The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ
AuthorPhilip Pullman
PublisherCanongate Books
Publication date
2010
Pages245
ISBN978-0-8021-2996-3
OCLC456177369

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ is a novel by Philip Pullman.

Published in 2010 by Canongate Books,[1] as part of the Canongate Myth Series, it retells the story of Jesus as if he were two people, brothers, "Jesus" and "Christ", with contrasting personalities; Jesus being a moral and godly man, and his brother Christ a calculating figure who wishes to use Jesus' legacy to found a powerful Church.[2][3]

Critical reception

Pullman's historical understanding has been criticised by Jesuit theologian Gerald O'Collins.[4]

While Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is Not Great, praised Pullman's His Dark Materials, he was more critical of The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, labelling Pullman "a Protestant atheist" for supporting the teachings of Christ but being critical of organised religion.[5]

Diarmaid MacCulloch reviewed the book positively for Literary Review.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Philip Pullman's 'Scoundrel Christ' gets the "enhanced" treatment". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. 29 March 2010. Archived from the original on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
  2. ^ Philip Pullman creates a darker Christ in new assault on the church (retrieved 30 March 2010)
  3. ^ Philip Pullman to publish novel about 'the Scoundrel Christ' (retrieved 30 March 2010)
  4. ^ Gerald O’Collins, 2010, Philip Pullman’s Jesus, Darton Longman and Todd, ISBN 978-0-232-52806-0. Both books have been reviewed by Brian McClorry S.J..
  5. ^ Hitchens, Christopher (9 July 2010). "In the Name of the Father, the Sons ..." The New York Times. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  6. ^ MacCulloch, Diarmaid. "All Too Human", Literary Review. Retrieved 12 December 2020



Stub icon

This article about a 2010s novel is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page.