David Scott Hay's The Butcher of Nazareth reimagines pre-ministry Jesus through the eyes of a traumatized killer. A review of 2026's most provocative novel.

Haunting visions drive a grieving butcher to hunt down an obese, pre-ministry Jesus to prevent an age of fire and ash. But when the Butcher ‘adopts’ a dead newborn, his hunt for the son of Nazareth…

5/5: I can be a bit like Charlie Brown with the football when it comes to fictional reimaginings of the New Testament. No matter how many times I'm disappointed, it's a conceptual template I continue ...