Anne Rice's new book- good or bad?

[AJC]

tmn379:

I haven’t read the book, but I heard an interview with Anne Rice shortly after the book was published.

Her speculations on the childhood of Jesus are drawn from the various Gnostic Gospels (Gospel of Thomas, Infancy Gospel of Thomas, Infancy Gospel of James, etc.). Anyway, I would be somewhat reluctant about taking what she writes in the book as truth.

Actually, what else could she reference? The Gospel accounts only say the Holy Family escaped to Egypt and came back to Nazareth. It is a work of fiction, at least based on some fact.

AJC

 

[AlanFromWichita]

I think the Church is assimilating right now, even in this very thread. :yup:

Resistance is futile!

Alan

 

[jkatpc]

I received the book for Christmas. For those who are disturbed that there are non-canonical events in the book, please read before you judge. That Jesus did or didn’t create real birds from clay ones is not specific to salvation (so believing it did or didn’t happen isn’t really important), and the absence of a recorded event is no evidence that the event did not happen. That God takes pleasure in the beauty of creation should be no surprise to anyone. As for the bully scene, well, you have to read it. It isn’t presented well or in its entirety in this forum. It’s kind of like hearing that Mr. York killed twenty people in the same manner in a very short period of time–some terrible serial killer. Oh yeah, forgot to mention that he was in the army at the time, at war with Germany, and those people were trying to kill him. Makes the story a little clearer and the judgment we pass a lot different.

What struck me as most profound in the book is the subject of Mary’s perpetual virginity. Mary and Joseph’s relatives are speaking of the appearance of an angel to Mary and the subsequent pregancy. When one person suggested that Joseph hadn’t or wouldn’t have relations with her because he didn’t believe her (i.e., she lied to cover up relations with another man), that person was corrected. Joseph would not have relations with her because he DID believe! She was chosen for such a special and intimate purpose by God that he would never defile that sanctuary. Sounds pretty Catholic to me, even though it’s fiction.