Gospel of Corax

An intriguing and fascinating novel of the spiritual development of two outsiders journeying to salvation beyond the reaches of the Roman Empire. Parks writes a fantastic story of the developing friendship and respect of two outcasts whose inimical paths crossed badly until their hostile relationships began to serve one another's interests. Corax and Jeshua share their deepest emotions, without much talk, and spiritually advance from their physical and mental clashing as they both elude and endure captivity in their odyssey of faith.Corax's spiritual quest provides a vehicle for expanding the Essene background of Jeshua, who followed his cousin John into the ascetic fold and who had to flee Judea prior to his public life, due to his being a misfit and an alien Galilean. How wonderful it is to know that Jeshua's humanity and his failing could lead him to such faith and strength. This is the message of Park's novel. That the strenth and toughness of the messenger was required for the strength of the message. This novel projects the message of the more common gospels, by recounting the actual events (in the novel) which led to Jeshua's spiritual revivfication and revelation.The Gospel of Corax is highly recommended by a Christian clergyman as a sensitive, insightful, work. Far from being iconoclastic or heretic the novel gives substance, experience and intelligence to the educational and spiritual growth of Jesus during the unrecorded years before his emergence as a spiritual, religious and political force in the Empire of the Caesars.

I almost threw this book away after about 50 pages, being a Christian and all, because it portrays Jesus, at first, as a hulking member of a gang of murderers and John the Baptist as a degenerate. That's a bit much. But I have an interest in the ancient lands where the story was to unfold, acoording to the flyleaf, and I know that some authors take a while to hit their stride. And indeed the writing gets better and better as one proceeds, as the author takes us through obscure lands of the east at the time of Christ, sprinkling his story with obscure characters from historical writings, for example those of Josephus. Dusty ancient beliefs and philososphies are brought to life through energetic characters we meet along the way. The ending seems a bit arbitrary, but at least there is a lot of action.

In Rome, a house burns. From the ruins scurries Corax, an escaped slave fleeing his master and his memories. He boards a ship and journeys to Caesaria, where he learns of a local character named Jeshua. Thus begins The Gospel Of Corax, an historical novel set during the missing years in the life of Jesus Christ. Corax and Jeshua are forced by circumstances to travel together, and it is this journey that forms the heart of the novel. Two qualities in particular stand out. Park brings the world of the Middle East alive in a way that few historians could match. This is a vibrant culture with a flow of people and ideas from Imperial Rome to the Indian sub-continent and China. Second, as the narrative unfolds, the stories and parables of Christ emerge as from Jeshua's personal experience, gaining fresh meaning in the process. How much more poignant is the story of the good Samaritan if Jesus himself had assaulted someone, and then watched while others passed by, offering no help to the injured man? Those who insist on a strict adherence to tradition will find it easy to dislike Park's all too human portrayal of the life and teachings of Christ. But those with a taste for speculation will find much to enjoy and think about in this well written, provocative novel.

Paul Park creates a fascinating vision of the spiritual life of the first century b.c. Ostensibly, it is a novel of the journey of an escaped slave, Corax, and Jesus, called by his Hebrew name, Jeshua. Park uses this setup as a vehicle for exploring the religious landscape of the lands through which the two travel. They encounter Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and many other beliefs. Park uses Jeshua's interactions and Corax's commentary to highlight the ideas attributed to Jesus that can also be found in other religions.Park's book is an excellent, fast read, chock full of information but also managing to not be too ponderous or too preachy. It's an intelligent and unique look at the religious atmosphere of the time of Jesus, highlighting parallels among several different traditions