The Testament of Man (1943–1960), a twelve-volume series of novels by the American author Vardis Fisher, traces the physical, psychological and spiritual evolution of Western civilization from Australopithecus to the present. The series explores a pantheon of subjects: myth, ritual, language, family, sex and especially sin, guilt and religion. Each work emphasizes a particular pathway that Fisher considered of paramount importance in the development of the modern world and our current views. "Enlightened minds must wonder what the world would be like today if the torrent [that carries us along] had taken another channel at any one of a dozen moments in history. What if Greek values had triumphed in that war more than twenty−one centuries ago?" Fisher traced a specific pathway in which ape-like creatures segued to Middle Eastern tribes, followed by the development of Judaism and Christianity.
The task consumed two decades after prodigious preparation. By his own account, Fisher read more than 2,000 books and essays on a wide range of subjects - religion, anthropology, archaeology, music, food, psychology, evolution and climate. In The Great Confession, "Part III: The Orphans" Fisher describes his research in detail. In order to get into the mind of the ape-man, he lived like one, dwelling in caves, walking, eating, hunting and sleeping as he imagined they had. He observed apes in zoos and conducted behavioral experiments with animals. For example, he concluded that contrary to popular belief, animals did not generally recognize people by scent. He was convinced that Western religion developed out of fear, particularly that of the father. Judaism was the only ancient religion without a mother figure.
All volumes in the series are based on similar themes and characters, or personas. One theme is the role of gender in the rise of human civilization. He holds that female's feelings run deeper; she was more practical since her first duties were to home, food and children. The man, uninvolved with family, is egotistical, shallow and alone, yet this solitude gives rise to intellectual breakthroughs that radically changed ancient beliefs. One recurrent character is the misunderstood male genius, the neurotic thinker who suddenly grasps a unique thought that becomes increasingly influential to future generations. An intellectually strong woman often appears. She understands better than the male and assists in his quest into the unknown. Fisher's interest in men's long subjugation of women is a dominant theme throughout.
The controversial subject matter met with frequent, scathing denunciation that centered on three elements - his treatment of religion, sexual content and anthropological conclusions. Many reviewers objected to Fisher's penchant for interrupting the story with explanatory comments for the reader. Particularly reviled was his treatment of historical and Biblical characters, religion in general, and Christianity and Judaism specifically. The Valley of Vision (1951), a novel of Solomon and his court, evoked a fierce review in TIME:
The project was viewed as a financial risk and had trouble finding a publisher despite Fisher's fame as a popular Western novelist. When he presented Jesus Came Again: A Parable (1956), Caxton Press refused to publish it due to the heretical nature of the story. They thought the tale of a misunderstood, neurotic Jesus ("Joshua") who was all too human, and not the man who satisfied the universal yearnings of the times for a Messiah, was too controversial. The project was picked up by Swallow Publishing, which printed the rest of the series. Fisher considered religion not as a cultural, collective phenomenon but as the consequences of individual insight due to sexual longings, loneliness and genius.
Contents
1. Darkness and the Deep (1943) features primitive humans, apelike creatures who communicate with grunts, yelps and gestures. There is no dialogue. Fisher is keenly interested in the neuroses of primitive man as the prime influence of human psychology. Wuh, the young genius, invents a form of primitive language. His woman, Murah, also rises above the routines of procreation, eating and killing. In the end, the first feeling of compassion in the world is dimly realized.