When Baby Jesus grew up, what was His world like?

An author who shows readers of The Evangelist faith through the eyes of a frog is now showing readers around the world how Nazareth looked through Jesus' eyes.

Joel Kauffmann, creator of the "Pontius' Puddle" comic strip that appears weekly in The Evangelist (see page 18), has published a new book, "The Nazareth Jesus Knew."

A wide-ranging collection of photos and interesting facts on first-century Nazareth, the book is a companion to Nazareth Village, a 10-acre farm and visitor's center in the Holy Land city that re-creates a village from Jesus' time.

Back in time

Mr. Kauffmann, a Mennonite who lives in Indiana, became involved with the creation of Nazareth Village in 1995 through a friend.

The cartoonist had helped to create an interpretive center in Indiana on the Amish and Mennonite people, and an architect on that project told him about the dream of a group of Christians in Israel and around the world.

Under the direction of Dr. Nahkle Bishara, an internist at Nazareth Hospital, the group planned to use one of the last undeveloped plots of land in Nazareth to help people "hear Jesus' words through the ears of a first-century citizen."

Mr. Kauffmann liked the idea so much, he joined the planning committee.

Theme: Jesus

Nazareth Village opened in 2000. Among its features are a four-story synagogue, an authentic olive press, homes and an animal corral. Much of the acreage is used for farming, done by costumed actors who use first-century techniques and then serve the food to visitors.

Mr. Kauffmann developed the visitor's center displays, as well as a "parable walk" where visitors can see olive trees, sheep and other sights that inspired Jesus' parables.

He said that since "not everyone is going to get to Nazareth Village," he wrote "The Nazareth Jesus Knew." He called the book "a popularized version of the scholarly work that's being done" on the life of Christ as He would have experienced it.

Past times

Readers learn what Jesus would have eaten, worn and learned during His childhood; how His home would have looked; and what His days working as a carpenter would have been like. (In fact, Mr. Kauffmann asserts, Jesus would have worked in both wood and stone.)

There are timelines of historical events, explanations of the government of Nazareth at the time, examinations of religious oppression, and facts on how news was communicated and what people would have done at different times of the day and year.

Woven throughout the book are Scripture passages, along with explanations of how they would have been understood by a first-century audience. Mr. Kauffmann said he wanted to "recapture the meaning of the parables in a way that [people] who have been 'Westernized' could understand."

Prodigal son

He called the parable of the prodigal son a "seminal story" in the book that he himself understood differently after researching it.

For example, the book notes that in Jesus' time, the prodigal son's request for his inheritance would have been equivalent to wishing his father would die -- a major insult.

Photos show carob pods that were most likely what the son was forced to eat after squandering his inheritance, as well as the kind of flat roof on which his father would have been sitting in order to see his son coming home again.

Giving the prodigal son his finest robe, the book points out, would have been a sign of respect from the father, since clothing was valued and a father's best robe would have been passed on to his son after his death.

Deepened faith

In writing the book, Mr. Kauffmann said his faith was also affected.

"In our culture, people sometimes wrestle with whether Jesus was truly the Son of God or just a person who idealized what God wants us all to be," he remarked. "It struck me when I went over [to Nazareth] that Jesus was not a 'good man' by first-century standards; Jesus was a troublemaker."

For instance, he explained, Jesus' talking to the woman at the well who had been married numerous times would have been seen as scandalous.

Son of God

Mr. Kauffmann came to believe that for Jesus to take the risks and come up with the ideas He did, He could not have simply been engaging in "idealized human logic"; He had to be the Son of God. Thus, the author came to a deeper understanding of the Incarnation.

Though Nazareth Village continues to grow, Mr. Kauffmann said that writing "The Nazareth Jesus Knew" gave closure to a decade of his life spent learning about Jesus' years on Earth.

"It was an important part of my spiritual pilgrimage to relearn who Jesus was," he said. "It made Jesus a much greater hero to me."

(Learn more about Nazareth Village at www.nazarethvillage.com. "The Nazareth Jesus Knew" is available in softcover for $16.95 or hardcover for $29.95, plus shipping and handling, by emailing [email protected]. All proceeds support Nazareth Village.)

Cartoonist is screenwriter

Joel Kauffmann wrote two TV movies: 2001's "Miracle in Lane Two," starring Frankie Muniz of "Malcolm in the Middle" fame, and last year's "Full-Court Miracle," retelling the story of Hanukkah.

"Back to Africa," a feature film he wrote that will star rapper Ice Cube, is in the works.

While working on Nazareth Village, Mr. Kauffmann gave an Arab friend copies of his "Pontius' Puddle" comic strips. The friend apparently didn't appreciate American humor. After he read them, he commented, "Joel, we do not know your mind."

Said the cartoonist: "Comedy's pretty particular." (KB)

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