Part I: The Boy, Chapter 1 - 2 Summary

Heaven assigns the task to raise Biff, a childhood friend of Jesus Christ, from the dead to an angel named Raziel. Under Raziel's supervision, Biff must write his gospel to explain what Jesus, whose Hebrew name is Joshua, did before he started preaching. Biff's Hebrew name is Levi. Both the angel and Biff find the modern world confusing and frightening, but they both like pizza that they order from room service in their hotel. They share a single room and seldom leave. The man who delivers the pizza is ironically named Jesus.

Biff writes about how Joshua knew how to raise small animals from the dead as a child. They grow up together in Nazareth under Roman rule. The Jews tend grape vines and olive trees in the hills around town and plant...