Review - Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, and Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana

Anne Rice is living proof that studying vampires leads to Christ. At least, that is a simplistic way of describing this contemporary author's spiritual and literary journey. Rice is well credentialed in historic fiction through a plethora of books dripping with vampires, blood, and intense sense experiences.[*] But, according to her testimony,[†] this research expertise helped her move back from a liberal and almost atheistic perspective to a spiritual reconciliation with the church. As her research focus moved back in time, Rice realized that her inquiries revolved around the development of Christianity. "Ultimately, the figure of Jesus Christ was at the heart of this obsession."[‡] Within the last few years, she published two novels in a series on Christ The Lord, namely, Out of Egypt, and The Road to Cana. Together they present a well-known character writer's foray into the fathomless question, "Who is Christ the Lord?"

For the most reliable history of Jesus' life on earth, the gospels would certainly make a better start. This is fiction, after all. Well researched, and grounded, yes, but not a systematic theology. As fiction, Christ the Lord reveals at least as much about the character of its author as its subject. The series is richly draped with literary, emotional, and historic development. Coming from a liberal academic social climate, Rice encompassed the remotest regions of doctrine and speculation in her research. No source could be too avant-guarde, too bizzare, or too traditional, not even Islamic authors. Unfortunately, like the Lord she portrays, Rice suffers some theological confusion in her steps to reconciliation. While her open perspective on research allows her to incorporate a variety of creative situations, the incorporation of apocryphal stories and substantial hint of Roman Catholic doctrine both provide footholds for denominational criticism. Nevertheless, a reasonable suspension of disbelief and some Christian charity can open the door to the depth of insight Rice offers.

Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt just slightly outdoes its sequel in establishing a living context with the major events in Jesus' early life. Rice's research and conjecture take her plot far beyond the meager facts of Scripture. She easily weaves in obscure gospel personalities to create the intricacy and intimacy of ancient family relationships. Then she spins the plot through the most formative events Jesus might have encountered as a child. Embarking from Alexandria, Rice's characters face the challenge of moving out of the base Hellenistic philosophy back into the pervasive Hebrew culture. The natural change from Greek to Hebrew or Aramaic dialogue is one notably historical and appropriate literary device she uses in the transition. Through dozens of other references, allusions, and events, the characters proceed to reveal the detail and meaning for rituals, contemporary strains of philosophy, and the political problems of the day. Thus, Rice helps the modern reader to a better understanding of tumultuous Jewish life.

Like the first book, Christ the Lord: The Road To Cana builds from a thorough grounding in ancient Hebrew customs and values. With more Scriptural details about his later life, however, the sequel naturally adds another level of theological development. In Out of Egypt Rice delves into the progressive recognition the Christ child might have experienced in discovering himself. Though on the border of orthodoxy, Rice's Jesus performs miracles, struggles with obedience, and even suffers disease, all in the most realistic vision of growing "in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and men." The Road To Cana adds a more mature perspective appropriate for the one who is fully God and fully man. Though the protagonist is unlike any other, Anne Rice is one of the few authors capable of making this divinity truly human. And, it is this profound insight into the godhead that makes her story particularly worth reading.

With good reason Rice is also a popular author. Having developed a talent for narrating intense sensory experience, she uses the full gift to develop scenes of temptation and reveal the intellectual and spiritual power in Christ's character. Even if one knows how it will all play out, this emotional development adds an engaging layer over the books' dry facts of lifestyle and theology. A mature believer may well appreciate this spicy crust covering the hefty meat. For a casual seeker, on the other hand, Rice's vibrant mental and material worlds may be the one temptation to taste more serious questions. Either way, it would be worthwhile, if only because it makes one continue to ponder, "Who is Christ the Lord?"

[*] "It's been my delight that no matter how many supernatural elements were involved in the story, and no matter how imaginative the plot and characters, the background would be thoroughly historically accurate." Anne Rice, “Author’s Note” in Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt (Ballantine Books: New York, 2006), 321.
[†] Ibid.
[‡] Ibid.