Hype can kill a project. Of course, it can also ignite fandom. When Lucas announced Star Wars Episodes 1-3, fans went crazy.  Of course, the merchandising machine cranked up. Star Wars was everywhere in the months leading up to the summer release of the film.

Would the film live up to the hype?  Films aren’t the only medium to deal with the hype issue, of course.  Books can too (ask any Harry Potter fan).

But what about the book that has consumed much of my time this year thus far?  I’ve finished the Old Testament, and I’m ready for part 2: The New Testament. What can I expect? More of the same? Complete 180 in terms of tone?

Other than hoping for less blood and appreciating a lot less to read (the Old Testament I have is 849 pages, the New Testament is 288 pages).  No disrespect, but part 2 already seems more to the point.

I’m curious most about Jesus. He’s been teased a couple times in the Old Testament; now let’s see what he was really like. Since I know there is no Book of Jesus, I have to settle for other people’s accounts. Given his enduring popularity, I’d say these will probably paint enough of a picture of his story’s high points (so to speak).

Besides, I’ve seen The Passion of the Christ, so I at least have some sense of what happened at the end of his life. I just hope this version is less violent.

One question I do have that I doubt gets answered is what Jesus looks like (besides, perhaps the beard).  Every representation I have seen of his shows him as a white guy. But if he is from the Middle East, why is he white??

I’m also curious how much Jesus had to say about gays, since he is often mentioned reacting to modern attitudes about homosexuals (Mike Huckabee, for example, recently suggested that Jesus wept when the Supreme Court issued its verdict on DOMA and California’s Prop 8).

The first book is the Gospel of Matthew.