Historical Fiction with Jesus as a Character

The stories of the Bible have inspired storytellers for generations. Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy and John Milton’s Paradise Lost have had an immeasurable influence creative imagination that is yet to diminish. Lew Wallace’s Ben-Hur continues to demand the attention of Hollywood (few movies could be as perfectly made as the Charlton Heston version). Anita Diamant’s The Red Tent is wonderful and humanizing. While audacious visions such as Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and Kathleen McGowan’s The Expected One (the first in her Mary Magdalene series) have taken lost fragments of theology and culture and woven them into influential and gripping modern-day thrillers.

Sue Monk Kidd’s The Book of Longings focuses on the wife of Jesus, and in an original step away from folk-lore she is not Mary Magdalene but Ana, the rebellious daughter of a wealthy family. Monk Kidd’s re-telling and the other books on this list show how far we have come in allowing others to explore their faith without feeling threatened for our own – with so many authors, in so many countries, now enjoying such an impressive storytelling and imaginative liberation.

Stories of Jesus and other Biblical personages can be directed in multiple directions – seeking to praise, critique, or simply to understand. The authors may, and indeed often do, receive significant criticism and negative reaction but they are, in many countries at least, able to choose put their vision forward and stand behind it.

And few things could be more controversial for an author to take on that to re-tell the story of Jesus Christ. Here are a few more of the historical novels featuring Jesus as a character that have have caught our attention.

JESUS, THE SON OF MAN

1928, Kahlil Gibran

Kahlil Gibran’s Jesus, the Son of Man is an astounding book; the sheer beauty of the language is startling and the storylines are thought-provoking and moving. I recommend taking your time reading this work and appreciating the rhythm of the words, considering one chapter at a time rather than racing through.

Presented in a collection of short vignettes in which people who encountered Jesus (even if merely in passing) describe the effect he had on them – sometimes profound and soul-shaking, sometimes bitter. The voices of each person are distinctive and personalized while still carried on the waves Gibran’s elegant authorship. A deeply moving and original work.

Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt

2005, Anne Rice

Tightly focused on a short period of time, Jesus is approximately five years old at the start and eight by the end of the book.

The point of view is of Jesus the adult (perhaps even after crucifixion?) narrating from his childhood awareness and understanding. This gives the narration a very unusual perspective (and I mean ‘unusual’ as a compliment) of highly detailed and layered understanding with the naïveté, simplicity and frequent confusion of a child who is visited with glimpses of his greater self.

A book with a singular atmosphere, written almost like a chant while simultaneously creating very clear impression of the physical location and society Jesus was born into: his home and family, his cityscape and then small village, the wider culture and the concerns of the people around him.

The episode of Jesus encountering Lucifer (a character who I took to be Lucifer prince of darkness in any case) had a strong and accomplished aura of fantasy historical fiction – a genre for which Anne Rice is so well-known and celebrated. A supernatural, lush take on Jesus’s story as it exists in both earthly and supernatural dimensions. The extravagant fancy of the supernatural mixed in with the clear and solid historical detail is Rice’s authorial strength.

After releasing the sequel Road to Canna, Rice declined to complete her trilogy citing the concern that it would be too controversial. The mind boggles really. By this time, I believe, she had once more left the Church due to her disagreement with several of their cultural stances and teachings.

IMAGINING JESUS

2024, Natasha Rendell

Portrayals of Jesus as a character can vary – sometimes cynical, sometimes confused, sometimes superhuman. Natasha Rendell’s Imagining Jesus offers a vivid re-creation of the ancient world in which a real-life Jesus existed, and brings him into clear focus as a man both human and earthly but also extraordinary in his psychic power and his compassion.

The journey of Jesus in this story leads us through many of the cultures of the time – with highlights for me being time spent in a Himalayan village and temple, a memorable visit to the Oracle of Delphi and a mystical experience in the forests of Albion. The various people encountered along the way help to create a lively and engaging tale.

Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene take prominent roles in this tale and are both fully-rounded characters in their own right. I quite love these two women as they are here presented. While I found the thoughtful and nuanced approach to the conflicted and troubled characters of Judas Iscariot and Pontius Pilot to be very compelling and moving.

Most compelling is the characterization of Jesus himself: from a gifted, caring and humorous youth through to times of doubts and uncertainties, until he unfolds into his true purpose as a spiritual wayshower.

In its original perspective on the traditional Biblical version of events, this is a tale that stays with you and causes you to reconsider many aspects of the events that you may have taken for granted.

Natasha Rendell is our resident speculative history expert at Renwulf Creations. Read Natasha’s article on the potential discovery of Atlantis.

KING JESUS

1946, Robert Graves

Synopsis from Penguin: “Robert Graves’s controversial historical novel is a bold reworking of the story of Christ. Here Jesus is not the son of God, but the result of a secret marriage . . . Portraying Jesus not as divine but as a flawed human bent upon his own doom, this retelling of the gospels is a compelling blend of research, imagination and narrative power.”

MARY, CALLED MAGDALENE

2002, Margaret George

Synopsis from Penguin Random House: “Margaret George convincingly captures this renowned woman’s voice as she moves from girlhood to womanhood, becomes part of the circle of disciples, and comes to grips with the divine.”

I have begun reading this novel, and thus far am struck by how vulnerable Mary is. Her torment is hauntingly portrayed and the world she lives within difficult and unforgiving. To read on and discover just how (if) she transforms her life and being will be fascinating.