Tonight I finished reading my latest night-read-novel, “Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt” by an author I never thought I’d read a book by – Anne Rice.
I was THOROUGHLY pleased with this book!
It was just a month-or-so ago that I was telling my buddy Glen Robinson that I was suddenly struck with the wonder of questioning when Jesus knew that he was the Son of God. It was just a question that appeared from nowhere and yet it perplexed me in such a way that I couldn’t get it out of my head. Glen and I had a good chat about the possibilities and the conversation quickly went to the knowledge that Glen had about Anne Rice’s transformational Salvation and her new book, “Christ the Lord”. I saw it at a bookstore for almost $30 and said, “nah!”
Earlier this month I stumbled upon the recently launched, “Book Mooch” – and I placed this book’s title in my “wish list”. A week later, I was e-mailed and told that the book had come up on the site and with a simple click, I confirmed that it was being sent my way. I received it a few days later and quickly poored through it’s pages.
Reading a fictional book that was written after careful research and Rice’s study of extra-biblical accounts has sparked something natural, again, in my curiosity of Christ – the person. Reading about his 7th year of life, his visit to the Temple in Jerusalem, his interactions with people, his relationship with his mother, father and brother James – all of these things have given me a new curiosity and intrigue into Jesus, the man – an area that gets less and less attention when we admit the diety of who Jesus was and is as Christians. I like thinking about Jesus as the man that he was. I like “laughing” at the silly phrases in Christmas Carols that tell us of this “little Lord Jesus, no crying he made.”
This book gave me that “material” to spark my imagination to allow me to dream of what Jesus might’ve been like as a child – as a student of the Law, as the child of a carpenter, as a young Jewish boy. These areas, again, are quickly “forgotten” in the story of the crucifixion and the glorious truth of the resurrection.
So, I guess I want to say a “thank you” to Miss Rice – for her careful attention to Jewish heritage and time-period details.
If you get a chance – pick this book up (did I mention I found it on Book Mooch?) And don’t fail to read Anne Rice’s notes at the end of the book – they give great insight into her conversion and study habits and sources to write such a work!
