds together the kingdom and the cross by bringing God’s reign on earth through his atoning death. The kingdom is the ultimate goal of the cross, and the cross is the means by which the kingdom comes. Jesus’ death is not the failure of his messianic ministry, nor simply the prelude to his royal glory, but is the apex of his kingdom mission. The cross is the throne from which he rules and establishes his kingdom. Using a holistic approach that brings together the insights of biblical and systematic theology, this book demonstrates not only that the kingdom and the cross are inseparable, but how they are integrated in Scripture and theology.

James Philip, Scottish pastor-theologian, takes us through a series of meditations on the last hours of Jesus' life, from the Last Supper to Calvary. All the while, he brings unusually perceptive insight into Christ's 'fierce, costly love.' Philip's blend of intelligent doctrinal instruction and poetic pastoral application, his depth of feeling and his clarity of expression, are all emphasized in a beautifully written Foreword by Sinclair Ferguson. A study guide in the back makes this book useful for Bible studies, Sunday schools, and church small group settings.