According To Her
If you could interview the mother of Yehoshua (Jesus), what might you ask? Maciej Hen envisions this in his novel, as 100-year-old Mariamne bustles about offering food and wine to her guest. At times she is emotional and humble, at times humorous, inquisitive and scathing. She is always filled with pride for her Jewish ancestry and its broader historical context, about which she is knowledgeable and vocal. Hers are the deeply moving recollections of a bereaved mother whose child’s life was severed mid-stream and they spoke to me with an ancient yet modern wisdom.
Yehoshua saw himself primarily as a doctor, a natural healer. When he spoke, he reasoned aloud rather than pontificating. He was kind and humble, he enjoyed people, and communal meals were contributed to by everyone. The change followed the beheading of Yochanan Immerser (John the Baptist), as he became more authoritative and demanding, worrying those who loved him. Mariamne’s son is not the Son of God, but she recalls that problems arose when his followers named him King of Israel, an affectation Yehoshua never used for himself. Mariamne speaks fondly of Yehoshua’s abiding friendship with Yehuda Yissakhari (Judas Iscariot), whom she looked upon as a confidant.
Set in Galilee, around 73/74 CE, the book’s huge cast of characters is daunting, with multiple names and nicknames, with more than one sometimes used for the same person within a couple of sentences. But this gives authenticity to Mariamne’s conversational banter. Perhaps it took me longer than others to translate the Jewish names and terminology, but the history is all there, just presented with a different slant. Written as a novel-length interview with questions implied in the answers, it requires focus to absorb the massive amount of researched detail contained within its pages. It’s a slow and measured read, a literary work which I found extremely rewarding. A glossary and map would have been helpful.
