| ||||||||||
 
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
  
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... 
|
Tom Chaney No. 267: Galilean Twins Of Writers and Their Books No. 267, 29 August 2010. Galilean Twins a review on book by Phillip Pullman The next earlier Tom Chaney review, Kentucky author A.B. Guthrie's works By Tom Chaney Email: Tom Chaney bookstore@scrtc.com A week or so ago I stumbled upon an interesting sounding book which turns out to be a part of a British series which bears further reading. The publisher is Canongate and each of its myth series presents a reimagining of a classic story by a popular author. Margaret Atwood retells the tale of Penelope and Michael Faber does the same for Prometheus. With those stories readers may be sort of amused, but when Philip Pullman fiddles with Jesus folks start gathering dry sticks. The book is "The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ," [Canongate, 2010]. 'Tis thought provoking to say the least. Pullman is apt to be a bit shrill in his public statements on religion. What better way to sell books than to select a "vocal atheist and best-selling British fantasy writer to retell the story of the Gospels" as critic Ron Charles observes. Pullman, whom I have not read further but want to, essentially retells the four gospels in a way both refreshing and startling. He begins with the premise that Mary gave birth to twins in that stable. When the shepherds and wise men arrive they acknowledge the younger Christ as the object of worship, but it is firstborn Jesus who proceeds to teaching and preaching. Soon Christ becomes the chronicler of the events of the life of Jesus, a chronicler advised by a stranger who visits from time to time. Obviously the stranger is a divine emissary sent to keep matters on track. It is Christ who tempts his brother in the wilderness; who betrays him in the garden and who is horrified when the promised miracles don't intervene to stop the crucifixion. Christ is witness when brother Jesus' body is spirited away from the tomb. And it is Christ who is celebrated as the risen Jesus and who sees to the establishment of Christianity and a church to carry on the teachings of Jesus. Now, Pullman is not the first to attempt to demythologize the gospel. As one critic observed, even the apostle Paul remarked that "the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." More than two centuries ago Thomas Jefferson called the miracles and spontaneous healings "superstitions" and "fabrications" added by those who had "an interest in sophisticating and perverting the simple doctrines taught by engrafting on them the mysticisms of a Grecian sophist, frittering them into subtleties and obscuring them with jargon." Two beautiful revisions in the traditional story come to mind. The retelling of the sermon on the mount is downright moving. And when the multitudes are fed the feast is spread not so much by divine prestidigitation as by Jesus teaching a lesson on sharing when he asks those in the crowd who have food to share it with others. Pullman's little book is a pleasant read - a good way of rethinking the familiar elements of our own essential myths. Tom Chaney can be found telling stories, planning his next meal, and occasionally selling books at THE BOOKSTORE This story was posted on 2010-08-29 12:55:55
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Tom Chaney: Of Writers and Their Books:
Tom Chaney No. 266 review: A.B. Guthrie Tom Chaney No. 14 review: Bank robbery in Hart County Tom Chaney No. 13 review: A Deadly Shade of Gold Tom Chaney No. 265 review: Road to Savoyard Tom Chaney No. 264 review of Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer Tom Chaney No. 262: The Help Tom Chaney No. 262: Possum Unlimited Tom Chaney No. 261: Roguish Rapscallion Tom Chaney: So Open to Infinity Tom Chaney: Summer's Bounty View even more articles in topic Tom Chaney: Of Writers and Their Books |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
  
   
 Provided by the Adair Co Fiscal Court and the Adair Co. Emergency Mgt. Agency 
|
||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
|
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
| ||||||||||
