(+) Lamb (2002 Moore), novel

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childwood Pal (2002) is a novel by Christopher Moore.

Abstract

"The birth of Jesus has been well chronicled, as have his glorious teachings, acts, and divine sacrifice after his thirtieth birthday. But no one knows about the early life of the Son of God, the missing years -- except Biff, the Messiah's best bud, who has been resurrected to tell the story in the divinely hilarious yet heartfelt work "reminiscent of Vonnegut and Douglas Adams" (Philadelphia Inquirer). Verily, the story Biff has to tell is a miraculous one, filled with remarkable journeys, magic, healings, kung fu, corpse reanimations, demons, and hot babes. Even the considerable wiles and devotion of the Savior's pal may not be enough to divert Joshua from his tragic destiny. But there's no one who loves Josh more -- except maybe "Maggie," Mary of Magdala -- and Biff isn't about to let his extraordinary pal suffer and ascend without a fight."--Publisher description.

The novel provides a fictional perspective on the "lost years" of Jesus, who is referred to by his Hebrew name, Joshua. This account is told from the viewpoint of Joshua’s childhood best friend, Levi, called Biff. Biff’s humorous recounting of the many adventures the pair shared presents an imaginative and lively narrative of Jesus' childhood. The story is told in three segments: Josh and Biff’s childhood in Nazareth; their travel to the East (India, China) on a quest to find the Magi; and their return with new enlightenment to fulfill Joshua’s role as Messiah, referencing the customary Gospel stories with clever twists. The story told remains accurate to that of the Gospels, adding dynamic personalities to established characters and additional dimensions to the classic story. -- Veronica Petroelje, University of Michigan.

Editions

Published in New York, NY: Morrow, 2002.

Translations

Translated into several languages, including German, and French (2007):

• L'agneau (2007 Moore), novel (French ed.)

External links

• Wikipedia