Fifth gospel (genre) explained

Fifth gospel is a literary genre focusing on fictional transfigurations of Jesus. The term has been coined by Theodore Ziolkowski.^[1]

According to Ziolkowski, in "fictional transfigurations of Jesus" "the characters and the action, irrespective of meaning or theme, are prefigured to a noticeable extent by figures and events popularly associated with the life of Jesus as it is known from the Gospels."^[2]

Books in this genre include 's 491, Gunter Grass's Cat and Mouse, John Barth's Giles Goat-Boy and Gore Vidal's Messiah and Live from Golgotha.

See also

• Gospel
• Gospel (genre)
• The Fifth Gospel
• The Gospel of Afranius

Notes and References

1. Neilson. Heather. 1995. Live From Golgotha: Gore Vidal's Second "Fifth Gospel". LiNQ (Literature in North Queensland). en. 22. 2. 0817-458X.
2. Book: Theodore Ziolkowski. Fictional Transfigurations of Jesus. 12 April 2002. Wipf and Stock Publishers. 978-1-57910-931-8. 6.