THE QUEST FOR THE FICTIONAL JESUS : GOSPEL REWRITES, GOSPEL (RE)INTERPRETATION, AND CHRISTOLOGICAL PORTRAITS WITHIN JESUS NOVELS Margaret E. Ramey A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St. Andrews 2011 Full metadata for this item is available in Research@StAndrews:FullText at: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/1861 This item is protected by original copyright UNIVERSITY OF ST. ANDREWS ST. MARY'S COLLEGE Institute for Theology, Imagination, and the Arts The Quest for the Fictional Jesus Gospel Rewrites, Gospel (Re)Interpretation, and Christological Portraits within Jesus Novels A THESIS SUBMITTED BY Margaret E. Ramey TO THE FACULTY OF DIVINITY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND 2011 1 DECLARATIONS I, Margaret E. Ramey, hereby certify that this thesis, which is approximately 80,000 words in length, has been written by me, that it is the record of work carried out by me and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for a higher degree. I was admitted as a research student in March, 2006 and as a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in August, 2006; the higher study for which this is a record was carried out in the University of St Andrews between 2006 and 2010. Date Signature of Candidate I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree. Date Signature of Supervisor 2 COPYRIGHT In submitting this thesis to the University of St Andrews I understand that I am giving permission for it to be made available for use in accordance with the regulations of the University Library for the time being in force, subject to any copyright vested in the work not being affected thereby. I also understand that the title and the abstract will be published, and that a copy of the work may be made and supplied to any bona fide library or research worker, that my thesis will be electronically accessible for personal or research use unless exempt by award of an embargo as requested below, and that the library has the right to migrate my thesis into new electronic forms as required to ensure continued access to the thesis. I have obtained any third-party copyright permissions that may be required in order to allow such access and migration, or have requested the appropriate embargo below. The following is an agreed request by candidate and supervisor regarding the electronic publication of this thesis: Access to printed copy and electronic publication of thesis through the University of St Andrews. Date Signature of Candidate Date Signature of Supervisor 3 ABSTRACT Jesus' story has been retold in various forms and fashions for centuries. Jesus novels, a subset of the historical fiction genre, are one of the latest means of not only re-imagining the man from Galilee but also of rewriting the canonical Gospels. This thesis explores the Christological portraits constructed in four of those novels while also using the novels to examine the intertextual play of these Gospel rewrites with their Gospel progenitors. Chapter 1 offers a prolegomenon to the act of fictionalizing Jesus that discusses the relationship between the person and his portraits and the hermeneutical circle created by these texts as they both rewrite the Gospels and stimulate a rereading of them. It also establishes the "preposterous" methodology that will be used when reexamining the Gospels "post" reading the novels. Chapters 2 to 5 offer four case studies of "complementing" and "competing" novels and the techniques they use to achieve these aims: Anne Rice's Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt; Neil Boyd's The Hidden Years; Nino Ricci's Testament; and José Saramago's The Gospel according to Jesus Christ. Chapter 6 begins an examination of a specific interpretive circle based upon Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. Beginning with the synoptic accounts of that event, the chapter then turns to how Jesus' testing has been reinterpreted and presented in two of the novels. Returning to the Gospel of Matthew's version of the Temptation, chapter 7 offers a "preposterous" examination of that pericope, which asks novel questions of the text and its role with Matthew's narrative context based on issues raised by the Gospel rewrites. The thesis concludes by suggesting that Jesus novels, already important examples of the reception history of the Gospels, can also play a helpful role in re-interpreting the Gospels themselves. 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis is the result of the efforts and encouragement of many. I wish first to thank Bruce Longenecker, who served as the primary supervisor for this project from its conception to its conclusion. He offered swift and insightful responses to my work and gave guidance and support through some of the more trying times. Even after being appointed to the W. W. Melton Chair at Baylor University, he faithfully continued on in an unofficial, but certainly not unappreciated, supervisorial capacity. Whatever is good and successful about this thesis can be contributed largely to him and to Dr. Gavin Hopps, who took over as my supervisor upon Prof. Longenecker's departure from St. Andrews. I will always be grateful for Dr. Hopps' willingness to take me on and for his repeated challenges to produce the best thesis possible. His insights have greatly improved what follows, and any flaws that remain are mine alone. I wish to thank the University of St. Andrews for providing fine work accommodations at the Roundel, where my experience was greatly enhanced by my Black Room colleagues: Aaron Kuecker, Justin Smith, Kelly Liebengood, Kathleen Burt, and Matt Farlow. The congregation of St. Andrews Episcopal Church holds a special place in my heart. I found a home among them and am most grateful for the opportunity to serve as their youth director. Charlotte, Naomi, Rory, Samuel, Peter, David, Andy, Penny, and John kept me grounded and reminded me of the vital importance of practical application of biblical studies. I also must thank my extended "urban" family, some of whom were gracious enough to live with me: Mariam Kamell, Dimali Amarasinghe, Annick Vidonne, Jen Kilps, Alissa Jones Nelson, Jo Ann Sharkey, and Melanie, Drew, and Elaine Lewis. Others, such as John Boothby, Kathleen Burt, Whitney Drury, Matt Nelson, Amber and Paul Warhurst, Paul and Eileen Scaringi, and the Chandler family, who never shared a flat with me nevertheless shared their lives and many adventures with me. Many of you have reminded me of what it means to take literally Paul's words of being brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you to the University of St. Andrews for awarding me the Overseas Research Students award, which provided partial funding for my second and third years of study. Thank you to Rotary International, whose Ambassadorial Scholars program funded my first year of study. The Florence Rotary Club and District 7770 sponsored me for this program, and in particular I would like to thank Joe Stukes and David Michaux. Through Rotary, I met my surrogate parents, Alan and Irene Constable, and also Jerry, Linda-anne, and Claire Beaulier. They have housed me, fed me, driven me around, introduced me to Scottish culture, and offered their untiring support. My experience in Scotland was richer because of them. My final year of writing was done while teaching at Messiah College. I am privileged to be a part of such a fine institution whose vision for educating and mentoring students coincides so well with my own. My colleagues and the administration have been unfailingly affirmative as I have tried to balance my first year of teaching with the final stages of thesis writing. I am also grateful for the continued support that I have received from those at Truett Seminary. Thank you especially to Todd Still for his encouragement to begin postgraduate work and for his continued mentorship throughout this process. Thank you also to Scott Baker for helping me access resources at Baylor's library whenever they were not available here. Most importantly, I wish to thank my entire family but in particular my parents. I credit my parents with instilling in me a love for learning and the discipline to study and persevere. I cannot thank them enough for all they have given me: countless hours of their time proofreading this thesis, the management of my affairs while I lived overseas, financial aid, phone calls, and their love and belief in me. I would not be where I am nor the person who I am today without them. This thesis is dedicated to them with much love and gratitude. 5 CONTENTS Declarations 1 Copyright 2 Abstract 3 Acknowledgments 4 Table of Contents 5 Introduction: Jesus and Jesus stories 6 PART I: FROM JESUS TO JESUS TEXTS Chapter 1: Prolegomenon to fictionalizing Jesus 8 PART II: FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT TO NEW TEXTS Chapter 2: Anne Rice's Out of Egypt as a complementing rewrite 34 Chapter 3: Neil Boyd's The Hidden Years as a complementing rewrite 58 Chapter 4: Nino Ricci's Testament as a competing rewrite 70 Chapter 5: José Saramago's The Gospel according to Jesus Christ as a 104 competing rewrite PART III: FROM NEW TEXTS BACK TO THE NEW TESTAMENT Chapter 6: The Temptation: from Gospel sources to Gospel rewrites 128 Chapter 7: A preposterous reading of the Temptation and its narrative role in 166 Matthew's Gospel Conclusion 214 WORKS CONSULTED 223 6 Introduction: Jesus and Jesus stories And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.