Reza Aslan is an acclaimed writer and scholar of religions whose books include No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam and Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. He is also the author of How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror (published in paperback as Beyond Fundamentalism), as well as the editor of Tablet & Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three sons.
“Riveting . . . Aslan synthesizes Scripture and scholarship to
create an original account.”—The New Yorker
“A lucid, intelligent page-turner.”—Los Angeles Times
“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
“[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
“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 has Christianity taken hold and
flourished? This book will give you the answers.”—Kirkus Reviews
(starred review)
“[Aslan] parts an important curtain that has long hidden from view
the man Jesus. . . . Aslan develops a convincing and coherent story
of how the Christian church, and in particular Paul, reshaped
Christianity’s essence, obscuring the very real man who was Jesus
of Nazareth. Compulsively readable and written at a popular level,
this superb work is highly recommended.”—Publishers Weekly (starred
review)
“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
“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
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