,

Fiction with Jesus as a Character

This list is for novels that include Jesus as one of the characters, whether they portray him positively or negatively. List could also include any book-length literary studies of the same.
1

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3.98 avg rating — 372 ratings
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2

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4.23 avg rating — 104 ratings
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3

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4.23 avg rating — 180,297 ratings
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4

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4.03 avg rating — 37,457 ratings
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5

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4.39 avg rating — 374,081 ratings
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6

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4.18 avg rating — 15,401 ratings
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7

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4.28 avg rating — 406,257 ratings
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8

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4.24 avg rating — 3,082,547 ratings
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9

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4.14 avg rating — 4,719 ratings
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10

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4.32 avg rating — 7,161 ratings
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11

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4.34 avg rating — 8,169 ratings
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12

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3.62 avg rating — 15,244 ratings
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13

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3.90 avg rating — 9,121 ratings
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14

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4.02 avg rating — 27,535 ratings
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15

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4.13 avg rating — 508 ratings
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16

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3.68 avg rating — 4,101 ratings
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17

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4.23 avg rating — 138,932 ratings
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18

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3.65 avg rating — 18,300 ratings
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19

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4.31 avg rating — 37,153 ratings
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20

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4.10 avg rating — 982,215 ratings
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21

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3.76 avg rating — 8,140 ratings
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22

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3.84 avg rating — 1,172 ratings
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23

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3.84 avg rating — 685,120 ratings
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24

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4.13 avg rating — 1,881 ratings
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25

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4.23 avg rating — 26,988 ratings
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26

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3.71 avg rating — 384 ratings
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26

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3.75 avg rating — 2,181 ratings
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28

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3.43 avg rating — 14,493 ratings
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29

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3.56 avg rating — 16 ratings
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30

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4.30 avg rating — 372 ratings
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31

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4.26 avg rating — 971 ratings
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32

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4.24 avg rating — 853 ratings
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33

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3.87 avg rating — 7,249 ratings
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34

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4.16 avg rating — 229 ratings
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35

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3.87 avg rating — 6,122 ratings
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36

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3.72 avg rating — 356 ratings
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37

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4.02 avg rating — 490 ratings
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38

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3.88 avg rating — 1,836 ratings
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38

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4.80 avg rating — 54 ratings
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38

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4.07 avg rating — 135 ratings
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38

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4.23 avg rating — 104 ratings
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42

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4.07 avg rating — 2,825 ratings
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43

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3.93 avg rating — 937 ratings
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44

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3.92 avg rating — 1,089 ratings
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45

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3.83 avg rating — 8,494 ratings
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46

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4.55 avg rating — 703 ratings
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47

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4.37 avg rating — 683 ratings
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48

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4.38 avg rating — 1,088 ratings
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48

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3.92 avg rating — 40 ratings
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50

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3.84 avg rating — 57 ratings
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51

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3.90 avg rating — 3,684 ratings
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52

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4.40 avg rating — 76,771 ratings
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53

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4.15 avg rating — 1,732 ratings
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54

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3.98 avg rating — 255 ratings
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55

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3.69 avg rating — 452 ratings
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56

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3.83 avg rating — 1,197 ratings
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57

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4.10 avg rating — 5,285 ratings
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58

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3.26 avg rating — 2,077 ratings
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59

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3.61 avg rating — 1,097 ratings
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60

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3.78 avg rating — 9 ratings
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61

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3.86 avg rating — 7 ratings
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62

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4.44 avg rating — 208 ratings
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62

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3.50 avg rating — 60 ratings
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62

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4.07 avg rating — 15 ratings
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62

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3.68 avg rating — 19 ratings
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62

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4.67 avg rating — 6 ratings
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62

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4.42 avg rating — 43 ratings
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62

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4.27 avg rating — 30 ratings
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62

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it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings
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62

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liked it 3.00 avg rating — 40 ratings
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62

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4.29 avg rating — 7 ratings
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62

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3.33 avg rating — 46 ratings
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62

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3.86 avg rating — 22 ratings
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62

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3.99 avg rating — 82 ratings
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62

by
4.09 avg rating — 1,477 ratings
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62

by
3.83 avg rating — 112 ratings
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62

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4.22 avg rating — 18 ratings
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62

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3.33 avg rating — 9 ratings
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62

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4.09 avg rating — 1,707 ratings
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62

by
3.09 avg rating — 33 ratings
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62

by
4.29 avg rating — 17 ratings
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62

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4.39 avg rating — 177 ratings
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62

by
3.61 avg rating — 2,434 ratings
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62

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4.20 avg rating — 1,464 ratings
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62

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4.75 avg rating — 4 ratings
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62

by
4.37 avg rating — 59 ratings
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62

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4.20 avg rating — 5 ratings
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88

by
3.60 avg rating — 323 ratings
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88

by
3.23 avg rating — 122 ratings
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88

by
3.55 avg rating — 143 ratings
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88

by
4.32 avg rating — 1,262 ratings
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88

by
4.45 avg rating — 734 ratings
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88

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3.73 avg rating — 5,782 ratings
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88

by
4.17 avg rating — 224 ratings
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88

by
3.26 avg rating — 61 ratings
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88

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 15 ratings
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97

by
3.59 avg rating — 54 ratings
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97

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating
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97

by
3.33 avg rating — 3 ratings
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97

by
4.25 avg rating — 407 ratings
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184 books · 166 voters · list created August 13th, 2012 by Therese (votes) .
33 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Therese 2489 books
208 friends
Phillip 5728 books
139 friends
Jennifer 7192 books
299 friends
Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) 546 books
365 friends
Suzanne 8822 books
30 friends
Frustratedinlimbo 105 books
0 friends
Alicia 89 books
26 friends
Barbara Gem(ini) 1052 books
6 friends

More voters…


Comments Showing 1-13 of 13 (13 new)

dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Scoti (new)

Scoti N I am unable to figure out how to add books to this
fine list, so with this comment I suggest

Naomi Alderman, The Liar's Gospel
Richard Beard, Lazarus is Dead
J. M. Coetze, The Childhood of Jesus
Jim Crace, Quarantine
Nikos Kazantzakis, The Last Temptation of Christ
D.H. Lawrence, The Man Who Died
George Moore, The Brook Kerith
Colm Toibin, The Testament of Mary
.

Some of these may be on the list. It would be helpful if Goodreads could either editorially provide a sorting order for reader supplied lists or provide a feature that allows sorting so users can add missing items.

For some reason, a selective list of novels by good writers in which Jesus is the main or major character seems strangely missing from the web. But if anyone can suggest one please do so.


message 2: by Nik (new)

Nik Kane Scoti wrote: "I am unable to figure out how to add books to this
fine list, so with this comment I suggest

Naomi Alderman, The Liar's Gospel
Richard Beard, Lazarus is Dead
J. M. Coetze, The Childhood of Jesus
..."


Although I haven't read it, from a cursory glance at the description of Coetze's The Childhood of Jesus, it seems that it does not include Jesus of Nazareth as a character.


message 3: by Jim (new)

Jim Scranton I am trying to find a book that was published maybe sometime in the 1970s that was a fictionalized account of Jesus as a young boy when he stayed behind in Jerusalem and learned from the teachers in the Temple.


message 4: by Rose (new)

Rose Corb Any series below by Bodie Thoene should be on the list .
AD CHRONICLES, JERUSALEM LEGACY ( last two) and others .Take this Cup , Behold the Man ....

One of the AD books covers Jesus in the temple as a child .
I recommend ALL of them .


message 5: by FM (new)

FM I am looking for a book about Jesus in which he's called Yeshua and he has tattoos and he learned some of his wisdom in the East. He's always "with" Mary Magdalene which causes some jealousy in his disciples. I read this many years ago and lost the title and the author from my memory. Anyone here know what I'm talking about?


message 6: by Rainbowheart (new)

Rainbowheart Does Jesus need to appear on the page? I wanted to add Alphabet of Dreams because Jesus has just been born and is talked about, but the MC never actually meets him.


message 7: by FM (new)

FM Yes. I'm sorry. Jesus is prominent on the page throughout the book.
Thank you though!


message 8: by Rainbowheart (new)

Rainbowheart Sorry, I wasn't clear! That question was for Therese, the list creator.

FM, if you're looking for a particular book, you may want to post on the What's the Name of That Book??? group.


message 9: by FM (new)

FM Oh, Rainbowheart, I'm so sorry I misunderstood!

I will try that. Thanks!


message 10: by Rainbowheart (new)

Rainbowheart No problem, hope you find your book!


message 11: by Capn (last edited Aug 29, 2022 02:03AM) (new)

Capn Rainbowheart wrote: "Does Jesus need to appear on the page? I wanted to add Alphabet of Dreams because Jesus has just been born and is talked about, but the MC never actually meets him."

I have a similar question - would The Da Vinci Code qualify, for example? Lots about exbiblical/apocryphal/fictional doings of Jesus, a rewriting or reinterpretation about the nature of the Holy Grail, and what he did. But it is not contemporary 1st century Jerusalem, only referencing his actions later (I can't remember if as "flashbacks" or not).

Do you want only the case of an active character with (or with the capacity for, in the case of no) dialogue?


message 12: by Capn (new)

Capn FM wrote: "Oh, Rainbowheart, I'm so sorry I misunderstood!

I will try that. Thanks!"


Please do! :D It's a great group - you might be able to solve some other queries while you are there!


message 13: by FM (new)

FM Rainbowheart wrote: "No problem, hope you find your book!"

Thank you!


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