BOOK REVIEW: "CHRIST THE LORD: OUT OF EGYPT" by Anne Rice

I just finished reading the new book by Anne Rice, "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt." For those of you who are familiar with Anne Rice and her other novels, you may be extremely surprised at her taking up this topic in her latest novel. This book is a fictional account of the child Jesus during the lost years of the Bible -- the time between Mary and Joseph's flight into Egypt and Jesus' appearance at the Temple in Jerusalem as a young man.

Not to give away much of the plot, but the story opens with Jesus as a boy of seven living in Alexandria in the Jewish Quarter. He is a student of Philo, who recognizes the uniqueness of this child, although he doesn't understand who Jesus really is. The story progresses from that point to the journy of the extended family back to Israel and eventually their return to Nazareth where they re-establish their life. The story is told from Jesus' point-of-view in the first person, and, as true with all Anne Rice novels, Ms. Rice's considerable research into historical culture and society and natural settings lends a realism to this work of fiction.

I enjoyed the book, but found it a little difficult to become engaged with at first. It was strange to put yourself into the mind of Jesus as a boy and as He struggles to discern who He really is and why He came into the world. But, once I got several chapters into the book, I was hooked and enjoyed the story immensely. For those who pick this up, though, keep in mind that Ms. Rice is Catholic, and the story reflects Catholic teachings in a variety of areas that may cause concern for Protestant readers. For instance, Jesus' brother James is not a son of Mary, but a son from Joseph's first marriage, keeping the Catholic teaching that Mary never had other children intact. Other distinctly Catholic doctrines can be found in the text, but it does not distract too much from the story.

However, as interesting as the story was, the best part of the book was the Author's Note at the end. In this part, Ms. Rice presented her testimony and her search for Jesus, from her early upbringing in the Catholic Church, to her rebellion and distrust of organized religion, and finally to her soul-searching following the death of her husband that led her back to the Jesus of her youth. She shares the story of how this book came to be and how the research into this subject deeply touched her religious understandings of who Jesus was and who He could be in her life. And, she presents a telling critique over some of the scholarship related to Christology expressed by the more liberal camps of Christianity. Buy this book, if only to read this part. I consider it well worth the price just to read the fascinating journey and testimony of Ms. Rice, whose works I have enjoyed over several years.