A retired corporate lawyer has turned his attention to what he calls the oldest case file in Western civilization. T. Walter Taylor, who practiced law for more than 30 years, has published his debut novel, Matthew’s Story: A Novel About Jesus. The book is narrated by the Apostle Matthew at the end of his life, as he sets down his own account of the man he followed and of how that man’s story grew into a new religion.
The novel opens with Matthew’s confession: “I am an old man. I will die soon. I have decided that it is now time for me to share the story of some deceptions which gave rise to what is now called Christianity.” Taylor said he imagined a close follower of Jesus who, at the end of his life, confesses the secrets he kept, and how those secrets, woven into Greek, Roman, and Jewish beliefs, turned Jesus into a new path to God.
Matthew is the son of a tax collector in Tiberias. He first hears of Jesus at about sixteen, and part of the pull is Mary of Magdala, who can’t stop talking about him. Matthew follows Jesus from John the Baptizer’s camp on the Jordan to Galilee and on to Jerusalem. Some of the sharpest ideas come from Marcus, a slave in his family’s household who knows more scripture than any of them and isn’t afraid to say so.
The story begins in 26 AD and runs through Paul’s ministry, the Jerusalem Council, the Jewish War and the fall of Masada. Taylor grounds it in first-century history, Hebrew scripture and classical writers such as Josephus and Livy. The book closes with a final revelation readers won’t see coming.
The novel is written for readers of historical fiction and for anyone curious about the historical Jesus and how Christianity began. It arrives at a time of enduring public interest in the historical Jesus and the origins of Christianity, and its fictional confession raises questions about how narratives about Jesus were formed and transmitted. By placing a confession of deceptions at the heart of the apostolic account, the book invites readers to consider the human and historical processes behind the emergence of a new religion.
Taylor holds degrees in science, business and law. He began his career as a science and physical education teacher, later earned an MBA, and practiced corporate law for over 30 years. He has kept a lifelong interest in classical studies and world religions. Matthew’s Story is his first novel. He lives in British Columbia, Canada.
Published on September 11, 2026, Matthew’s Story: A Novel About Jesus is available in paperback (ISBN: 978-1-0679746-0-2) for $16.99 and as an eBook (ISBN: 978-1-0679746-2-6) for $9.99. It is available from Amazon and through bookstores and libraries via Ingram.
