This is a portrait of one of the great years in world history. AD 33 was the year when an obscure religious teacher died a criminal's death in an outpost of the Roman Empire, an event which had world-changing consequences in the form of the beginnings of Christianity. What was the world like in that momentous year? In this breathtaking book, we find out about events in the Roman Empire and beyond in order to obtain a picture of the historical setting of the year of Christ's death.