Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth

296 pages

English language

Published April 27, 2013

ISBN:: 978-1-4000-6922-4
Goodreads:: 17568801

(1 review)

Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth is a book by Iranian-American writer and scholar Reza Aslan. It is a historical account of the life of Jesus and analyzes the various religious perspectives on Jesus as well as the creation of Christianity. It is a New York Times best seller. Aslan argues that Jesus was a political, rebellious and eschatological (end times) Jew whose proclamation of the coming kingdom of God was a call for regime change, for ending Roman hegemony over Judea and the corrupt and oppressive aristocratic priesthood. The book has been optioned by Lionsgate and producer David Heyman with a script co-written by Aslan and Oscar- screenwriter, James Schamus.The book has gathered mixed reviews. While it was positively received by the general public, scholars with relevant subject matter expertise have been critical of its content, methodology and Aslan’s claims about his academic credentials.

4 editions

Carl reviewed Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan

Review of 'Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Aslan is a very colorful writer; he has some very powerful passages that help to bring the world of that time to life.

My biggest issue is that he very much has an agenda when writing this book. I saw a piece of the Fox News interview; I wish someone had asked him why it appears that his criteria for the validity off a Bible passage is how well it supports his thesis. If the passage fits, it is accepted without question; if it doesn't fit, it obviously was added later as part of the early church building a mythology around Jesus (or something like that).

I think there is useful material in this book; just temper it with someone like N. T. Wright.