“Any priest who wants to indulge his secret appetites, his greed, his lust, his cruelty, will find himself like a wolf in a field of lambs where the shepherd is bound and gagged and blinded.

Pullman is surely referring to the Catholic scandals when he gives Jesus this savage speech: 1-convulses over priestly child abuse and papal cover-ups. The Good Man Jesus is a masterfully timed book, arriving just as the Catholic Church-Pullman’s enemy No. And Pullman’s Christ, like Jacob, seeks to organize a previously casual faith. As in Genesis, there’s an elder twin who’s loving, free, and a little bit wild, and a younger who’s sickly and scheming and ultimately betrays his brother. The Good Man Jesus owes as much to the Old Testament as the New. The wicked institution of the church rises the humane teachings of Jesus are supplanted with rules and mumbo-jumbo. It spoils nothing about the plot to say that Christ winds up betraying his brother. This infuriates Jesus, who detests lies, euphemism, and institutions. Again and again, he tells us that miracles are essential because they will persuade Jesus’ followers to believe and will legitimize the church. Christ claims that he only wants to strengthen the authority of Jesus. Egged on by a mysterious stranger-Guess who!-Christ starts to “improve” the stories about his brother, fabricating miracles and claiming bogus divine interventions.

Eventually, Christ becomes the chronicler of Jesus, recording the parables and sermons. Christ does have magical powers-he brings clay birds to life-but lacks his brother’s wisdom, kindness, and charisma. We see and hear him only from a distance, through his younger twin, Christ. That Lord’s Prayer is better than the real one!

Pullman the good man jesus