Review by Bill Kirton
After reading a skit I’d written, a friend recommended this
book. I can now see why but the comparison is flattering. When I started
reading it, I was immediately grabbed by the ease of the narrative and its
relaxed, inviting tone. But I did wonder whether it would turn out to be a book
which churned out variations of a single central gag for 500+ pages. Well, it
did – except that there wasn’t just one central gag, but many, and beyond that,
it opened some gentle but telling insights into spiritual searches, faith and
the relationships between gods, organised religions and – the most important
element of all – people.
The easiest way for me to get some laughs here would be to
quote examples from the text; it’s consistently entertaining and laugh-out-loud
funny. But taking the many one-liners out of context, while it wouldn’t
diminish their impact, would do Moore
a disservice, because they’re integral to the narrative and funnier in situ. I
do, though, need to tell you that, throughout the book, Christ is called
Joshua. Why? Well, Moore
tells us at the start: ‘By the way, his name was Joshua. Jesus is the Greek
translation of the Hebrew Yeshua, which is Joshua. Christ is not a last name.
It’s the Greek for messiah, a Hebrew word meaning anointed. I have no idea what
the ‘H’ in Jesus H. Christ stood for.’ (Although even that secret is eventually
revealed.)
As the sub-title tells us, Biff is Christ’s childhood pal
and, with the 2000th anniversary of His birth coming up, it’s
decided that the four gospels don’t tell the full story so Biff is resurrected
to fill in the gaps, especially the first thirty years Matthew and the others
seem to have left out. He spends his time in a hotel room with Raziel, the
angel charged with resurrecting and looking after him. They both have the gift
of tongues so the narratives and their dialogue are in colloquial modern
American English. The main narrative is the gospel itself as Biff recalls his
travels and experiences with the young Joshua, but it’s counterpointed with the
story of the tensions between Biff and the angel Raziel, whose passion for TV
soaps and wrestling colours his perceptions of modern life.
There are hilarious takes on obvious targets – The Sermon
on the Mount, the various miracles, the impenetrable nature of parables, Christ’s
celibacy (which is more than compensated for by Biff’s promiscuity), and the
fact that bacon is delicious – but it’s humour that derives from the characters
themselves, not from some clever 21st century pastiche of familiar
anecdotes. Biff even invents sarcasm, although he seems to accept that irony
had already been around for a while.
Joshua decides he needs to find out exactly what being the
Messiah entails so, with Biff in tow, he sets out to find the three magi who
visited the manger in Bethlehem .
The journey takes them over great chunks of Asia but, more importantly, reveals
the teachings of other prophets and faiths to them (or, rather, to Joshua,
since Biff has a much more practical approach to life and the pleasures on
offer).
Subtly, and in the same easy tone, Moore suggests how Christ’s message is
informed by the teachings of Confucius (‘little more than an extensive system
of etiquette’), Taoism, Buddhism, the Indian caste systems, and other religious
ceremonies and observances. It’s a persuasive, sympathetic vision of the
underlying values and lessons of faith itself. There are no doubt people who
would be deeply offended by this seemingly trivial treatment of Christianity
but their offence would reveal the flaws in their own version of faith rather
than in this compassionate view of how people interact with one another and
channel their dreams into positive, life-enhancing ways of being. I’m a
non-believer and yet this journey through some of the major religions in the
company of two people who share a genuine, warm and enduring friendship felt
like an affirmation of powers outside ourselves.
Despite the inevitability of the outcome, the final pages
leading to the crucifixion are surprisingly tense and suspenseful and confirm
how expertly Moore
has constructed and written the novel. His research is impeccable, his
characterisation superb and the range of his humour a constant delight. I
bought Lamb expecting to get a few laughs. I got that and
lots more.
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