Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

“Mankind, I suppose, is designed to run on – to be motivated by – temptation. If progress is a virtue then this is our greatest gift. (For what is curiosity if not intellectual temptation? And what progress is there without curiosity?) On the other hand, can you call such a profound weakness a gift, or is it a design flaw? Is temptation itself at fault for man’s woes, or is it simply the lack of judgment in response to temptation? In other words, who is to blame? Mankind, or a bad designer?”I’m not going too far if I say, Lamb by Christopher Moore is probably my most favourite book ever. I think it was recommended to me around 2009 – I remember bringing it with me to my first UK trip ever in 2010 and by that time I’ve read it at least once – and I instantly fell in love. In the past 10 years I’ve read it at least half a dozen times. And I still find it damn hilarious every time I decide to reread it. Though I’ve been mostly reading in English for the better part of the last 8 or so years, I think this is the first time that I read Lamb in that language. I have a well worn Hungarian paperback which I love to pieces – and which have a much better cover IMO – and a lot of memories dragging it halfway around the world. And since I have a pretty strong link with the Hungarian version, I was a bit afraid whether the enjoyment would be the same. Translations can be tricky and in recent years I’ve not been happy at how some books were translated into my language. I’m happy to report, that in this case our translator did a damn good job. The original version really lives up to my Hungarian memories.Have you ever wondered who Jesus really was? About what happened to him during that 30 years the Bible doesn’t bother explaining? I can assure you, many scholars researched the topic, but probably none of them were as amusing as Christopher Moore‘s book. In Lamb we follow Jesus’ or rather Joshua’s life from the time he is six until his death. We watch him grow up, try his hands in miracles which later made him famous, learn how to be a Messiah. We follow him across half of the known world at the time until he returns to his home in Nasareth to be the man he was destined to be. But he wouldn’t be able to manage all that without his most trusted companion, Levi who is called Biff. Joshua – as he was called in Aramaic – , is depicted as a serious, emphatic, sensitive child who grows up into the man we more or less know from the Bible. Biff is his complete opposite, he is crafty, cunning and doesn’t say no to a little trouble making. But most of all, he is loyal to a fault.“The Law says that two must go with the flock to keep an abomination from happening. I can spot an abomination from fifty paces.’ Maggie smiled. ‘And did you prevent any abominations?’ ‘Oh yes, I kept all of the abominations at bay while Kaliel played with his favorite sheep behind the bushes.’ ‘Biff,’ Joshua said gravely, ‘that was the abomination you were supposed to prevent.’”They complement each other well, and in truth they are more brothers than friends. He also has a sense of humor which highlights the events all through the book. Because, when your best friend is the son of God, you have to suffer the companionship of the stupidest angel and you find yourself in impossible situations – like dealing with a yak, or getting your best friend out of a bag among other things), your only chance to stay sane is to develop a great sense of humor. And a healthy dose of common sense. The connection Josh and Biff have is really awesome and I have a soft spot for books which depict brotherhood such as theirs.“Little Joshua spun on his heel. ‘My name is not Joshua bar Biff, and it is not Joshua bar Joseph either. It’s Joshua bar Jehovah!’ I looked around, hoping that no one had heard him. I didn’t want my only son (I planned to sell Judah and James into slavery) to be stoned to death for uttering the name of God in vain. ‘Don’t say that again, Josh. I won’t marry your mother.’ ‘No, you won’t.’ ‘I’m sorry.’ ‘I forgive you.’ ‘She will make an excellent concubine.’ Don’t let anyone tell you that the Prince of Peace never struck anyone. In those early days, before he had become who he would be, Joshua smote me in the nose more than once. That was the first time.”As Joshua tries to figure out what it means to be Messiah and how can he become one, together they set off to find the three Magicans who visited Joshua upon his birth. Their adventure lead them to Balthasar in Kabul, Gaspar in China and Melchior in India. In all three places they learn about the teachings of famous philosophies and ideas which later shines through his teachings. Out of the three destinations they visited, my favorite was Kabul and Balthasar’s home with the seven Chinese concubines and the mysterious iron door. Gaspar and the monostor was a fun one too, where Joshua and Biff has to learn to ju-do. The parts about India, while were interesting, felt a bit rushed and we didn’t spend as much time there to be able to properly immerse ourselves in it.“Rumi had expressed my sentiments exactly, but I would be damned if I was going to let my last words be ‘Eek, a tiger,’ so I listened quietly as urine filled my shoes.”The last part of the book retells the story we know better from the Bible – how Joshua becomes the teacher people look up at, how he performs miracles and gets on the wrong side of the Sadducees and Pharisees. Even though you well damn know what is going to happen, you can’t help but sit on the edge of your seat as you read and feel ALL the emotions. I swear I have a lump in my throat every time I near the end.“Since I could remember, my friendship with Joshua had been my anchor, my reason for being, my life; now it, he, was running toward destruction like a storm-driven ship to a reef, and I couldn’t think of a thing to do but panic.”Lamb is, to put it simply a masterpiece. It has the right balance of adventure, humor, serious topics, mystery, history. I loved all the little Easter eggs Moore put into this book referring to historical events, people (a guy from Turin takes a cloth from Joshua after he cleans his face with it!!), etc. Not talking about how much research he must have put in to give back the atmosphere of the era, the traditions of Jews and the stories we know from the Bible. But thourough research and exquisite writing wouldn’t have been enough to have a near perfect book. What makes Lamb exceptional is the humor and the characters that Moore brought to life. No matter how many times I read it, I just can’t help laughing out loud or be sad or excited for them to succeed in their quest.You absolutely have to read this book if you like Moore‘s books, love humor, want an alternative history about who Jesus was, enjoy reading about adventure, drama and prefer a character driven story. In short: READ THIS BOOK!

What does the H in Jesus H. Christ stand for? I'll give you a hint--it's a family name. Beyond that, you'll have to read the book and discover it for yourself.I interviewed Chris Moore for my writing ezine. At the time, he was in the throes of writing Lamb, and had been instructed by his publisher to keep the project hush-hush, lest a bad B movie rendition torpedo the whole thing. I remember him saying that this book would certainly "piss off more people" than any of his previous works--and from the looks of the reviews cropping up here, the process has already begun.I've read every one of Christopher Moore's books--I'm a devoted fan. Every time I read Chris Moore in bed, I find myself laughing so hard that my husband refers to me as "the human equivalent of Magic Fingers." I have to believe that someone whose writing can evoke such a reaction has a true gift. Christopher Moore's writing is both funny and deeply humane--he pokes fun at the world with tenderness and benevolence. That style shines through in Lamb, a story retold by Jesus' life-long friend, the irrepressible Levi, who is called Biff.At first glance, it might seem Biff is an archetype--the guy whose exterior reflects "a--hole," (to quote the angel, Raziel), but who actually possesses a heart of gold. But on further examination, Biff's more than that. He's intelligent (incidentally, the first to theorize that the world was round, and the first to speculate on the existence of gravity), kind and selfless. Sure, he has his faults, but that brilliant combination of jerk/gentleman is what makes him so intriguing.Those who scoff at this book for religious reasons (and there will be many, I'm sure) are missing the bigger picture. As Moore relates in his afterword, the book was "not designed to change anyone's beliefs or worldview." But, for me, it did. I'm a Christian, and after reading Lamb I came away with a new understanding of Jesus (called Joshua in the book--Jesus is the Greek translation of the Hebrew, Yeshua, which is Joshua) as a human being. The fact that Jesus became human to redeem the world is the core of the Christian faith, and Christopher Moore brings that belief home with an almost magical tenderness. I found it moving to think of Jesus as a real person, and not some mystical, unreachable Godhead. Regardless of Moore's own religious beliefs--it's difficult to determine whether he views Christ as the Son of God, or a fascinating historical figure with a 30-year hole in his life story--Lamb meant something to me, and I know I'll read it more than once.Is Lamb a perfect book? No. Some of the humor was a little too slapstick to really work. But as a whole, it's a bright spot in a world that has grown far too serious and cynical. Lamb was painstakingly researched; it's poignant and real; and, oh yeah...it's incredibly funny.

Christopher Moore is a delightful author - all of his books are amusing, well-written, and he brings his characters to life with human-like characteristics. In Lamb, he explores the time frame between Jesus' birth to his death, in a truly hilarious, yet insightful manner. Highly recommend this book, and all other titles by Christopher Moore.

Only know Christopher Moore from his demented Shakespeare parodies but I was glad to find a lot of heart behind the madness.

So, Jesus decides it’s time for another gospel to chronicle his missing early years. He sends Raziel, an angel, to earth, who brings back to life Levi, son of Alphaeus. Levi (Biff), annoyed that he has been left in the ground for two thousand years, is given the gift of languages and then punches the angel in the mouth.Levi is tasked with writing the gospel because he and Jesus (Joshua) were childhood friends. They travelled together through Asia seeking out the three wise men and remained close until Jesus’s crucifixion and subsequent resurrection.Raziel takes Levi to a hotel in Missouri, USA, to write the gospel. Raziel watches TV, while Levi writes. Through Levi’s eyes, Moore tells the story of the missing years, checking in occasionally on Raziel and Levi in their shared room.I enjoyed Moore’s ‘A Dirty Job’ last year and wanted to read something else from his back catalogue. ‘Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal’ was very warmly received by the Goodreads community, so I downloaded it to my Kindle.I enjoyed ‘Lamb’ even more than ‘A Dirty Job’. Clearly, a lot of work had gone into researching the background for the story, and the humour was plentiful. Moore engaged me and made me smile throughout the book and, at several junctures, had me laughing out loud. Hugely entertaining!

Amazing book right from the start. It's witty and so engrossing that you won't realise how fast you move through over 400 pages.

This filled in many blanks for me I've taken it all as gospel. Really looking forward to reading more Moore.