The Gaze of Jesus: A Novel

"Let me be with you!" Ithamar is a homeless man who had been possessed by demons for years when he saw a mysterious man on the seaside, ran to him, and was instantly healed. Despite his begging  to become a disciple, the healer tells him to go home. The healer, Jesus embarks on his boat, and disappears into the distance. Why was he turned down, and what should he do to start over? 

Riccardo Bacchelli, nominated eight times for the Nobel Prize, imagines the demon-possessed Gerasene's life following his exorcism, including his struggles with his own demons, his reunion with his family and the Jewish community of the first century, and his search for love and purpose. The healer's stare is etched in his memory, but he has no idea who he is. He is determined to put the pieces together as he hears rumours and hearsay about the Galilean miracle worker.

The Gaze of Jesus, translated and presented by Anthony Esolen, is an engrossing psychological, historical, and theological exploration of what it takes for the "uncalled" to follow Christ, to seek the face of Jesus from a distance. Bacchelli provides a realistic and tangible sense of the New Testament world, including some thorough character studies of the Bible's terrible personalities, such as Herod, Herodias, and Judas.

Paperback. 262 pages.