38 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Addiction ? Moi, December 17, 2004
Excuse me for sailing under the above flag of convenience. It's one of my jokier pseudonyms. Thanks for the kind review -- but I'm surprised to learn I've 'struggled with addiction'. I'm probably the least addicted or addictive person I know! I'm better known amongst my friends for my abstinence. I'm very boring, I fear. I know it's fashionable to have struggled with addictions, these days, and you can scarcely have any authority with your audience unless you haven't, but I'm sorry to say I come from a family of non-addicts. My mother gave up smoking the day they published the first statistics that it was harmful and I followed not long after! I enjoy a glass of good wine on occasion. I even tend to change my regular routes to town out of boredom. My point in writing Behold the Man was not, indeed, to offend Christians. I've actually had some great reviews in the Christian press and enjoyed fine correspondence with people of religion. I was interested in my character 'imitating Christ' -- making Christ's journey when he discovered that Jesus was not the historical figure described in the Bible. When I conceived Behold the Man (at Easter 1966) I had no wish to offend, no argument with believers, merely an interest in the processes which created one of the world's greatest religions.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
BEHOLD, the MAN on every level, June 26, 1998
By A Customer
It has been called many things, but most often it is called BLASPHEMOUS and HERETICAL. I say "Yes, but only incidentally." On the surface BEHOLD THE MAN is another time-travel story. Beneath that surface this book is a coral reef of ideas and issues pertaining to that elusive creature, MAN. MAN's need for history to determine his purpose and the ablility to tailor history to his own needs. MAN's need to Love and to be Loved. MAN's scientific advances vs. MAN's religious foundations. As grand in scope as these concepts are, they are only the beginning. This is one of the greatest books of all time and a must read for any serious student of human nature.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
History in the Making, December 4, 2000
Imagine being a time-traveller who goes back in time to meet Jesus of Nazareth. How would you react? For Karl Glogauer, this is just what happens. But it turns out things aren't what Karl expected. The simple carpenter's son is exactly that - simple. A grinning, salivating imbecile, who can only say his own name with a moronic giggle.
This is one of the funniest books about time travel I have read. It's about disillusionment, finding yourself, trying to work out who you are, and making amends. Karl Glogauer is a man full of social failings. A victim who is mixed up, confused and uncertain. The problem is he hates himself, and can't accept the good things other people see in him.
Before I had heard of this book I had my own theory that Jesus might have been a time traveller from the future, say the 28th century. He would have had all sorts of advanced technology to make it look like he was performing miracles, such as a pair of hover boots to make it look like he was walking on water. Or genetically modifying five loaves and two fishes to feed thousands. His claim to be the son of God would have been the ultimate hoax.
The time traveller in "Behold the Man" is from the 20th century and takes on the role of Jesus rather reluctantly. He utters prophecies that are uncannily accurate (he's read it all in a book), and he "heals" those whose afflictions are purely psychosomatic. All the quotations in the bible are based on Karl's actions. The things Karl does will be interpreted down the centuries, affecting the lives of millions.
This is a wonderfully iconoclastic work, full of mocking wit. I finished reading it the same day I bought it, it's not a very long book. It really makes you think about destiny and what we're all about.
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