Thomas Cahill's book "The Desire of the Everlasting Hills" tells his account of Jesus and the origins of Christianity. This novel is extremely detailed but focuses particularly on the apostles who are the interpreters of Jesus. Cahill describes Jesus from his birth to his death by the accounts of those who knew him best, his apostles. The novel begins with the author placing Jesus in the setting of a time were Jews were persecuted for their views and beliefs. He goes on to describe Jesus as a man whose life and wisdom went on to change the world forever. The question the author seems to answer before he asks it is, "Did Jesus make a difference?" In my opinion the answer is undoubtedly yes.
What I enjoyed immensely about this novel was the way Cahill described Jesus. He showed him as a common man, friend, lover of mankind, and a teacher who just so happened to be the Son of God. Cahill seems to give biblical explanations of Jesus by describing the thoughts and writings of John, Paul, Luke, Mark, and Matthew. He continues to give the reader an abundance of imagery by telling us what Peter and Paul looked like. What I also found interesting is the comparison of the four gospels. The author goes into some detail of Luke's gospels, which were directly aimed at non-Jewish listeners. Paul seems to appear as the author's favorite at times, but at other times criticizes Paul because Paul paints a different picture of Jesus compared to that of Mark, Luke, and Mathew. But what stands out to me is that Paul was merely recounting the events and gospels he had heard. The chapter devoted to Paul is long and detailed about his character and teachings, which go on to describe Paul as the more competent of the first disciples.
Cahill seems to get sidetracked from the topic of Jesus and his followers but then relates it to what his ideal utopian society would be. He describes Jesus as helping to make our world a place filled with peace, condolence, and equality.
