The Forerunner

The Forerunner

Introduction

Modern readers' interest in biblical figures tends to focus on Mary Magdalene and Judas Iscariot and, with the recent publication of books such as The DaVinci Code and The Gospel of Judas, interest in these controversial figures is accordingly high, while lesser-known characters from the gospels are often ignored. When attempting to retell the gospel stories, then, authors must either allow these characters to remain flat and undeveloped or draw on legend or their imagination to create a character that will interest modern readers. Such is the case with John the Baptist. Modern authors who take on the gospel stories allow him to remain in his traditional biblical roles of harbinger of the Messiah and critic of Herod, but they often expand John beyond a mere forerunner to create a character who often conflicts with Jesus. Thus, while John's portrayal in the Bible does not automatically raise theological questions that might interest modern readers, as Judas and Mary do, authors craft his character in such a way to do so. Since the biblical John preaches only a message of repentance, only attacking and criticizing his audience, Jesus's message of love and tolerance seems to come from a very different God. Authors highlight this difference to show a Jesus who is struggling with the message he is to deliver, creating a more human Jesus who seems to be discovering his voice as his ministry progresses.

Discussion

Thus, while the role of forerunner remains an important one in authors' portrayals of John, that of foil becomes the necessary change that creates a richer character of John, in addition to forging a more human Jesus. Anthony Burgess in Man of Nazareth, Nikos Kazantzakis in the Last Temptation of Christ, and Norman Mailer in The Gospel According to the Son include this role in their portrayal of John, but they shift the focus of John's life in their works. Instead of simply proclaiming the coming of Jesus, he also shapes Jesus's teaching. Nino Ricci, in Testament, goes even further than these three writers and portrays John as Jesus's teacher before John is killed by Herod. This change coincides with other "fictional transfigurations" of John, as Theodore Ziolkowski writes, "Equally popular is the figure of John the Baptist, who is sometimes represented as an evangelical figure and sometimes more soberly as the teacher or tutor of the transfigured hero'" (279). This development of John's character leads some critics to see him as a stronger character than Jesus: "'The same romanticism which makes John a more vivid figure than Jesus in Rembrandt, Kazantzakis, and 'Godspell' makes him a more historical figure than Jesus in much contemporary scholarship, despite the complete lack of evidence deriving directly from John's own movement" (Chilton, 26). John's actions and teachings still lead to a focus on Jesus, but they now take on more meaning as John and Jesus struggle to determine Jesus's path together.

In Burgess's novel, also, John the Baptist's beginnings are similar to the gospel ...