246:, who places Biff into a motel room in order to prevent any distractions by the modern world. Biff begins his story by recounting his first meeting as a boy with the then six-year-old Joshua. (He explains that the English name Joshua is the best match to the original Hebrew name Yeshua, and "Jesus" is the result of the name being translated through Greek and Latin.) They grow up together, and as young men, they travel Eastward to consult the
269:. Over twenty years, Joshua surpasses the trio by incorporating his beliefs into theirs: he learns to multiply food from a Wise Man and learns to become invisible from another, whereas his ability to resurrect the dead, initiates his first meeting with Biff in childhood. Throughout his role, Biff is sarcastic, practical and loyal, a counterpoint to Joshua's temperamental and sometimes idealistic character.
27:
466:, "...I am bound and determined not to do it. At every book signing, somebody will tell me it’s his favorite book. Then they say, 'Can’t you write another?' But if I write a sequel, let me predict what readers will say. They’ll say, ‘Well, it was good, but not as good as
383:
Various references to literature in both the New
Testament and the broader Christian apocryphal canon are made. For example, both Matthew and John have stories of Jesus's saliva having mystical properties that help restore a blind man's vision. In
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At the novel's conclusion, Biff gives "The Gospel
According to Biff" to Raziel and discovers a resurrected Maggie exiting the room opposite his, having finished her own Gospel weeks before. At Raziel's behest, they are united immediately.
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was issued in hardback and paperback and contains an afterword by the author explaining some background of the novel. In 2007 a special gift edition was published, with a second afterword by Moore, recollecting his trip to
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all appear as well: Mary
Magdalene (here nicknamed "Maggie") is depicted as harboring love for Joshua, while Joshua remains celibate, and Biff compensates by an active sexuality of his own.
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and similar novels commented that it got them thinking about the stories of Jesus in new ways, despite knowing full well these were modern works.
450:, arguing against arbitrarily locking apocrypha to non-canonical stories from the period of the Roman Empire. He remarked that students who read
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The recounting of Joshua/Jesus' human and godlike qualities, combined with Biff's earthy debauchery, humorously explains the origins of
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Vanden Eykel, Eric M. (2017). "Expanding the
Apocryphal Corpus: Some 'Novel' Suggestions". In Burke, Tony (ed.).
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Comic horror author writes of Death's antics in S.F. -- 'A Dirty Job,' but somebody had to do it
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that show a young Jesus playing around and experimenting with his divine powers.
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Fakes, Forgeries, and
Fictions: Writing Ancient and Modern Christian Apocrypha
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265:) who attended Joshua's birth, so that Joshua may learn how to become the
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Biff is resurrected in the 20th century to complete missing parts of the
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and then fail and ruin it for everyone? Better just to leave it alone."
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199:, published in 2002. In this work the author seeks to fill in the
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368:. The idea that prior to his public ministry, Jesus traveled to
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230:(with Vincent Pictures) optioned the film rights to the novel.
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The
Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror
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Lamb: The Gospel
According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
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Lamb: The Gospel
According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
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Lamb: The Gospel
According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
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Jesus himself made a brief cameo in Moore's earlier novel
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from this novel later is the title character in Moore's
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and cappuccino; reasons that Jews eat
Chinese food on
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424:as the servant of Balthasar, one of the Wise Men.
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442:Religious scholar Eric Vanden Eykel argues that
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226:According to the author, the producer-director
650:from the novel, "Teaching Yoga to an Elephant"
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849:Cultural depictions of Mary, mother of Jesus
742:Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings
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492:Michael Dirda on 'Fool' By Christopher Moore
322:—particularly the Biblical scenes told from
177:Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings
462:In 2015, Moore said of writing a sequel to
207:through the eyes of Jesus' childhood pal, "
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869:Cultural depictions of the Biblical Magi
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524:"Re: Dec. 10 - 14: Christopher Moore"
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470:.’ Why would I want to try to outdo
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728:The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove
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859:Novels set in ancient Israel
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284:became associated with
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763:You Suck: A Love Story
700:Practical Demonkeeping
417:Practical Demonkeeping
288:. The Three Wise Men,
788:The Serpent of Venice
777:Bite Me: A Love Story
211:who is called Biff".
824:2002 American novels
889:Novels set in India
884:Novels set in Tibet
854:2002 fantasy novels
617:. December 17, 2015
564:on November 1, 2012
513:. December 17, 2015
497:. December 16, 2015
448:Christian apocrypha
408:The Stupidest Angel
376:, in his 1894 hoax
195:by American writer
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610:Martindale, David
528:Barnes & Noble
308:Literary allusions
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834:Absurdist fiction
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558:Christopher Moore
534:on April 13, 2009
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197:Christopher Moore
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340:Upanishads
332:Kama Sutra
314:Bulgakov's
280:; and how
648:Afterword
630:Author's
438:Reception
278:Christmas
118:Paperback
81:Publisher
67:adventure
256:Buddhist
252:magician
153:50518600
114:Hardback
47:Language
568:May 12,
538:May 12,
370:Kashmir
364:of the
362:Gospels
348:Sun Tzu
328:Lao Tzu
282:rabbits
267:Messiah
112:Print (
63:mystery
50:English
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458:Sequel
403:Raziel
356:, the
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316:novel
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286:Easter
258:and a
244:Raziel
221:Israel
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37:Author
336:Torah
260:Hindu
240:Bible
205:Jesus
193:novel
191:is a
125:Pages
59:Humor
55:Genre
798:Noir
770:Fool
636:Lamb
592:ISBN
570:2013
540:2013
472:Lamb
468:Lamb
464:Lamb
452:Lamb
444:Lamb
422:Lamb
386:Lamb
298:Mary
274:judo
263:yogi
254:, a
216:Lamb
147:OCLC
134:ISBN
96:2002
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