# Literature based on books of the Bible **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 17, 2006, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840 "2006-10-17T21:54:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/1 "2006-10-17T21:54:44Z")
Other than _Paradise Lost_, what are some works based on the Bible? I have to write a paper over such a piece and compare and contrast it with the book of the Bible it is based on, but I am completely unfamiliar with this type of work. Any and all suggestions would be helpful - I am just trying to find out what is out there and available for now. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/2 "2006-10-17T21:59:28Z")
Does it have to be old Literature-with-a-capital-L, or will modern stuff work? If the later, I think the best out there is [The Red Tent](http://www.anitadiamant.com/theredtent.htm) . It’s a girl-power version of Genesis Chapter 34. I’ve spent the last few years looking for another as good, with no luck. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/3 "2006-10-17T22:02:23Z")
Many books based on the Bible are not what I would consider “literature.” A notable exception is Nikos Kazantzakis’s _The Last Temptation of Christ_. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/4 "2006-10-17T22:08:07Z")
Not based on a specific book, but there is a humorous book called “Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal.” It’s the story of Christ BEFORE the part that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John record. May not work for your assignment, but I recommend reading it anyway. Hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/5 "2006-10-17T22:13:01Z")
[A Separate Peace](http://www.amazon.com/Separate-Peace-John-Knowles/dp/0743253973/sr=1-1/qid=1161122996/ref=sr_1_1/104-5297252-4693535?ie=UTF8&s=books), by John Knowles, is based on Genesis. That is, if my freshman-year English teacher was to be believed. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/6 "2006-10-17T22:15:09Z")
Oh hey, I just found a list on Amazon of Bible-based fiction: [http://www.amazon.com/Bible-based-fiction/lm/RFAYO5X1SHJ](http://www.amazon.com/Bible-based-fiction/lm/RFAYO5X1SHJ) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/7 "2006-10-17T22:38:05Z")
Steinbeck’s “East of Eden” has biblical themes. It’s also a really good book. In addition to Paradise Lost, there’s also Milton’s “Samson Agonistes” . More modern, there’s Joseph Heller’s “God Knows” There’s Fulton Oursler’s “The Greatest Story Ever Told”, a novel about the life of Jesus. There are a bunch of them out there. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/8 "2006-10-17T22:57:24Z")
_Barabbas_, by the Nobel Prize winning Par Lagerkvist. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/9 "2006-10-17T23:33:32Z")
Stephen Brust’s _To Reign in Hell_ is genesis (and the non-Biblical Fall) told from Satan’s POV. Fun, but not very deep. Going slightly further afield, Orson Scott Card’s _Homecoming_ series is meant to be a science fiction retelling of the Book of Mormon. It’s kinda sucky, though. ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/10 "2006-10-18T00:31:29Z")
_J.B._ by Archibald MacLeish \ is based on the Book of Job. It has been more than 30 years since I read in HS so I don’t remember much about the book. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/11 "2006-10-18T00:35:44Z")
[QUOTE=pinkfreud] Many books based on the Bible are not what I would consider “literature.” A notable exception is Nikos Kazantzakis’s _The Last Temptation of Christ_. [/QUOTE] If “works” based on the Bible include movies, there are lots of possibilities, including _Last Temptation_ and a number of others based on Jesus, several based on Moses and the Exodus story (_The Ten Commandments_, _Prince of Egypt_), the Veggie Tales movie which is based on the book of Jonah, etc. Walter Wangerin has written [The Book of God](http://www.amazon.com/Book-God-Jr-Walter-Wangerin/dp/0310200059/sr=1-5/qid=1161130881/ref=sr_1_5/002-4977424-6220818?ie=UTF8&s=books) and [Paul: A Novel](http://www.amazon.com/PAUL-Novel-Jr-Walter-Wangerin/dp/0310243165/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b/002-4977424-6220818?ie=UTF8) (neither of which I have read, so I can’t offer any personal recommendation). Johnny Cash wrote a novel about the life of Paul called [Man In White](http://www.amazon.com/Man-White-Johnny-Cash/dp/159554237X/sr=1-5/qid=1161131416/ref=sr_1_5/002-4977424-6220818?ie=UTF8&s=books). If you really want something that’s considered Literature, there’s Thomas Mann’s [Joseph and His Brothers](http://www.amazon.com/Joseph-His-Brothers-Thomas-Mann/dp/1400040019/sr=1-2/qid=1161131587/ref=sr_1_2/002-4977424-6220818?ie=UTF8&s=books) ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/12 "2006-10-18T01:20:24Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] Stephen Brust’s _To Reign in Hell_ is genesis (and the non-Biblical Fall) told from Satan’s POV. Fun, but not very deep. Going slightly further afield, Orson Scott Card’s _Homecoming_ series is meant to be a science fiction retelling of the Book of Mormon. It’s kinda sucky, though. [/QUOTE] Orson Scott Card also has a series about women of the Old Testament. “Sarah” and “Rebeccah” are two of titles (I think). Interestingly and most likely pointless for your needs, he also wrote a book about the wife of Joseph Smith the founder of the LDS church. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/13 "2006-10-18T01:30:48Z")
This should be a easy one. How many end of the world type books have been written based on Revelation? Almost any apocalyptic work will have some connection to Revelation. ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/14 "2006-10-18T01:55:01Z")
There are at least a few in contemporary Christian fiction. Here are a few I’ve at heard of. My guess is they’d be easy reads, if that’s what you’re looking for. Hadassah: One Night with the King, by Tommy Tenney (Esther) Unshaken, by Francine Rivers (Ruth) Redeeming Love, by Francine Rivers (story of Hosea the prophet) Otherwise, I second the nomination for East of Eden. In my junior year English class, I was apparently one of the few that got all the Biblical allusion. I felt bad for those in the dark. I’m sure it’s a good story without all that stuff, but I can’t imagine it’s as rich and wonderful and intense. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/15 "2006-10-18T02:20:32Z")
How about Mark Twain’s “The Diaries of Adam and Eve”? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/16 "2006-10-18T02:23:51Z")
Or try Andre Gide’s short story, “Return of the Prodigal Son.” ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/17 "2006-10-18T02:52:20Z")
How loose are you willing to go? Because a huge percentage of works made in the last ~1500 years are influenced by Judeo-Christianity. For example, The Stand, by Stephen King. The Exodus story is hugely influential. Also, The Green Mile has a lot of crucifixion aspects in it. (Three criminals scheduled for execution, 1 innocent, 1 repentant, one not repentant.) And that’s just one author who is a far cry from being C.S. Lewis. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/18 "2006-10-18T03:54:31Z")
[QUOTE=5 time champ] _J.B._ by Archibald MacLeish \ is based on the Book of Job. It has been more than 30 years since I read in HS so I don’t remember much about the book. [/QUOTE] I read this in HS, too, almost exactly 30 years ago, and I don’t remember it any better than you do. I’m assured it is “real literature,” though. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/19 "2006-10-18T04:53:56Z")
You might look into a couple of books from the 1940s by [Lloyd C. Douglas](http://www.answers.com/topic/lloyd-c-douglas). _The Robe_ is about the Roman soldier in charge of Christ’s crucifixion, and _The Big Fisherman_ is about St. Peter. Then there’s also the novel _Ben-Hur_, by Lew Wallace. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840/20 "2006-10-18T12:05:01Z")
The plays **J.B.** and Neil Simon’s **God’s Favorite** are both based on the book of Job. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literature-based-on-books-of-the-bible/376840.md?page=2)