About the Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BYGood Housekeeping Booklist Publishers Weekly BookishFrom the internationally bestselling author of No god but God comes a fascinating, provocative, and meticulously researched biography that challenges long-held assumptions about the man we know as Jesus of Nazareth.Two thousand years ago, an itinerant Jewish preacher and miracle worker walked across the Galilee, gathering followers to establish what he called the Kingdom of God. The revolutionary movement he launched was so threatening to the established order that he was captured, tortured, and executed as a state criminal.Within decades after his shameful death, his followers would call him God.Sifting through centuries of mythmaking, Reza Aslan sheds new light on one of history's most influential and enigmatic characters by examining Jesus through the lens of the tumultuous era in which he lived: first-century Palestine, an age awash in apocalyptic fervor. Scores of Jewish prophets, preachers, and would-be messiahs wandered through the Holy Land, bearing messages from God. This was the age of zealotry a fervent nationalism that made resistance to the Roman occupation a sacred duty incumbent on all Jews. And few figures better exemplified this principle than the charismatic Galilean who defied both the imperial authorities and their allies in the Jewish religious hierarchy.Balancing the Jesus of the Gospels against the historical sources, Aslan describes a man full of conviction and passion, yet rife with contradiction; a man of peace who exhorted his followers to arm themselves with swords; an exorcist and faith healer who urged his disciples to keep his identity a secret; and ultimately the seditious King of the Jews whose promise of liberation from Rome went unfulfilled in his brief lifetime. Aslan explores the reasons why the early Christian church preferred to promulgate an image of Jesus as a peaceful spiritual teacher rather than a politically conscious revolutionary. And he grapples with the riddle of how Jesus understood himself, the mystery that is at the heart of all subsequent claims about his divinity.Zealot yields a fresh perspective on one of the greatest stories ever told even as it affirms the radical and transformative nature of Jesus of Nazareth's life and mission. The result is a thought-provoking, elegantly written biography with the pulse of a fast-paced novel: a singularly brilliant portrait of a man, a time, and the birth of a religion.Praise for ZealotRiveting . . . Aslan synthesizes Scripture and scholarship to create an original account. The New YorkerA lucid, intelligent page-turner. Los Angeles TimesFascinatingly and convincingly drawn . . . Aslan may come as close as one can to respecting those who revere Jesus as the peace-loving, turn-the-other-cheek, true son of God depicted in modern Christianity, even as he knocks down that image. The Seattle Times[Aslan s] literary talent is as essential to the effect of Zealot as are his scholarly and journalistic chops. . . . A vivid, persuasive portrait. SalonThis tough-minded, deeply political book does full justice to the real Jesus, and honors him in the process. San Francisco Chronicle
About the Author :
REZA ASLAN is an internationally acclaimed writer and scholar of religions. His first book, No God but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, has been translated into thirteen languages and named by Blackwells as one of the hundred most important books of the last decade. He is also the author of How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization and the End of the War on Terror, as well as the editor of Tablet & Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East. Dr. Aslan is currently associate professor of creative writing at the University of California, Riverside, and a cooperative faculty member in the department of religion, and he teaches in both disciplines. Born in Iran, he lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons.
Review :
"Riveting . . . Aslan synthesizes Scripture and scholarship to create an original account."--"The New Yorker"
"A lucid, intelligent page-turner.""--Los Angeles Times"
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"Aslan's insistence on human and historical actuality turns out to be far more interesting than dogmatic theology. . . . This tough-minded, deeply political book does full justice to the real Jesus, and honors him in the process."--"San Francisco Chronicle"
"Aslan brings a fine popular style, shorn of all jargon, to bear on the presentation of Jesus of Nazareth. . . . He isn't interested in attacking religion or even the church, much less in comparing Christianity unfavorably to another religion. He would have us admire Jesus as one of the many would-be messiahs who sprang up during Rome's occupation of Palestine, animated by zeal for 'strict adherence to the Torah and the Law, ' refusal to serve a human master, and devotion to God, and therefore dedicated to throwing off Rome and repudiating Roman religion. . . . You don't have to lose your religion to learn much that's vitally germane to its history from Aslan's absorbing, reader-friendly book."--"Booklist "(starred review)
"Be advised, dear reader, Sunday school this isn't. Yet Aslan may come as close as one can to respecting those who revere Jesus as the peace-loving, turn-the-other-cheek, true son of God depicted in modern Christianity, even as he knocks down that image. . . . Aslan is steeped in the history, languages and scriptural foundation of the biblical scholar and is a very clear writer with an authoritative, but not pedantic, voice. Those of us who wade into this genre often know how rare that is. . . . Fascinatingly and convincingly drawn."--"The Seattle Times"
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"[Aslan's] literary talent is as essential to the effect of "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth" as are his scholarly and journalistic chops. . . . A vivid, persuasive portrait of the world and societies in which Jesus live
"Aslan brings a fine popular style, shorn of all jargon, to bear on the presentation of Jesus of Nazareth. . . . He isn't interested in attacking religion or even the church, much less in comparing Christianity unfavorably to another religion. He would have us admire Jesus as one of the many would-be messiahs who sprang up during Rome's occupation of Palestine, animated by zeal for 'strict adherence to the Torah and the Law, ' refusal to serve a human master, and devotion to God, and therefore dedicated to throwing off Rome and repudiating Roman religion. . . . You don't have to lose your religion to learn much that's vitally germane to its history from Aslan's absorbing, reader-friendly book."--"Booklist "(starred review)
"Be advised, dear reader, Sunday school this isn't. Yet Aslan may come as close as one can to respecting those who revere Jesus as the peace-loving, turn-the-other-cheek, true son of God depicted in modern Christianity, even as he knocks down that image. . . . Aslan is steeped in the history, languages and scriptural foundation of the biblical scholar and is a very clear writer with an authoritative, but not pedantic, voice. Those of us who wade into this genre often know how rare that is. . . . Fascinatingly and convincingly drawn."--"The Seattle Times"
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"[Aslan's] literary talent is as essential to the effect of "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth" as are his scholarly and journalistic chops. . . . A vivid, persuasive portrait of the world and societies in which Jesus lived and the role he most likely played in both. . . . Fascinating."--Salon
"Accessibly and strongly presented . . . Readable and with scholarly endnotes, Aslan's book offers a historical perspective that is sure to generate spirited conversation."--"Library Journal"
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"A well-researched, readable biography of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus of Nazareth is not the same as Jesus Christ. The Gospels are not historical documents. . . . Why h
Advance praise for "Zealot"
"A bold, powerfully argued revisioning of the most consequential life ever lived."--Lawrence Wright, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief"
"The story of Jesus of Nazareth is arguably the most influential narrative in human history. Here Reza Aslan writes vividly and insightfully about the life and meaning of the figure who has come to be seen by billions as the Christ of faith. This is a special and revealing work, one that believer and skeptic alike will find surprising, engaging, and original."--Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power"
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"In "Zealot", Reza Aslan doesn't just synthesize research and reimagine a lost world, though he does those things very well. He does for religious history what Bertolt Brecht did for playwriting. Aslan rips Jesus out of all the contexts we thought he belonged in and holds him forth as someone entirely new. This is Jesus as a passionate Jew, a violent revolutionary, a fanatical ideologue, an odd and scary and extraordinarily interesting man."--Judith Shulevitz, author of "The Sabbath World"
Praise for Reza Aslan's "No god but God"
A finalist for the "Guardian" First Book Award
"Grippingly narrated and thoughtfully examined . . . a literate, accessible introduction to Islam.""--The New York Times"
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"Aslan offers an invaluable introduction to the forces that have shaped Islam [in this] eloquent, erudite paean to Islam in all of its complicated glory.""--Los Angeles Times Book Review"
"Wise and passionate . . . an incisive, scholarly primer in Muslim history and an engaging personal exploration.""--The New York Times Book Review"
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"Acutely perceptive . . . For many troubled Muslims, this book will feel like a revelation, an opening up of knowledge too long buried."--"The Independent" (U.K.)
"Thoroughly engaging and excellently written . . . While [Aslan] might claim to be a mere scholar of the Islamic Reformation, he is also one of its most articulate advocates.""--The Oregonian"
