I recently read two novels, back to back, that deal with the story of Jesus. They were so wildly different in tone and style that I got a bit of New Testament whiplash.
Lamb is narrated by Biff, Jesus’ best friend. Biff has the hots for Jesus’ mother, Mary, who’s considered crazy by many others in Nazareth because she claims the actual father of her child is immortal. The book is written by Christopher Moore, a humorist.
The Testament of Mary, narrated by Mary, is a gritty look at the politics that brought Jesus down. It is written by Colm Toibin, a very talented, very serious novelist indeed. I listened to the audio version, read by none other than Meryl Streep. Major leagues of Serious.
Which is more spiritual? Enlightening? Which paints a more rounded portrait of Mary and her beloved son? Which one should be taken more seriously?
I vote Lamb, a thousand times.
Is it possible to achieve a form of reverence through rollicking irreverence? Hell yes. If you’re lucky enough to have seen The Book of Mormon, maybe you’ll know where I’m coming from. It’s the hit Broadway musical by the creators of South Park. The play is rife with all the satiric, ridiculous, scatological jokes at their disposal, utterly destroying the foundations of the Mormon church….and yet, and yet, creating a truly exhilarating experience. An exhilarating spiritual experience? Yes, no, maybe, all of the above, pencils down, who knows.
Lamb isn’t that extreme, but it does use humor to tell the story of Jesus in an interesting way. I don’t want to say too much, because I came to this book knowing nothing and was delighted at the way the story unfolded. Just this: Have you ever wondered what Jesus did in the years between, say, his adolescence and his public life, beginning around age 30? Moore takes a bold approach, using historic fact and period color around a story that is frankly preposterous and yet feels true. The character of Jesus feels true. Biff calls him Josh…short for Joshua, perhaps the real name of the historic Figure. The reader gains some insight into the role of the Romans, the Pharisees, into carpentry and foods of the time.
Moore spins some reasoning behind the Biblical accounts that non-theologians like me may not have considered. Non-spoiler example: Since I was a kid I’ve puzzled over God sending his only begotten son down to earth to sacrifice himself to redeem mankind. What, exactly, does that mean? Where’s the Almighty Logic? In Lamb, Moore asks the question of why Jesus willingly sacrificed himself in this way: to teach God the Father a lesson; there shall be no more sacrifices to Him. Religions of the time offered up sacrifices, human and animal, by the bushel; Jesus wanted God to feel one (his own son) to have Him put a stop to it.
Side by side with the theological probing, there’s shtick. For example: Biff and Josh meet a martial arts master, and Josh is intrigued by the discipline but makes it clear he wants nothing to do with fighting to hurt another. So the master, who’s dabbling in a defensive form, dubs it Jew-Jitsu. There’s a lot of such silliness, and it really helps to make the rest of the story go down easily.
For contrast, I could not find anything darker or less humorous than Colm Toibin’s Testament Of Mary. Toibin is a serious writer tackling a serious subject, so it is worth your time if the subject intrigues. I couldn’t take it seriously. The utter cynicism on display, the bitter, dark portrait of Mary, her hatred for the apostles, anger at her son, and supposed cowardice perplexed me at first, then made me angry then, finally, just made me laugh.
Cynicism and bitterness with the politics that led to Jesus’ arrest, sentencing and crucifixion, I get; that the apostles to a man were users, cowards, opportunists….ok, I guess. But damn, there were 12 of them. Wasn’t there a good guy in the bunch? As for Jesus’ sacrifice in redeeming mankind, his purpose for living….”It was not worth it!” Mary cries.
But what really irked me: he portrays Mary running away as her son is being crucified. She is afraid that she, too, might be captured and executed. Please! Very few mothers would abandon a child in crisis and pain, and certainly not the woman God chose to birth his Only Begotten. It’s ludicrous and, yes, cynical to the extreme. The tone throughout is angry to the point of shrill.
I don’t think you have to be a Pollyanna to tell Mr. Toibin: lighten up maybe? Give Mary a break. She’s suffered enough.
Nuance Cubed 