L'Évangile du serpent (English: The Gospel of the Serpent) is a thriller written by Pierre Bordage, published by in 2001. A modern reinterpretation of the Gospels, it tells the story of Vaï Ka’i, a prophet with healing powers, through the accounts of four people who cross his path: Mathias, Marc, Lucie, and Yann. Vaï Ka’i endangers the Western life model and becomes “the man to bring down” for French political, religious, and financial leaders.
L'Évangile du serpent is Pierre Bordage’s first novel outside the science fiction genre. It develops themes of spirituality opposed to religion and nomadism, using the symbolism of the serpent as a backdrop. The author expresses his affinity for shamanism and non-religious spirituality in this book. He adopts a unique narrative structure, with four main characters whose actions are recounted in turn. The book received a very mixed critical reception, particularly due to its portrayal of Western civilization. It was awarded the for Best French-Language Novel in 2002.
Summary Four people who do not know each other recount the rise of Jesus, an Amazonian child adopted in Lozère. This miraculous healer becomes Vaï Ka’i, the “master-spirit,” who gathers more followers. Mathias is a hitman, Lucie earns a living as an internet stripper, Marc the journalist is paid to write a vulgar article about Vaï Ka’i and his adoptive family, and the intellectual Yann is the first disciple of the “master-spirit.” In contact with Vaï Ka’i, all four see their lives transformed, encounter love, change their perspective on society, and regain self-esteem. Vaï Ka’i brings more and more people along the path of returning to the Earth’s natural rhythm, advocating the abandonment of material attachments and neonomadism. He threatened Western society and became “the man to bring down” for French political, religious, and financial leaders. They organize his public lynching on a popular talk show, where the “Christ of Aubrac” responds to no aggression, assures everyone of his love, and foretells his imminent death. Vaï Ka’i is killed in the studio corridors by Mathias, a victim of impulses from a microchip implanted by the French secret services.
History and publication According to Roland Ernould, Pierre Bordage had long been tempted to write a story inspired by the Bible. It is the first volume of the Prophecies trilogy, but the three works are relatively independent, with different characters. L'Évangile du serpent was first published in June 2001 (its legal deposit date) in large format by the publisher Au Diable Vauvert. The cover features two intertwined serpents with a head at each end of the body, to the left of the book's title.
It was republished by the following year, with a cover by Jean Vanriet.
In 2005, L'Évangile du serpent was reprinted for a three-volume box set containing the other two parts of the Prophecies trilogy, (volume 2) and (volume 3). For this edition, the first edition cover was revised in accordance with Le Diable Vauvert’s new graphic design.
In paperback, the book was published by Folio (Gallimard) in April 2003, with a cover illustrated by Matt Lamb. It was reissued in April 2007 with the same cover.
Characters The novel tells four parallel stories lived by four characters—Mathias, Marc, Lucie, and Yann—evoking the four evangelists of the Bible. They are, in a sense, the apostles of Vaï Ka’i. All are marginalized or in a state of sin at the beginning of the book, literally “crushed by the system,” estranged from their true selves. They are not heroes in the classical sense, being solitary and in pain.
According to Pascal Patoz, these characters “illustrate the principle that the last shall be first.” The book structure is such that each character returns in turn every four chapters, until the end. At the start of the book, they do not know each other and are dealing with existential problems, but their respective paths toward spirituality lead them to evolve and aim toward the same goal, “as if they were connected by an invisible thread.” They converge toward Vaï Ka’i, whom they each meet at some point. Each experiences a revelation of self. At the final meeting, they feel their connection to one another as self-evident. Another important character in the novel is Pierrette, Vaï Ka’i’s adoptive sister. She is the equivalent of Mary in the Bible.
According to Olivier Girard, the author shows great empathy and occasionally striking sensitivity, but his characters are “transparent and too obviously constructed.” Conversely, Arsenik of the Biblioblog believes that “the characters’ psychology is very developed,” making them relatable.
Vaï Ka’i Translation of an excerpt from a dialogue of Vaï Ka'i, p. 294 The Christian view of existence is not the view of Christ. The Christian view of existence is that of Paul, that of Rome, that of the popes, the missionaries, the fanatics, the conquerors, the builders. Nicknamed “the Christ of Aubrac,” Vaï Ka’i is an Indigenous man born in the Amazon, in Colombia. His name means “master-spirit” in the Desana language. The shamans of his tribe foresaw the birth of a new messiah among them, but they were massacred by the macheteros of logging companies, at the instigation of the Colombian Church, which feared the arrival of a rival. Vaï Ka’i survived only thanks to a French missionary priest, Father Simon. Back in France, the priest entrusted the child to his sister in Lozère, who named him Jesus. At the age of ten, Vaï Ka’i performed his first miracles through his healing powers. He is an ecologist who preaches the abandonment of material possessions and a return to nomadism. His teaching is based on the “wisdom of the double serpent, a shamanic symbol of DNA,” and on access to universal knowledge through the “house of all laws,” a web where man and the universe are in harmony. When his miraculous healings and teachings become known, particularly on the internet, he is invited to a popular talk show where all the guests (a clergyman, a psychologist, a scientist...) provoke him. He listens without replying (which works in his favor, as his opponents, finding no way to attack him, end up arguing among themselves and discrediting themselves), assures them of his love, and predicts his imminent death. The hitman Mathias assassinates him shortly after the show. Three days of storms follow his death, and he “reappears” to thousands of people who give similar testimonies. Vaï Ka’i’s healings are not explained; the novel is built on the testimonies of those who meet him. However, they can be considered real insofar as they lead to characters’ transformations.
Vaï-Ka’i is presented to the reader as a true messiah. The book leaves no doubt about this, nor about his mission. According to Pascal Patoz, “this certainty is what makes the novel so compelling, because it would be too easy to see the character as a mere charlatan.” However, he regrets that Vaï-Ka’i never explains why he proposes this life model. Likewise, Vaï-Ka’i refuses to be treated as a prophet and accepts the inevitability of his death so that people may find the answers within themselves.
Mathias A professional killer of Russian origin, blond with a very handsome face, Mathias is trapped and captured by the French secret services during a contract. They force him to work for them and infiltrate a group of Islamist terrorists. He thus plays a role in the execution of an attack at Disneyland Paris, the goal of this tragedy being both to harm American interests in Europe and to direct popular anger against Muslims. He is the last person to meet the Christ of Aubrac. He kills him against his will, as his employers had secretly implanted a chip in his brain to control his movements. According to Roland Ernould and Claire Cornillon, Mathias represents Judas in the Gospels, and Ernould also sees in him an evocation of Matthew.
Marc A fifty-year-old journalist without ambition or ethics, Marc works for EDV, a powerful media group whose orders he follows without question. His boss first sends him to investigate and then write an article about the Christ of Aubrac with the sole purpose of harming him, under pressure from lobbying groups. Marc writes a first article to attack Vaï-Ka’i and his adoptive mother, then he turns against his boss, realizes that his mistress and his ex are taking advantage of him, and reforms himself, losing all his material possessions but regaining happiness. At the end of the story, he admits he once betrayed Pierrette, Vaï-Ka’i’s adoptive sister. According to Roland Ernould, Marc represents the Pharisee in the service of the temple merchants.
Lucie She is a webcam stripper, fulfilling men’s fantasies by reducing herself to the role of a sex object. First a victim of rape, then of a narcissistic pervert who manipulates her into falling in love with him, she ends up attending a lecture by Vaï-Ka’i. Beaten to death by rioters, she is resurrected by him. This miracle also reveals the monstrosity of her “friend,” but she later redeems him through her love. According to Roland Ernould, she represents Mary Magdalene.
Yann Assistant and first disciple of Vaï-Ka’i, he is an intellectual and a former student of Sciences Po. He is simply “available” at that moment, eager to supervise, manage, and plan the career and movements of the Christ of Aubrac. At the beginning of the book, he appears manipulative and interested in political advancement, but evolves as he comes to understand the meaning of Vaï-Ka’i’s message. According to Roland Ernould, he represents both Saint John and Saint Peter.
Analysis This novel is hard to categorize. Some critics consider that it does not belong to the science fiction genre typically associated with Pierre Bordage, while others describe it as a speculative thriller. L'Évangile du serpent nonetheless marks the author’s entry into general literature, while revisiting a theme dear to him: the reinterpretation of ancient myths. This novel can be compared to , which takes the form of a Genesis story on a planetary scale. However, it takes place entirely in a world heavily inspired by our own.
The author tells the story of the arrival of a true messiah in early 21st-century society and the changes and questioning it provokes. One finds, in particular, four evangelists, miraculous healings, and Vaï-Ka’i walking toward his death in love, forgiveness, and peace. Pierre Bordage shows a sensitivity to anthropology and depth psychology (the concept of the collective unconscious), though he does not explore this subject in depth in his book.
Narration and structure