The jury is still out -- this memoir, hidden in an Egyptian cave for 2000 years, could be a literary forgery. It purports to be the only extant piece of writing penned by Jesus Christ. Most of the traditional Gospel stories and parables are here, but in nearly every case, the implied lessons differ dramatically from those in the New Testament. The author shows himself to be a charismatic, often ruthless, Jewish nationalist intent on expelling the Romans from Judaea. Jesus befriends the illusionist Simon Magus, who shows him how to stage healings. He recruits the apostle Paul as a double agent and crosses rhetorical swords with Alexandrian and Roman philosophers. He performs astounding deeds: he appears to walk on water and seems to raise Lazarus from the dead. His militia launches guerrilla attacks against Roman caravans while his disciples dispatch perfidious tax collectors. All this in preparation for a daring Passover rebellion. This is a bold story of religious fundamentalism, cynical manipulation and political violence, all written with a touch of humor.