Philip Pullman's Jesus and Christ
The Times reviewer Ronald Hutton describes Pullman's new work as a postmodern fiction, from which different readers can take the messages they choose. I would have to agree. And it is extremely relevant when discussing religion and myth because, more than ever, people are taking a post modern view of these subjects and interpreting text as they perceive. This includes myself. The novel’s purpose is not to explore the history of Christianity. It is a story which explores the teachings of Jesus, the problems of organised religion the nature of storytelling.
Growing up in a very catholic schooling (two convent school to be precise) and being a huge Pullman fan from childhood, I was eager to read The Good Man Jesus and The Scoundrel Christ. To be honest, my experience with Christianity have left me cynical of religion and I was looking forward to Pullman (well known for his criticism of organized religions) to give it to them! However, what I read was much more thoughtful and tactful then expected and I am surprised so many took offence. Underlying this novel, is actually a very well meaning perception of the message of Jesus. There is a difference in the belief of the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth and belief in the virtue of his teachings. And I don’t believe there is anything wrong with holding value in the former without the later.
The books premise is that Mary does not give birth to one son, but twins; Jesus and Christ. Jesus is the one to walk into the desert and preach the word of God, whereas Christ stays in the shadows but has loftier dreams for his brother. He listens to the childhood prophecy’s and is obsessed with the thought of his brother being chosen by God to change the world and perform miracles. He is encouraged by a mysterious stranger to help his brother become this messiah by recording events, but editing and changing them to lead a religion from his preaching. However, Christ realizes too late that in order to create this religion the most miraculous thing must happen; Jesus must die and rise again. Furthermore, it is he who must carry out the events. It is then the reader realizes that ‘Christ’ is actually Judas. He must forever console himself that his actions were necessary to create the church and that although he killed Jesus, the memory of him as a savior will live forever.
Pullman wrote this novel as a contribution to the Canongate Myths series, which invited prominent writers to retell famous imaginary tales in a personal way. Controversial as always, Pullman chose to tackle the myth of Jesus Christ. The novel has strong similarities to Brecht, not only in title but form. The novel is broken up into a series of self-contained dramatic episodes, making it difficult to just enjoy the flow of the story; it forces you to think. The narrative is written similarly to most religious texts, with a dispassionate and dull narrative voice giving the novel satire.
Like Graham Swifts’ Water Lands the novel takes on the theme of storytelling, particularly storytelling about history. As we know, the bible is a historical account. But how much can we trust a historian or narrator? Has he told us the true events of the story? In Pullman’s story, Christ writes down the account of Jesus’ life that will one day become the bible. There is a difference between the events in the novel and what he writes down and names ‘the truth’. This is particularly true of the miracles performed by Jesus. Whereas, Christ lists the many miracles Jesus performs during his teachings, in truth, he never accomplishes anything miraculous. For example, the story of Jesus turning a few fish and wine into a feast for thousands was actually resolved by Jesus asking everyone to share what food they had until the whole crowd was nourished.
When studying the bible I remember challenging the gospels myself. Each gospel is written by a different Disciple and describes different events in the lead up to Jesus’ crucifixion. There has been much debate as to which disciples’ version of history is the most accurate. It is natural to turn to the new testament for evidence and answers about Jesus. But the thing is, the New Testament does not prove anything but what Jesus’ disciples believed and saw in his actions – each testament is their own personal viewpoint. Also, we must remember by the time these testaments were written, the actions had long past and the myth of Jesus had already begun which undoubtedly influenced the texts.
The most controversial part of The Good Man Jesus and The Scoundrel Christ is how Pullman criticizes organized religion. When Jesus takes a walk alone in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of his arrest he thinks about the dangers of an organized religion with power; the wars that would be created; the corruptions that would be overlooked.
The one criticism I have with this book is Jesus’ lapse of faith also during this soliloquy. He admits that although he prays to God, he hears no answer and questions whether God is listening at all. Although it is an important concept to think about (prayer without answer), Jesus had never received any words from God. I didn’t understand why he thought they would come? Or why he thought they were important? I was hoping for a liberating story where one no longer had to achieve some miraculous sign to have some faith; that the point of the text was to prove that you did not need to wait for words from above to follow a good path. It was also a shock because Jesus’ faith had never been questioned before during the novel. As a reader, it left me stunned and unsure of how to react. Did Jesus regret all the teachings he was so sure of throughout the novel? Something about this soliloquy rang untrue to the plot and was disappointing.
All in all I did enjoy the book. The importance of controversy is it shocks the reader into looking deeper into stories and fables told so often the mind pays little attention anymore. There is alot of criticism of organised religion in the modern day and Pullman makes a good point with Christ that although secular identities may cause alot of problem in society, the meanings and teaching that religious people try to follow and well meaning and good.
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