Book News
Film director tackles life of Jesus
“Basic Instinct” director Paul Verhoeven has written a book that contradicts biblical teaching by suggesting that Jesus might have been fathered by a Roman soldier who raped Mary.
An Amsterdam publishing house has said it will publish the Dutch filmmaker’s biography, “Jesus of Nazareth: A Realistic Portrait,” in September.
Verhoeven is best-known as the director of blockbuster films, including “Basic Instinct” and “Robocop,” but he is also a member of “Jesus Seminar,” a group of scholars and authors that seeks to establish historical facts about Jesus.
The book also claims that Judas Iscariot was not responsible for Jesus’ betrayal, according to the publisher.
The claims were greeted with some skepticism among those who have dedicated their careers to studying the life of Jesus. One issue is that there is very little information about the life of Jesus outside of the Gospels, and the Gospels don’t support Verhoeven’s ideas.
William Portier, a professor of religious studies at the University of Dayton, in Ohio, said the Jesus Seminar is known for making provocative claims, but “they are real scholars — and you have to deal with them.”
The Associated Press
First Line
The Divorce Party by Laura Dave
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Publishers Weekly
