Wine of Gladness: The Early Years of Jesus

By Denis Eucalyptus

Wine of Gladness is a historical novel exploring the early life of Jesus from his conception to his baptism at the approximate age of twenty-seven. There is no record of these years other than the mythical birth narratives and one short description of Jesus visiting Jerusalem at age twelve. Here is a passionate, human story of how Jesus might have developed into the spiritual teacher and Jewish reformer that we find in the Gospels' account of his last three years. This is not Jesus as a miracle working boy, but as a shamed bastard searching for a father. It is not Jesus whom some assume was a carpenter, but Jesus the vintner and wine maker. It is not Jesus as a freakish loner, but a young man with close friends including his cousin John (the Baptist), Mary (of Magdala), Lazarus (of Bethany), and Jesse (his grandfather). And this is not Jesus who is somehow miraculously born with God-given wisdom and knowledge; rather, he draws lessons from his vineyard, and interesting mentors in Palestine as he encounters Essenes, Sadducees, Greek philosophers, Rabbis, and Dionysian teachers. He learns to uniquely interpret the Old Testament, to meditate and heal, and to look compassionately into the hearts of others. Follow Jesus from Nazareth to Jerusalem, and from Lake Galilee to the Dead Sea, as he grows from fatherless outcast to a powerful teacher on the verge of changing the course of history. The second edition includes an appendix listing references to the Wine of Gladness characters in the New Testament.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 173154376X
• ISBN13: 9781731543769
• Release Date: August 2017
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 576 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.3" x 8.0"