View source for Chester Brown's Gospel adaptations

{{Use Canadian English|date=May 2016}}
[[File:ChesterBrownMarkAndMatthew.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|alt=Two images of Jesus drawn in different styles by Chester Brown|Brown's depiction of Jesus in the Gospels of Mark ''(left)'' and Matthew ''(right)'']]

[[Chester Brown]] adapted [[Gospel of Mark]] and part of the [[Gospel of Matthew]] to comics; installments appeared in his [[comic book]]s ''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' and ''[[Underwater (comics)|Underwater]]''.  Brown ran the first installment of the Gospel of Mark  in ''Yummy Fur'' #4 in 1987, and left ''Matthew'' unfinished after cancelling ''Underwater'' in 1997.  Brown had planned to do all four of the canonical gospels,<ref name="DD143">Juno, pg 143</ref> but in 2011 stated that it is unlikely he will finish even Matthew.<ref name="AJohnsGospel3" />

==Background==
{{Expand section|date=June 2011}}

===Brown's beliefs===
{{Main|Chester Brown#Religious beliefs}}
Brown was brought up in a strictly Christian [[Baptist]]<ref name="DD143" /> household.<ref name="citypages" /> Over his career, he has gone back and forth between belief and non-belief in Christianity.<ref name="SethInterview" /><ref name="GivingAndTaking" />

Brown took on his retelling of the [[Gospels]] to try to figure out what he really believed.<ref name="TwoHandedMan" />
{{clear}}

==Gospel of Mark==

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="float: right;margin-left:1em;"
|-
|+ Gospel of Mark
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Issue
! scope="col" style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Date
! scope="col" style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Passages<ref name="UW7GospelRef" />
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' # 4
|style="text-align:right;"|April 1987
|{{bibleref2|Mark|1:01-39}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' # 5
|style="text-align:right;"|June 1987
|{{bibleref2|Mark|1:40–3:12}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' # 6
|style="text-align:right;"|August 1987
|{{bibleref2|Mark|3:13–4:14}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' # 7
|style="text-align:right;"|1987<ref>The indicia for this issue doesn't state the month</ref>
|{{bibleref2|Mark|5:1–6:6}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' # 8
|style="text-align:right;"|November 1987
|{{bibleref2|Mark|6:6–7:23}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' # 9
|style="text-align:right;"|March 1988
|{{bibleref2|Mark|7:24–8:21}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #10
|style="text-align:right;"|May 1988
|{{bibleref2|Mark|8:22–9:13}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #11
|style="text-align:right;"|July 1988
|{{bibleref2|Mark|9:14–10:34}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #12
|style="text-align:right;"|September 1988
|{{bibleref2|Mark|10:35–12:27}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #13
|style="text-align:right;"|November 1988
|{{bibleref2|Mark|12:28–14:52}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #14
|style="text-align:right;"|January 1989
|{{bibleref2|Mark|14:53–16:20}}
|}

Brown began his adaptation of the [[Gospel of Mark]] in issue {{No.|4}} of ''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' in 1987.  It ran alongside his surreal, taboo-breaking ''[[Ed the Happy Clown]]'' serial, which led readers to expect a similar treat of the Gospel;{{sfn|Coody|2018|p=107}} instead, he provided a straight adaptation,{{sfn|Coody|2018|p=107}}<ref name="OldWineIllustrationQuote" /> running to issue #14 of ''Yummy Fur''. Brown lays out the story at six equal panels per page, each panel illustrating one verse of the Gospel of Mark.{{sfn|Coody|2018|p=107}}  On the final page of the final installment, Brown stops illustrating the story after {{bibleref2|Mark|16:8}}, where the [[myrrhbearers]] flee Jesus's [[empty tomb]].  The final four panels are of an unnamed old man reciting the final verses against a black background.{{sfn|Coody|2018|p=108}}  These four panels are of what scholars believe is an [[Gospel of Mark#Ending|extended ending to Mark's Gospel]].{{sfn|Coody|2018|pp=109–110}}

The adaptation became more idiosyncratic as it developed: On pages 55 and 56 Brown wove into the story a passage from the [[Secret Gospel of Mark]], a highly contentious and disputed document said to have been written by [[Clement of Alexandria]] that Professor [[Morton Smith]] claimed to have discovered in 1958.

===Mark sources===

Brown stated he had a large number of sources for his adaptation of ''Mark''.  The books he referred to most frequently were:<ref name="YF15-24" />
* Green, Jay P., Sr. (editor), ''The Pocket Interlinear New Testament'', [[Baker Publishing Group|Baker Book House]] (1979)
*''The [[New International Version]]'' of the Bible
*''[[Authorized King James Version|The King James Version]]'' of the Bible
*[[Andy Gaus|Gaus, A.]] (translator), ''[[Unvarnished New Testament|The Unvarnished Gospels]]'', Threshold Books (1988), {{ISBN|978-0-939660-25-4}}
*[[Dennis Nineham|Nineham, D.E.]], ''Saint Mark: The Pelican New Testament Commentaries The Gospel of St. Mark'', [[Penguin Books|Pelican]] (1972)
*Laymon, Charles M. (editor), ''The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary on the Bible'', [[Abingdon Press]] (1971)
*[[Morton Smith|Smith, Morton]], ''The Secret Gospel'', Dawn Horse Press (1973), about the [[Secret Gospel of Mark]]
*[[Morton Smith|Smith, Morton]], ''[[Jesus the Magician: Charlatan or Son of God?]]'', [[Harper (publisher)|Harper & Row]] (1978)
{{clear}}

==Gospel of Matthew==

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="float: right;margin-left:1em;"
|-
|+ Gospel of Matthew
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Issue
! scope="col" style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Date
! scope="col" style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Passages
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #15
|style="text-align:right;"|March 1989
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|1:1–2:13}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #16
|style="text-align:right;"|June 1989
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|2:14–2:23}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #17
|style="text-align:right;"|August 1989
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|3:1–4:17}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #19
|style="text-align:right;"|January 1990
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|4:18–4:22}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #20
|style="text-align:right;"|April 1990
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|4:23–5:10}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #21
|style="text-align:right;"|June 1990
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|5:11–7:27}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #22
|style="text-align:right;"|September 1990
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|7:28–8:17}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #24
|style="text-align:right;"|April 1990
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|8:18–8:27}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #25
|style="text-align:right;"|July 1991
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|8:28–9:14}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #26
|style="text-align:right;"|October 1991
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|9:14–9:17}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #27
|style="text-align:right;"|January 1992
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|9:20}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #29
|style="text-align:right;"|August 1992
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|9:18–9:30}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #31
|style="text-align:right;"|September 1993
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|9:31–10:42}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #32<br /><small>entire issue</small>
|style="text-align:right;"|January 1994
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|11:2–12:45,14:2-14:12}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Underwater (comics)|Underwater]]'' # 2
|style="text-align:right;"|December 1994
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|12:46–13:58}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Underwater (comics)|Underwater]]'' # 3
|style="text-align:right;"|May 1995
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|14:1–2,12-23}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Underwater (comics)|Underwater]]'' # 4
|style="text-align:right;"|September 1995
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|14:24–31}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Underwater (comics)|Underwater]]'' # 5
|style="text-align:right;"|February 1996
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|14:32–15:28}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Underwater (comics)|Underwater]]'' # 6
|style="text-align:right;"|May 1996
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|15:29–16:12}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Underwater (comics)|Underwater]]'' # 7
|style="text-align:right;"|August 1996
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|16:13–17:9}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Underwater (comics)|Underwater]]'' # 8
|style="text-align:right;"|December 1996
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|17:10–27}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Underwater (comics)|Underwater]]'' # 9
|style="text-align:right;"|April 1997
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|18:1–19:1}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Underwater (comics)|Underwater]]'' #10
|style="text-align:right;"|June 1997
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|19:1–20:2}}
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Underwater (comics)|Underwater]]'' #11
|style="text-align:right;"|October 1997
|{{bibleref2|Matthew|20:1–29}}
|}

The Gospel of Matthew started in issue #15 of ''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' in 1989 and continued through to the premature end of ''[[Underwater (comics)|Underwater]]'' in 1997.  As of 2011, it has yet to be finished.

Brown's gospels gained a reputation for being "ingeniously blasphemous" mainly from his ''Matthew'' retellings.  In contrast to ''Mark''{{'}}s Jesus, who is "serene and always in control," in ''Matthew'' he is a scowling, balding figure, and "there is a more radicalized disbelief and a greater focus on the fleshy and earthly aspects of the story."<ref name="OldWine" />  Brown's depiction of the Matthew's version of the Saviour is "a Jesus that shouts. He's a Jesus that screams", his face "haggard and worn, his dark hair matted and stringy".<ref name="citypages" />

The [[Disciples of Christ|disciples]] are depicted as awkward, fearful and full of doubt, who are "barely able to reconcile the greatness of God with the miseries of their existence".<ref name="citypages" />

As Brown has pointed out, starting with the full-issue installment of ''Matthew'' in ''Yummy Fur'' #32, he deliberately changed Jesus's third-person references to himself to first-person references in the dialogue.<ref name="UW7-26" />

===Matthew sources===

Amongst the books Brown cited for his ''Matthew'' adaptation are:
*Shaberg, Jane. ''The Illegitimacy of Jesus: A Feminist Theological Interpretation of the Infancy Narratives''. [[HarperCollins|Harper & Row]] (1987)<ref name="YF15-24" />
*[[Hyam Maccoby|Maccoby, Hyam]]. ''The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity''. Harper & Row (1986)<ref name="UW7-26" />
*[[Willis Barnstone|Barnstone, Willis]] (editor). ''The Other Bible: Jewish Pseudepigrapha, Christian Apocrypha, Gnostic Scriptures, Kabbalah, Dead Sea Scrolls''. Harper & Row (1984)<ref name="UW7-26" />
*[[Hugh J. Schonfield|Schonfield, Hugh]]. ''The Original New Testament''. Harper & Row (1985)<ref name="UW9-26" />

===Unfinished state===

Matthew has been on hiatus since 1997, with the story left with Jesus about to enter [[Jerusalem]].  Brown had long said he planned on coming back to the story, but in an interview at ''[[The Comics Journal]]'' in 2011, he said he would not likely finish it, as his heart was no longer in it.<ref name="AJohnsGospel3" />  He stated they were "poorly done".{{sfn|Coody|2018|p=108}}

==Reception==
{{Expand section|date=April 2011}}
The Gospel adaptations have generally been well-accepted by fans and critics.  John Bell calls them Brown's most important uncollected work.<ref name="Invaders160" />

To Francis Hwang of ''[[City Pages]]'', "the paradox of [[Faith in Christianity|faith]] is brilliantly, heartbreakingly depicted" in the ''Gospel of Matthew''.<ref name="citypages" />

==Relation to Brown's other work==

[[Religion|Religious]] and [[Bible|biblical]] elements have found their way into almost all of Brown's work:
*"[[The Little Man (comics)#The Twin|The Twin]]", a story of young Jesus adapted from a story from the [[Gnostic]] text ''[[Pistis Sophia]]'', which appears in ''[[The Little Man (comics)|The Little Man]]''<ref>''The Little Man'', page 163</ref>
*Various religious imagery in ''[[Ed the Happy Clown]]'', especially Jesus' quote, "If thy hand offend thee cut it off", and the character Chet's religious remorse over having sex with Josie the vampire that leads to him murdering her
*his thinking about buying an issue of ''[[Playboy]]'' while sitting in [[Church (building)|church]] that opens ''[[The Playboy: A Comic Book|The Playboy]]''
*his battles with his mother over wearing his Sunday clothes in ''[[I Never Liked You]]''
*[[Louis Riel]]'s talking with [[God]] in the [[graphic novel]] of the [[Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography|same name]].
*''[[Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus]]'', which features adaptation of various biblical episodes

==See also==

*[[Alternative comics]]
*''[[The Book of Genesis (comics)|The Book of Genesis]]'' by [[Robert Crumb]]
*[[Unfinished creative work]]

{{Portal bar|Comics|Christianity}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name="OldWineIllustrationQuote">{{cite web
|author     = Ng Sat Tong
|date=31 March 2010
|title      = Old Wine in New Wineskins: The Gospel According to Chester Brown
|url        = http://hoodedutilitarian.com/2010/03/old-wine-in-new-wineskins-the-gospel-according-to-chester-brown/
|website=The Hooded Utilitarian
|access-date = 2011-04-07
|quote      = Brown's Mark does not read like the work of someone who is challenging received wisdom but an exercise in illustration.}}</ref>

<ref name="TwoHandedMan">{{cite web|url=http://www.twohandedman.com/Interviews/Chester/Index.html |title=Two-Handed Man interviews cartoonist Chester Brown |access-date=2011-04-23 |date=2002-01-29 |first=Darell |last=Epp |publisher=twohandedman.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509104034/http://www.twohandedman.com/Interviews/Chester/Index.html |archive-date=May 9, 2008 }}</ref>

<ref name="OldWine">{{cite web
|author     = Ng Sat Tong
|date=31 March 2010
|title      = Old Wine in New Wineskins: The Gospel According to Chester Brown
|url        = http://hoodedutilitarian.com/2010/03/old-wine-in-new-wineskins-the-gospel-according-to-chester-brown/
|website=The Hooded Utilitarian
|access-date = 2011-04-07}}<br />''NB:'' the online version is slightly different from the print version{{emdash}}most notably, the 2004 article includes an image from ''[[Robert Crumb]]'s [[The Book of Genesis (comics)|Book of Genesis]]'', which wasn't published until 2009</ref>

<ref name="citypages">{{cite web
|url      = http://www.citypages.com/1998-12-23/feature/graven-images/
|title      = Graven Images
|access-date      = 2011-04-26
|date      = 1998-12-23
|first      = Francis
|last      = Hwang
|publisher      = [[City Pages]]
|archive-url      = https://web.archive.org/web/20121004231803/http://www.citypages.com/1998-12-23/feature/graven-images/
|archive-date      = 2012-10-04
}}</ref>

<ref name="UW7GospelRef">''Underwater'' #7. pages 26–27</ref>

<ref name="UW7-26">''Underwater'' #7. page 26</ref>

<ref name="AJohnsGospel3">Rogers, part [http://www.tcj.com/a-johns-gospel-the-chester-brown-interview/3/ 3]</ref>

<ref name="YF15-24">''Yummy Fur'' #15, page 24</ref>

<ref name="UW9-26">''Underwater'' #9. page 26</ref>

<ref name="Invaders160">Bell, page 160</ref>

<ref name="SethInterview">[http://sequential.spiltink.org/dw2006/S&CatDW2.mp3 Seth Interviews Chester Brown] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719024130/http://sequential.spiltink.org/dw2006/S%26CatDW2.mp3 |date=2011-07-19 }}, hosted at [http://sequential.spiltink.org/ sequential.spiltink.org]. Retrieved 2011-05-15.</ref>

<ref name="GivingAndTaking">{{Cite interview
|url        = https://soundcloud.com/bwalker/the-difference-between-giving
|first1     = Benjamin
|last1      = Walker
|subject2   = Chester Brown
|title      = The Difference Between Giving and Taking (a conversation with Chester Brown)
|type=Interview: Audio
|date       = 2011-05-17
|access-date = 2011-05-23}}</ref>
}}

===Works cited===

{{Refbegin}}

*[[Chester Brown|Brown, Chester]].  ''[[Yummy Fur (comics)|Yummy Fur]]'' #15.  [[Vortex Comics]], March 1989
*Brown, Chester.  ''[[Underwater (comics)|Underwater]]'' #7.  [[Drawn & Quarterly]], August 1996
*Brown, Chester.  ''Underwater'' #9.  [[Drawn & Quarterly]], April 1997
* {{cite book
|last          = Coody
|first         = Elizabeth Rae
|chapter       = The Ending of Mark as a Page-Turn Reveal
|pages         = 98–112
|editor1-last  = Gamzou
|editor1-first = Assaf
|editor2-last  = Koltun-Fromm
|editor2-first = Ken
|title         = Comics and Sacred Texts: Reimagining Religion and Graphic Narratives
|via           = [[Project MUSE]]
|url           = https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/2233682
|year          = 2018
|publisher     = [[University Press of Mississippi]]
|isbn          = 978-1-4968-1924-6
}}
*Juno, Andrea. ''Dangerous Drawings''. Interview with Chester Brown. Juno Books, LLC (1997). pp. 130–147. {{ISBN|0-9651042-8-1}}
*Brown, Chester.  ''[[The Little Man (comics)|The Little Man: Short Stories 1980–1995]]''.  [[Drawn & Quarterly]], 1998.  {{ISBN|1-896597-13-0}}
*Bell, John.  "Invaders from the North: how Canada conquered the comic book universe".  [[Dundurn Group|Dundurn Press]], Ltd., 2006.  {{ISBN|978-1-55002-659-7}}
*Rogers, Sean. ''A John's Gospel: The Chester Brown Interview'' part [http://www.tcj.com/a-johns-gospel-the-chester-brown-interview/ 1] [http://www.tcj.com/a-johns-gospel-the-chester-brown-interview/2/ 2] [http://www.tcj.com/a-johns-gospel-the-chester-brown-interview/3/ 3] [http://www.tcj.com/a-johns-gospel-the-chester-brown-interview/4/ 4] [http://www.tcj.com/a-johns-gospel-the-chester-brown-interview/5/ 5] [http://www.tcj.com/a-johns-gospel-the-chester-brown-interview/6/ 6] [http://www.tcj.com/a-johns-gospel-the-chester-brown-interview/7/ 7] [http://www.tcj.com/a-johns-gospel-the-chester-brown-interview/8/ 8].  [[The Comics Journal]].  2011-05-09. Retrieved 2011-05-17.

{{Refend}}

{{Chester Brown}}

[[Category:1987 comics debuts]]
[[Category:Biblical comics]]
[[Category:Comics by Chester Brown]]
[[Category:Comics set in ancient Israel]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Jesus]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of John the Baptist]]
[[Category:Unfinished comics]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Mary, mother of Jesus]]