In "The Crown and the Cross," Frank G. Slaughter … has written yet another fictionized life of Christ. Inevitably one asks, Why another? Does the author have a new interpretation of Jesus? A new angle of vision? A fresh vividness of insight and presentation? Dr. Slaughter has none of these….

The Jesus of "The Crown and the Cross" belongs to the meek-and-mild school. His impact is felt at several degrees removed, and the reader is driven to wonder how such a man could inspire so dedicated a loyalty in his followers. And it is a static Jesus, who seemingly never undergoes inner struggle and development. He moves like the stiff figures in a Sunday-school pageant.

Dr. Slaughter admittedly has done a smooth job in harmonizing the four Gospels and weaving a coherent narrative from them. He appears to know a good deal about the background of the period, including...