Lamb, by Christopher Moore

This is a humorous alternate gospel of Jesus Christ, as told by Biff, Christ's childhood pal.

If you are a person who views the Bible as the literal Word of God, inerrant in word and spirit, to the extent that the contradictions in the Bible are mysteries, instead of typographical errors, you will be unlikely to enjoy this book.

If on the other hand you realize that God, after all, does have a sense of humor, then you should pick up this book and read it. In fact, there is a quote from Voltaire at the beginning of Chapter 1 that expresses this idea better than I could:

"God is a comedian playing to an audience that is afraid to laugh."

This was the first Christopher Moore book I had ever read, and I was a bit skeptical that such a book could be respectful to the spirit of Jesus' life while still being humorous. I found that in fact, it is possible to be respectful while being side-splittingly humorous.

The story framework is that this book attempts to fill in what Jesus was doing between his famous visit to the temple and his public ministry in his 30's. It is told through the viewpoint of his childhood pal, Biff, who is the 15th apostle, depending on how you count. Biff's real name is Levi, and he met Jesus at age six, and stayed with him until the end.

There are many things that amaze me about this book. The first is how believable it all is, even the stories of the boys' misadventures in their younger years. The second is how poignant it all becomes. The third is how it illuminated my faith.

The author has a web site at www.chrismoore.com. The book is published by Harper Perennial.