Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt by Anne Rice




Anne Rice is the prominent author of the popular vampire novels in the 90s.  I read a few of those books back in college and as far as I can remember, she was really gifted at creating places, people and storylines that are fantastic yet believable.

Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt is a major departure from the theme and voice of the vampire novels but it nonetheless presents another reason why Anne Rice is an excellent writer.  I read her notes on the book and she explained how she came to write this book - from her Catholic upbringing, to leaving the church, and then going back to the faith.  She is an ardent researcher and pored through manuscripts, books, and scholarly works on the life of Jesus Christ.  Her basis for this story is really the New Testament.

A bold decision that Anne Rice made is to write this story in the first voice, that is, that of Jesus.  It is fiction but for those of us who need more accessible material regarding first century, then this is a great book.  There are detailed narratives on Jerusalem, Nazareth, the temples, the communal living, the long pilgrimages to offer sacrifices, and family life.

I really enjoyed this book for the historical perspective and for presenting the human side of the child Jesus as he discovers his identity.

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