The Quest for the Fictional Jesus (e-book) (used book) | bookbook.eu

Description

For almost two millennia, Jesus’ story has been retold in various forms and fashions, but in the last century a new way of reimagining the man from Galilee and rewriting the canonical Gospels has sprung up in the form of Jesus novels. While the novels themselves are as varied as their authors, this work aims at introducing readers to some common literary strategies and theological agendas found in this rewriting phenomenon by surveying a few prominent examples. It also explores the question of what happens when we examine the intertextual play between these Gospel rewrites and their Gospel progenitors as we allow these contemporary novels to pose new questions to their ancient counterparts. An intriguing hermeneutical circle ensues as we embark on our quest for the fictional Jesus and accompany his incarnations as they lead us back to reexamine the canonical portraits of Jesus anew.

“In this bold experiment, Meg Ramey’s nimble examination of selected Jesus novels enables her to frame key issues in the reception history of the Jesus story and to approach New Testament texts afresh in light of that framework. If the hermeneutical flow of this study is refreshing, so too are its many contributions. A welcome inquiry into a neglected but important field of research.”
—Bruce W. Longenecker, Chair of Religion, Baylor University

“A book-length study of representations of Jesus in fiction is long overdue, and this one serves as an erudite and creative benchmark.”
—Zeba Crook, Associate Professor, Carleton University

Margaret E. Ramey is Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania.