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Description edit
The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ is the remarkable new piece of fiction from best-selling and famously atheistic author Philip Pullman. By challenging the events of the gospels, Pullman puts forward his own compelling and plausible version of the life of Jesus, and in so doing,... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters edit
- Jesus: The child of the prophecy that was to be the messiah to his people. Liked by all he meets, Jesus is a rebellious child who turns to religion much later in life than his brother. He preaches the equality of all men and dismisses the idea that any one person (be they the son of god or not) is better - but rather that all people have the ability to hea/perform miracles and find redemption.
- Christ: Twin to Jesus, but second born. He was born sickly and tiny but Mary loved him more than Jesus, deducing that Christ needed more love. Mary mislead the 3 Wise Men that came to visit the messiah at his birth and raised Christ as being the messiah of his people. Subsequently, Christ becomes a religious pupil - being a favorite for the Rabbis but unfavored by the populace. He follows his brother around, jealous of his followind and unable to attain the same spiritual enlightenment, influence or understanding as that of his brother. He will later claim to be his brother resurrected to help create a church in his brother's name.
- The Stranger: A stranger who encourages Christ to write down truth not history in regards to his brother
- John: Add a description of this character.
- Mary
- Joseph
- Peter
- Zacharias
- Martha
- Pilate
- Herod
- James
- Anna
Quotes edit
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“Lord, if I thought you were listening, I'd pray for this above all: that any church set up in your name should remain poor, and powerless, and modest. That it should wield no authority except that of love. That it should never cast anyone out. That it should own no property and make no laws. That it should not condemn, but only forgive. That it should be not like a palace with marble walls and polished floors, and guards standing at the door, but like a tree with its roots deep in the soil, that shelters every kind of bird and beast and gives blossom in the spring and shade in the hot sun and fruit in the season, and in time gives up its good sound wood for the carpenter; but that sheds many thousands of seeds so that new trees can grow in its place. Does the tree say to the sparrow "Get out, you don't belong here?" Does the tree say to the hungry man "This fruit is not for you?" Does the tree test the loyalty of the beasts before it allows them into the shade?”
Jesus -
“A woman's testimony being of little value, Peter and John hastened to the garden to see for themselves.”
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“The story will be told many times. We shall make sure of that. In the years to come we shall sort out the helpful versions from the unhelpful.”
The Stranger -
“...But this is the tragedy: without the story, there will be no church, and without the church, Jesus will be forgotten... Oh, Martha, I don't know what I should do”
Christ
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‘Lord, if I thought you were listening, I’d pray for this above all: that any church set up in your name should remain poor, and powerless, and modest. That it should wield no authority except that of love. That it should never cast anyone out. That it should own no property and make no laws. That it should not condemn, but only forgive.
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As soon as men who believe they’re doing God’s will get hold of power, whether it’s in a household or a village or in Jerusalem or in Rome itself, the devil enters into them.
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Does the tree say to the sparrow “Get out, you don’t belong here?” Does the tree say to the hungry man “This fruit is not for you?” Does the tree test the loyalty of the beasts before it allows them into the shade?
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‘There is time, and there is what is beyond time. History belongs to time, but truth belongs to what is beyond time. In writing of things as they should have been, you are letting truth into history. You are the word of God.’
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‘There are some who live by every rule and cling tightly to their rectitude because they fear being swept away by a tempest of passion, and there are others who cling to the rules because they fear that there is no passion there at all, and that if they let go they would simply remain where they are, foolish and unmoved; and they could bear that least of all. Living a life of iron control lets them pretend to themselves that only by the mightiest effort of will can they hold great passions at bay. I am one of those. I know it, and I can do nothing about it.’
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What should have been is a better servant of the Kingdom than what was. I am sure you understand me.’
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The road that leads to life is a hard one, and it passes through a narrow gate, but the road to destruction is easy, and the gate is broad. Plenty take the easy road; few take the hard one. Your job is to find the hard one, and go by that.
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So stop worrying about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.’
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‘Do you want to be like him?’ ‘More than anything. He does things out of passion, and I do them out of calculation. I can see further than he can; I can see the consequences of things he doesn’t think twice about. But he acts with the whole of himself at every moment, and I’m always holding something back out of caution, or prudence, or because I want to watch and record rather than participate.’
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You think being what you are is enough? You’d better start considering what you do.’
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First Sentence edit
This is the story of Jesus and his brother Christ, of how they were born, of how they lived and of how one of them died.
Table of Contents edit
1. Mary and Joseph
2. The Birth of John
3. The Conception of Jesus
4.The Birth of Jesus, and the Coming of the Shepherds
5. The Astrologers
6. The Death of Zacharias
7. The Childhood of Jesus
8. The Visit to Jerusalem
9. The Coming of John
10. The Baptism of Jesus
11. The Temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness
12. Joseph Greets his Son
13. Jesus Begins his Ministry
14. The Stranger
15. Jesus and the Wine
16. Jesus Scandalises the Scribes
17. Jesus Preaches on the Mountain
18. Christ is Saved by the Stranger
19. Jesus Continues his Sermon on the Mountain
20. The Death of John
21. Feeding the Crowd
22. The Informant, and the Canaanite Woman
23. The Woman with the Ointment
24. The Stranger Talks of Truth and History
25. 'Who Do You Say I Am?'
26. Pharisees and Sadducees
27. Jesus and the Family
28. Difficult Stories
29. The Stranger Transfigured; A Coming Crisis
30. Jesus Debates with a Lawyer; The Good Samaritan
31. Mary and Martha
32. Christ and the Prostitute
33. The Wise and Foolish Girls
34. The Stranger Talks of Abraham and Isaac
35. Jesus Rides into Jerusalem
36. The Priests Test Jesus
37. Jesus Becomes Angry with the Pharisees
38. Jesus and the Money-changers
39. The Priests Discuss What to Do about Jesus
40. Christ and his Informant
41. The Stranger Tells Christ What Part He Must Play
42. Christ at the Pool of Bethesda
43. Caiaphas
44. Jesus in the Garden at Gethsemane
45. The Arrest of Jesus
46. Jesus before the Council
47. Peter
48. Jesus and Pilate
49. The Crucifixion
50. The Burial
51. The Stranger in the Garden
52. Mary from Magdala at the Tomb
53. The Road to Emmaus
54. The Net-Maker
Series & Lists edit
This book is in Canongate Myth. (publisher series)
Authors & Contributors edit
- Philip Pullman (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Canongate U.S.
Country: U.S.A.
Publication Date: 2010
ISBN: 978-0802129963
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Canongate U.S.
Country: U.S.A.
Publication Date: 2010
ISBN: 978-0802129963
Page Count: 256
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: PR6066.U44 G66 2010
- Dewey: 823.914
Subjects edit
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Links to Supplemental Material edit
- The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ: Official website for the book
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