From relics of the cross to the Shroud of Turin, we’re always searching.
WHAT IF, THROUGH MODERN SCIENCE, WE HAD THE POWER TO RESURRECT JESUS?
First, the dreams came. And then the blood. Young Jacob had always known he was different, but he was beginning to lose control. Unknown to him, Nica, the skeptical New York journalist was beginning to pull the pieces together: the Israeli Antiquities Authority, the Max Planck Institute in Germany, VitaGen labs in Pennsylvania. And then there was the Project, the group rumored to be obsessed with invoking apocalyptic end-times on their own terms. But what role could a teenage boy from Denver, Colorado, play in this unfolding story line?
It is a theme we have encountered before (See The Film – I’m Not Jesus Mommy). But this time it comes to us from a big name author. As Atwood writes:
As an author, Christian Piatt may be most well-known for his Banned Questions About the Bible series. He’s also a progressive voice as a blogger, and currently serves as the Director of Acquisitions and Author Development forCrowdScribed and as the Director of Growth and Development for First Christian Church (DOC) in Portland, OR.
His latest work, Blood Doctrine, combines his many talents and interests into a gripping tale of faith and science, a fictional yet believable book about the possibility of using Jesus’ DNA to resurrect him as a clone. FaithVillage spoke to Christian about his fascinating book.
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Blood Doctrine imagines the possibility of Jesus’ return to earth … as a genetically resurrected clone. When and where did this idea first captivate you?
A few years ago, when the "Jesus Tomb" story broke (an ossuary found bearing the name of James, brother of Jesus), I was intrigued less by whether it was authentic and belonged to THE brother of Jesus, and more by our apparent obsession with finding physical evidence of Jesus’ life. From relics of the cross to the Shroud of Turin, we’re always searching. Around that same time, I read an article about a 5,000-year-old date palm seed that was found and was used to germinate a viable date plant.
As I let my mind wander, I started imagining what we would do with physical evidence of his life — specifically genetic material — if it were recovered. With the capabilities being harnessed in the field of genetics, I can’t imagine someone with the proper moral flexibility wouldn’t try to manipulate the course of history in such a way.
What are the major themes of the book?
There are three storylines woven together. One takes place in the Middle east, starting at the crucifixion and following Jesus’ family following that event. A second follows Jacob, the teenage boy who lives in Denver as strange things begin to happen to him that he can understand or explain, like stigmata and mysterious healings. The third storyline centers on Nica, a reporter from the New Yorker magazine who is a religious skeptic, following some leads about this fringe group called the project who is bent on using modern genetics to invoke apocalyptic end-times.
Okay, you must read the rest of the interview with Christian Piatt.