Book excerpt: "The Life of Jesus is Nobel Prize-winning author François Mauriac's character study of Jesus Christ. As a novelist, Mauriac is aptly suited to accomplish his mission: to show the meaning of Christ for an ordinary Christian, strongly bound up with the things of the world. In his other writings, Mauriac depicted the sadness and suffering of ordinary human existence; here, he shows the light that illuminates the darkness--the light that is the Christ, the Son of God. Pairing the solid foundation of Scripture with his distinctive visceral style, Mauriac leads the reader through Christ's early years, his public ministry and miracles, and his passion, death, and resurrection. The episodic structure of the book makes it a powerful aid for meditation, especially during Holy Week."--from back cover.