The Gospel According to Jesus Christ
First edition Cover (Portuguese)
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| Author | José Saramago |
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| Original title | O Evangelho Segundo Jesus Cristo |
| Translator | Giovanni Pontiero |
| Country | Portugal |
| Language | Portuguese |
| Genre | Historical novels |
| Publisher | Caminho |
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Publication date
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1991 |
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Published in English
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1994 |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 396 pages (paperback edition) |
| ISBN | (paperback edition) |
| OCLC | 30670956 |
| 869.3/42 20 | |
| LC Class | PQ9281.A66 E913 1994b |
The Gospel According to Jesus Christ (original title: O Evangelho Segundo Jesus Cristo, 1991) is a novel by the Portuguese author José Saramago. A fictional re-telling of Jesus Christ's life, depicting him as a flawed, humanised character with passions and doubts. The novel proved controversial, especially among the Roman Catholic Church, accusing Saramago of having a "substantially anti-religious vision". It was praised by other critics as a "deeply philosophical, provocative and compelling work".
This book re-imagines the life of Jesus Christ, using the events depicted in the canonical gospels as a scaffold on which to construct its story. It does not truly follow the chronology of the life of Jesus Christ found in the New Testament. It placed far greater emphasis on the earlier part of Jesus' life than the canonical gospels do.
The book describes an alternate history to the life of Jesus Christ as depicted in the Bible. It begins with Jesus's conception, in the spiritual presence of God. Jesus' birth is heralded by a mysterious character, who claims to be an angel. Later, at Bethlehem, Jesus is born in a cave, and three shepherds – including the "angel" – arrive to bring him presents.
As described in the Gospel of Matthew, Herod the Great receives a premonition of the birth of the "King of the Jews" (in the biblical account of Matthew, he is informed by the Magi; in the book, however, he is visited in his dreams by the prophet Micah). He orders the Massacre of the Innocents. Jesus survives, but his father, Joseph, who has learned of the plan, neglects to warn the other families in the village, ensuring that his son is safe first, and is plagued by nightmares for the rest of his life.
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