"The fist time I saw the man who would save the world he was sitting near the central well in Nazareth with a lizard hanging out of his mouth. Just the tail end and the hind legs were visible on the outside; the head and forelegs were halfway down the hatch. He was six, like me, and his beard had not come in fully, so he didn't look much like the pictures you've seen of him."Lamb, The Gospel according to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore is the most enjoyable book I've read in years. I suppose you'd have to say its irreverent, but unless you are pretty uptight, I think anyone would be hard pressed to claim that its disrespectful.
The premise of the book is pretty much spelled out in the extended title. Moore endeavors to fill in the blanks in the life of Christ from his birth until his ministry. He uses humor as his vehicle, telling about the life of Christ from the perspective of his best friend, Levi, who is known as Biff.
Jesus, or Joshua as he is named in the book, (Joshua is the English version of the Hebrew Yeshua. Jesus is the Greek translation. Christ is Greek for messiah. The H., well Biff never asked what that stood for.) and Biff grow up together in Nazareth. They have their childhoods, which were not quite normal, but hey one of the is the son of God, how normal could he be? The whole son of God part is where the crux of the story gets underway. Josh doesn't know how to be the messiah, so he and Biff embark on a journey to find and to learn from the three Magi who witnessed Christ's birth.
I loved this book. I laughed out loud countless times while reading it. The story was fun and it was a nice relaxing read. I haven't read a book this amusing since the Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy. If you have never read Moore, and you have any sense of humor make sure you pick this one up.
9 out of 10
1 comment:
"Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal" is witty religious satire done in an entertaining way. Rather than worry about stepping on toes, Chris tells a fun, entertaining story whose merits are the ability to not only look at Jesus Christ and Christianity from a different angle, but to get to the heart of what it is to be human. Some Christians may find the storyline/plot of "Biff" insulting and heretical in its portrayal of Jesus, but this is simply fiction. There is not intent to smear Christ's name, to undermine his teachings, or to paint Christians in a negative life. This is a very human story.
Like my novel, Anti-Christ: A Satirical End of Days, I can see how on the surface the novel would turn off a large segment of the audience. Just have a little fun people. It's only a book.
If you liked Biff, I suggest giving my novel, Anti-Christ: A Satirical End of Days, a try. While Biff focuses on the foundation and heart of Christianity, my novel pokes fun at the current state of religion, a sort of omega to Moore's alpha.
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