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Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

by Christopher Moore (Goodreads Author)

4.26 · Rating details · 126,208 Ratings · 10,432 Reviews

The birth of Jesus has been well chronicled, as have his glorious teachings, acts, and divine sacrifice after his thirtieth birthday. But no one knows about the early life of the Son of God, the missing years -- except Biff, the Messiah's best bud, who has been resurrected to tell the story in the divinely hilarious yet heartfelt work "reminiscent of Vonnegut and Douglas A ...more

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Paperback, 1st Perennial, 444 pages

Published May 25th 2004 by HarperCollins (first published 2002)

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Community Reviews

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Jul 02, 2008 Kemper rated it it was amazing

Shelves: humor, historical-fiction, sky-cake, favorites

The last ten years have mutated my views on religion. I went from a vague agnostic live-and-let-live attitude to a full blown distrust and dislike of mass worshipping of mysterious deities. When it wasn’t being used as an excuse to murder people who believed different things, then it was being used to deny basic scientific concepts or prevent consenting adults from marriage based on gender. Overall, I’d become convinced that humanity was far too stupid to use religion as anything but yet another ...more

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Jan 31, 2008 Chris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: top-shelf, humor, fantasy

If you've been following my reviews over the last few years, I don't see any reason why I should have to put a caution into this, but here it is: if you're not interested in speculative fiction, open to the reinterpretation of the life of Jesus, speculation on the gaps in the gospels and the possibility of pan-religious values having been vital to the formation of Christianity, then you should probably not read this book. Nor should you really be using the internet - there's just too much nasty ...more

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Aug 29, 2009 Kim rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary, holy-shit, need-to-buy

What I remember from CCD:

• It was Tuesday nights and that meant that I missed Who’s the Boss
• All the really obnoxious cheerleaders went to my church (Our Lady of Perpetual Help-OLPH!)
• I had to go to CCD so I could get confirmed or I couldn’t get married in a church (so I was told every time I tried to feign an illness or a menstrual cramp)
• We would be ushered into the school/rectory thing where we had to choose 3 colored rings which represented 3 different ‘classes’ we would attend… things l ...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Lyn rated it really liked it

This book is funny as HELL!

Though funny and most definitely irreverent, Lamb is a story about the Son of God and his times here on Earth amongst people, told from the perspective of Biff, Joshua’s (Jesus) childhood pal and Moore fills up the lost thirty some odd years from the gospels. Biff is the Jewish lothario Forrest Gump of Biblical stories and Moore uses Biff’s narrative as a vehicle to explore the ancient world, often with laugh out loud results.

Religion.

There are plenty of people who w This book is funny as HELL!

Though funny and most definitely irreverent, Lamb is a story about the Son of God and his times here on Earth amongst people, told from the perspective of Biff, Joshua’s (Jesus) childhood pal and Moore fills up the lost thirty some odd years from the gospels. Biff is the Jewish lothario Forrest Gump of Biblical stories and Moore uses Biff’s narrative as a vehicle to explore the ancient world, often with laugh out loud results.

Religion.

There are plenty of people who will never read this book but will nonetheless be very offended by it. However, though it is an absurd comedy, it is like The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity and The Lost Years of Jesus: Documentary Evidence of Jesus' 17-Year Journey to the East in that it treats Jesus as a miraculous and gentle though powerful superhuman, and somewhat ironically, like the Kevin Smith film Dogma, affirmatively casts him as the Son of God.

Though Moore makes up the earlier parts, he tells the last months of Jesus’ life fairly straight from the gospels, though from Biff’s perspective. Moore states at the end of the book in a well crafted and sincere sounding address to his readers that although he did thoroughly research his book, especially as to historical accuracies of the time and place of Christ’s time, it is a work of fiction, maybe not even rising to the level of the “historical fiction” genre. Simply stated, he made up the story, and he was never attempting to influence or change anyone’s faith.

He also makes the astute comment that “if one’s faith can be shaken by stories in a humorous novel, then one may have a bit more praying to do”.

Certainly, there will be many who would not read this, and still some others that may get started and cannot finish for reasons of reverence and guilty ideas about blasphemy.

I remember years ago when The Last Temptation of Christ came out and everyone made such a big deal about it. Truth be said, it was the publicity that drew me to go see it and I was a little thrilled to walk through a picket line. A Presbyterian minister and two younger people with him stopped me and asked me some questions about why I wanted to go see the film. They were not fire and brimstoners, but seemed like nice folks who were sincerely offended by what they understood as an attack on their faith. I asked them one question: “Have you seen the film?” Of course, they had not. I also remember that during the film, there seemed a slow but somewhat steady exodus of people from the theater, until about halfway through, when only the stolid and curious were left. In that film and this book, I guess I can see why some would be offended, but I am not, my faith is not at all shaken by a liberal, interpretive, and in this sense, irreverent and humorous artistic license.

In the end, this is an entertaining, well written book, funny and yes, irreverent, but also without any overt attacks on faith. Told with warmth, Moore also focuses on parts of the faith and teachings that could draw a believer closer.

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Feb 04, 2008 Dan Schwent rated it it was amazing

Shelves: moore

Lamb is the story of the missing years of Jesus, as told by his best pal Biff. That's all you need in the way of summary.

I was subjected to 12 years of Catholic school and mass every sunday for even longer than that so when I heard of the existence of a humorous book about Jesus' missing years, I jumped for it with all the lapsed-Catholic enthusiasm I could muster. Was I disappointed?

Most definitely not. In fact, I was the opposite of disappointed. Appointed? Anyway, this was my first Christophe Lamb is the story of the missing years of Jesus, as told by his best pal Biff. That's all you need in the way of summary.

I was subjected to 12 years of Catholic school and mass every sunday for even longer than that so when I heard of the existence of a humorous book about Jesus' missing years, I jumped for it with all the lapsed-Catholic enthusiasm I could muster. Was I disappointed?

Most definitely not. In fact, I was the opposite of disappointed. Appointed? Anyway, this was my first Christopher Moore book and the measuring stick against which his others are... measured. Biff's a great character, the regular guy accompanying Joshua (aka Jesus) on his adventures. Jesus, of course, plays the ultimate straightman to Biff's jokes. From when Biff told Jesus he was going to marry his mother when they were little tykes all the way to the end, Biff makes what could be a fairly boring religious story into an odyssey of the hilarious.

While Moore tells the story in a humorous way, it's not as absurd as, say, a Douglas Adams book. Jesus visiting the Three Wise Men and actually learning from them was a good way to fill those missing years. In fact, Jesus traveling to the Far East makes a lot more sense than a lot of stuff in the bible. Just sayin'.

The characters other than Jesus and Biff were pretty memorable. Mary Magdalene played a huge part in the story and the three wise men were all given a lot more to do than the Gospel writers originally gave them. Catch, the demon from Practical Demonkeeping, makes an appearance. Raziel, the title character from The Stupidest Angel, makes his first appearance here and is the catalyst of the plot, resurrecting Biff and Mary M to help him fill in the gaps.

I've owned four copies of this book, each destroyed or lost under suspicious circumstances. People I've loaned the book over the years still quote parts of it to me when we run into each other. It's just that damn good.

I can't put the hilarity of Lamb into words. It's easier if you just read it yourself. Five of the easiest star I've ever awarded, with the caveate that if you are humorless about religion, you might be extremely offended. ...more

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Aug 30, 2007 Aaron rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: anyone who doesn't mind a bit of blasphemy

Christopher Moore is a sick, sick fuck. And I mean that in a good way.

I found a copy of this wonderfully hilarious novel at the Champaign Public Library Book Sale and decided that I ought to own a copy. It holds up well on a second read and served to fill a nostalgia for Kurt Vonnegut, whose death I may not ever get over. This book is very reminiscent of Vonnegut in its plotting and style and wisecracks and it certainly filled a hole. I've read everything Vonnegut ever wrote and I was more than Christopher Moore is a sick, sick fuck. And I mean that in a good way.

I found a copy of this wonderfully hilarious novel at the Champaign Public Library Book Sale and decided that I ought to own a copy. It holds up well on a second read and served to fill a nostalgia for Kurt Vonnegut, whose death I may not ever get over. This book is very reminiscent of Vonnegut in its plotting and style and wisecracks and it certainly filled a hole. I've read everything Vonnegut ever wrote and I was more than a little depressed that my days of reading new works by one of my favorite authors had come to a close. This book alone marks Christopher Moore as the leading contender for that particular throne. If not Vonnegut, then Douglas Adams.

Lamb tells the story of Jesus Christ, chronicling the missing years from 12 through 30 that the Bible itself fails to enlighten us on. It's very funny and more than a little blasphemous, but it's also firmly grounded in theology. Moore doesn't make any shit up here. He merely expounds on the details the Bible has left out.

Basically, Levi who is called Biff is resurrected by an angel of the Lord centuries after his death so that he can write a new gospel (we later come to find out that Mary Magdalene has been resurrected to write one, too). Holed up in a seedy motel with the angel Raziel, himself addicted to professional wrestling and soap operas, Biff writes his side of the story on hotel stationery. Biff was Christ's only companion during the missing eighteen years, so he's pretty much the authority on this subject. Through Biff's writings, we learn that he and Jesus (here named Joshua, due to Hebrew translation) spent many years traveling the world in search of the three wisemen, hoping that they can help Joshua understand exactly what it is Joshua is supposed to be doing. They battle a vicious demon with Balthazar. They encounter a Yeti with Gaspar. They study Buddhism with Melchior. And through all of this, Joshua creates a new ministry that seems to totally contradict the one started by his father.

Along the way, we learn how all of the apostles came to stand at Jesus's side. We learn what bunnies and chocolates have to do with Easter. We discover how to tell the difference between a legitimate vision of The Virgin Mary and just a face in a pile of cow dung. We meet some ninjas. We stand face-to-face with the blood-thirsty goddess Kali. And we also get treated to a rough draft of The Sermon on the Mount (apparently Jesus really wanted to bless all the dumbshits, but got vetoed).

This book is highly recommended.
...more

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Nov 19, 2008 Jonathan rated it did not like it

[I'm considering taking down this review, as I'm not happy that my most "liked" review is a negative one. It's too easy to earn praise by casting stones.]

A book recommendation that I suffered through... not for charges of blasphemy, but for style. I can't stand this type of comedic writing with its obvious set-ups and zingers and formulaic irreverence. Douglas Adams wanna-be. This type of humor gets enough time between news items on NPR's "All Things Considered." Bah!
Witness the last lines (para ...more

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Nov 02, 2007 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, humour, religious, 2008

**some spoilers**

Lamb starts with one of my favourite quotes, which sets the scene very aptly: "God is a comedian playing to an audience that is afraid to laugh" (Voltaire). A deceptively slim-looking book (but one that is absolutely heavenly to hold - no pun intended - with it's glossy floppy cover and delicate leaves), Lamb is, as the title says, the (fictional) story of Christ's childhood as told by his best friend Levi who is called Biff.

Now, Moore doesn't mention Monty Python anywhere, but **some spoilers**

Lamb starts with one of my favourite quotes, which sets the scene very aptly: "God is a comedian playing to an audience that is afraid to laugh" (Voltaire). A deceptively slim-looking book (but one that is absolutely heavenly to hold - no pun intended - with it's glossy floppy cover and delicate leaves), Lamb is, as the title says, the (fictional) story of Christ's childhood as told by his best friend Levi who is called Biff.

Now, Moore doesn't mention Monty Python anywhere, but I'd wager he's seen Life of Brian. Whether he liked it, got it or appreciated it, I couldn't say, but it's a possible inspiration. It doesn't have the clever wit or irony, or the sheer genius of Brian, but it does have the irreverant humour. That aside, Lamb is a great story, made up but oddly plausible.

Keeping to the "known" facts and not interested in questioning your faith in any grand or cynical way, Lamb is told by Biff, resurrected today by an angel so he can write down his version of events. Given the gift of tongues, Biff writes it in contemporary American idiom, which saves the story from being dry and boring. He claims to have invented sarcasm, and encourages Joshua (later Jesus) to have a sense of humour. The best bit about this book, though, are the adventures the two friends have.

At about 13, they set off to find the three Wise Men who had been there at Joshua's birth, in order for Joshua to learn how to be the Messiah. They spend years in a cave-like fortress in Afghanistan with Balthasar, more years at a Budhist temple in the mountains with Gaspar, and yet more time in India in nooks in a cliff with the seagulls learning from Melchior. They learn Confuscius from Balthasar, Biff learns about poisons and alchemy from Balthasar's Chinese concubines, and they encounter a very hungry demon They meditate and study Budhism from Gaspar (as well as kung-fu and "Jew-do" because Joshua doesn't want to hurt anyone) and encounter the last Yeti; and rescue children from the Hindu god of destruction, Kali, before finding Melchior, who teaches Joshua how to fit himself inside a wine bottle and multiply food - which comes in handy later, that's for sure - while Biff learns the Kama Sutra.

Biff is the perfect counter-point to the more serious, naive and well-meaning Joshua, whose mother brought him up from birth to believe his father is God, not her husband Joseph. Although Moore admits it's hard to write a story set in this time and place because of the lack of knowledge of the period, he does an admirable job and it's entirely believable. I did find it a slow read at times, but I definitely found myself laughing as well. It also gave the best explanation of the Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit, that I've ever heard, and suddenly it makes more sense. More to the point, though, it makes Joshua - Jesus - more human, and thus more sympathetic. That matters to me, though it might not to other people.

It got so that I found myself really caring for this character, and the others - especially Maggie (the Mary Magdelene), their friend from childhood. The final scenes, when you're suddenly reminded of how the story ends, creep up on you and settles like a lump in your throat, and I totally felt for Biff and understand why he did what he did at the end - though interestingly enough, despite all he'd seen Joshua do, and despite the fact that he had always believed in him, he did not believe Joshua could really bring himself back from the dead. And so, in the end, he did not have faith. A slight irony.

Despite Biff's silly humour and the occasional fart joke, Lamb is written with maturity, compassion and skill. The setting, landscape and supporting characters immerse you in the story, the period and the upheavels. More to the point, it's a nice (comforting) thought that Jesus might have had as good and loyal and silly a friend as Levi who is called Biff. ...more

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Jun 26, 2014 Jason Koivu rated it liked it

Mel Brooks and Monty Python have been there, done that.

description

Christopher Moore retraces the steps of those comedy greats of the past in his Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, a lighthearted take on what Christians call "the greatest story ever told."

Sure, it's a good story, but it's also rife with parody potential and humorists have been squeezing it for laughs probably since it was first told. That being the case, Moore's book travels a well-trodden path and so the laughs ju ...more

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Aug 17, 2010 Lance Greenfield rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is an hilarious take on the missing years of Jesus, known as Joshua bar Joseph in this account. The four gospels which mad it into the New Testament miss three decades of the Messiah's life. Only two of them say much about his birth, one describes a brief episode when Jesus was about twelve where he spends some time in discussion with the elders in the synagogue, but they largely concentrate on the short years of his ministry leading up to his crucifiction and resurrection.

Lamb is an accou ...more

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Feb 16, 2008 Kristen Boers rated it liked it

Recommends it for: fans of absurdist humor. 15 year olds who like to pretend they're 18.

Remember back in 9th grade when you wrote a wonderful, insightful papers for every assignment and then, eventually, you got cocky, got drunk on your own brilliance, got sloppy and lazy with self assurance? And, inevitably, your next paper would come back with a comment from your teacher that went something like this "Accurate, and mildly interesting, but doesn't compare with your previous work...What happened?" This is what I felt like writing in my copy of "Lamb" about 120 pages in.
There's a Remember back in 9th grade when you wrote a wonderful, insightful papers for every assignment and then, eventually, you got cocky, got drunk on your own brilliance, got sloppy and lazy with self assurance? And, inevitably, your next paper would come back with a comment from your teacher that went something like this "Accurate, and mildly interesting, but doesn't compare with your previous work...What happened?" This is what I felt like writing in my copy of "Lamb" about 120 pages in.
There's a really lovely forward to this book, inviting believers and non believers alike to enjoy the book, take what they need from it, disregard the rest. I should have liked to take the first 1/3 of the book and left the rest. The story's protagonist is not Christ himself, but his best buddy Biff, brough back from the dead by an angel of the Lord. The reason for Biff's resurrection is that the Powers that Be (Uh, God) has decided that the Bible doesn't really tell us enough of what happens to Jesus between the time He's born and around 30, when He becomes a big deal with His proclaiming to be the Son of God bit. So, Biff is brought back by the angel Raziel to write the Gospel According to Biff, giving us an insight to Jesus from the man who knew him best.
What a great idea. It's such a great idea, that as a writer, I'm jealous and annoyed I didn't come up with it first. Anyone unclear as to why they've never come across a "Biff" in their readings of Leviticus or Matthew should note that the protagonist's real name is Levi. He's just called Biff. Just like Jesus Christ, who's name in Hebrew translates to Joshua. At first I thought this was a clever trick of Moore's, enabling the reader to see past what we already know about Jesus Christ by giving that character a new name. That was, of course, before I got to the chapter where Joshua and Biff are living in a desert fortress with one of the three Magi and seven Asian concubines. Yup. You read that sentence correctly. Incidentally, that's where it all went down hill for me.
The early chapters are full of clever twists on things we already know or think we know about the life of Jesus in 5 B.C. We meet a young Mary Magdalene, and surprise surprise, she does have a crush on the Boy Who Would be the Savior, but her story take a delicious turn I didn't see coming and won't spoil for you. We also meet Jes..um, Joshua's parents, Joseph and Mary, and get a little insight into the caprenter and the virgin who produced the world's most famous son. The world of Joshua and Biff is contextualized for us, made relatable, by modern day Biff, reminiscing not only on his childhood but trying to compare it to this strange world he suddenly finds himself alone in.
Then, with almost no warning, the innocent reader is thrust into a world of sex, drugs, and kung fu. My complaint is not with the sex, drugs, kung fu, meditation, yaks, human sacrifices, and bull violating but with the seemnig randomness in the story. It's like Moore got a little too comfortable with how well he was going and jumped the shark. I have no problem with the fact that theoretically Jesus, oh right, JOSHUA, would study with Buddhist monks except this...it doesn't fit in the story. Who cares iff it doesn't fit in history, this is fiction after all, but it doesn't fit in the narration.
As the book goes on, we touch in less and less with modern day Biff, losing our conduit to the world that is slowly but sreuly getting more outlandish and harder to stay connected with. And then BAM! There are the last four chapters, with the ending we all know, slapdashed on the page as if the author has to interest in them himself, so why should we? And then the books over. Arguably, that is the author's point. This book, Biff's Gospel, is about Joshua's life, not his death, and neither Moore, nor Biff, will give us the safisfaction of retreading every moment of the end, like some perverse literary "The Passion of the Christ." But to me, that is mute point. "Lamb" prides itself, from the first sentence, on shocking us with insight and irreverance for what most people think is the most mporant story of our time. The charm of the book, of Biff himself, is that he treats his pal like anybody else...well, not quite true. He treats Joshua as his best friend in the world, but not as the Savior. By repriving the reader of the true anguish at the death of a best friend, Moore looses something...His book had smarts and it had charm. What it's missing is heart. A more detailed ending could have given us that. Without it, the book was accuate and mildly interesting...what happened?
...more

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Apr 07, 2017 Nikoleta rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Ένα άκρως απολαυστικό μυθιστόρημα, με έναν ήρωα ο οποίος μπορεί να ήταν απλώς ο κολλητός του Ιησού (Γέσουα στο βιβλίο) αλλά ήταν αυτός που εφηύρε τον σαρκασμό (κατά τα λεγόμενα του ιδίου). Και από σαρκασμό βρίθει το βιβλίο. Υπέροχες, κωμικές, σαρκαστικές ατάκες, ευτράπελα και πολύ κέφι.
Το ενδιαφέρον είναι ότι η ιστορία είναι σφιχτοδεμένη και η πλοκή σε κρατά σε εγρήγορση, οπότε ο αναγνώστης δεν υπάρχει περίπτωση να βαρεθεί.
Τι έκανε ο Ιησούς τα 30 χρόνια από την γέννηση του μέχρι τον χρόνο που ξε Ένα άκρως απολαυστικό μυθιστόρημα, με έναν ήρωα ο οποίος μπορεί να ήταν απλώς ο κολλητός του Ιησού (Γέσουα στο βιβλίο) αλλά ήταν αυτός που εφηύρε τον σαρκασμό (κατά τα λεγόμενα του ιδίου). Και από σαρκασμό βρίθει το βιβλίο. Υπέροχες, κωμικές, σαρκαστικές ατάκες, ευτράπελα και πολύ κέφι.
Το ενδιαφέρον είναι ότι η ιστορία είναι σφιχτοδεμένη και η πλοκή σε κρατά σε εγρήγορση, οπότε ο αναγνώστης δεν υπάρχει περίπτωση να βαρεθεί.
Τι έκανε ο Ιησούς τα 30 χρόνια από την γέννηση του μέχρι τον χρόνο που ξεκίνησε το κήρυγμα του; Ανασταίνει σαυράκια, ταξιδεύει, μπλέκει σε αστείες καταστάσεις και κάνει πολλές γκάφες…
Αυτό που αγάπησα πιο πολύ στο βιβλίο, είναι ότι με το να πάρει ο συγγραφέας την ιστορία του Ιησού και να την σατιρίσει, το αποτέλεσμα δεν είναι καθόλου γελοίο, διότι επί της ουσίας δεν είναι σάτιρα.
Κατάφερε να ισορροπήσει τα μεγάλα νοήματα που μας μεταφέρει με το χιούμορ και το κέφι.
Είναι μία ιστορία γραμμένη με γνώση και σοφία, η οποία μέσα σε όλο της το χιούμορ, θέτει μεγάλα και αιώνια ερωτήματα. Αξίζει να παλέψει κανείς για μία ιδέα; Αξίζει να αφήσεις τα πάντα πίσω και να προχωρήσεις γυμνός για αυτά που πιστεύεις, που ξέρεις ότι είναι αλήθεια; Πόσο μπορεί να αλλοιώσει η θρησκεία μία πίστη; Είναι τελικά οι θρησκείες τόσο διαφορετικές μεταξύ τους; Και το κύριο ερώτημα όλων, ποιος πραγματικά νοιάζεται αν θα φάμε τελικά μπέικον;
Ένα απο τα ωραιότερα βιβλία που διάβασα μέσα στην χρονιά (σίγουρα πριν το ξεκινήσω δεν το περίμενα).

«Ήρθα για να πω στον Σωτήρα ότι ήρθε η ώρα να φύγει»,
«Αλλά δεν ξέρεις για πού;»
«Όχι».
«Κι αυτό το χρυσαφί πράγμα γύρω σου, αυτό το φως, τι είναι;»
«Η δόξα του Κυρίου».
«Είσαι σίγουρος ότι δεν είναι η ηλιθιότητα που ξεχύνεται από μέσα σου;»
«Σκαμπιήλ, φέρσου ευγενικά, είναι αγγελιοφόρος του Κυρίου».
«Μα, γαμώτο, Γέσουα, δεν βοηθάει καθόλου. Αν είναι να’ ρχονται άγγελοι από τον ουρανό, τουλάχιστον να ξέρουν τι κάνουν. Να ρίχνουν τείχη μ’ ένα φύσημα, να καταστρέφουν πόλεις, α, δεν ξέρω – να φέρνουν ΟΛΟΚΛΗΡΟ το μήνυμα μήπως;»
Σελ. 97. ...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Matthew rated it liked it

Shelves: book-a-book-club, library, humor, 2016

Good book - not great - especially when comparing it to other Moore books I have read. I enjoyed his Shakespeare satire better than the biblical satire - maybe because Shakespeare lends itself more to that.

Most of the stars I have given are for the beginning of the book and then the last third of the book. Jesus (Joshua) as a child and the retelling of the gospels from a different viewpoint were really interesting and it is obvious that Moore did his research.

The middle part of the book - where ...more

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Aug 19, 2009 Stephanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, humor, read-count-2, 2010, 2014

Second time reading this book and it is still one of my favorites.

Christopher Moore weaves you through all of the major religions and all the while you are laughing your ass off. You can't say that about most religious books......

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Sep 09, 2014 Algernon rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, 2014

Lamb is not the first revisionist and humorous retelling of the Biblical stories I've read/watched, but it may be the best one of the lot. Among my favourites are the movies Dogma by Kevin Smith and The Life of Brian by the Monty Pythons, the novel Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. What puts Lamb above the crowd for me was the surprising fact that this is not actually a lampooning of religion but a genuine attempt to capture the spirituality and the fervour of the original Gospels. ...more

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Jul 12, 2017 Susana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ficção-histórica, norte-americanos, religião, humor

(review in English below)

Gosto muito de "histórias alternativas", sejam da História propriamente dita ou mesmo de contos de fadas (como por exemplo a série Era Uma Vez ou o filme Maléfica), sobretudo aquelas que nos dão uma explicação original para os personagens - reais ou fictícios - serem como são - ou foram.

Aplicando isto a um dos personagens mais interessantes e polémicos (na minha opinião) da História - Jesus Cristo - e polvilhando com uma dose generosa de humor, temos uma receita quase in (review in English below)

Gosto muito de "histórias alternativas", sejam da História propriamente dita ou mesmo de contos de fadas (como por exemplo a série Era Uma Vez ou o filme Maléfica), sobretudo aquelas que nos dão uma explicação original para os personagens - reais ou fictícios - serem como são - ou foram.

Aplicando isto a um dos personagens mais interessantes e polémicos (na minha opinião) da História - Jesus Cristo - e polvilhando com uma dose generosa de humor, temos uma receita quase infalível.

Tal como o autor explica no final desta edição, a ideia para escrever este livro veio do facto de não haver praticamente registos relativos à vida de Jesus até aos 30 anos. Foi "só" fazer alguma pesquisa histórica (incluindo uma viagem a Israel, descrita na Nota Final) e deixar a imaginação (e os dedos) trabalhar.

Há muitas cenas divertidas neste livro, mas a preparação do Sermão da Montanha é impagável!

E também há filosofia, e romance, e drama.

Recomendado a toda a gente (com mais de 18 anos!...)

I really like "alternative stories", either related to real History or even to fairy tales (e.g. the TV series Once Upon A Time or the movie Maleficent), specially those which give us an original explanation for the way characters - real or fictional - are.

Apply this concept to one of the most interesting and controversial (in my opinion) historical characters - Jesus Christ - and sprinkle a generous dose of humour and you get an almost foolproof recipe.

As the author explains in the end of this edition, the idea to write this book emerged from the realization that there are almost no records concerning Jesus' life until he was 30 years old. He "just" needed to do some research (including a trip to Israel, which he describes in the end of the book) and put his imagination (and fingers) to work.

There's a lot of funny scenes in this book, but the preparation of the Sermon on the Mount is priceless!

And there's also some philosophy, and romance, and drama.

I recommend it to everyone (over 18!...) ...more

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Feb 23, 2007 smalls rated it liked it

OK, I finished the book! Whoohoo! All in all, it was ok for me. I laughed a lot in the beginning...
some of my favorite lines were
"Revelations 2; Just When you thought it was safe to sin."
and "Actually , I thought I'd stay Josh. Your mother needs someone to look after her, and she's still a relatively attractive woman. I mean a guy could do worse."

My absolute favorite part was the lizard in the beginning. I laughed so hard! very fun and creative.

It got slow for me while he was visiting the wisem OK, I finished the book! Whoohoo! All in all, it was ok for me. I laughed a lot in the beginning...
some of my favorite lines were
"Revelations 2; Just When you thought it was safe to sin."
and "Actually , I thought I'd stay Josh. Your mother needs someone to look after her, and she's still a relatively attractive woman. I mean a guy could do worse."

My absolute favorite part was the lizard in the beginning. I laughed so hard! very fun and creative.

It got slow for me while he was visiting the wisemen. But I did laugh once in a while. Definately not as much as in the beginning.

The End...
I was nervous reading the part during His ministry. Being a Born Again Christian, I knew this could be difficult. I did struggle with a few things, and to me they were important. Well, at least two things. First, the scorging, "At least it wasn't a Roman scourge they lashed him with. He took thirty nine lashes, but it was just leather, not the lead -tipped whip that the romands use. "
A cat of nine tails was used with other devices. It was the Romans scourging so it was a roman scourge. Pieces of glass and metal shards are embedded in the leather strips, and they rip through the flesh. Important to me because I want others to know how bad the penalty for our sins was.

Second part was the crusificiton, the poisen. This is a fictional work. But Mr. Moore did do a lot of research for this book as well. And I always have to take a stand on the belief of the real death and resurection of Jesus. I found myself praying that the book wouldn't go that route. But it did, and you are lead to believe that he drinks it. Thankfully Moore didn't let the ending be the poisen.

Now that that is said, I would like to say that I loved that no matter how raunchy the book got, or made me shake my head, the ending was still sad. His followers didn't get it, didn't want to believe it even. It ripped them to shreds inside. With how the book was going,I kept expecting humor in the crusifiction, but it was well done emotionally. If there was a poisen that could work like that, I would have wanted to try it to save Him too. It is too much to fathom that the person you have been friends with for even the time that the real diciples were with Him, was going to have to bear that torture, and then to understand He was coming back, and that it was being done to save the world, I wouldn't have gotten it either. Because of the Bible, those who believe have hindsight. I really appreciated that Moore stayed true to at least the tragedy and pain that His friends had to wittness.

Jesus swearing as a kid, didn't seem to bother me quite as much as it did as He aged. Once the book got to the part that is written, it was much harder for me to find the humor in certain things. But there were some. Like when Biff talks about his mom and Joshua says, "she still plagued with demons?" Lines like that cracked me up.

Thanks for letting me read the book. It was interesting and at times fun. I will still reccomend it to one more of my friends who I know can handle it as a Born Again believer. But it is definately a book I have to be careful of recomendations. Only because so many "Christians" that I know would have a fit reading this book.
But I did pass it on to a friend of mine, who is a christian, but who also has a great sense of humor. ...more

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Aug 03, 2008 Lori rated it it was ok

Listened to this on audiobook during a recent road trip. This book reminded me of a Saturday Night Live skit: great concept that somehow wasn't as good in the execution. It's highly irreverent and very funny. The first third is also thought-provoking and quite sweet. I really enjoyed the depiction of Joshua (Jesus) as a child, trying to come to grips with his abilities, with whether or not he really is the son of God and what, exactly, that means for him and for his people. Also loved the friend Listened to this on audiobook during a recent road trip. This book reminded me of a Saturday Night Live skit: great concept that somehow wasn't as good in the execution. It's highly irreverent and very funny. The first third is also thought-provoking and quite sweet. I really enjoyed the depiction of Joshua (Jesus) as a child, trying to come to grips with his abilities, with whether or not he really is the son of God and what, exactly, that means for him and for his people. Also loved the friendship between Biff, Joshua and Maggie (Mary Magdalene) as childhood pals, teasing and protecting each other, secure in their places in a tight Jewish community even while they bump against its strictures.

I liked the author's idea of exploring Jesus' young-adulthood, the part of his life that is a big blank in the Bible. Joshua and Biff leave home to explore other places and cultures, with Joshua taking ideas and teachings and wisdom from those other places and cultures and incorporating them to form his own gospel. Joshua grows into a man and comes into his own on this physical and spiritual journey. But this is also where the book became too ridiculous for me to suspend belief and remain immersed in the story. Chinese concubines? A cartoon-like demon? Sasquatch? I felt stuck in a roadrunner/Wily Coyote episode. Fun to read, naughty and funny, but I missed the thoughtful undertone of the beginning of the book, and I increasingly wondered why Biff remained unaffected by all of his time and shared expereiences witih Joshua. Biff was the ultimate loyal friend, sure, but he remains a caricature--a horny wisecracker. Likewise all of the other apostles--the depictions are funny, but they remain totally flat and buffoonish. I wanted them to really feel something, to question, to show emotion beyond their one-word stereotypes (the village idiot, the fanatic, the penny pincher, the surfer...). It felt like the author got tired and resorted to goofball humor rather than trying to tackle a more serious effort to explore the different reasons these men took up with Joshua and what they may or may not have believed and understood about the ministry they helped create.

The ending was also a letdown. The author seems overwhelmed by how to handle the known story of Jesus' trial and crucifixion. Biff's lack of dimension really comes out here, as the narrative degenerates into Biff's desperate, frantic chase to prevent Joshua from killing himself. It felt like the author didn't quite know what to do with Biff once he arrived at the end of Jesus' life and what he does decide to do to tie it up was disappointing. ...more

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Oct 19, 2008 Becky rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, religion-y, humorous, reviewed, library-books, 2010

I should probably start this review by saying that I found this book in what I now think is probably the most inappropriate place possible.. the Young Adult section of my town library. I'd wanted to read this for a long time, but whenever I browsed the Moore books in the adult section, it was never to be found. I always figured, "Eh, someone probably has it checked out... I'll snag it next time." Oh, silly me. I was foolishly thinking that my library would shelve a mature book full of extremely ...more

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Nov 29, 2008 Ashley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, humor, historical-fiction, bildungsroman, class-gender-race, religion, alt-history, retellings, you-wrote-about-what-now, manly-men-and-their-manparts, folklore-and-mythology

So this review is not going to be great, because it’s crunch time and I was trying to get my last review of the year in before we got shut out of the Cannonball Read site and/or I have to get back to work. But oh man, such a good book to make my (probably) last book of the year! THIS BOOK SPEAKS TO ME. I’ve actually owned a hard copy for years and years and never bothered to pick it up, and that is so frustrating. I could have been this delighted such a long time ago!

So, what if there was anothe So this review is not going to be great, because it’s crunch time and I was trying to get my last review of the year in before we got shut out of the Cannonball Read site and/or I have to get back to work. But oh man, such a good book to make my (probably) last book of the year! THIS BOOK SPEAKS TO ME. I’ve actually owned a hard copy for years and years and never bothered to pick it up, and that is so frustrating. I could have been this delighted such a long time ago!

So, what if there was another guy in Jesus’s life who was completely left out of the Bible? And what if he was Jesus’s best friend, Levi, who went by Biff? And what if 2,000 years later an angel brings him back to life to finally tell his story? You know those missing thirty years in between the three wise men bringing a baby gifts babies don’t care about at all (myrrh? what even is that?) and the Sermon on the Mount? Basically you get this book.

So first of all, if you’re easily offended, this book is not for you. It is basically the exact opposite of reverent. Its subject, Jesus, and his best friend Biff actually come across very well, and the ideals of Christianity brought down to the dirty human level of Biff were actually pretty affecting. It’s just, you’ve got Jesus (who goes by Joshua because that’s the more accurate Hebrew name, Jesus being the Greek translation) putting lizards in his mouth all over the place, and there’s lots of swearing and vulgarity and stuff like that that surrounding the whole thing. Here is a sample of actual dialogue:

Josh: “What is this thing?”
Gasper: “It’s a Yeti. An abominable snowman.”
Biff: “This is what happens when you fuck a sheep?”
Josh: “Not an abomination, abominable.”

I ALMOST DIED AFTER READING THAT.

If this sounds like something that would interest you, please for the love of Josh check this book out. If it sounds like it would make you angry because you are humorless and dead inside, then you should probably get that checked out by a competent professional. ...more

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Sep 17, 2007 Tara rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Those who are not offended easily

Shelves: loved-it, mybookclub

There is something so blasphemous about this book and yet I just laughed from page 1 to the end!

I was raised in a Christian household and knew the story of Jesus forwards and backwards. Or at least I thought I did. Now, I try not to take myself to seriously and I try to maintain a certain amount of humor about my faith and religion as a whole. This book made me bust a gut and there were several times when just a little of "pee" came out, that's how hard I was laughing.

I happened upon this book a ...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Chiara Pagliochini rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporanei, letteratura-angloamericana, romanzi-storici

«Prendilo, Gesù. Tienilo mentre io lo picchio».

Il Vangelo secondo Biff è senz’altro uno dei libri più dolci che abbia mai letto. Se non avessi tenuto a freno la matita, sono certa che avrebbe decorato di cuoricini ogni capoverso.

«Ma non ti commuove il fatto di sapere chi è? Che cos’è?»
«E a che pro? Se passassi il tempo a bearmi della luce della sua santità, come potrei prendermi cura di lui?»

Il Vangelo secondo Biff è senz’altro uno dei libri più divertenti che abbia mai letto. Ed è un tantin ...more

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Apr 29, 2011 Noce rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Non so come iniziare: avete presente i film per i bambini, che siete costretti a vedere sul divano insieme a loro?

All'inizio partite con scetticismo, la storia l'avete già vista mille volte, anche se non vi ricordate i dettagli, sapete soprattutto che fine avrà, quali sono i punti deboli ecc...
Poi, com'è, come non è, vi lasciate prendere la mano.
Allungate le gambe, vi rilassate, guardate il vostro compagno di “avventura” e piano piano vi ammorbidite, rimanete colpiti dalle sue espressioni di ...more

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Feb 22, 2017 Wayne Barrett rated it liked it

Shelves: humor, 2017

3.5

This book was not only funny but it was intelligently funny.

Moore did a great job creating a fictional character (I say that even though I am one of those who believe that Jesus was also a mythical character) and inserting him into the early years of Jesus H. Christ. The more you know your bible stories the more this book will entertain (or offend) you. The biggest problem with the story, and one that keeps me from giving this a higher rating, is the center of the book where Josh (Jesus) and ...more

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Feb 21, 2015 FeReSHte marked it as never-finished

Recommended to FeReSHte by: Shayan Fz

Shelves: america, humour

کتاب قراره روایتی طنز و تخیلی از سی سال اول زندگی مسیح باشه که ظاهرا جایی اشاره ای بهش نشده.

بیف ، شخصیتی تخیلی و نزدیک ترین دوست مسیح راوی این دورانه.کتاب عالی شروع میشه.طنز داستان و تخیل نویسنده در پروراندن دوران کودکی و نوجوانی مسیح منو به ذوق می آورد ولی با جلوتر رفتن داستان و سفر این دو شخصیت به مکان های ناشناخته و ملاقات با شخصیت های مرموز و مخلوط شدن داستان با جادو و جنبل و دیو و غول و سحر و مواردی از این دست،برای آموزش دیدن چگونه مسیح شدن، ذوق و شوق من برای ادامه ی کتابی که شصت درصدش رو خ ...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Lena rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction

When it comes to the life of Jesus, the Bible has some serious gaps - pretty much everything that happened between the ages of 6 and 33. Thanks to the fertile imagination of Christopher Moore, however, and his recording of the lost gospel of Jesus' childhood best friend, these missing years have now been restored to us in spectacular comedic fashion.

The tale of young Jesus as told by his crass but fiercely loyal buddy is truly funny. Oddly, it is also strangely reverent. Jesus may play the strai ...more

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Sep 02, 2007 brian tanabe rated it it was amazing

Hello! One of the most humorously engaging books I’ve read in a while. Painfully, I’ve gone through the rest of Moore’s oeuvre confirming my theory that he channeled Tom Robbins and perhaps some other lesser authors to write this literary slice of heaven. As a side note, I attended a reading and was thoroughly blown away for two reasons. First, I learned why Moore doesn’t do readings. He is f-ing horrible at reading, let alone his own words. BUT, it was so incredibly horrible that it made the wh ...more

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Dec 11, 2008 Dana Stabenow rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

First time Jesus Christ ever died that I felt like I'd lost a friend. Hilarious scenes, beginning with Jesus/Joshua reviving his brother's pet lizard every time his brother plays with him so hard he breaks him. Another favorite is when Biff invents espresso in the Antioch marketplace and Jesus/Joshua jitters around on a caffeine high healing everyone.

You'll be either outraged or amused or both, and it'll make you think, too.

All angels are blond.
All blondes are dumb.
Therefore, all angels are dumb ...more

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Mar 12, 2011 Luana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Esistono quattro Vangeli canonici. Una valanga di Vangeli apocrifi. Una valanga di matti che scrive Vangeli credendosi ispirata dal Signore.
E poi esiste il Vangelo secondo Biff, scritto ,senza pretesa alcuna, nel 2002 dallo scrittore statunitense Christopher Moore.

Lungi dalla blasfemia, dall'irriverenza, vicino invece alla provocazione e all'invito a riflettere, Moore compie una rivisitazione del noto testo sacro facendolo stendere dal migliore amico di Gesù, Biff, il suo unico vero grande amic Esistono quattro Vangeli canonici. Una valanga di Vangeli apocrifi. Una valanga di matti che scrive Vangeli credendosi ispirata dal Signore.
E poi esiste il Vangelo secondo Biff, scritto ,senza pretesa alcuna, nel 2002 dallo scrittore statunitense Christopher Moore.

Lungi dalla blasfemia, dall'irriverenza, vicino invece alla provocazione e all'invito a riflettere, Moore compie una rivisitazione del noto testo sacro facendolo stendere dal migliore amico di Gesù, Biff, il suo unico vero grande amico. Nonché testimone oculare di tutte le esperienze vissute dal non meno noto Gesù nei suoi trent'anni di vita che i Vangeli sembrano ben decidere ad omettere. C'è una stella, i Magi, un neonato, volti pagina e c'è un uomo di trent'anni pronto a morire in nome del padre.
Insomma, un gran bel salto temporale che Moore si decide a colmare con una narrazione esilarante ed una trama avvincente, il tutto condito con un tono umoristico e sarcastico sapientemente giostrato dall'autore.

Sotto quest'operazione di rivisitare il Vangelo in forma umoristica, si cela in realtà l'intento dell'autore di portare sia i più bigotti, che i più miscredenti alla riflessione, al domandarsi il perché di taluni istituti ecclesiastici; si cela la dimostrazione di come culture diverse possano vivere pacificamente - Gesù riceve i più disparati insegnamenti - e portare a effetti positivi, e di cosa invece di nefasto succede quando le religioni si scontrano - l'omicidio, crocefissione, insomma, usate un qualsiasi termine vogliate per indicare la morte del Figlio di Dio.

Biff narra con tutto l'entusiasmo del migliore amico di colui che è stato l'uomo perfetto, il più giusto, dimostra come quest'ultimo avesse natura divina, ma forma umana - Gesù è spesso un babbeo che dal lato pratico non riesce a combinarne tante di buone.

Avvolgente, ancor più che avvincente, il romanzo è ricco di narrazione che sembrano davvero riportarci ai primi trent'anni dopo l'anno 0 in Galilea e nel clima vissuto dagli ebrei sotto il regime Romano.
I discorsi, brillanti, sono veloci e spesso costituiti da botta e risposta che fanno - scusate, ma non c'è altro modo di dirlo - pisciare dal ridere.
I personaggi sono ben strutturati, svolgono bene il proprio ruolo, le scene mai inconcludenti. Insomma, promosso sia dal punto di vista contenutistico, che dal punto di vista della forma.
Il finale - nonostante sia il finale più conosciuto di sempre, croce, ladroni, pianti, resurrezioni - coglie di sorpresa e commuove, anche il più ateo degli atei. Insomma, è un uomo che muore, un uomo che è stato un amico, a prescindere dal fatto che sia il figlio di Dio.

Un crocevia di etnie, culture, razze, religioni, riflessioni e risate, 'Il Vangelo secondo Biff' è una lettura che strizza il cuore per il tono commovente della storia dei due amici. Consigliato a chiunque sappia essere onesto intellettualmente e, fedele, sappia farsi quattro risate, ateo, sappia leggere tra le righe.
Grazie, Moore. ...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Robert rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-deals

While I was certainly entertained from the first page to the last, and the story provided more than a few laughs, I wasn’t as entertained as I thought I would be. The tale proved every bit as imaginatively creative as the name implied, and Christopher Moore managed to take more than a few liberties along the way, which did serve to heighten my enjoyment of said story. But I never felt it achieved its promise of being a literary masterpiece, especially when early on Joshua had stuffed lizards in ...more

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About Christopher Moore

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Christopher Moore is an American writer of absurdist fiction. He grew up in Mansfield, OH, and attended Ohio State University and Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA.

Moore's novels typically involve conflicted everyman characters suddenly struggling through supernatural or extraordinary circums ...more

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