Raising Cain

Few have heard of Nobel Prize winning author for Literature, Jose Saramago, (86). But he’s in the literary and theological news today with comments he made concerning the Bible.

The author of The Gospel of Jesus Christ, which invents the ideas that Mary Magdalene took Jesus’ virginity, and that Jesus tried to repudiate his path to the crucifixion, has written a new book, simply titled Cain. It is his interpretation of the well-known biblical story of Cain, Adam and Eve’s firstborn, and his brother Abel.  Further details have not been published at this time.

Instead, the author’s comments on the Bible, Christianity’s Holy Scripture, have greedily taken the limelight. The News agency Lusa quotes:

Saramago is one more voice in a long history of critics and cynics. The Bible has withstood these firestorms numerous times before.

According to the Associated Press, the author also criticized God as,

Naturally, the Roman Catholic Church was the first to respond to these invectives. Even the Jewish community of Lisbon was so upset with Saramago, that its chief rabbi also issued a statement against the author and his comments. In his interview, Saramago was prepared for a backlash, saying that it really wouldn’t upset Catholics too much as they do not follow the Bible strictly. Of the Jews, who uphold the Old Testament as their Holy Scripture, he stated,

Many other people responded that his incendiary comments were intended to be a publicity stunt to promote his newest novel. All we know at this time is that Saramago is “raising Cain.”