The Gaze of Jesus: A Novel

by Riccardo Bacchelli, Anthony Esolen (Translator)

"Let me be with you!" Homeless, living for years in a state of demonic insanity, Ithamar one day spots a mysterious man on the shore, runs to him, and finds himself wholly cured. But when he begs this healer to take him as a disciple, he is rejected and ordered to go home. Jesus and his entourage sail off toward the horizon without him. Why was he turned away—and how can he begin a new life?

Eight-time Nobel Prize nominee Riccardo Bacchelli imagines the life of the Gerasene demoniac after his his inner battles, his return to the family and the first-century Jewish community, his quest for love and meaning. The healer's gaze has been branded into his mind, but he cannot grasp who this man really is. As he gathers secondhand news of the Galilean miracle worker, he is determined to piece together the puzzle.

Elegantly translated and introduced by Anthony Esolen, The Gaze of Jesus is a gripping psychological, historical, and theological investigation into what it takes for the "uncalled" to follow Christ, to seek the face of Jesus from a distance. Bacchelli offers a vivid and visceral experience of the world of the New Testament, including some elaborate character studies of the Bible's darkest Herod, Herodias, and Judas.

Genres: Fiction, Christianity

275 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1948

About the author

Riccardo Bacchelli was an Italian writer.

His first novel was "Il filo meraviglioso di Lodovico Clo’" (The wonderful thread of Lodovico Clo). Then he wrote "La città degli amanti" (The City of Lovers). He was one of the founders of the Bagutta Prize. His more popular work was "Il mulino del Po" (The Mill on the Po), (1938–1940). A film from the novel was released in 1949.
Later novels from 1967 to 1978 include: "Il rapporto segreto" (The secret relationship), "Afrodite: un romanzo d'amore" (Aphrodite: a love novel), "Il progresso è un razzo" (Progress is a rocket) and "Il sommergibile" (The submarine).

Riccardo Bacchelli was a member of the Royal Academy of Italy. He was awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1971.

Reviews

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novel about Ithamar. He was the man who had been tortured for years by a legion of demons living inside of him. Jesus sent them into the pigs. Ithamar asked Jesus if he could come with him and Jesus said no. He tells him to go home and tell everyone what has been done for him.

The rest of the book is Ithamar trying to understand who Jesus is, who he is, what his life is now about. Ithamar is still a tortured soul.

I found the first part of the book rather repetitive and almost lost interest completely, but I stuck with it and some truths and conversions took place and I am glad I read it.

[Timothy Koch · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the first chapter I wanted to quit reading this book. The redundancy (as stated by another reviewer) is real.
By chapter four, I thought..."This book is not bad."
By the end of the book, I thought, "This is a solid 4-star book."
HOWEVER, since I have finished reading it, I cannot STOP THINKING ABOUT it.
This is a book that didn't 'grip me' as I was reading it, but definitely seized me afterward.
I'm a voracious reader, but not necessarily a "good" one.

With that said, this book follows the Gerasene Demoniac after his healing from Jesus. It's a great novel that speaks to the truth of human experience and the radical way that the love/presence/judgment of Jesus interacts with us.

A hidden gem. Pick it up. Worth a read.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, 'Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee'" (Luke 8:38-39). So begins the story of Ithamar, the demoniac healed by Jesus but is prevented from following his healer in THE GAZE OF JESUS (1948) by Italian Catholic novelist, Riccardo Bacchelli (1891-1985). Ithamar--confused, resentful--follows the steps of Jesus to his death on the cross, seeking one more gaze from this enigmatic Rabbi. Crossing Ithamar's path are such colorful characters as his former lover, Eglah, Judas Iscariot, Herod Antipas, and his fellow healed demoniac, Masma. Bacchelli confronts his readers with their assumptions of how they might have interacted with Jesus the Nazorean. Translator Anthony Esolen writes, "To gaze into the face of Jesus is, perhaps, to look upon a genuine man for the first time--on man, made in God's image, not marred by sin, and wholly in the presence of the Father." The character Ithamar takes us on a gripping journey on how the presence of the Son of Man affected those around him.