I have to admit, I was a little skeptical about reading a book about Christ by Anne Rice. However, Rice was not only respectful to those who believe in the Gospels, she also went beyond it to imagine what these people that Western People (believers or not) know so well actually thought and felt. One of the things that impressed me most was the fact that she actually told the story from Jesus' point of view. That was an incredibly bold move. Also, though I have no problem with the more liberal theories about Jesus, I thought it was a smart choice to stick to the Gospels. Not only will this keep people who believe in them strongly happy, but it made the writing all the more interesting and challenging. However, a writer of Rice's talent was definitely up to it. One of the most interesting things was seeing Jesus as a devote Jew. Because of this, I learned a lot about what it would be like to be Jewish at that time period. It was a very enlightening book, but also a lovely one. Jesus is depicted as the kind, loving, generous, and forgiving person that Christianity tries to teach about (often not succeeding due to their own harsh judgments). A lovely novel for believers and an interesting historical novel for non-believers. Plus, it led to some very lively discussion.