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The adventurer, Special Forces' soldier, television producer and author of Mud, sweat and tears, True grit and How Not to Die has come out with a new Christian-themed book: The Greatest Story Ever told: An Eyewitness Account.
Interestingly, this is not Bear Grylls' first Christian book: he previously published Soul Fuel (a daily devotional). In writing a Christian book, Bear Grylls is not the first man’s man to wear his faith on his chest (it’s becoming fashionable). Matt Walsh, Jordan Peterson (almost) and Jason Evert are all masculine Christians; this, in itself, is a wonderful thing, and long overdue. But Bear Grylls’ book does not reflect what you might call the alpha male take on religion.
What is he trying to do, and does he succeed? His main aim is to try and give what approximates to an eyewitness account of the events of the Gospels in so far as this is possible, and, rather confusingly, doing so from different perspectives; presumably this is to help the reader better appreciate the life and time of Our Lord and to make the Gospels more approachable.
His two other aims: to be true to the Bible (which is why he had the help of a scripture scholar, Dr Andrew Ollerton, in writing the book) and to lead people “to know for themselves that the truth will set you free”.
Unfortunately, the style impedes the mission. Take this description of Zacchaeus: “While we were in Yericho, I’d noticed this guy, short as anything, with ratty, beady eyes, following us …Then I clocked what he was … He was a tax collector … I’d wager this rat would sell his own grandmother to feather his own nest.” It’s not an improvement on the original Gospel account, is it?
He presents events from the context of eyewitnesses; unfortunately, they all seem to be on the verge of emotional meltdown. Consider the words of Our Lady:
“I couldn’t help the tears as I covered my mouth from emotion and laughter," or, “I watched everything that followed, wiping away the tears. Tears of joy and raw emotion.”
How does he know? Artistic license has its place, but the notion that Our Lady wept – beyond the obvious, at the crucifixion of her Son – is taking liberties with Scripture.
Moreover, the writing has the lightness of touch of a Marvel movie: the jokes are forced, the characters lack depth and every chapter ends on either a cliff hanger or false crescendo – and there are 97 chapters. Consider:
Yosef took a deep breath. Then exhaled.
"We will go to Nazaret."
“Yosef” is, of course, a Hebraised Joseph. Try to identify the following: Kephas, Yohanan, Beit Lechem, Yakov, et al. Grylls’ use of authentic Jewish names is alienating, annoying to read and contradicts the tradition of inculturation we have in the Church, not least for the sake of evangelism.
Maybe that’s a bit harsh. After all, mightn't it help us to imagine ourselves in first-century Palestine? But it’s not the author’s only break with tradition. Caspar, Balthazar and Melchior, the three wise men, have been replaced by a committee of five wise men.
Our Lady is presented as having doubts about what is happening, “How could any of this be in God’s plan?” (she might well have pondered these things in her heart, but who is to say). Worse, she is given a front row seat at theBaptism in the Jordan – even though she’s absent in Scripture.
Interestingly, Grylls tells us that “not a single word of Yeshua has been changed from the original accounts in the New Testament". He uses three translations, including one known as The Message (MSG), which explains a good deal.
The following passage from John 2:4 (The wedding at Cana) is presented as a confrontation between Jesus and his mother:
“Is this any of our business?” he said, his voice low.
I gave him a look only a mother can give. “They need some help, Yeshua.”
I held his gaze and squeezed his hand.
“This isn’t my time,” he replied as he started to pull away.
I didn’t say a word. I just looked at him. And held onto his hand. I wasn’t letting go.
“Don’t push me,” Yeshua added more seriously.”
The translation we are more familiar with is, “Woman, my time has not yet come." Sorry, but the version from Grylls doesn’t improve on it.
So, what should we make of The Greatest Story Ever Told? Will it “bring many millions to know for themselves the truth that sets us free…”, as Grylls wishes? I wish it could. But I think not.
It reads like fiction. It doesn’t inspire devotion and despite trying to make the characters (for that is what they are) likeable and human, it somehow manages to make many of them extremely annoying. A newcomer to scripture might get the impression that the first followers of Christ were – how else to put this? – wet.
And yet this account is up there on the Sunday Times bestseller list. The medieval phrase non talis modo (not by such means) comes to mind here. This really isn’t the way to spread the Gospel.
But we should give this rugged adventurer full credit for trying.
Photo: Bear Grylls as the new honorary colonel of the Army Foundation College inspects junior soldiers as they take part in their graduation parade, Harrogate, England, 8 August 2024. (Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images.)
The Greatest Story Ever Told: An Eyewitness Account, Bear Grylls (Hodder and Stoughton), £15
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