''The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'' is a novel by Philip Pullman. Published in 2010 by Canongate Books, as part of the

Canongate Myth Series The ''Canongate Myth Series'' is a series of novellas published by the independent Scottish publisher Canongate Books, in which ancient myths from various cultures are reimagined and rewritten. The project was conceived in 1999 by Jamie Byng, ow ...

, it retells the story of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

as if he were two people, brothers, "Jesus" and "Christ," with contrasting personalities; Jesus being a moral and godly man, and his brother Christ a calculating figure who wishes to use Jesus' legacy to found a powerful

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

Critical reception

Pullman's historical understanding has been criticised by

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

theologian Professor

Gerald O'Collins Gerald Glynn O'Collins (born 1931) is an Australian Jesuit priest and academic. He was a research professor and writer-in-residence at the Jesuit Theological College (JTC) in Parkville, Victoria, and a research professor in theology at St Mary's ...

. While Christopher Hitchens, author of ''

God Is Not Great ''God Is Not Great'' (sometimes stylized as ''god is not Great'') is a 2007 book by British-American author and journalist Christopher Hitchens, in which he makes a case against organized religion. It was originally published in the United Kingd ...

'', praised Pullman's '' His Dark Materials'', he was more critical of ''The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'', accusing Pullman of being a "Protestant atheist" for supporting the teachings of Christ but being critical of organised religion.

Diarmaid MacCulloch Diarmaid Ninian John MacCulloch (; born 31 October 1951) is an English academic and historian, specialising in ecclesiastical history and the history of Christianity. Since 1995, he has been a fellow of St Cross College, Oxford; he was former ...

reviewed the book positively for '' Literary Review''.MacCulloch, Diarmaid
"All Too Human"
Literary Review. Retrieved 12 December 2020

References

External links

''The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ''
website

*[http://www.westminster-abbey.org/worship/sermons/2010/may/sermon-given-at-matins-on-sunday-2-may-2011?SQ_DESIGN_NAME=inner_printer_friendly Sermon given at Westminster Abbey on ''The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ''] available via Wayback Machin
here

2010 British novels Novels by Philip Pullman Novelistic portrayals of Jesus Books critical of Christianity Canongate Books books {{2010s-novel-stub