What do you think?
Rate this book
The Nazarene
Asch's novel 1st causing commotion in the Jewish community is an oddity. It's constructed in three parts: Pan Viadomsky, a bilious anti-Semitic history professor in pre-Hitler Warsaw, has just hired an unnamed Jewish assistant to help translate an ancient ms. Soon Viadomsky is confiding in the assistant about his past life as the Roman commander Cornelius, Pontius Pilate's aide. Viadomsky/Cornelius recounts life in Jerusalem at the time of the 2nd Temple & the appearance of a rabbi from Galilee who had everyone talking. The text of the yellowing ms, which Viadomsky insists is written by Judah Ish-Kiriot, constitutes the 2nd part. Then Asch returns to Viadomsky's Jewish assistant, who conjures a past life of his own as a student of a rabbi witness to Jesus' last days.
In rich detail, Asch reconstructs ancient Jerusalem chafing under Roman rule, from the gleaming golden towers of the Temple to the spice dealers & money changers of the old city & the teeming poor in the crooked streets below. But his principal goal was to reclaim Jesus—& his earth-bound rabbi Yeshua ben Joseph is unquestionably grounded in his Jewish faith. He introduces a "lean & hungry-looking" Jesus preaching to the poor fishermen by the harbor, with his dark beard & traditional sidelocks, clad in a tallis with the "ritualistic fringes hanging down almost to the ground." This is a rabbi who followed Hillel's teachings, who was well-liked & respected by his fellow religious, who declared while speaking from a tiny synagogue pulpit (with his mother, Miriam, proudly watching with other women in the balcony) that he'd come "not to destroy the Law & prophets, but to fulfill them."
But the attempt to return Yeshua ben Joseph to the people of Israel did little to assuage his critics. Rumors abounded that Asch was on the verge of converting. In the pages of the Forward & in his antagonistic book Sholem Asch's New Way, Abraham Cahan accused him of distorting Jewish tradition. The longtime Forward columnist Herman Lieberman published The Xianity of Sholem Asch, a scathing book in which he claimed that The Nazarene "may lure away ignorant Jewish children into worshipping foreign gods."
In rich detail, Asch reconstructs ancient Jerusalem chafing under Roman rule, from the gleaming golden towers of the Temple to the spice dealers & money changers of the old city & the teeming poor in the crooked streets below. But his principal goal was to reclaim Jesus—& his earth-bound rabbi Yeshua ben Joseph is unquestionably grounded in his Jewish faith. He introduces a "lean & hungry-looking" Jesus preaching to the poor fishermen by the harbor, with his dark beard & traditional sidelocks, clad in a tallis with the "ritualistic fringes hanging down almost to the ground." This is a rabbi who followed Hillel's teachings, who was well-liked & respected by his fellow religious, who declared while speaking from a tiny synagogue pulpit (with his mother, Miriam, proudly watching with other women in the balcony) that he'd come "not to destroy the Law & prophets, but to fulfill them."
But the attempt to return Yeshua ben Joseph to the people of Israel did little to assuage his critics. Rumors abounded that Asch was on the verge of converting. In the pages of the Forward & in his antagonistic book Sholem Asch's New Way, Abraham Cahan accused him of distorting Jewish tradition. The longtime Forward columnist Herman Lieberman published The Xianity of Sholem Asch, a scathing book in which he claimed that The Nazarene "may lure away ignorant Jewish children into worshipping foreign gods."
722 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1939
88 people are currently reading
551 people want to read
About the author
Sholem Asch
259 books36 followersPolish-American writer Sholem Asch (also written Shalom Ash, Yiddish: שלום אַש, Polish: Szalom Asz) sought to reconcile Judaism and Christianity in his controversial novels, such as
The Nazarene
(1939).
Sholem Asch composed dramas and essays in the language.
Frajda Malka bore Asch and nine other children to Moszek Asz, a cattle-dealer and innkeeper. Asch received tradition and as a young man followed, obtained a more liberal education at Włocławek, and supported with letters for the illiterate townspeople. He moved to Warsaw and met and married Mathilde Shapiro, the daughter of Menahem Mendel Shapiro. The Haskalah or Hebrew enlightenment initially influenced Asch, but Isaac Leib Peretz convinced him to switch.
Plot of God of Vengeance , his drama of 1907 features a lesbian relationship in a brothel.
He traveled to Palestine in 1908 and to the United States in 1910.
His Kiddush ha-Shem in 1919 in the earliest historical modern literature concerns the anti-Semitic uprising of Khmelnytsky in mid-17th century Ukraine.
He sat out World War I in the United States and a naturalized as a citizen in 1920. He returned.
People celebrated a 12-volume set of his collected works, published in his own lifetime in the early 1920s.
When people performed God of Vengeance , the highly esteemed play, on Broadway in 1923, authorities arrested and successfully prosecuted the entire cast on obscenity charges despite the fact that people in Europe already translated it into German, Russian, Hebrew, Italian, Czech, and Norwegian.
Farn Mabul ( Before the Flood , translated as Three Cities ), his trilogy of 1929 to 1931, describes early 20th century life in Saint Petersburg, Warsaw, and Moscow.
In 1932, the republic awarded the decoration of Polonia Restituta, and the club of poets, essayists, and novelists (PEN) elected him honorary president.
He later moved to France and visited Palestine again in 1936. Dos Gezang fun Tol ( The Song of the Valley ) about the halutzim or Zionist pioneers in Palestine reflects his visit of 1936 to that region.
He set his Bayrn Opgrunt (1937), translated as The Precipice , in Germany during the hyperinflation of the 1920s.
He settled in the United States in 1938.
He, however, later offended sensibilities with The Apostle , and Mary , parts of his trilogy, which in 1939 to 1949 dealt with subjects of New Testament. The Forward , leading language newspaper of New York, dropped him and openly attacked him for promotion.
Asch spent most his last two years in Bat Yam near Tel Aviv, Israel but died in London. His house in Bat Yam now houses his namesake museum. Yale University holds the bulk of his library, which contains rare books and manuscripts, including some of his own works.
Sholem Asch composed dramas and essays in the language.
Frajda Malka bore Asch and nine other children to Moszek Asz, a cattle-dealer and innkeeper. Asch received tradition and as a young man followed, obtained a more liberal education at Włocławek, and supported with letters for the illiterate townspeople. He moved to Warsaw and met and married Mathilde Shapiro, the daughter of Menahem Mendel Shapiro. The Haskalah or Hebrew enlightenment initially influenced Asch, but Isaac Leib Peretz convinced him to switch.
Plot of God of Vengeance , his drama of 1907 features a lesbian relationship in a brothel.
He traveled to Palestine in 1908 and to the United States in 1910.
His Kiddush ha-Shem in 1919 in the earliest historical modern literature concerns the anti-Semitic uprising of Khmelnytsky in mid-17th century Ukraine.
He sat out World War I in the United States and a naturalized as a citizen in 1920. He returned.
People celebrated a 12-volume set of his collected works, published in his own lifetime in the early 1920s.
When people performed God of Vengeance , the highly esteemed play, on Broadway in 1923, authorities arrested and successfully prosecuted the entire cast on obscenity charges despite the fact that people in Europe already translated it into German, Russian, Hebrew, Italian, Czech, and Norwegian.
Farn Mabul ( Before the Flood , translated as Three Cities ), his trilogy of 1929 to 1931, describes early 20th century life in Saint Petersburg, Warsaw, and Moscow.
In 1932, the republic awarded the decoration of Polonia Restituta, and the club of poets, essayists, and novelists (PEN) elected him honorary president.
He later moved to France and visited Palestine again in 1936. Dos Gezang fun Tol ( The Song of the Valley ) about the halutzim or Zionist pioneers in Palestine reflects his visit of 1936 to that region.
He set his Bayrn Opgrunt (1937), translated as The Precipice , in Germany during the hyperinflation of the 1920s.
He settled in the United States in 1938.
He, however, later offended sensibilities with The Apostle , and Mary , parts of his trilogy, which in 1939 to 1949 dealt with subjects of New Testament. The Forward , leading language newspaper of New York, dropped him and openly attacked him for promotion.
Asch spent most his last two years in Bat Yam near Tel Aviv, Israel but died in London. His house in Bat Yam now houses his namesake museum. Yale University holds the bulk of his library, which contains rare books and manuscripts, including some of his own works.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
March 11, 2014
In 1975-76 I read Sholem Asch's three "Christian" novels, The Nazarene (about Jesus), Mary (about his mother) and The Apostle (about Saul). Asch, almost unknown today, was a producer of best-sellers during the twenties and thirties, a remarkable accomplishment when it is remembered that he wrote almost entirely in Yiddish.
These three books raised the ire of many Jews, but were commercially successful. Asch had made his reputation for representing Jewish life in Europe and his writing favorably about icons of the Christian faith was a departure. In fact, however, his representations of the early "Way" (as what came to be called "Christianity" was, according to Acts, originally designated) and its founders is very much rooted in Jewish history and culture. As such, his fictionalized lives are far better than many subsequent "lives of Jesus" in presenting figures approximating historical realities.
These three books raised the ire of many Jews, but were commercially successful. Asch had made his reputation for representing Jewish life in Europe and his writing favorably about icons of the Christian faith was a departure. In fact, however, his representations of the early "Way" (as what came to be called "Christianity" was, according to Acts, originally designated) and its founders is very much rooted in Jewish history and culture. As such, his fictionalized lives are far better than many subsequent "lives of Jesus" in presenting figures approximating historical realities.
February 14, 2020
The Nazarene is a historical novel about Jesus of Nazareth written by Sholem Asch, a Polish-Jewish novelist, dramatist, and essayist. Sholem wrote the novel in 1939, three years after he escaped Nazi prosecution by immigrating to the USA.
In the Nazarene, Sholem sheds a Jewish light on the Christian savior. This is a neglected subject. Jesus was not a Christian, in fact, not even Jewish. He was Galilean. If you want to know the differences, this book will take you deep into the grey zones.
As important is the question of how Jesus perceived himself. Jesus didn't call himself Son of God, he called himself Son of Man which means Son of Adam, which means Son of Human (gender-less).
Three men tell the story of the Nazarene. In Part 1, the story is told by Cornelius, an officer in the Roman garrison of Jerusalem in the first century A.D. He offers a fictitious Roman perspective on Jesus Nazareth. In Part 2, the point of view shifts to Judas Iscariot (the traitor). In Part 3, Yohanan tells the tale, a student of Rabbi Nicodemus, the latter a Pharisee who sympathized with Jesus and who is mentioned in the gospel.
Having said that, the story of Cornelius and Yohanan is actually narrated by two fictional characters who recall their previous incarnations as Cornelius and Yohanan, a man called Pan Viadomsky and an unnamed, young Jewish student who is also the main narrator of the book.
You heard correctly, incarnations. Here are the first words of the book: Not the power to remember, but its very opposite, the power to forget, is a necessary condition of our existence. If the lore of the transmigration of souls is a true one, then these, between their exchange of bodies, must pass through the sea of forgetfulness. According to the Jewish view we make the transition under the overlordship of the Angel of Forgetfulness. But it sometimes happens that the Angel of Forgetfulness himself forgets to remove from our memories the records of the former world; and then our senses are haunted by fragmentary recollections of another life. They drift like torn clouds above the hills and valleys of the mind, and weave themselves into the incidents of our current existence.
Google reincarnation and Judaism and you will find that Orthodox Judaism rejects the notion of the transmigration of souls, while Qabalists (the custodians of Israel’s prophetic tradition) embrace it without reservation. The Hebrew term for reincarnation is gilgul, literal rolling (rolling souls). Sa'adiah ben Yosef Gaon (882/892 – 942) made the oldest recorded comment on reincarnation but the gospels convey indications of the antiquity of this belief. Many of Jesus’ contemporaries believed that the Messiah would be a reincarnation of the prophet Elija or a second coming if you so will. Both Yohanan the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth were candidates for this reincarnation. You will find this elaborated in the Nazarene.
The narrative device employed in the second part is a fictional Judas Gospel discovered by the fictional character Pan Viadomsky. It tells Jesus’ life from the perspective of Judas Iscariot, the so-called traitor. At that time, the real Judas Gospel was not yet discovered. It was first seen during the 1970s and first translated in 2006 by the National Geographic Society. The real Judas Gospel indicates that Judas was one of Jesus’ favorite disciples and his betrayal was an intentional setup and personal ordeal for Judas. Sholem pictured Judas as a traitor but offered deep emotional insides into his motives.
The outstanding value of the Nazarene is the immediacy of the storytelling - great historical fiction no doubt. Sholem fills the gaping voids between the gospel’s sparse lines. Sholem does not only summons the Jewish and Galilean way of life at Jesus’ time, but he also dives into the depths of the Jewish and Galilean soul. He takes the reader through the intricate and fragile mansion of Jewish thinking and feeling Jesus barged into - as the great renovator but also like a bull in a china shop.
Jesus made it clear that he didn't come to change the law (Torah) but only amended it, with the lost, eleventh commandment - the power of love. The famous Don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you stems from the rabbi Hillel the Elder, a venerated rabbi at Jesus’ time. According to Sholem, Jesus stood in the tradition of the House of Hillel. I beg to differ. Jesus was an Essene, the custodians of the secret prophetic tradition, the Merkhavah, which, centuries later, resurfaced as the Qabalah.
The core conflicts between old-school Judaism and Jesus arose around the anticipation of how the Messiah would appear. Many believed that he would be a (magical) warlord who would free Israel from the tyranny of Rome and the Sadducees. Jesus, on the other hand, clarified that the Messiah would not wage war (that's religious), rather lead people to the Kingdom of Heaven - enlightenment that is.
And this brings us to the ambivalence of religion and enlightenment. Like many other religions, Judaism was a great romance with God, a zealous faith but was (and is?) also shackled by pedantic rule-making. Jesus commented on the latter as follows, “You damn rule-makers, academics, and better-than-thous. You lost the key to the kingdom of heaven [enlightenment] and all you are doing now is preventing people from finding it.” – Matthew 23.13
Jesus’ (mysterious) remark in Mat 23.30-31 indicates how ancient the conflict between religion and enlightenment, Jesus and the Pharisees, was: If we had been in the days of our forefathers, we would not have partaken in shedding the blood of the prophets. Therefore, bear witnesses unto yourselves, that you are the children of those who killed the prophets.
I did not succeed in finding historical records of the killing of prophets by scribes (from which the Pharisees descended). If you know something, please drop me an email. If you like to know more about the ancient war between religion and enlightenment you can find information in this post about the Axial Age: https://www.inspirationandenlightenme....
It seems that Christianity inherited both from Judaism - dogmatic pedantry and zeal. At that time, religious zeal was unfamiliar to the rest of the world. Religion was a means to an end, business with the gods or God - bribing to be precise. In Israel, the Sadducees monopolized that business in Jerusalem’s Temple.
Religious zeal and the readiness to die for their God must have scared the shit out of the Romans, who failed to integrate Israel into the Roman Empire. Judaism did not sell out. This may have been the main reason for the diaspora. Logically, the Romans feared the zeal of the early Christians too. Well, Christianity did sell out.
The Nazarene is a heavy read, heavier than the gospel, but it is rewarding if you have the stomach and endurance. I confess to having skipped paragraphs now and then. ;-)
In the Nazarene, Sholem sheds a Jewish light on the Christian savior. This is a neglected subject. Jesus was not a Christian, in fact, not even Jewish. He was Galilean. If you want to know the differences, this book will take you deep into the grey zones.
As important is the question of how Jesus perceived himself. Jesus didn't call himself Son of God, he called himself Son of Man which means Son of Adam, which means Son of Human (gender-less).
Three men tell the story of the Nazarene. In Part 1, the story is told by Cornelius, an officer in the Roman garrison of Jerusalem in the first century A.D. He offers a fictitious Roman perspective on Jesus Nazareth. In Part 2, the point of view shifts to Judas Iscariot (the traitor). In Part 3, Yohanan tells the tale, a student of Rabbi Nicodemus, the latter a Pharisee who sympathized with Jesus and who is mentioned in the gospel.
Having said that, the story of Cornelius and Yohanan is actually narrated by two fictional characters who recall their previous incarnations as Cornelius and Yohanan, a man called Pan Viadomsky and an unnamed, young Jewish student who is also the main narrator of the book.
You heard correctly, incarnations. Here are the first words of the book: Not the power to remember, but its very opposite, the power to forget, is a necessary condition of our existence. If the lore of the transmigration of souls is a true one, then these, between their exchange of bodies, must pass through the sea of forgetfulness. According to the Jewish view we make the transition under the overlordship of the Angel of Forgetfulness. But it sometimes happens that the Angel of Forgetfulness himself forgets to remove from our memories the records of the former world; and then our senses are haunted by fragmentary recollections of another life. They drift like torn clouds above the hills and valleys of the mind, and weave themselves into the incidents of our current existence.
Google reincarnation and Judaism and you will find that Orthodox Judaism rejects the notion of the transmigration of souls, while Qabalists (the custodians of Israel’s prophetic tradition) embrace it without reservation. The Hebrew term for reincarnation is gilgul, literal rolling (rolling souls). Sa'adiah ben Yosef Gaon (882/892 – 942) made the oldest recorded comment on reincarnation but the gospels convey indications of the antiquity of this belief. Many of Jesus’ contemporaries believed that the Messiah would be a reincarnation of the prophet Elija or a second coming if you so will. Both Yohanan the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth were candidates for this reincarnation. You will find this elaborated in the Nazarene.
The narrative device employed in the second part is a fictional Judas Gospel discovered by the fictional character Pan Viadomsky. It tells Jesus’ life from the perspective of Judas Iscariot, the so-called traitor. At that time, the real Judas Gospel was not yet discovered. It was first seen during the 1970s and first translated in 2006 by the National Geographic Society. The real Judas Gospel indicates that Judas was one of Jesus’ favorite disciples and his betrayal was an intentional setup and personal ordeal for Judas. Sholem pictured Judas as a traitor but offered deep emotional insides into his motives.
The outstanding value of the Nazarene is the immediacy of the storytelling - great historical fiction no doubt. Sholem fills the gaping voids between the gospel’s sparse lines. Sholem does not only summons the Jewish and Galilean way of life at Jesus’ time, but he also dives into the depths of the Jewish and Galilean soul. He takes the reader through the intricate and fragile mansion of Jewish thinking and feeling Jesus barged into - as the great renovator but also like a bull in a china shop.
Jesus made it clear that he didn't come to change the law (Torah) but only amended it, with the lost, eleventh commandment - the power of love. The famous Don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you stems from the rabbi Hillel the Elder, a venerated rabbi at Jesus’ time. According to Sholem, Jesus stood in the tradition of the House of Hillel. I beg to differ. Jesus was an Essene, the custodians of the secret prophetic tradition, the Merkhavah, which, centuries later, resurfaced as the Qabalah.
The core conflicts between old-school Judaism and Jesus arose around the anticipation of how the Messiah would appear. Many believed that he would be a (magical) warlord who would free Israel from the tyranny of Rome and the Sadducees. Jesus, on the other hand, clarified that the Messiah would not wage war (that's religious), rather lead people to the Kingdom of Heaven - enlightenment that is.
And this brings us to the ambivalence of religion and enlightenment. Like many other religions, Judaism was a great romance with God, a zealous faith but was (and is?) also shackled by pedantic rule-making. Jesus commented on the latter as follows, “You damn rule-makers, academics, and better-than-thous. You lost the key to the kingdom of heaven [enlightenment] and all you are doing now is preventing people from finding it.” – Matthew 23.13
Jesus’ (mysterious) remark in Mat 23.30-31 indicates how ancient the conflict between religion and enlightenment, Jesus and the Pharisees, was: If we had been in the days of our forefathers, we would not have partaken in shedding the blood of the prophets. Therefore, bear witnesses unto yourselves, that you are the children of those who killed the prophets.
I did not succeed in finding historical records of the killing of prophets by scribes (from which the Pharisees descended). If you know something, please drop me an email. If you like to know more about the ancient war between religion and enlightenment you can find information in this post about the Axial Age: https://www.inspirationandenlightenme....
It seems that Christianity inherited both from Judaism - dogmatic pedantry and zeal. At that time, religious zeal was unfamiliar to the rest of the world. Religion was a means to an end, business with the gods or God - bribing to be precise. In Israel, the Sadducees monopolized that business in Jerusalem’s Temple.
Religious zeal and the readiness to die for their God must have scared the shit out of the Romans, who failed to integrate Israel into the Roman Empire. Judaism did not sell out. This may have been the main reason for the diaspora. Logically, the Romans feared the zeal of the early Christians too. Well, Christianity did sell out.
The Nazarene is a heavy read, heavier than the gospel, but it is rewarding if you have the stomach and endurance. I confess to having skipped paragraphs now and then. ;-)
May 29, 2018
I ate this book up. I thought the pacing was good despite other comments I have seen and read like a good suspense novel.
The concept of past lives is used as a device brilliantly to tell a story from the past. An anti-semitic scholar who is looked on as both
one who comes up with authentic details from the past never before revealed or found in recorded history who is occassional thought brilliant and proof is found of his discoveries and sometimes debunked as a nut and disproven, a wild eccentric, is sought out by a Judaic scholar who wants to know history and find out what he really knows or doesn't and how.... and endures his insults.... and, well. "The Angel of Forgetfulness sometimes himself forgets to draw the curtain between the present and past existences." (This quote is from memory after years and is likely a not exact but gives you the feeling).
So the past memory recall leads to a recounting of the life of The Nazarene through the eyes of a Roman Centurian and 3rd disiciple of Nicodemus of the Pharisee's.
It made a very interesting and unique story. Well written. What is fact or not is up to the reader of course.
The concept of past lives is used as a device brilliantly to tell a story from the past. An anti-semitic scholar who is looked on as both
one who comes up with authentic details from the past never before revealed or found in recorded history who is occassional thought brilliant and proof is found of his discoveries and sometimes debunked as a nut and disproven, a wild eccentric, is sought out by a Judaic scholar who wants to know history and find out what he really knows or doesn't and how.... and endures his insults.... and, well. "The Angel of Forgetfulness sometimes himself forgets to draw the curtain between the present and past existences." (This quote is from memory after years and is likely a not exact but gives you the feeling).
So the past memory recall leads to a recounting of the life of The Nazarene through the eyes of a Roman Centurian and 3rd disiciple of Nicodemus of the Pharisee's.
It made a very interesting and unique story. Well written. What is fact or not is up to the reader of course.
August 21, 2017
Sholem Asch seems to be mostly forgotten now, but he was one of the first and greatest of the yiddish writers from Eastern Europe. This historical novel about the life and death of Jesus from Nazareth is very well constructed and beautifully written. Perhaps a bit too long, perhaps because he (like Dickens) had it published as a serial. But the main point for me is the sincere portrayal of Jesus as a very human being burdened with a message and purpose from God.
October 5, 2017
It's hard to know what I think of this book. I suppose that's a sign that I was paying attention. One of the things that always helps me decide if a book is memorable or not is the ending. I have to admit that in all the books I've read I think Shalom Asch always surprises me with his endings. You ended it here, I always say. The Nazarene is no exception.
I honestly found the book a little tedious at points because I wasn't sure what all of the events had to do with each other. It seemed cloudy, as if he had just illustrated some point and here he was illustrating it again with another story.
I found the story told from the poitn of view of three people intriguing. I wasn't sure how he was going to do this without starting over again. But he took the story to a certain point from the eyes of each character sometimes as in the case of the last section shifting back to the Roman. I thought the portrayal of Judas was interesting in that I never thought of him thirsting for salvation.
Reading this book makes me want to read apocryphal writings again because it's very clear that he used a lot of them. Sometimes the theology from a Christian perspective was right on and sometimes I thought some points were a little off. But it's a novel. I did really like the Jewish perspective since Yeshua was jewish. I would probably be called a Messainist. I've never heard that word.
The reason for the one character being haunted from the crucifixion to the present incarnation wasn't very original but it was an interesting take on things. It didn't seem to fit with Yeshua's character the cursing of the man always having him desiring water and saying he couldn't live without Yeshua or with him as Messiah. I have to admit that surprised me.
I've read Mary and I found that one extremely riveting. It was a page turner. This one I had to take in smaller doses. I'll probably read his third book about Saul though I might take a break for a week or so. I'm intrigued by fictional accounts of jesus. It's my latest interest in reading. These are compelling.
As a last point I did find it very imaginative how he worked biblical passages into the story, the choosing of events where he brought them up was stellar. Sometimes from reading these books I wondered if he believed what he was writing. Was he a Messianist? I dont' know but I've discovered a great writer and I'll read more.
I honestly found the book a little tedious at points because I wasn't sure what all of the events had to do with each other. It seemed cloudy, as if he had just illustrated some point and here he was illustrating it again with another story.
I found the story told from the poitn of view of three people intriguing. I wasn't sure how he was going to do this without starting over again. But he took the story to a certain point from the eyes of each character sometimes as in the case of the last section shifting back to the Roman. I thought the portrayal of Judas was interesting in that I never thought of him thirsting for salvation.
Reading this book makes me want to read apocryphal writings again because it's very clear that he used a lot of them. Sometimes the theology from a Christian perspective was right on and sometimes I thought some points were a little off. But it's a novel. I did really like the Jewish perspective since Yeshua was jewish. I would probably be called a Messainist. I've never heard that word.
The reason for the one character being haunted from the crucifixion to the present incarnation wasn't very original but it was an interesting take on things. It didn't seem to fit with Yeshua's character the cursing of the man always having him desiring water and saying he couldn't live without Yeshua or with him as Messiah. I have to admit that surprised me.
I've read Mary and I found that one extremely riveting. It was a page turner. This one I had to take in smaller doses. I'll probably read his third book about Saul though I might take a break for a week or so. I'm intrigued by fictional accounts of jesus. It's my latest interest in reading. These are compelling.
As a last point I did find it very imaginative how he worked biblical passages into the story, the choosing of events where he brought them up was stellar. Sometimes from reading these books I wondered if he believed what he was writing. Was he a Messianist? I dont' know but I've discovered a great writer and I'll read more.
February 23, 2013
The story is well known but the author extrapolates out the reasons behind many of the sayings and incidents that appear in the Christian Bible. Written in the 1930s, parts of this book seem like they were authored in the 30s. Very interesting historical fiction for both Christians and Jews....I found especially fascinating the descriptions of Judean society 2,000 years ago.
May 4, 2018
Asch's work about the shtetl, which is easy enough to access in translation, is much more accessible than this novel, which is not at all gripping, mostly rambling and didactic, as authors often are when they're trying desperately to make a point. Asch's point was that Jews of Poland were long-suffering people, enough like Christians that the world should make more of an effort to save them from the imminent Holocaust. The fact that Jesus in the text is tortured to death by a German is no accident.
I read it for a paper in grad school, and let me tell you, this thing is much more interesting in terms of its impact on culture and history (Asch quarreled bitterly with other Jews from the moment of publication until the day of his death) than it is as literature. The invented Gospel of Judas is an academic exercise of enormous erudition and creativity that is, unfortunately, especially tiring to plow through.
It seems to me that many people, especially Christian people, tend to like this book because they imagine that this historical fiction is somehow an accurate depiction of the life of Christ. Others because they're too put off by the Jewishness of Asch's better work to read and make the comparison. Still more because they hope more Jews will, like Sholem Asch, think highly of Jesus. It is true, and very evident from this book, that Asch thought highly of Rabbi Jesus! But even for the most diehard missionary, that's not enough to save the hundreds of extra pages or the sheer lack of believability that ensues when the most skeptical character makes an about-face and starts to describe his life as a Jew in Rome.
I am consistently shocked that people like the work, especially today.
Again, much more interesting for its reception than for its craft.
I read it for a paper in grad school, and let me tell you, this thing is much more interesting in terms of its impact on culture and history (Asch quarreled bitterly with other Jews from the moment of publication until the day of his death) than it is as literature. The invented Gospel of Judas is an academic exercise of enormous erudition and creativity that is, unfortunately, especially tiring to plow through.
It seems to me that many people, especially Christian people, tend to like this book because they imagine that this historical fiction is somehow an accurate depiction of the life of Christ. Others because they're too put off by the Jewishness of Asch's better work to read and make the comparison. Still more because they hope more Jews will, like Sholem Asch, think highly of Jesus. It is true, and very evident from this book, that Asch thought highly of Rabbi Jesus! But even for the most diehard missionary, that's not enough to save the hundreds of extra pages or the sheer lack of believability that ensues when the most skeptical character makes an about-face and starts to describe his life as a Jew in Rome.
I am consistently shocked that people like the work, especially today.
Again, much more interesting for its reception than for its craft.
July 8, 2013
It was compelling all the way through. A good insight into life and times of that day.
September 21, 2012
Tiberius followed Augusta as emperor of Rome. Juliana was Augustus' daughter.Juliana married Tiberius (her third marriage) Augustus banished her for indescretions with slaves of the Imperial court. She gave birth to Claudia (father a Roman knight)) Tiberius preyed on the aristocracy and had a sick lustful mind. Pontius Pilot married Claudia who had been corrupted during her time at Tiberius's court.
Tower Gate, known as the Beautiful Gate) in Jerusalem had a cluster of gold grapes-emblem of the Jews) hung above it.
Dyers had threads through their ears, tailors had needles stuck in their clothes,scribes wore little leather boxes on arms and forehad containing passages from their code of laws called Shema.These boxes were called phylacteries.
Holy Day of Water Pouring-Jews set their old clothes on fire. They offered plain water as a sacrifice.
Cherubim-mystic birds
Hanan-old ex-high priest at time of Christ. His son-in-law, Kaifa was High Priest.
Doves were offered as a sacrifice by women for the birth of a child., and as a purification sacrifice. Special birds sold by the high priest(not just any old dove!)
Sadduces-considered heretics by the populace. "Today let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" Adopted the Greek culture of Hellenism. Rich and powerful The old High Priest and his sons were Sadduces. Did not believe in a messiah
Pharisees believed in the coming of a messiah and resurrection
Sea of Genesaret or Tiberius-Sea of Galilea
Magdal- rich city, city of the dyers. The hiluzon (Mussel fish)found here. Purple dye from their gall
Sidon- purple from the liver of the water snail..
Miriam of Magdal-among the aristocratic youth of Jerusalem. Loved, honoured. A dancer.. Cultivated a herb and perfume garden (Gat Sheman) on the Mount of Olives but lived in the Kidron Valley. Sister Martha and brother Eliezer.
Dung Gate- beyond was the Valley of Hinnom, where the waters of Siloah ran through gutters where the lepers lived.
Valley of Kidron-The garbage of the city was tossed here. The tanners washed their hides.The poor scrounged here
The Jewish king Herod the Great had many sons and one of them was Aristobulus. However, the prince and the king were not on speaking terms; after two trials before the Roman emperor Augustus, Herod had his son executed in 7 BCE. Aristobulus' son Agrippa, was spared. The boy was only three years old -he was born in 11- and was sent to Rome, where he received a Roman education with the princes of the ruling dynasty,. Among his companions were the later emperors Caligula and Claudius.
King Herod , the Great died in 4 BCE and was succeeded by three other sons: Herod Antipas was to rule Galilee and the east bank of the Jordan as a tetrarch; Philip was to be tetrarch of the Golan heights in the north-east; and Archelaus became the ethnarch ('national leader') of Samaria and Judaea.
.Herod Antipas- Herod's son by a Samaritan woman. Never destined for the throne but after Herod put Miriam and all her children to death plus another son for reason he was next in line. Augustus would not allow him to be king, only tetrarch of Galilee. Held with the Pharisees not the Sadduces but in private broke all the rules.
Machaerus-Herod Antipas's fortress near Petra.(near his past father in law, the king of Petra) (area of Sodom)
John the Baptist wore a ritual leather box on his head (containing a parchment declaring love of God) Killed at Machaerus.
Salome was 10 years old.
Herodias-cultured,, well bred.(Herod Antipas's wife) Brother was Agrippa Antipas was his brother in law and uncle
Herod Agrippa: Jewish king, ruled 37-44. Because of his good connections in Rome, he was the last to unite the Jewish territories. King Herod (Agrippa) went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne and delivered an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, 'It is the voice of a god, and not of a man!' And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory; and he was eaten by worms and gave up the ghost.[Acts of the apostles 12.19b-23]
K'far Nahum-Capernum
Judah Ish Kiriot- (ish means from) Judah from Kiriot
Shalom aleichem- Aramaic salutation
Law of purity prevented jews from entering the house of a non-believer. They covered the instruments of labour on the sabbath so that they would not be troubled by their sight.
Sepphoris a greek city near Nazareth. It is possible that Jesus could speak Greek for he uses the Greek word `hypocrites' (means `stage actor'). Using such a word could reveal his knowledge of the theater at Sepphoris. After all Jesus labored about 15 years as a carpenter (tekton) in Nazareth, a one hour walk away from Sepphoris.
According to Luke, the village of Naim (Nain) was one of the cities in the Galilee where Jesus toured, accompanied with his 12 apostles and assistant women, at the summer of 29AD (approximate date). During this visit he performed a miracle, bringing back to life the only son of a widow.
Jochanah- wife of an officer of Herod
"It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven"
Jesus's father was not alive at the time of His ministery
Jesus’ brothers are mentioned in several Bible verses. Matthew 12:46, Luke 8:19, and Mark 3:31 say that Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see Him. The Bible tells us that Jesus had four brothers: James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas (Matthew 13:55). The Bible also tells us that Jesus had sisters, but they are not named or numbered (Matthew 13:56).
Choleric- means easily angered.
Beelzebub, or Baalzebûb, the Philistine god of Accaron (Ekron), scarcely 25 miles west of Jerusalem, The name is commonly translated "the lord of the flies", In the New Testament, there is question of an evil spirit, Beelzeboul. On account of the great similarity of names, he is usually identified with Baalzebub, beel being the Aramaic form of baal,
The Apotles: Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip, and Bartholomew, Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas ["the son" is interpolated] of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. (Luke 6:14-16, RSV)
The apostle called Simon Zelotes, Simon the Zealot, ,was one of the most obscure among the apostles of Jesus. Little is recorded of him aside from his name
Simon was an apostle
He was called Simon the Zealot
He belonged to a group of people that terrorized the Romans.
A zealot was the name of a person that belonged to this group
The Zealots were not nice people.
They were mean.
When Simon became an apostle, he learned to control his energy.
Zealots- landless who robbed the rich and gave to the poor, lived in caves and fought against authority.
Essenes and Hasidim -super-priests. The Essenes called the flaming pit for the wicked "Gehenna"
Jews were held in bondage in Egypt for 400 years.
Joseph's sons by Asenath were Manasseh and Ephraim and were adopted into Isreal
Ben and Judah were south in Judea and judea captured by Babylonians Other8 tribes to north-Assyrians
Sidonians- mother put an earring in sons right ear when he was born. Sidonians got their slaves not by the sword but buying slaves. They offered human sacrifices to Moloch and goddess Ashtarot whenever there was a disaster. Children of age 10. Only taken from an honourable family. Cannonites were slaves of the Sidonians.
The main story of Balaam occurs during the sojourn of the Israelites in the plains of Midian, east of the Jordan River, at the close of forty years of wandering, shortly before the death of Moses, and the crossing of the Jordan. The Israelites have already defeated two kings on this side of the Jordan: Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan. Balak, king of Moab (Numbers 22:2), consequently becomes alarmed, and sends elders of Midian and his messengers (Numbers 22:4-5), to Balaam, son of Beor, to induce him to come and curse Israel.
Balaam sends back word that he can only do what YHWH commands, and God has, via a nocturnal dream, told him not to go. Moab consequently sends higher ranking priests and offers Balaam honours; Balaam, in his coveteousness, continues to press God, and God finally gives him over to his greed and permits him to go but with instructions to say only what he commands. Balaam thus, without being asked again, sets out in the morning with the princes of Moab and God becomes angry that he went, and the Angel of the Lord (Numbers 22:22) is sent to prevent him. At first the angel is seen only by the donkey Balaam is riding, which tries to avoid the otherwise invisible angel. After Balaam starts punishing the donkey for refusing to move, it is miraculously given the power to speak to Balaam (Numbers 22:28), and it complains about Balaam's treatment. At this point, Balaam is allowed to see the angel, who informs him that the donkey is the only reason the angel did not kill Balaam. Balaam immediately repents, but is told to go on.
Balac, the King of Moab, was concerned about Israel's victories against the Amorrhites, so he sent messengers with gifts to the diviner Balaam, trying to induce Balaam to curse Israel (Balaam was known for his effective curses and blessings). The confused, untrustworthy, idolatrous Balaam -- a man whom St. Peter described as being one who "loved the wages of iniquity" (II Peter 2:15) -- prayed about whether to go or not, was told not to, and sent the messengers on their way.
Balac them sent more messengers, offering Balaam greater gifts in return for a cursing of Israel. Balaam prayed again, and this time was told to go -- provided that He did all that God told him to do -- but Balaam had decided sell out Israel at this point, and God knew it and was angry.
At any rate, the next morning, Balaam saddled up his ass and rode with the messengers to see Balac. En route, the ass grew distressed and swerved off the path. Balaam beat her.
Then the ass crushed Balaam's leg against a wall and Balaam beat her again.
Then the ass sank to the ground, refusing to budge. Balaam beat her once more -- and then "the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said: 'What have I done to thee? Why strikest thou me, lo, now this third time?'"
Balaam answered, "Because thou hast deserved it, and hast served me ill: I would I had a sword that I might kill thee."
The ass said, "Am not I thy beast, on which thou hast been always accustomed to ride until this present day? tell me if I ever did the like thing to thee."
Balaam replied, "Never" -- and then suddenly his eyes were opened and he saw why the ass behaved as she did: an angel stood in the path, with sword drawn, barring passage. The angel upbraided Balaam for his cruelty to the ass and told him that the ass saved his life. Balaam was allowed to continue on, but only if he did what God commanded.
Adonis- means Thou beautiful one.
Legion is a group of demons referred to in the Christian Bible. The New Testament outlines an encounter where Jesus healed a man from Gadarenes possessed by demons while traveling, known as Exorcising the Gerasenes demonic.
They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
When he had come out of the boat,
immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
who had his dwelling in the tombs.
Nobody could bind him any more, not even with chains,
because he had been often bound with fetters and chains,
and the chains had been torn apart by him, and the fetters broken in pieces.
Nobody had the strength to tame him.
Always, night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains,
he was crying out, and cutting himself with stones.
When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and bowed down to him,
and crying out with a loud voice, he said,
"What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God?
I adjure you by God, don’t torment me."
For he said to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!"
He asked him, "What is your name?"
He said to him, "My name is Legion, for we are many."
He begged him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
Now there was on the mountainside a great herd of pigs feeding.
All the demons begged him, saying,
"Send us into the pigs, that we may enter into them."
At once Jesus gave them permission.
The unclean spirits came out and entered into the pigs.
The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea,
and they were drowned in the sea.
Those who fed them fled, and told it in the city and in the country.
The people came to see what it was that had happened.
They came to Jesus, and saw him who had been possessed by demons sitting,
clothed, and in his right mind, even him who had the legion; and they were afraid.
Those who saw it declared to them how it happened to him
who was possessed by demons, and about the pigs.
They began to beg him to depart from their region.
As he was entering into the boat, he who had been possessed
by demons begged him that he might be with him.
He didn’t allow him, but said to him,
"Go to your house, to your friends,
and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you,
and how he had mercy on you."
He went his way, and began to proclaim in Decapolis
how Jesus had done great things for him, and everyone marveled.
This story is the begining of the cleansing of the Gentiles and of other Gods(Zeus, Aphrodite Moloch)
guerdon - a reward or payment
reward - payment made in return for a service rendered
Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, who, according to the Gospel of John, showed favour to Jesus. He appears three times in the plot: the first is when he visits Jesus one night to listen to his teachings (John 3:1–21); the second is when he states the law concerning the arrest of Jesus during the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:45–51); and the last follows the Crucifixion, when he assists Joseph of Arimathea in preparing the corpse of Jesus for burial (John 19:39–42).He was an popponet of the Sadduces and loved by the masses.
Mazot-bread of Liberation. Unleavened, the jews brought it out of Egypt
Simon of Cyrene, a large city in North Africa, carried the cross for Jesus. Romans could not force another jew to do it for then they wold be unclean for passover and Romans could not interfere in religious dealing.
Boy becomes man according to jewish law in his 14th year.
Barabbas is the insurrectionary whom Pontius Pilate freed at the Passover feast in Jerusalem. Was a revolutionary hero to many
The penalty for Barabbas' crime was death by crucifixion, but according to the four canonical gospels and the non-canonical Gospel of Peter there was a prevailing Passover custom in Jerusalem that allowed or required Pilate, the praefectus or governor of Judaea, to commute one prisoner's death sentence by popular acclaim, and the "crowd" (ochlos) — which has become "the Jews" and "the multitude" in some translations — were offered a choice of whether to have Barabbas or Jesus Christ released from Roman custody. According to the closely parallel gospels of Matthew (27:15-26), Mark (15:6-15), and Luke (23:13–25), and the more divergent accounts in John (18:38-19:16) and the Gospel of Peter, the crowd chose Barabbas to be released and Jesus of Nazareth to be crucified.
hagiography
1. the writing of the lives of the saints
2. biography of the saints
3. any biography that idealizes or idolizes its subject
The Bible and The Torah describe the Edomites as descendents of Esau the eldest son of the Jewish patriarch Isaac. jews called Roman rule Edom.
Sanhendrin a dominated by the saddues.
Pharisees exceeded the Priests in general learning.
House of Hanan, the High priest had inheited all thaqt was eveil from the time of Herod
Joseph of Arimathia was the mediator between the Pharisees and the Romans
Decapolis were ten Greek towns. Pagan worshippers
Ashes of the red heifer were used to purify someone who had touched the dead. ut the heifer cold not have one white hair so therefore the ahses were rare and a treasure to the Temple.
Simon the Leper. he was called Simon the Modest but the word for modest is zenua and differs only by one letter from the word leper which is zerua. An error. Simon the leper looked after the poor and the sick.
The Old Testament, nard is referred to in the Song of Songs, as a symbol of the intimate nature of the Bride’s love. A very precious rare perfume or essential oil.
Judgement of trials of death could not be done at nigh according to Jewish law.
Bearing false witness-Torah law that the accuser shall be given the punishment that was supposed to be given to the accused.
Hermanus-German soldier put in charge of Jesus.
The Hasmoneans were a ruling dynasty of Judea and surrounding regions during classical antiquity. Between c. 140 and c. 116 BCE, .The dynasty was established under the leadership of Simon Maccabaeus, two decades after his brother Judas the Maccabee ("Hammer") defeated the Seleucid army during the Maccabean Revolt in 165 BCE. The Hasmonean Kingdom survived for 103 years before yielding to the Herodian Dynasty in 37 BCE. Even then, Herod the Great felt obliged to bolster the legitimacy of his reign
KING OF THE JEWS was inscribed on the cross in latin Greek and hebrew
Law of isreal that even a jew who was executed should be buried the same day.joseph of Arimathia payed Pilote with a rare pearl. Pilot later returned it to him.
Joseph of Arimathia, Simon Cyrene, Hillel (the watercarrier) and Nicodemus took jesus from the cross
Those who believed that jesus was the messiah were known as Messianists
Jacob (Jesus' brother) was put to death by Hana ben Hanan (youngest son of the old high priest)
James, son of Zebedee (Aramaic Yaʕqov, Greek Ιάκωβος, died 44 AD) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John the Apostle. He is also called James the Greater to distinguish him from James, son of Alphaeus, who is also known as James the Lesser.
In the New Testament
James is described as one of the first disciples to join Jesus. The Synoptic Gospels state that James and John were with their father by the seashore when Jesus called them to follow him.[Matt. 4:21-22][Mk. 1:19-20] James was one of only three apostles whom Jesus selected to bear witness to his Transfiguration.[1] James and his brother wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan town, but were rebuked by Jesus.[Lk 9:51-6] The Acts of the Apostles 12:1 records that Herod had James executed by sword. He is the only apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the New Testament. He is, thus, traditionally believed to be the first of the 12 apostles martyred for his faith. [Acts 12:1-2] Nixon suggests that this may have been caused by James' fiery temper,[2] for which he and his brother earned the nickname Boanerges or "Sons of Thunder".[Mark 3:17] F. F. Bruce contrasts this story to that of the Liberation of Peter, and notes that "James should die while Peter should escape" is a "mystery of divine providence."
Tower Gate, known as the Beautiful Gate) in Jerusalem had a cluster of gold grapes-emblem of the Jews) hung above it.
Dyers had threads through their ears, tailors had needles stuck in their clothes,scribes wore little leather boxes on arms and forehad containing passages from their code of laws called Shema.These boxes were called phylacteries.
Holy Day of Water Pouring-Jews set their old clothes on fire. They offered plain water as a sacrifice.
Cherubim-mystic birds
Hanan-old ex-high priest at time of Christ. His son-in-law, Kaifa was High Priest.
Doves were offered as a sacrifice by women for the birth of a child., and as a purification sacrifice. Special birds sold by the high priest(not just any old dove!)
Sadduces-considered heretics by the populace. "Today let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" Adopted the Greek culture of Hellenism. Rich and powerful The old High Priest and his sons were Sadduces. Did not believe in a messiah
Pharisees believed in the coming of a messiah and resurrection
Sea of Genesaret or Tiberius-Sea of Galilea
Magdal- rich city, city of the dyers. The hiluzon (Mussel fish)found here. Purple dye from their gall
Sidon- purple from the liver of the water snail..
Miriam of Magdal-among the aristocratic youth of Jerusalem. Loved, honoured. A dancer.. Cultivated a herb and perfume garden (Gat Sheman) on the Mount of Olives but lived in the Kidron Valley. Sister Martha and brother Eliezer.
Dung Gate- beyond was the Valley of Hinnom, where the waters of Siloah ran through gutters where the lepers lived.
Valley of Kidron-The garbage of the city was tossed here. The tanners washed their hides.The poor scrounged here
The Jewish king Herod the Great had many sons and one of them was Aristobulus. However, the prince and the king were not on speaking terms; after two trials before the Roman emperor Augustus, Herod had his son executed in 7 BCE. Aristobulus' son Agrippa, was spared. The boy was only three years old -he was born in 11- and was sent to Rome, where he received a Roman education with the princes of the ruling dynasty,. Among his companions were the later emperors Caligula and Claudius.
King Herod , the Great died in 4 BCE and was succeeded by three other sons: Herod Antipas was to rule Galilee and the east bank of the Jordan as a tetrarch; Philip was to be tetrarch of the Golan heights in the north-east; and Archelaus became the ethnarch ('national leader') of Samaria and Judaea.
.Herod Antipas- Herod's son by a Samaritan woman. Never destined for the throne but after Herod put Miriam and all her children to death plus another son for reason he was next in line. Augustus would not allow him to be king, only tetrarch of Galilee. Held with the Pharisees not the Sadduces but in private broke all the rules.
Machaerus-Herod Antipas's fortress near Petra.(near his past father in law, the king of Petra) (area of Sodom)
John the Baptist wore a ritual leather box on his head (containing a parchment declaring love of God) Killed at Machaerus.
Salome was 10 years old.
Herodias-cultured,, well bred.(Herod Antipas's wife) Brother was Agrippa Antipas was his brother in law and uncle
Herod Agrippa: Jewish king, ruled 37-44. Because of his good connections in Rome, he was the last to unite the Jewish territories. King Herod (Agrippa) went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne and delivered an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, 'It is the voice of a god, and not of a man!' And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory; and he was eaten by worms and gave up the ghost.[Acts of the apostles 12.19b-23]
K'far Nahum-Capernum
Judah Ish Kiriot- (ish means from) Judah from Kiriot
Shalom aleichem- Aramaic salutation
Law of purity prevented jews from entering the house of a non-believer. They covered the instruments of labour on the sabbath so that they would not be troubled by their sight.
Sepphoris a greek city near Nazareth. It is possible that Jesus could speak Greek for he uses the Greek word `hypocrites' (means `stage actor'). Using such a word could reveal his knowledge of the theater at Sepphoris. After all Jesus labored about 15 years as a carpenter (tekton) in Nazareth, a one hour walk away from Sepphoris.
According to Luke, the village of Naim (Nain) was one of the cities in the Galilee where Jesus toured, accompanied with his 12 apostles and assistant women, at the summer of 29AD (approximate date). During this visit he performed a miracle, bringing back to life the only son of a widow.
Jochanah- wife of an officer of Herod
"It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven"
Jesus's father was not alive at the time of His ministery
Jesus’ brothers are mentioned in several Bible verses. Matthew 12:46, Luke 8:19, and Mark 3:31 say that Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see Him. The Bible tells us that Jesus had four brothers: James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas (Matthew 13:55). The Bible also tells us that Jesus had sisters, but they are not named or numbered (Matthew 13:56).
Choleric- means easily angered.
Beelzebub, or Baalzebûb, the Philistine god of Accaron (Ekron), scarcely 25 miles west of Jerusalem, The name is commonly translated "the lord of the flies", In the New Testament, there is question of an evil spirit, Beelzeboul. On account of the great similarity of names, he is usually identified with Baalzebub, beel being the Aramaic form of baal,
The Apotles: Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip, and Bartholomew, Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas ["the son" is interpolated] of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. (Luke 6:14-16, RSV)
The apostle called Simon Zelotes, Simon the Zealot, ,was one of the most obscure among the apostles of Jesus. Little is recorded of him aside from his name
Simon was an apostle
He was called Simon the Zealot
He belonged to a group of people that terrorized the Romans.
A zealot was the name of a person that belonged to this group
The Zealots were not nice people.
They were mean.
When Simon became an apostle, he learned to control his energy.
Zealots- landless who robbed the rich and gave to the poor, lived in caves and fought against authority.
Essenes and Hasidim -super-priests. The Essenes called the flaming pit for the wicked "Gehenna"
Jews were held in bondage in Egypt for 400 years.
Joseph's sons by Asenath were Manasseh and Ephraim and were adopted into Isreal
Ben and Judah were south in Judea and judea captured by Babylonians Other8 tribes to north-Assyrians
Sidonians- mother put an earring in sons right ear when he was born. Sidonians got their slaves not by the sword but buying slaves. They offered human sacrifices to Moloch and goddess Ashtarot whenever there was a disaster. Children of age 10. Only taken from an honourable family. Cannonites were slaves of the Sidonians.
The main story of Balaam occurs during the sojourn of the Israelites in the plains of Midian, east of the Jordan River, at the close of forty years of wandering, shortly before the death of Moses, and the crossing of the Jordan. The Israelites have already defeated two kings on this side of the Jordan: Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan. Balak, king of Moab (Numbers 22:2), consequently becomes alarmed, and sends elders of Midian and his messengers (Numbers 22:4-5), to Balaam, son of Beor, to induce him to come and curse Israel.
Balaam sends back word that he can only do what YHWH commands, and God has, via a nocturnal dream, told him not to go. Moab consequently sends higher ranking priests and offers Balaam honours; Balaam, in his coveteousness, continues to press God, and God finally gives him over to his greed and permits him to go but with instructions to say only what he commands. Balaam thus, without being asked again, sets out in the morning with the princes of Moab and God becomes angry that he went, and the Angel of the Lord (Numbers 22:22) is sent to prevent him. At first the angel is seen only by the donkey Balaam is riding, which tries to avoid the otherwise invisible angel. After Balaam starts punishing the donkey for refusing to move, it is miraculously given the power to speak to Balaam (Numbers 22:28), and it complains about Balaam's treatment. At this point, Balaam is allowed to see the angel, who informs him that the donkey is the only reason the angel did not kill Balaam. Balaam immediately repents, but is told to go on.
Balac, the King of Moab, was concerned about Israel's victories against the Amorrhites, so he sent messengers with gifts to the diviner Balaam, trying to induce Balaam to curse Israel (Balaam was known for his effective curses and blessings). The confused, untrustworthy, idolatrous Balaam -- a man whom St. Peter described as being one who "loved the wages of iniquity" (II Peter 2:15) -- prayed about whether to go or not, was told not to, and sent the messengers on their way.
Balac them sent more messengers, offering Balaam greater gifts in return for a cursing of Israel. Balaam prayed again, and this time was told to go -- provided that He did all that God told him to do -- but Balaam had decided sell out Israel at this point, and God knew it and was angry.
At any rate, the next morning, Balaam saddled up his ass and rode with the messengers to see Balac. En route, the ass grew distressed and swerved off the path. Balaam beat her.
Then the ass crushed Balaam's leg against a wall and Balaam beat her again.
Then the ass sank to the ground, refusing to budge. Balaam beat her once more -- and then "the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said: 'What have I done to thee? Why strikest thou me, lo, now this third time?'"
Balaam answered, "Because thou hast deserved it, and hast served me ill: I would I had a sword that I might kill thee."
The ass said, "Am not I thy beast, on which thou hast been always accustomed to ride until this present day? tell me if I ever did the like thing to thee."
Balaam replied, "Never" -- and then suddenly his eyes were opened and he saw why the ass behaved as she did: an angel stood in the path, with sword drawn, barring passage. The angel upbraided Balaam for his cruelty to the ass and told him that the ass saved his life. Balaam was allowed to continue on, but only if he did what God commanded.
Adonis- means Thou beautiful one.
Legion is a group of demons referred to in the Christian Bible. The New Testament outlines an encounter where Jesus healed a man from Gadarenes possessed by demons while traveling, known as Exorcising the Gerasenes demonic.
They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
When he had come out of the boat,
immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
who had his dwelling in the tombs.
Nobody could bind him any more, not even with chains,
because he had been often bound with fetters and chains,
and the chains had been torn apart by him, and the fetters broken in pieces.
Nobody had the strength to tame him.
Always, night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains,
he was crying out, and cutting himself with stones.
When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and bowed down to him,
and crying out with a loud voice, he said,
"What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God?
I adjure you by God, don’t torment me."
For he said to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!"
He asked him, "What is your name?"
He said to him, "My name is Legion, for we are many."
He begged him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
Now there was on the mountainside a great herd of pigs feeding.
All the demons begged him, saying,
"Send us into the pigs, that we may enter into them."
At once Jesus gave them permission.
The unclean spirits came out and entered into the pigs.
The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea,
and they were drowned in the sea.
Those who fed them fled, and told it in the city and in the country.
The people came to see what it was that had happened.
They came to Jesus, and saw him who had been possessed by demons sitting,
clothed, and in his right mind, even him who had the legion; and they were afraid.
Those who saw it declared to them how it happened to him
who was possessed by demons, and about the pigs.
They began to beg him to depart from their region.
As he was entering into the boat, he who had been possessed
by demons begged him that he might be with him.
He didn’t allow him, but said to him,
"Go to your house, to your friends,
and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you,
and how he had mercy on you."
He went his way, and began to proclaim in Decapolis
how Jesus had done great things for him, and everyone marveled.
This story is the begining of the cleansing of the Gentiles and of other Gods(Zeus, Aphrodite Moloch)
guerdon - a reward or payment
reward - payment made in return for a service rendered
Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, who, according to the Gospel of John, showed favour to Jesus. He appears three times in the plot: the first is when he visits Jesus one night to listen to his teachings (John 3:1–21); the second is when he states the law concerning the arrest of Jesus during the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:45–51); and the last follows the Crucifixion, when he assists Joseph of Arimathea in preparing the corpse of Jesus for burial (John 19:39–42).He was an popponet of the Sadduces and loved by the masses.
Mazot-bread of Liberation. Unleavened, the jews brought it out of Egypt
Simon of Cyrene, a large city in North Africa, carried the cross for Jesus. Romans could not force another jew to do it for then they wold be unclean for passover and Romans could not interfere in religious dealing.
Boy becomes man according to jewish law in his 14th year.
Barabbas is the insurrectionary whom Pontius Pilate freed at the Passover feast in Jerusalem. Was a revolutionary hero to many
The penalty for Barabbas' crime was death by crucifixion, but according to the four canonical gospels and the non-canonical Gospel of Peter there was a prevailing Passover custom in Jerusalem that allowed or required Pilate, the praefectus or governor of Judaea, to commute one prisoner's death sentence by popular acclaim, and the "crowd" (ochlos) — which has become "the Jews" and "the multitude" in some translations — were offered a choice of whether to have Barabbas or Jesus Christ released from Roman custody. According to the closely parallel gospels of Matthew (27:15-26), Mark (15:6-15), and Luke (23:13–25), and the more divergent accounts in John (18:38-19:16) and the Gospel of Peter, the crowd chose Barabbas to be released and Jesus of Nazareth to be crucified.
hagiography
1. the writing of the lives of the saints
2. biography of the saints
3. any biography that idealizes or idolizes its subject
The Bible and The Torah describe the Edomites as descendents of Esau the eldest son of the Jewish patriarch Isaac. jews called Roman rule Edom.
Sanhendrin a dominated by the saddues.
Pharisees exceeded the Priests in general learning.
House of Hanan, the High priest had inheited all thaqt was eveil from the time of Herod
Joseph of Arimathia was the mediator between the Pharisees and the Romans
Decapolis were ten Greek towns. Pagan worshippers
Ashes of the red heifer were used to purify someone who had touched the dead. ut the heifer cold not have one white hair so therefore the ahses were rare and a treasure to the Temple.
Simon the Leper. he was called Simon the Modest but the word for modest is zenua and differs only by one letter from the word leper which is zerua. An error. Simon the leper looked after the poor and the sick.
The Old Testament, nard is referred to in the Song of Songs, as a symbol of the intimate nature of the Bride’s love. A very precious rare perfume or essential oil.
Judgement of trials of death could not be done at nigh according to Jewish law.
Bearing false witness-Torah law that the accuser shall be given the punishment that was supposed to be given to the accused.
Hermanus-German soldier put in charge of Jesus.
The Hasmoneans were a ruling dynasty of Judea and surrounding regions during classical antiquity. Between c. 140 and c. 116 BCE, .The dynasty was established under the leadership of Simon Maccabaeus, two decades after his brother Judas the Maccabee ("Hammer") defeated the Seleucid army during the Maccabean Revolt in 165 BCE. The Hasmonean Kingdom survived for 103 years before yielding to the Herodian Dynasty in 37 BCE. Even then, Herod the Great felt obliged to bolster the legitimacy of his reign
KING OF THE JEWS was inscribed on the cross in latin Greek and hebrew
Law of isreal that even a jew who was executed should be buried the same day.joseph of Arimathia payed Pilote with a rare pearl. Pilot later returned it to him.
Joseph of Arimathia, Simon Cyrene, Hillel (the watercarrier) and Nicodemus took jesus from the cross
Those who believed that jesus was the messiah were known as Messianists
Jacob (Jesus' brother) was put to death by Hana ben Hanan (youngest son of the old high priest)
James, son of Zebedee (Aramaic Yaʕqov, Greek Ιάκωβος, died 44 AD) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John the Apostle. He is also called James the Greater to distinguish him from James, son of Alphaeus, who is also known as James the Lesser.
In the New Testament
James is described as one of the first disciples to join Jesus. The Synoptic Gospels state that James and John were with their father by the seashore when Jesus called them to follow him.[Matt. 4:21-22][Mk. 1:19-20] James was one of only three apostles whom Jesus selected to bear witness to his Transfiguration.[1] James and his brother wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan town, but were rebuked by Jesus.[Lk 9:51-6] The Acts of the Apostles 12:1 records that Herod had James executed by sword. He is the only apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the New Testament. He is, thus, traditionally believed to be the first of the 12 apostles martyred for his faith. [Acts 12:1-2] Nixon suggests that this may have been caused by James' fiery temper,[2] for which he and his brother earned the nickname Boanerges or "Sons of Thunder".[Mark 3:17] F. F. Bruce contrasts this story to that of the Liberation of Peter, and notes that "James should die while Peter should escape" is a "mystery of divine providence."
January 7, 2017
I love historical fiction, even about Jesus. Author Asch gave me a very real, and probable, image of life in Jewish Israel in 1 AD. I could feel the beauty and squalor of Jerusalem and surrounding areas. Asch filled in the possibilities for all of the gaps in our knowledge of Jesus. The New Testament covers incidents and some days in Jesus’ life; but, we know so little about the complete life and daily activity of Jesus. Asch fills in most of the days in his life as a Jew and Messiah… historical fiction is an excellent medium to speculate about the incidents, meetings, and discussions beyond the few covered in the NT.
Asch presents an idea about where Jesus actually lived, what his life was like as a Jewish man from Galilee in Israel. We get a perspective of his every day life from his followers, and from the Sanhedrin leaders’ spies who were following, watching and listening to Jesus for a very long time before the Passover/Crucifixion trial.
I also feel that Asch gave more meaning to the Resurrection than I have every understood. I cannot conceive of the physical resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth on the third day after his crucifixion. Nevertheless, in a moral and spiritual sense, I understand that the Nazarene rises from the dead every day, every hour, and every minute in the hearts of millions of his believers. Thank you Sholem Asch.
It certainly makes sense that the Jewish communities of the 1930s (when this book was released) would NOT have appreciated the picture painted of the Jewish authorities in 1 AD. The Sanhedrin squeezed every shekel out of the peasants, took their land in payment, lived in splendor, had parties like Romans, etc. The Jewish people were desperate not only because of the Romans, but because of their own Jewish leaders. In my mind, the Jewish authorities of the day were more responsible for the desperate seeking of the Messiah than the Romans.
"But of all the lessons in Asch’s work, one stands out: Jesus doesn’t conform to the ideals of anyone who reads his story. Yeshua ben-Yosef was a real man—a man whose skin tone and lineage don’t change depending on who paints Him. He was a Jew, from a little town called Nazareth in Galilee. "
Asch presents an idea about where Jesus actually lived, what his life was like as a Jewish man from Galilee in Israel. We get a perspective of his every day life from his followers, and from the Sanhedrin leaders’ spies who were following, watching and listening to Jesus for a very long time before the Passover/Crucifixion trial.
I also feel that Asch gave more meaning to the Resurrection than I have every understood. I cannot conceive of the physical resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth on the third day after his crucifixion. Nevertheless, in a moral and spiritual sense, I understand that the Nazarene rises from the dead every day, every hour, and every minute in the hearts of millions of his believers. Thank you Sholem Asch.
It certainly makes sense that the Jewish communities of the 1930s (when this book was released) would NOT have appreciated the picture painted of the Jewish authorities in 1 AD. The Sanhedrin squeezed every shekel out of the peasants, took their land in payment, lived in splendor, had parties like Romans, etc. The Jewish people were desperate not only because of the Romans, but because of their own Jewish leaders. In my mind, the Jewish authorities of the day were more responsible for the desperate seeking of the Messiah than the Romans.
"But of all the lessons in Asch’s work, one stands out: Jesus doesn’t conform to the ideals of anyone who reads his story. Yeshua ben-Yosef was a real man—a man whose skin tone and lineage don’t change depending on who paints Him. He was a Jew, from a little town called Nazareth in Galilee. "
February 25, 2015
A truly fascinating book. Probably a bit too slow and descriptive for today's readers. Personally I felt the description added to the book; especially the triumphal procession into Jerusalem and the crucifixion scenes felt very vivid. Asch seems to have a "thing" for flowers, which would have been nicer if I had known about the various species he was talking about.
May 20, 2020
I have nothing to compare this with. I'm astonished someone could sit down and write this. Long. But it kept me going.
Read
August 16, 2020The premise of this book is incredible, and, frankly, weird (which is a compliment): An anti-Semite in 1930s Poland is the reincarnation of the Roman hegemon who arrested Yeshua of Nazareth at the behest of Judah Ish-Kiriot (aka Judas Iscariot). He meets a young Jewish man whom he recognizes as the reincarnation of Jochanan, a student of the Rabbi Nicodemon (known in most of our English New Testaments as "Nicodemus"). They begin recounting to one another what they remember of the life and times of the Rabbi of Nazareth.
Unfortunately, a lot of fruitful narrative opportunities are lost somewhere amidst the 700 pages of this tome. The first third is largely focused on the hegemon's rememberings, and I found them the most engaging. The period just before the destruction of the Second Temple is written vividly, and as someone who is well-acquainted with Biblical narrative, seeing this time through the eyes of the occupiers was fascinating. This is also the best part of the book because it's the only part with a protagonist that has a clear motivation: the hegemon begins to suspect Yeshua of sedition and doesn't trust the Priesthood to tell him the truth about what's going on, so he vows to undertake his own investigation and bring the man to justice if need be.
And then the book takes two hundred pages to present a lost gospel of Judah Ish-Kiriot, for no particular reason. True, Judah becomes a more involved character in the third part of the book, but nothing here sets anything up for later, and it could be excised entirely and the book would be better for it. The gospel drags and is written in the laborious style of King James translation, when the rest of the book is rendered in adroit English (translated from Asch's original Yiddish). From what I can tell, this book was somewhat of an event in its day (published in 1939, it brought a bit of scandal upon Asch, who was accused by some in the Jewish presses of Europe of defecting to Christianity), and I think the gospel is intended as a sort of splashy display of virtuosity. Nevertheless, it maims the story.
The third section focuses on everything that happens from Palm Sunday on, from the perspective of the aforementioned Jochanan. He's essentially a passive observer, but the character of Nicodemon is strong, and takes center stage in every scene he's in. I believe he's a bit of an author stand-in, as Asch, a pious Jew, believed that Christians and Jews would eventually have to reconcile, and he further believed that the success of Christianity was a kind of proof of the strength and truth of the Jewish religious innovation -- the ineffable One -- even if they got the part about the Messiah wrong.
Or did they? Going back to Nicodemon: he comes to the conclusion that Yeshua is not the Messiah, but that he was sent by God to bring the Gentiles into the flock of Israel. Surely, given the above, this is close to what Asch thought himself? Near the end, after Yeshua has died and rumors of his resurrection abound, with some in the Jewish community splitting off as Messianists and some not, nevertheless the Messianists and non-Messianists continue to observe the Law and follow the Torah, with the mere difference that "our belief was that the Messiah was yet to come, theirs that he was to come again."
All in all, the book's strengths lie in this particularly interesting (if anachronistic) idea of the Rabbi Yeshua as sent to do exactly what he turned out to have done, and in its richly-researched account of the Israel of those times. The weirdness that the opening promised, as well as any sort of character arc or development to invest in, are mostly not there. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone other than rabid enthusiasts of the gospels. For a while I entertained the idea of going on to Asch's books on Paul and Mary, but after reading The Nazarene, I doubt there's enough reward for the effort.
(This is a part of the Shelf Love project: shorturl.at/dCRV9)
KS
Unfortunately, a lot of fruitful narrative opportunities are lost somewhere amidst the 700 pages of this tome. The first third is largely focused on the hegemon's rememberings, and I found them the most engaging. The period just before the destruction of the Second Temple is written vividly, and as someone who is well-acquainted with Biblical narrative, seeing this time through the eyes of the occupiers was fascinating. This is also the best part of the book because it's the only part with a protagonist that has a clear motivation: the hegemon begins to suspect Yeshua of sedition and doesn't trust the Priesthood to tell him the truth about what's going on, so he vows to undertake his own investigation and bring the man to justice if need be.
And then the book takes two hundred pages to present a lost gospel of Judah Ish-Kiriot, for no particular reason. True, Judah becomes a more involved character in the third part of the book, but nothing here sets anything up for later, and it could be excised entirely and the book would be better for it. The gospel drags and is written in the laborious style of King James translation, when the rest of the book is rendered in adroit English (translated from Asch's original Yiddish). From what I can tell, this book was somewhat of an event in its day (published in 1939, it brought a bit of scandal upon Asch, who was accused by some in the Jewish presses of Europe of defecting to Christianity), and I think the gospel is intended as a sort of splashy display of virtuosity. Nevertheless, it maims the story.
The third section focuses on everything that happens from Palm Sunday on, from the perspective of the aforementioned Jochanan. He's essentially a passive observer, but the character of Nicodemon is strong, and takes center stage in every scene he's in. I believe he's a bit of an author stand-in, as Asch, a pious Jew, believed that Christians and Jews would eventually have to reconcile, and he further believed that the success of Christianity was a kind of proof of the strength and truth of the Jewish religious innovation -- the ineffable One -- even if they got the part about the Messiah wrong.
Or did they? Going back to Nicodemon: he comes to the conclusion that Yeshua is not the Messiah, but that he was sent by God to bring the Gentiles into the flock of Israel. Surely, given the above, this is close to what Asch thought himself? Near the end, after Yeshua has died and rumors of his resurrection abound, with some in the Jewish community splitting off as Messianists and some not, nevertheless the Messianists and non-Messianists continue to observe the Law and follow the Torah, with the mere difference that "our belief was that the Messiah was yet to come, theirs that he was to come again."
All in all, the book's strengths lie in this particularly interesting (if anachronistic) idea of the Rabbi Yeshua as sent to do exactly what he turned out to have done, and in its richly-researched account of the Israel of those times. The weirdness that the opening promised, as well as any sort of character arc or development to invest in, are mostly not there. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone other than rabid enthusiasts of the gospels. For a while I entertained the idea of going on to Asch's books on Paul and Mary, but after reading The Nazarene, I doubt there's enough reward for the effort.
(This is a part of the Shelf Love project: shorturl.at/dCRV9)
KS
December 15, 2024
This book, when it was first published, was apparently extremely controversial, excoriated by both Christian and Jewish right. Asch believes there could be reconciliation between both Jewish and Christian faiths.
Told by an old Polish Catholic and very anti-Semitic scholar, Pan Viadomsky, to a young Hebrew interpreter and scholar interested in the old manuscripts Pan Viadomsky has in his possession, this is the story of Christ retold by a Roman Ciliarch (administrator) and aide to Pontius Pilate, called Cornelius, whose duties included supervising the Crucifixion of the Nazarene. Cornelius died two thousand years ago, but has reincarnated into the body of Pan Viadomsky. Unfortunately, the Angel of Forgetfulness, under whose overlordship such transitions are made, himself forgot to remove from Pan Viadomsky the memory of his existence as Cornelius, and the old memories keep surging back.
As Pan Viadomsky, the old man wanders into the Jewish part of town where he "recognises" his old friends of two thousand years ago – including Simon Peter and Judas Iscariot, who took thirty pieces of silver. But as the Roman Cornelius, Viadomsky's memories of the Antonia Fortress and the Temple are precise, military and practical, at the same time lyrical and evocative.
As Cornelius listens in horror and amazement to the Nazarene’s speeches in the company of his centurion, whose servant Jesus had earlier healed, he cannot help noticing the change in the centurion from a military machine to a weak, indecisive man of feeling. As a political and military administrator, Cornelius can see the subversive influence of a philosophy that tells people not to spin or work, that their God would look after them as He did the birds in the air or the lilies of the fields. How would Rome feed her populace if everybody simply decided not to work? What would become of the natural order of life, of law and order? Since the decapitation of John the Baptist, Herod is sunk in misery, unable to attend to matters of governance. Cornelius approaches the hard-headed Herodias, who knows that the Zealots are the greatest danger to Rome, to the Jewish nation and to herself personally. And so a fateful decision is taken.
The weird thing is, his young interpreter (at no point does he himself tell us his name), whom Pan Viadomsky calls Josephus and whom as Cornelius he calls Jochanan, is also transported to the same past with his personal memories of the events which Pan Viadomsky/Cornelius is now relating. He is a youth of some seventeen summers, studying the Torah with one of the most respected Rabbis in the city. His best friend two thousand years ago is Rufus, son of Simon the Cyrene, later canonised as Saint Rufus. The story of the Nazarene is seen through the eyes of three men: Pan Viadomsky/Cornelius, Josephus/Jochanan, and Judas Iskariot, who is a part of their joint memories.
Asch’s strength is in the portrayal of character, since most of the characters are known to history principally through the New Testament and the historian Josephus. Essentially, Asch draws on the fundamental differences between Roman militarism and the Jewish faith, but his portrait of Christ is very sympathetic, seeing him only as a man and a Jew. The scene of the trial before the Sanhedrin, where the different tribes air their views, is unforgettable: the religious leaders are unable to prove their case according to Abrahamic and Mosaic law, but who are required by Roman authority to hand over the troublemaker – an innocent man, by religious standards – to them. It is also the style which is intriguing: laconic and business-like when the speakers are Romans, or Jews prepared to tolerate the occupiers; it becomes lyrical and biblical when the narrative is set among mainly the poorer Jews, where the Nazarene is busiest. It reverts to modern day crisp when we move into the present day. A powerful and poignant retelling of an always enthralling story.
Told by an old Polish Catholic and very anti-Semitic scholar, Pan Viadomsky, to a young Hebrew interpreter and scholar interested in the old manuscripts Pan Viadomsky has in his possession, this is the story of Christ retold by a Roman Ciliarch (administrator) and aide to Pontius Pilate, called Cornelius, whose duties included supervising the Crucifixion of the Nazarene. Cornelius died two thousand years ago, but has reincarnated into the body of Pan Viadomsky. Unfortunately, the Angel of Forgetfulness, under whose overlordship such transitions are made, himself forgot to remove from Pan Viadomsky the memory of his existence as Cornelius, and the old memories keep surging back.
As Pan Viadomsky, the old man wanders into the Jewish part of town where he "recognises" his old friends of two thousand years ago – including Simon Peter and Judas Iscariot, who took thirty pieces of silver. But as the Roman Cornelius, Viadomsky's memories of the Antonia Fortress and the Temple are precise, military and practical, at the same time lyrical and evocative.
As Cornelius listens in horror and amazement to the Nazarene’s speeches in the company of his centurion, whose servant Jesus had earlier healed, he cannot help noticing the change in the centurion from a military machine to a weak, indecisive man of feeling. As a political and military administrator, Cornelius can see the subversive influence of a philosophy that tells people not to spin or work, that their God would look after them as He did the birds in the air or the lilies of the fields. How would Rome feed her populace if everybody simply decided not to work? What would become of the natural order of life, of law and order? Since the decapitation of John the Baptist, Herod is sunk in misery, unable to attend to matters of governance. Cornelius approaches the hard-headed Herodias, who knows that the Zealots are the greatest danger to Rome, to the Jewish nation and to herself personally. And so a fateful decision is taken.
The weird thing is, his young interpreter (at no point does he himself tell us his name), whom Pan Viadomsky calls Josephus and whom as Cornelius he calls Jochanan, is also transported to the same past with his personal memories of the events which Pan Viadomsky/Cornelius is now relating. He is a youth of some seventeen summers, studying the Torah with one of the most respected Rabbis in the city. His best friend two thousand years ago is Rufus, son of Simon the Cyrene, later canonised as Saint Rufus. The story of the Nazarene is seen through the eyes of three men: Pan Viadomsky/Cornelius, Josephus/Jochanan, and Judas Iskariot, who is a part of their joint memories.
Asch’s strength is in the portrayal of character, since most of the characters are known to history principally through the New Testament and the historian Josephus. Essentially, Asch draws on the fundamental differences between Roman militarism and the Jewish faith, but his portrait of Christ is very sympathetic, seeing him only as a man and a Jew. The scene of the trial before the Sanhedrin, where the different tribes air their views, is unforgettable: the religious leaders are unable to prove their case according to Abrahamic and Mosaic law, but who are required by Roman authority to hand over the troublemaker – an innocent man, by religious standards – to them. It is also the style which is intriguing: laconic and business-like when the speakers are Romans, or Jews prepared to tolerate the occupiers; it becomes lyrical and biblical when the narrative is set among mainly the poorer Jews, where the Nazarene is busiest. It reverts to modern day crisp when we move into the present day. A powerful and poignant retelling of an always enthralling story.
August 18, 2018
Lengthy, informative historical fiction recounting life of Jesus as told through eyes of 3 different persons. Certainly educational with regard to life of Jews under Roman rule. Paints vivid picture of Jewish people struggling with question: is He the Messiah? Book written in 1939 by Sholem Asch. Last year I read another Asch book, Moses, which I found equally fascinating. The fact that a literary 700 page book full of detail can become hard to put down certainly merits a 5 star rating from me.
Read
November 12, 2008It was a difficult book to read. It also took a while to understand. However, I hung with it and was glad that I did. Even though it is a work of fiction, the more I read, the more I felt I had an image of what life in this time and place might have been like. It also filled in a lot of gaps I had in my religous education.
Currently reading
March 7, 2024"There is no human intimacy which can compare for closeness with that which results when two men divest themselves of their divisive beliefs and convictions, and make their contact solely on the basis of their common human needs and weaknesses."
September 24, 2013
Interesting book and fairly challenging to read
October 10, 2014
Dickens for hermits.
December 31, 2021
I enjoyed this book - truly I did. I was fully vested in the story after half a dozen pages. Taken solely as literature I highly recommend this quite enjoyable read. However. Since the story centers around Biblical characters not the least of which is Jesus, I think it’s only proper it be held to a higher standard. In this it falls quite short. Biblical characters are quoted making statements which the Bible tells us they did say - but in places and times different from what Scripture records sometimes not even to the right person. Quite troubling is Mr Asch’s portrayal of Judas Iscariot as the disciple who - second only to Peter - understands Jesus’ teaching best and the one all the other disciples turn to for answers if they cannot ask Peter. Worse, Mr Asch has written Judas as NOT ‘betraying’ Jesus but rather because only he understands Jesus’ true mission and that he can only accomplish it throw suffering and death he works to ‘facilitate’ this suffering and death. Just to help Jesus succeed. It is also troubling his portrayal of Jesus as being weak, even to the point of being literally carried by Peter. Seriously!? He labored as a carpenter until age 30 and walked everywhere.
Read
July 13, 2022This is by far one of the best books I ever read.
Let's assume one read the gospel a few times and is very familiar with the story of Jesus from the Bible and from other historical references. It would still be very hard to imagine hour the different cities looked like, how the main key personality during Jesus' time portraited him, or how the Roman thought about Jesus during his time. Sholem did all the hard job for us. He consolidated all the known Religious, Geographic, Historical, and political aspects of Jesus' story in one narrative. A narrative (in the form of a novel) that will simply take you back in time to live in Judea during Jesus' time. And after you finish the novel, you will feel that you know Jesus even more.
Let's assume one read the gospel a few times and is very familiar with the story of Jesus from the Bible and from other historical references. It would still be very hard to imagine hour the different cities looked like, how the main key personality during Jesus' time portraited him, or how the Roman thought about Jesus during his time. Sholem did all the hard job for us. He consolidated all the known Religious, Geographic, Historical, and political aspects of Jesus' story in one narrative. A narrative (in the form of a novel) that will simply take you back in time to live in Judea during Jesus' time. And after you finish the novel, you will feel that you know Jesus even more.
February 27, 2019
A priest and a Jewish scholar channel personalities who were present at the time of Jesus. Judas Iscariot is a major character.
July 17, 2021
The story of Jesus is told by a Roman, a Disciple and a young Jew. This book is very stimulating, satisfying and reverent.
This is a good read and I recommend it to everyone.
This is a good read and I recommend it to everyone.
August 6, 2013
„Nācarieti” man dažādos dzīves posmos ieteica dažādi cilvēki – taču, lai gan parasti grāmatas biezums mani neatbaida, jau uzmetot aci vien bija skaidrs, ka būs jāatvēl ilgāks dzīves posms tai un diez vai būtu prātīgi tam izbrīvēt darva dienu vakarus. Tad nu, beidzot sagaidījusi manu atvaļinājumu, grāmata iegūla manās rokās (jā, tāda nu dīvaina esmu – man atvaļinājums nozīmē kaut ko nopietnāku, nevis vieglu romānu, ko lasīt pie jūras).
Grāmata sastāv no 3 daļām, katrā no tām ir kāda cilvēka, kurš saticis Jēzu (jeb Ješua kā grāmatā viņu dēvē) stāts par to laiku. Taču par vēsturisku romānu to nodēvēt būtu grūti – jo 2 no atstāstītājiem ir grāmatas sarakstīšanas laika mūsdienu (30. gadi) cilvēki, kas atceras savu dzīvi tajā laikā. Izņēmums ir „Jūdas evaņģēlijs” – ko par evaņģēliju nevar nosaukt, ja esat tādu lasījuši: pilnīgi atšķiras valodas ritms un arī tajā galvenais ir pats Jūda, nevis Ješua.
Atzīstu, ka nojauta mani nevīla – „Nācarietis” savam lasītājam ne tikai daudz ko sniedz, bet arī prasa pretī. Neteiktu, ka tā plosa dvēseli tādā nozīmē kā velk uz pinkšķi, tā aiziet līdz tiem zemapziņas slāņiem, kuros aizkustinātās emocija vismaz es vārdā pat neprotu nosaukt. Un pilnīgi noteikti ir derīgi paurķēties sevī tik dziļi!
Grāmata sastāv no 3 daļām, katrā no tām ir kāda cilvēka, kurš saticis Jēzu (jeb Ješua kā grāmatā viņu dēvē) stāts par to laiku. Taču par vēsturisku romānu to nodēvēt būtu grūti – jo 2 no atstāstītājiem ir grāmatas sarakstīšanas laika mūsdienu (30. gadi) cilvēki, kas atceras savu dzīvi tajā laikā. Izņēmums ir „Jūdas evaņģēlijs” – ko par evaņģēliju nevar nosaukt, ja esat tādu lasījuši: pilnīgi atšķiras valodas ritms un arī tajā galvenais ir pats Jūda, nevis Ješua.
Atzīstu, ka nojauta mani nevīla – „Nācarietis” savam lasītājam ne tikai daudz ko sniedz, bet arī prasa pretī. Neteiktu, ka tā plosa dvēseli tādā nozīmē kā velk uz pinkšķi, tā aiziet līdz tiem zemapziņas slāņiem, kuros aizkustinātās emocija vismaz es vārdā pat neprotu nosaukt. Un pilnīgi noteikti ir derīgi paurķēties sevī tik dziļi!
June 5, 2012
This book was a beast. I started it about 4 years ago, and have stopped on and off. It is a fictional account of the life of Jesus Christ, based on the New Testament but with "color" added. The author lends a very interesting historical perspective, but like "Abraham lincoln Vampire hunter", I don't know how much I learned since I can't separate what parts the author was making up from what is based on the bible... (I bet you never thought those two books would be compared).
My frustration with the book lie in his somewhat biased portrayal of the end of Jesus' life. Obviously he has a right to fictionalize certain parts, but the author is Jewish, and I felt he went above and beyond to try and lay too much of the blame for Jesus' death on Pilate, (who is a gentile). He does this by making up parts that directly contradict what is written in the New testament, including leaving out the "washing of the hands" part and Pilate's numerous attempts to let Jesus get off with a "warning". Still, in the end I'm glad I read this and I look forward to the author's book on the apostle Paul.
My frustration with the book lie in his somewhat biased portrayal of the end of Jesus' life. Obviously he has a right to fictionalize certain parts, but the author is Jewish, and I felt he went above and beyond to try and lay too much of the blame for Jesus' death on Pilate, (who is a gentile). He does this by making up parts that directly contradict what is written in the New testament, including leaving out the "washing of the hands" part and Pilate's numerous attempts to let Jesus get off with a "warning". Still, in the end I'm glad I read this and I look forward to the author's book on the apostle Paul.
July 26, 2015
(read 1983)
The Nazarene was clever and suspenseful. I thought it read quickly and was very intriguing pointing out what might have been the views of a Roman Centurion and a Jewish Disciple of the time. It reads
like a suspenseful mystery with perhaps some mysticism.
It begins:
"NOT the power to remember, but it's very opposite the power to forget, is a necessary condition of our existence. If the lore of the transmigration of the souls is a true one, then these, between their exchange of bodies, must pass through the sea of forgetfulness. According to the Jewish view we make the transition under the overlordship of the Angel of Forgetfulness. But it sometimes happens that the Angel of Forgetfulness himself forgets to remove from our memories the records of the former world; then our senses are haunted by fragmentary recollections of another life."
Spooky dooky eh? Twilight Zone?
This book was a bestseller copyright (1939)
The Nazarene was clever and suspenseful. I thought it read quickly and was very intriguing pointing out what might have been the views of a Roman Centurion and a Jewish Disciple of the time. It reads
like a suspenseful mystery with perhaps some mysticism.
It begins:
"NOT the power to remember, but it's very opposite the power to forget, is a necessary condition of our existence. If the lore of the transmigration of the souls is a true one, then these, between their exchange of bodies, must pass through the sea of forgetfulness. According to the Jewish view we make the transition under the overlordship of the Angel of Forgetfulness. But it sometimes happens that the Angel of Forgetfulness himself forgets to remove from our memories the records of the former world; then our senses are haunted by fragmentary recollections of another life."
Spooky dooky eh? Twilight Zone?
This book was a bestseller copyright (1939)
April 12, 2009
An interesting novel purporting to be about "Yeshua of Nazareth," with a very odd structure - told through "out-of-body" experiences by two 20th century Poles, and a long-lost diary by a key player in the drama, whom I shall not name. Sholem Asch was a well-known author in the early and mid-20th century. He wrote much in Yiddish, and received some flak from his co-religionists for writing this book and two other about early Christianity. However, the book emphasizes Jesus' Jewishness. It took me about four months to read it, but I would recommend it if you have any interest in the topic.
September 13, 2009
I read this book soon after we were married on recommendation. It is a long book and not a fast paced story by any means. I stuck with it b/c my friend said it was her favorite book. It's hard to say who I would recommend this book to b/c it's rather an intellectual albeit novel of Christ's life. The insights into His life are often inspiring but not always accurate. "Jesus The Christ" by James E Talmage is an even more intellectual approach but far more inspiring. If you have to chose b/t one of those books, choose the later.
September 10, 2008
“I am glad I read this, but it is hard to imagine who I would suggest this book to. If you want to know more about how I feet about this book - go here: weavinglibrarian.blogspot.com. My February 15th post is about this book
July 2, 2007
Very interesting. Theory based from a Jewish standpoint that Christ's salvation was meant for the Gentiles, while Mosaic laws were meant for the Jews.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews