Christ in a new light

As the holy book of Christians and Jews, the Bible offers a rich tapestry of history, ethics and spirituality. The narrative of the Bible and Jesus Christ’s life allows different readings and perspectives. Further, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Codices discovered in the 1940s-50s, offered many retellings of the life of Jesus and that period in history.

The Second Book of Prophets, the English translation of Malayalam writer Benyamin’s ‘Pravachakanmarude Randam Pustakam’, is a bold and secular retelling of the life and times of Jesus Christ and his disciples.

Benyamin looks at Jesus’ life outside the Bible, the society of that time, their customs, their legal codes and interprets them, creating a narrative quite different from the prevailing convictions. Jesus appears in the novel not as the Son of God, but as a social reformer and a tenacious fighter.

“When we see Jesus only as God or the Son of God through the eyes of faith, we fail to understand him,” proclaims Benyamin in an interview with DHoS.
“When we study history in depth, we see that Jesus was also a reformer who fought against the injustices that existed in the Jewish society of that time and also tried to reconcile the many fighting tribes. What else can we call such a person but secular?”

The Old Testament tells the history of the Jewish people, God’s laws, his communication through prophets and the foretelling of a messiah, while The New Testament identifies Jesus Christ as that messiah, explains his gospel and the spread of that gospel. Benyamin’s book is different in that it tells of a people who lived by different customs and fought with each other during Jesus’ time, and how Jesus tried to work among them and ended up being killed for it.

He also breaks new ground writing about the much-vaunted miracles of Jesus with new interpretations. Take, for instance, the turning of water into wine at Cana. Although this is read as a miracle, it was a social transformation in a sense. At that time, wine was not served to all, only to the elite. Jesus intervenes and subverts that law and ensures wine is served to the poor, too.

Similarly, the healing of a leper or the resurrection of Lazarus are believed to be divine miracles. The book logically argues that they were social reforms as well. Likewise, why did Judas betray Jesus for just 30 pieces of silver? Contrary to what the Bible holds, this novel attributes it to tribal rivalries.

“The book offers you the possibility of reading the life of Jesus in a completely different way,” affirms Benyamin. But how easy is it to dispel deeply rooted beliefs that faith has instilled in people and see Jesus through a different lens, or see events differently from what was believed thus far? “The constant reading of books that make us think apart from faith is what prompted me to step outside,” explains Benyamin.

“My attempt is not to belittle Jesus or the great gospel of love that he put forward, as non-believers do. This novel asks you to love Jesus as a great man who performed social duties instead of just as a magician who worked miracles.”

The novel, translated by Ministhy S, is likely to baffle some Christians given that conventional beliefs about Jesus, and some Biblical characters and events have been upended. The Malayalam version was published in 2007, and perhaps tens of thousands have read it.

Unsurprisingly, die-hard believers opposed the book and some churches banned Benyamin from participating in their programmes, but many free-thinking priests and bishops concurred with him.

“They know that Jesus is worshipped worldwide not only because he performed miracles but also due to the gospel of love, brotherhood, reciprocity, forgiveness and mercy that he preached. Many understand that.”

Yet, Jesus’ message of love and equality was no music to the ears of Jewish priests. Despite suffering under Roman occupation for centuries and hoping for a messiah to liberate them, the Jewish tribe — The Benjaminites — conspired against Jesus, accusing him of trying to take Jerusalem from them. Ironically, even as the Jews fought against a common enemy — the Romans — each group was determined to safeguard its own interests.

“Throughout history, the story of failed revolts and battles follows the same narrative. That’s why the story of Jesus Christ remains relevant today, making it relatable across societies and experiences worldwide,” reiterates Benyamin. 

Finally, one cannot help but draw parallels between what’s playing out in Palestine/Israel and the Jews/Romans during Jesus’ time. Benyamin minces no words in saying these histories remind us of how the victims become the hunters as time goes by. “It was the Jews who fought for freedom against the Roman Empire, Jews lived in slavery under the Pharaohs in Egypt, and Jews died in Hitler’s gas chambers. But today, in Palestine, they are being looked at as murderers. I am saddened they haven’t understood human pain; history does not seem to have taught them anything. Writers have to remind society of that again and again.”