Naomi Alderman has a real problem with the historicity of the New Testament. In her new historical novel, The Liars' Gospel, she presents plausible interpretations of the life of Jesus that are designed to discredit the Gospel accounts. Yes, it's a novel, but she clearly has an agenda.
First, the good. Alderman is clearly a talented writer. Rarely have I read anything that brings alive the world of first century Palestine the way Alderman does. She pays close attention to details of domestic life. The characters are not the cardboard cutouts or predictable stereotypes of some biblical dramas, but relateable, complex, and deeply flawed individuals.
Alderman tells the story of Jesus from the perspective of four participants (rejecting their Romanized names): Miryam (Mary), Iehuda from Qeriot (Judas Iscariot), Caiaphas, and Bar-Avo (Barrabas). Each of these four have his or her own perspectives on Jesus, and their own hopes or expectations for who he is or was or will be. As they tell their stories, a picture comes together of Jesus, the son, the Jew, the madman, the confused, moody, angry, wandering teacher. Far from being a portrait of Jesus, recognizable to Christians, Alderman comes up with a caricature of a crazy man from Natzaret (Nazareth). She uses specific episodes of scripture, as well as snippets of contemporary history, to flesh out the story, but mostly the stories come from her imagination.
I was reminded of C.S. Lewis's classic argument about Jesus. He avers, in Mere Christianity, that Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. Alderman seems to believe Jesus was a lunatic surrounded by liars. Lord never comes into question. Of course, we have 2000 years of history to refute claims that Jesus was a mere teacher. But that doesn't fit into Alderman's worldview.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
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