Norfolk author's superhuman Jesus book
A Norfolk Christian author has published a biographical novel based on the culture and society that shaped Jesus as he grew up and prepared for ministry.
Richard Harbord’s 450 page novel The Super Human Jesus is based on all those things such as Jesus' family, education, history and culture and environment in which he was a child –and from there the story leaves it to the Bible to tell the rest.
Richard has been the church-warden of Hanworth with Gunton since 1992, with a decade long interlude when he was working abroad. Richard is interested in family history, and his paternal origins came from Norfolk, which drew him back to the county in 1982.
Richard said, “The lack of information about how Jesus grew to maturity and entered into his ministry has always intrigued me, especially as the many books about the human Jesus don’t seem to say much about that. I am accused of fantasising about this, but the many influences that shaped him are, or were, very real and that is what I focus on.”
The Super Human Jesus carefully researched – Richard has many photographs of the Holy Land before modern influences changed it. The novel explores one of the greatest silences in history-the formative years of Jesus before the beginning of his public ministry.
Richard said, "The idea is to find common ground in this story between the Bible, as far as it goes and the Koran where they share the story to prepare the way for a better mutual understanding of two of the great Abrahamic religions in the prayerful hope that tensions between them will decline."
Richard reconstructs the world in which Jesus grew from childhood to adulthood. Set against the political realities of Roman Judea, Second Temple Judaism, and the diverse cultures of the ancient Near East, the narrative examines education, family life, religious traditions, and philosophical influences that may have shaped his developing identity.
Rather than retelling the Gospel accounts, this work addresses what they omit, using informed speculation grounded in historical sources to create a plausible and respectful portrait of Jesus as both fully human and profoundly spiritual. The book follows his early life in Nazareth, encounters with Jewish scholarship, possible travels beyond Galilee, and his gradual awakening to a messianic calling.
Blending historical fiction with serious theological reflection, The Super Human: Jesus invites readers to consider how lived experience, culture, and belief intersected in the life of the figure who would transform history. It will appeal to readers interested in Christian history, biblical studies, religious biography, and historically grounded explorations of faith.
Click here to purchase the book from Eden books https://www.eden.co.uk/christian-books/theology-books/christology/the-super-human-jesus/
Click here to purchase from Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/0frE6xve