King Jesus (novel): Difference between revisions
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==The Story== |
==The Story== |
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Graves wrote the story from the perspective of an official living in the time of [[Domitian]]. The novel opens with the statement, "I, AGABUS the Decapolitan, began this work at [[Alexandria]] in the ninth year of the Emperor Domitian and completed it at [[Rome]] in the thirteenth year of the same."<ref>[http://www.amazon.com/dp/0374516642 First Sentence]</ref> The novel consists primarily of dialogues between the prophets and other people of the story told by the Roman official. It begins with the reign of Herod before Jesus is born and explains in an epic style the dynastical roots of Jesus both from his mother's and his father's side, establishing a dual while terrenal - temporal- right to the throne of Israel. The second part starts with Nativity and Jesus's youth. Finally, the third part chronicles Jesus's work in adulthood as a prophet, his death on the cross, and his resurrection. |
Graves wrote the story from the perspective of an official living in the time of [[Domitian]]. The novel opens with the statement, "I, AGABUS the Decapolitan, began this work at [[Alexandria]] in the ninth year of the Emperor Domitian and completed it at [[Rome]] in the thirteenth year of the same."<ref>[http://www.amazon.com/dp/0374516642 First Sentence]</ref> The novel consists primarily of dialogues between the prophets and other people of the story told by the Roman official. It begins with the reign of Herod before Jesus is born and explains in an epic style the dynastical roots of Jesus both from his mother's and his father's side, establishing a dual while terrenal - temporal- right to the throne of Israel. The second part starts with Nativity and Jesus's youth. Finally, the third part chronicles Jesus's work in adulthood as a prophet, his death on the cross, and his resurrection. |
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==Editions== |
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The standard scholarly edition is the volume in the Carcanet Collected Works of Robert Graves, edited by Robert A. Davis. |
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<ref>[http://www.carcanet.co.uk/cgi-bin/indexer?product=9781857546606]<ref> |
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==Criticism== |
==Criticism== |
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Revision as of 08:59, 18 June 2009
King Jesus is a semi-historical novel by Robert Graves, first published in 1946. The novel is controversial for the way it treats Jesus not as the son of God, but rather as a philosopher with a legitimate claim to the Judaean throne through Herod the Great[1], and also for the way it treats numerous Biblical stories and contradictions while demystifying Jesus' life.
The Story
Graves wrote the story from the perspective of an official living in the time of Domitian. The novel opens with the statement, "I, AGABUS the Decapolitan, began this work at Alexandria in the ninth year of the Emperor Domitian and completed it at Rome in the thirteenth year of the same."[2] The novel consists primarily of dialogues between the prophets and other people of the story told by the Roman official. It begins with the reign of Herod before Jesus is born and explains in an epic style the dynastical roots of Jesus both from his mother's and his father's side, establishing a dual while terrenal - temporal- right to the throne of Israel. The second part starts with Nativity and Jesus's youth. Finally, the third part chronicles Jesus's work in adulthood as a prophet, his death on the cross, and his resurrection.
Editions
The standard scholarly edition is the volume in the Carcanet Collected Works of Robert Graves, edited by Robert A. Davis. <ref>[1]<ref>
Criticism
Old Heresy, New Version, Time Magazine, Monday, Sep. 30, 1946