The Last Hours of Jesus

From Gethsemane to Golgotha

By: Ralph Gorman

Narrated by: Tom Parks

Each of the four Gospels tells only part of the story of Jesus...and all of them leave out background facts that are essential to understanding events surrounding Jesus' arrest, trial, and crucifixion.

That's because the Gospels were written for readers already familiar with many of the persons, places, parties, and politics that governed events in those long-past days. Not for modern audiences, 20 centuries later!

Which is why Fr. Ralph Gorman has here crafted a single, unforgettable, detailed account that combines material from all four Gospels with critically important Old Testament passages, plus relevant facts from Jewish and Roman history, laws, traditions, and practices. He also includes helpful first-century military, political, geographical, and archaeological information and keen depictions of Gospel places based on his three years residence there.

The result?

A richly textured, moment-by-moment account that brings to vivid life the powerful events that transpired between Jesus' Agony in the Garden and his death on the Cross - a narrative that actually provides a fuller treatment of the events of Passion Week than is found in any of the Gospels.

©2017 Sophia Institute Press (P)2021 Tantor

The Level of Detail

If you want details of the crucifixion this is your book. Excellent description and delivery.

Extremely Listenable. Extremely informative.

Sometimes you listen to a book because you reckon you ought to learn its contents even though doing so is a chore, like to going to the gym to get stronger.

But sometimes you get the great benefit of a good workout while playing a sport you love, and I would say that this book similarly allows the reader to become deeply informed about Jesus’s passion and death while enjoying every minute of wondering what detail is going to fall into place next in this chronologically told story.

It’s hard to say enough good things about it. You’ll learn what exactly happened on those fateful days (the details of a Roman scourging, where did Judas run off to, what “bloody sweat” means, etc), who was involved at each step (Pharisees, Sadducees, Romans), why each of them did what they did (Who was acting out of simple moral cowardice? Who was cluelessly following orders? Who was at the forefront pushing for Christ’s torture and death?), where each event took place and how it was either certain or likely to have occurred.

Even if you struggle to paint pictures in your “mind’s eye”, you’ll find that this book offers the most understandable narrative one could hope for, and you’ll find yourself visualizing many scenes. Surely, you will never struggle about what to pray about during the sorrowful mysteries of the holy Rosary!

Indeed, I wish this author would write about the other events of Jesus’s life as a man among men, so that I could have a clearer picture of the other sacred mysteries.

An excellent read

First off, Tom Parks did an amazing job at narrating this book.

Packed with informative ideas, LHOJ puts you in the moment of Christs anguish as well as patience. I honestly had a hard time putting the book down.

Rec listening over Good Friday-Holy Saturday

You will learn valuable insights into Jesus’s final hours! Listen at length over Good Friday through Holy Saturday.

Wonderful

It is marvelous! Everything in this book made me so in love with Jesus!
Jesus is my savior . I really recommend it Christians and no Christians 🙏

Detailed and well read

There is a lot of historical information and research included. Narrator read well and had a pleasant tone of voice.

Great emphasis on biblical figures, locations, and scriptural reference.

Great reader and informative writing with great scriptural insight using archaeology, history, theology, and useful extra biblical sources.

The reality of his last hours

If you have the ears to hear, then take heed, Jesus is the real deal and will not be forgotten. Truth is his Way & if you can handle the truth, follow him.

Worth the listen!

Very good description of Jesus’ passion. A mix of historical facts, blended with Bible scripture, puts ones’ imagination in the very moment of Jesus’ suffering. Love the narrator too!

Not what i expected

I was looking for a book that covered the last day of Jesus life. I wanted something that was more historical looking, but this was very much written with a religious bias. They followed the written context that we have about the passion story, The person reading/performing was easy to understand, but he speaks in the same tone of voice through the whole story - hence the lower performance rating.