Zealot

This book has been an intellectual boon to me. It opens up scores of questions and will force me to dig deep within to address questions regarding my faith.

A Muslim who’s a extreme leftist views. Blasphemy in its finest. Don’t waste your money this book is very much not from God it’s from the Devil.

I read it twice before and I’m looking for his other books.

Read it!

Loved the book.

A genuine non fiction page turner! Paints as complete a picture as possible, given scriptures and historical context, of the actual figure of Jesus. It also provides important distinctions between the person and the Jesus of religious worship, all while written in captivating prose. A truly great read.

I have a bachelor’s degree in history and read history exclusively. This is not history. This book is one-third poorly annotated history, one-third opinion and one-third conjecture. The author constantly slams the accuracy of Gospel writers using Josephus as his “Gospel truth.” The last time I was in school writing history papers, the writings of Josephus were placed alongside those of Plutarch and Suetonius in terms of their level of veracity. You have to look at these authors more as entertainment than history because the “truth” in a lot of what they write cannot be verified. Neither can you find original source material. We have nothing in Josephus’s, or the Gospel writer’s, handwriting. Yet, the author makes pronouncement upon pronouncement as if he is stating or debunking “facts.” He even states that readers of Luke’s Gospel who lived at the time of Jesus would have known that what Luke wrote was factually inaccurate and that Luke knew what he wrote was technically false. That is a bold statement of opinion and not fact in a work of “history.” He quotes Jesus predicting the destruction of Jerusalem saying that these words were “put into his mouth” by the “evangelists” after the fact. Oh, really? The author’s statement, whether true or not, is not supported by facts available to us today. The only people who would know for sure would be the writers and the followers who heard Jesus preach. He calls Jesus’s miracle stories “embellished” and “Christologically convoluted” and that none of them can be historically validated. Based on that logic, neither can the existence of Pontius Pilate be validated. Outside of what was written about him there has been only one contemporary monument discovered with his name on it and even the provenance of that piece has been questioned. He starts one paragraph “It is astonishing that centuries of biblical scholarship have miscast these words” as if he has been somehow enlightened to the truth that centuries of scholars have missed. Sadly, the author misses the point of the bible scholars altogether and then misses the point of the passage with his new “enlightened” interpretation. There is no question that this guy has an axe to grind with his former adopted religion. He is dead set on placing Jesus’s feet firmly on the ground and labeling him a mere “bandit.” Anyone who wishes to denigrate the Bible as inaccurate mythology now has plenty of “scholarly” ammo at their disposal. What in the world made this author think he can write an accurate and definitive “history” of Jesus? He can’t. He tried. And, he failed miserably. Don’t waste your money or your time. Come to think about it, I’m going to ask for my money back!

This book is written in a casually intellectual style that is simply beautiful. A great read for anyone that is interested in learning the history of biblical times and Jesus of Nazareth from a historically accurate standpoint . Mr. Reza Aslan uses religious document such as the New and Old Testaments to paint an eye-opening and refreshing portrait of the revolutionary peasant who sparked what became one of, if not the most influential movement in global history. Those who argue the conclusions and assertions Mr. Aslan makes in his book, and criticize his knowledge and expertise on the subject because of his religious and cultural positions have very clearly not read his book or drastically misunderstood his message. This book is a must read for anyone curious in the roots of history's most arguably significant person, and the movement he caused. I will recommend this to all my friends and family.

You have to be completely ignorant if you're offended by this book. Aslan, while of another faith, put time and care into this book with only one intent: to educate. Well done, Sir. You know the difference between faith and truth.

Holy hell what an interesting book, the author gives so many details it is at times hard to comprehend because just when you thought you wrapped your head around one fascinating thought he gives you another thing to think about. Also I should mention that this book is probably way beyond my reading level but either way it was a fascinating read