You know the Passion narrative. This is the story behind it.
Metlip, Nubian slave to master carpenter Josef of Nazareth, is roused in the night by the carpenter's estranged son, Iesu. Risking arrest and worse by defying his three-year exile, Iesu has returned to ask his father two questions. The first inspires a family pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The answer to the second will determine whether Iesu implements a daring plan to change the world, a world Josef depends on to hide a secret which could mean his death.
From Nazareth south through the Jordan Valley and up the western escarpment to Jerusalem, old conflicts are rekindled with fresh tensions that force the three men to question their beliefs, their fears and their relationships with one another. The present is layered with details from the past, blending into a compelling tale of fate and loyalty, and the power in self-sacrifice.
From there, Grant’s detailed, naturalistic story tracks Iesu and company across a desert empire of chariots and aqueducts and baptists named John, from Nazareth to Jerusalem, where the young firebrand, dogged in speaking out against corruption, will face his fate. “The people see hope in my message, while priests fear for their power,” says this Iesu, a practical man caught between heaven and Earth. Asked of his reputation for miracles, he asks his mother to describe what he did when the wine ran out at a wedding celebration. “You added water to the empty casks and made sport with the children rolling them around,” she says. Trickier to gainsay, of course, are instances of what many take as miraculous healing, scenes rendered with skill, suspense, and room for interpretation.
Grant’s realistic yet emotional approach invites readers to consider the most famous story ever told from some new angles. One touching element: Maryam’s vindication as her son’s reputation swells, years after her tale of a divine pregnancy inspired laughter. Josef, too, emerges as a full and compelling character, in one set piece drawing on Hebrew law to contest charges of blasphemy. Grant adds meat to the parables, pays welcome attention to political realities of the era, draws engaging relationships, and leaves it to readers to draw conclusions about where the human meets the divine.
Takeaway: A human, historic spin on the gospel narrative, written with warmth, wisdom, and vivid detail.
Great for fans of: Colm Toibín’s The Testament of Mary, Richard Bauckham’s Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
