Christ the Lord by Anne Rice
I am currently about one-third of the way through this latest book by Anne Rice. It is fascinating. She delves into the inner workings of the 7-year-old Jesus, and paints a portrait of his life in Egypt and traveling to Nazareth.
The surprising element in the book so far for me has been the portrayal of Joseph. Joseph is spoken of so little in the Gospels that I've quite honestly not thought a lot about him. But Rice creates his character as calm, strong, steady, and wise. Because he is not mentioned during the years of Christ's ministry, it is sometimes thought that he is quite a bit older than Mary. Would he have been around when Jesus was 7? Maybe. If he was, I think it most likely that he was much the way Rice portrayed him. He is pious, patient, calm, and very clearly the guardian and protector of Jesus, even while caring for his large extended family.
Anyway, I'm really enjoying the book so far. Take a look at it here.
I am reading this book now also and am also about 1/3 of the way through. I am finding it fascinating also. I had my doubts about reading it. I do have to keep reminding myself that it is fiction though.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is fiction; however, I have read about Rice's extensive research and feel fairly confident that she is creating a world that--thought fictional--is very likely to be at least similar to what Jesus would have actually experienced. Thanks for your comment!
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