Specify Appertaining To Books King Jesus
| Title | : | King Jesus |
| Author | : | Robert Graves |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 418 pages |
| Published | : | October 1st 1981 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (first published 1946) |
| Categories | : | Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Religion. Christianity. Novels |
Robert Graves
Paperback | Pages: 418 pages Rating: 3.87 | 919 Users | 67 Reviews
Explanation Concering Books King Jesus
Robert Graves gives this work of historical fiction an intriguing premise. He presents Jesus not as the offspring of a divine being, born of a virgin birth, but as the very mortal son of Mary and Antipater, the eldest son of King Herod the Great. Herod had a nasty tendency to eliminate family members who crossed him without much of a hearing. Antipater fell victim to this paranoia, and was executed just before Herod’s death. Antipater’s death left Jesus as the rightful heir to the terrestrial kingdom of Judaea, based on his descent from Herod. Mary’s descent from the House of David just served to solidify Jesus’s position.
King Herod the Great/Wicked - Grandfather of Jesus? (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Jesus didn’t learn any of this until much later, of course, and grew up thinking Joseph the carpenter was his father. He is depicted as initially a scriptural prodigy, then later a man of great learning, a philosopher, a charismatic speaker, and a prophet. Arguably he fulfills several of the different Messianic prophecies, but Graves’s Jesus does not put himself forward as the Son of God.
Graves is at his best in discussing the circumstances of Jesus’s arrest and trial. He knows his Roman politics, and this section reads like it could be a chapter of I, Claudius. Judas gets a sympathetic portrayal, appearing to be a victim of political manipulation rather than a traitorous tool of Fate. Pontius Pilate is a sly political schemer, and he can’t quite get off the hook by placing the blame for Jesus’s death on Jewish elders. He has too much at stake, with the implications that a Jesus as King of the Jews/Israel would have for the Roman Empire. (view spoiler)[As Pilate sees it from his own purely selfish viewpoint, it would be a good thing. (hide spoiler)]
Pontius Pilate conveniently washing his hands of the Jesus problem. (Source: Wikipedia Italia)
The story has some wilder elements, such as showing Mary Magdalene as a sort of witch leading a goddess-worshipping cult. Graves ties a lot of mythological features together, drawing interesting parallels from Judaism to Greek, Egyptian, and other mythologies, but sometimes he seems to be stretching it a bit. In his Historical Commentary, Graves writes, “I undertake to my readers that every important element in my story is based on some tradition, however tenuous, and that I have taken more than ordinary pains to verify my historical background.” The result is a thought-provoking look at a familiar story from an unusual angle.
Particularize Books In Pursuance Of King Jesus
| Original Title: | King Jesus |
| ISBN: | 0374516642 (ISBN13: 9780374516642) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Jesus |
| Setting: | Israel |
Rating Appertaining To Books King Jesus
Ratings: 3.87 From 919 Users | 67 ReviewsComment On Appertaining To Books King Jesus
2.75 stars. Long and a bit tedious, but there are parts of the book that offer insights into religious and political life in Jerusalem during Jesus's life. I got a little lost with the detailed geneologys of David's line, as well as differing opinions of Jewish law. This book seemed to want to be more of a history than a novel, which could be fine for some readers, but left me a bit bored a lot of the time. The book started off strong too with an almost political thriller vibe in itsGreat premise, way to slow and boring to get hooked
This is by far my favorite Robert Graves novel--and I like his historical novels very much generally. My original copy was the one published by the Readers Digest Press in hardcover.As once a bit of a scholar of the gospel narratives and ancillary texts, I was struck by the way Graves plausibly weaved together strands of tradition to reconstruct an historical Jesus with a temporal right to the throne of Judaea and, thus, a Jesus who actually constituted enough of a threat to the Empire and
Robert Graves gives this work of historical fiction an intriguing premise. He presents Jesus not as the offspring of a divine being, born of a virgin birth, but as the very mortal son of Mary and Antipater, the eldest son of King Herod the Great. Herod had a nasty tendency to eliminate family members who crossed him without much of a hearing. Antipater fell victim to this paranoia, and was executed just before Herods death. Antipaters death left Jesus as the rightful heir to the terrestrial
I decided to read this book because I am a big fan of I, Claudius and Claudius the God. I was curious about how Robert Graves would portray Jesus, given his portrayal of Herod Antipas in the Claudius books and the vague references to Jesus in those. I found the book interesting, reminding me a little of Joseph Campbells work.I was disappointed to find that there was no bibliography to indicate the source of the overlay of Middle Eastern religions that is woven throughout the book. I did find it
The origins of St. Patrick's Day remain a mystery after this one, but I enjoyed reading this quite a lot. Very sympathetic to the traditional villains in the Passion tale, because of Graves' apparent understanding of Jewish customs and traditions, laws and celebrations. This novel is overtly hostile to Christian theology, just as Graves' other historical novels (I, Claudius, Count Belisarius, to name the two I've read) seem written primarily for the purpose of correcting annoying misconceptions
A must-read for any Christian, especially the esoterically-inclined. A paradigm-expanding book, befitting for where the Spirit of Christ may lead. For those consumed with the desire to know who Jesus really was, this is the book to read.
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