And what imagination he displays: The book opens by telling how, long after Jesus' death, his followers bring to the woman who knew him best a text that pieces together their memories of him. She listens to their "gospel", tersely responding that they have the basic facts right, but that a whole dimension is missing. Then comes her Gospel, which exhibits all the compelling features of the traditional Gospels, but from a wholly new perspective.

The result is a true Gospel that has the kind of bold simplicity, striking moments, and profound mystery that will encourage readers to return to it again and again to plumb its depths. Readers will readily embrace this very human Jesus, who rejects conventional pieties, makes jokes, debates with rabbis and soldiers, and spins tales infused with the beauty and brutality of biblical times.