Only Begotten

by Gary Glass

Before the myth, before the gospels, before the God, there was a life well-lived. Only Begotten tells the story of a man who lived so deeply that despite two thousand years of elaboration his humanity still shines through. In this novel, loosely based on the gospel of Mark and informed by modern historical scholarship, I've tried to reveal through the power of fiction the real truth of the human story at the heart of the myth. It's the story of a man who was broken by chance and lost in the wilderness, but found his way through hell to new life, a man who just by being true to himself acquired a following -- and fatal enemies. Only Begotten revisits many of the familiar set pieces of the good news -- and turns them inside out, just as Jesus stood the comfortable pieties of his friends' on their heads. I have tried in this book to show that it was the simple humanity, not the magical divinity, of this remarkable teacher that makes his story worth remembering even in an age of technological miracles and bitter cynicism.

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 26, 2013

About the author

Gary Glass grew up in Terre Haute, Indiana, took a degree in English and Creative Writing from IU and ISU, and absconded to Asia. In Taiwan he worked as an ad man and edited a travel magazine. In Japan he lived and worked on a horse farm training thoroughbreds. In Nepal he wrote his first novel. He has also worked as a registered nurse, a draftsman, and a software developer. He is also a photographer (shutterglass.com). He and his wife now live in Valencia, Spain.

Reviews

[Phyllis Duncan) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to do a longer review on my blog, but I'll say here, much like with Reza Aslan's Zealot, this is the Jesus I could believe in.