Philip Pullman, the children’s author, is set to cause controversy with a new book – called The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ – denying that Jesus was the son of God.
The book which is due to be published at Easter next year, argues that St Paul came up with the ”story” that Jesus had a divine link.
Pullman has previously ruffled feathers in religious circles with the trilogy His Dark Materials, interpreted by some groups as being anti-Christian.
He said: ”By the time the gospels were being written, Paul had already begun to transform the story of Jesus into something altogether new and extraordinary, and some of his version influenced what the gospel writers put in theirs.
”Paul was a literary and imaginative genius of the first order who has probably had more influence on the history of the world than any other human being, Jesus certainly included. I believe this is a pity.”
Pullman told The Times newspaper that the idea of Jesus being the son of God came from Paul’s ”fervid imagination”.
He went on: ”The story I tell comes out of the tension within the dual nature of Jesus Christ, but what I do with it is my responsibility alone. Parts of it read like a novel, parts like a history, and parts like a fairy tale; I wanted it to be like that because it is, among other things, a story about how stories become stories.”
His Dark Materials, which includes the book Northern Lights on which the film The Golden Compass was based, attracted criticism for promoting atheism.
The movie was also blasted by the Vatican for portraying a world without God.
Telegraph (thanks, Kirsty)
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Another one to add to the Christmas list.
This is like denying that the Tooth Fairy wears a tutu.
“Fiction author writes work of fiction”
It’s a shock, alright.
Glad to see people are getting the balls to speak about what we have known for so long!
I’m a huge fan of Pullman, but does he claim to have evidence for this theory or is it a product of his own”fervid Imagination”? I accept that the majority, if not all, of the bible is bollocks but it would be a shame to see such a talented author go down the Dan Brown route of writing sensationalistic nonsense to sell books.
The Pullman book sounds very interesting. For a similar argument see “The Jesus Puzzle” http://jesuspuzzle.humanists.net/jhcjp.htm
Controversy once again from what has been accepted academically for donkey’s years. It’s called Pauline Thought for a reason (not cos she’s Mrs. Thought).
More on Gatley/Moir: http://xrl.us/bfs8jg
Wish I’d been at the debate last night…
Is that a picture of Pullman or Sven Goran Eriksson…the 2 look to have been separated at birth.
very interesting
i’d like to read it.
Like the Post Office, like the music industry, religion – Catholicism in particular – is going to have to adapt or die. The Vatican must shit itself from time to time – it has EVERYTHING to lose – it’s just a puff of air holding it all together. That and powerful bullying monied men. I so wish the sheeple would open their eyes and be free. The shackles have been unlocked! Run!
i thought the jews has already denyed that?!
What I WOULD like to see though is someone with the bollocks to face the Muslim sheeples en masse!
here’s my theory:
stranger to Jesus: “Are you the son of God?”
Jesus: “I am the son of God in the same way that we are all children of God.”
stranger: “He’s the son of God! He said so himself!”
(People have always been a bit stupid like that.)
Looking forward to the book.
So Paul was a Dramaturge and now Philip wants to be one too. I know ‘Granny’ is unwell but this is taking Dead Men’s Pointy Shoes a little too far.
But seriously, does it matter? The teachings of Yesus ben Yoseph ibn Nazerethene (were he an actual person and it appears even Philip doesn’t want to question that), such as the love thy neighbour, overturn the banks and turn the other cheek, are worthwhile in and of themselves. Indeend I concluded long ago that a historical jesus must have at least been familiar with Buddhism, or that both schools were teaching from a common background.
I’ve always approached religion as a personal quest; take what you like from where you like and follow what you like, as long as it makes you happy. If you want to follow the bible then do so, if you’d rather base you belief system off Tolkien, Prattcett or Pullman then go ahead. If you’d rather the universe were a vast implacable impersonal machine the go for it.
So more power to Pullman and if his critics are so weak in their faith to feel threatened by one man’s fiction then perhaps they should seek a stronger faith.
I think its about time that childrens stories started to offer up some alternative thinking around religion.
Its pretty evident that Jesus was a mythological figure. The Jesus we all know might have been based on a historical figure but as Pullman suggests St Paul was indeed the catalyst of changing Jesus into Jesus Christ. If you dig around a little its pretty clear that christianity is based on a judaic/pagan hybrid probably created by the hellenistic jews who were deeply into pagan philosophy, all that Mithras and what not. “Hey we like that dying resurecting god man thing lets make a judaic version!” hey presto christianity. But the literalists got the wrong end of the stick (catholics) and started taking it too seriously.
I wonder if the publishing date was deliberate?
this sounds like a very interesting read, i love a bit of pastiche every now and again.
and that quote from the vatican about the movie portraying a ‘world without god’ dont lots of movies do that? you dont see characters stopping to have a deep and intense religious debate in ever movie do you? or maybe the pope does, i dunno.
I need to start reading more. Maybe I’ll take a look at this. Criticised for promoting Atheism? I didn’t realise that was a crime.
I admire Phillip Pullman and enjoy his books immensely. Obviously he’s going to cause controversy but what the hey, I’ll certainly be reading.
Ah, so Mr Pullman obviously hasn’t read the Old Testament where it talks of Jesus being God (Jeremiah 23;6) Unless, of course, he’s trying to say that Paul was a lot older than he looked and that he wrote the OT as well…
Paulus a literary genius? Pullman making readers ask questions? The same questions again and again and again.
Note to self: author detailed illustrative treatise on how Derren Brown isn’t Christ figure and bury in oxygen free capsule for posthumus release given the danger of possible militant Jedis.
Second note to self: Ask Derren first just in case he is my Pater and learn to accept it.
Hmmmmm has any one actualy seen the giant man who lives in the sky?
I thought this was all common knowledge, but it would be nice to see Pullman’s treatment of this material.
If anyone wants to know where the body of Jesus is buried, it will be really easy to find: just listen for the spinning noise.
Apparently, there is indeed proof that a Jesus existed, but as we’ve said he wasn’t the miracle-worker that he has been known to be for so long. This book sounds quite interesting and whether Pullman’s view be all truth or all lies it is always interesting to hear of another person’s take on religion. In my opinion, I don’t believe there is a God; there’s too much evil in the world for an apparently benevolent God to exist, myself going through something recently that confirmed my non-belief. However, my opinion alone (and the little evidence I have of God being non-existent) doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t exist. Bit of a random comment!
Andy Taylor – I’m not a bible expert, but how can the OLD Testament possibly talk of Jesus? Surely these ideas are applied in hindsight. (Or maybe you’re joking… hard to tell…)
News media really like using the word “blasted” to descibe someone showing slight disapproval of something.
What I don’t understand about the bible is how it’s meant to be set in the Middle East, ja? Well how come all the characters are called things like John, Paul, Matthew, Simon etc. all quintessentially English names? Surely the Hebrew names that they are derived from would have been more historically accurate? Ot would we western audiences not warm to such characters as Yochanan, Shim’on and Mattityahu (John, Simon and Matthew in Hebrew)? If they can change names so monumentally what else has been interpreted out of all recognition over the years? x
i very much respect Pullman especially after his considered address at the Convention for Modern Liberty
http://www.modernliberty.net/2009/philip-pullmans-keynote
He’s not saying it fact – Its a fiction book, and he is entitled to his opinion. I think everyone (especially children) should be exposed to as many opinions as possible so that they have a chance to make their own mind up instead of having their own opinions forced on them
@Andy Taylor
You clearly know less than Pulman. The name Jesus makes it’s first appearance in the 1629 edition of the KJV. Matthew 1:21.
Please go away unless you are going to bring facts.
I’ve never read a Pullman book, but my friends seem to like them. Might have to give that one a go.
I don’t understand why people seem to think that childrens minds can be forever poluted by stories that support or deny religion. I went to a Church of England primary school where we were read Bible stories and had hymn practice every day, but that didn’t stop me from later deciding that I didn’t want to be Christian. Children will not take in to account the religious/non religious message behind a story, they will just see it as a story!
Also, why is it only ever the ‘atheist-message’ books that cause controversy? Why can’t stories like ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ be criticized for influencing children to follow Jesus?
Well i know i’ll b buying it. Should b an interesting read, and funny 2 wen the Christian community kick off about it.
@ emi – His books are actually quite dense and hard going for kids and a good move to get them involved, whilst whizzing up their vocab count. We got my wee niece hooked. I kept promising I’d read em too… One of these days…
He bases all of this on a hunch that Paul (whom he has never met) has a vivid imagination.
Paul has a vivid imagination hahahahahaha.
Philip clearly has a vivid imagination also!
Fly away Philip come back Paul- then may be we’d get a good read.
disturbing….
he’s in for a whole world of abuse! hes a very brave man i must say.
also, what right do the vatican have to flip out that he portrayed a world without god??
Ooohh…hahaa…o o o!
If they’re criticizing His Dark Materials for depicting a world without god, clearly they haven’t read it. There is a god in His Dark Materials, and he dies when he is removed from his cage by some children.
Chin up, my fellow Atheists. It is clear that 2010 will be the start of a great decade where our views will become mainstream – I predict not only in USA but in the Muslim world too.
May I share an excellent website that fully details the proposition that Jesus was myth – http://rationalrevolution.net/articles/jesus_myth_history.htm
How dull of Pullman to pull out an argument that has been around for millenia, write it in a kids book, and boost his bank balance from the controversy he knows he will stir. Apart from the fact that the ‘Paul invented Christ’ theory is historically unsustainable and theologically dubious, I simply wish people would have the balls to admit that whatever they think about Jesus of Nazareth, he is not an easy character to dismiss. A good man? No way. I’m sorry: that simply won’t do. Why do you think he was killed? Killed, that is, by the good guys- the relgious and upright lot. For being a good man? Don’t think so. It was for making claims that they could not tollerate- claims such as to be God on earth- the Christ, the son of God. Paul needed to invent nothing- Jesus had done it all already.
Not only was there such a person (Yeshu), but he more than likely visited not only England, but also India. The esoteric title Jesus Christ is not mentioned until the end of the first century by individuals who seem to have little or no idea who he was or what he taught. It is likely that they got their information from having either glimpsed or having been told about the gospel accounts which had already been written. The real Jesus (Yeshu or Yeshai) was considered by the Nazoreans to be the \’Son of God.\’ To learn how the Romans usurped the ancient scriptures of Yeshu and the Nazorean religion and proclaimed them the revelations of their godman Jesus Christ visit: http://www.nazoreans.com