SOURCE: A review of O Evangelho segundo Jesus Cristo, in World Literature Today, Vol. 66, No. 4, Autumn, 1992, p. 697.

[In the following review, Preto-Rodas warns that O Evangelho segundo Jesus Cristo "will hardly validate traditional beliefs," but confirms that the novel probes important questions about the nature of Christianity and religion.]

As Portugal's most celebrated living author, José Saramago has never concealed his Marxist ideology. Thus, when he announced that his seventh novel would be based on the life of Jesus of Nazareth, there was lively anticipation. Judging from its best-seller status in both Portugal and Brazil, O Evangelho segundo Jesus Cristo (The Gospel According to Jesus Christ) has not disappointed Saramago's admirers. The book's controversial theme has also sparked much debate even among religiously orthodox groups at home and abroad.

The novel follows the scriptural outlines as established in the Synoptic Gospels, though it departs from the embellishments of...