Reza aslan was sacked by cnn for insulting the president. Reza aslan is an iranianamerican scholar of religious studies, writer, and television host. Zealot questions what we thought we knew about jesus of nazaretheven as it affirms the radical and transformative nature of his life and mission. The origins, evolution, and future of islam, beyond fundamentalism. Confronting religious extremism in the age of globalization no god but god. Reza aslan is an acclaimed writer and scholar of religions whose books include no god but god. Religious scholar reza aslan talks about his new book zealot, which uncovers the life of jesus of nazareth as a historical figure. Reza aslan s zealot arrived with an enormous splash.
The life and times of jesus of nazareth reza aslan. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Reza aslan tells an old story about jesus christianity today. He does for religious history what bertolt brecht did for playwriting.
Then a fox news interview commandeered internet coverage. It sits on top of both the amazon bestseller lists and the new york times top ten, where it. Reza aslan is an acclaimed religious scholar, the host of the cnn series believer, and the author of books including zealot, beyond. Now aslan s controversial new book about jesus is about to make him a bestselling author. Reza aslan on zealot, fox news and richard dawkins books. Pastors and professors critique reza aslans portrayal of. The origins, evolution, and future of islam aslan, reza on. 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. Because so many hundreds of books of this type have been published, aslan s book would most likely not have received significant attention at all, except for two factors. Its expected to debut this weekend on the new york times bestseller list, becoming the latest in a long line of controversial and profitable books. Because its that time of year, i took the opportunity to read a much debated but fascinating book about the historical jesus, zealot. He is also the author of how to win a cosmic more about reza aslan. But i ran into problems from the outset of aslan s book. The result is a thoughtprovoking, elegantly written biography with the pulse of a fastpaced novel.
The life and times of jesus of nazareth, says he wrote the book as a historian, not as a muslim. Zealot, to be as kind as possible, trudges down some very well. The life and times of jesus of nazareth by reza aslan. Aslan s literary talent is as essential to the effect of zealot as are his scholarly and journalistic chops. See all 17 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Salon this toughminded, deeply political book does full justice to the real jesus, and honors him in the process. A human history, the author of zealot follows up his book about jesus with one about god. A response to zealot by reza aslan the good book blog.
Zealot author reza aslan responds to critics latest. When i saw that reza aslan s portrait of jesus, zealot. The origins, evolution, and future of islam and zealot. The jesus that aslan wants to present is the zealot, which is to say, the jewish insurrectionist intent upon challenging the temple establishment in jerusalem and, above all, the roman military. The life and times of jesus of nazareth, reza aslan zealot. Ally takes a critical perspective on some of the biases present in aslan s view of jesus. Reza aslan book is a readable defense of the schweitzerian theory of jesus so called because it was popularized by albert schweitzer in his quest for the historical jesus. In his reply aslan perhaps overstated his scholarly. In jesus world, zealot referred to those jews who adhered to a widely. The life and times of jesus of nazareth reprint by reza aslan isbn. The life and times of jesus of nazareth random house, 20, is in most ways a typical attempt to paint a new picture of jesus.
Fox newss lauren green questions why reza aslan would want to write about jesus. Praise for reza aslans zealot meticulously researched this book challenges many longheld assumptions about the man whose life and teachings form the foundations of christianity. The life and times of jesus of nazareth is a controversial biography of the historical and. Reza aslan tells an old story about jesus the authors portrait of a wouldbe political revolutionary relies on outdated scholarship and breathtaking leaps in logic. Reza aslan, an internationally acclaimed writer and scholar of religions, according to his online biography, has gotten a boost in sales and popularity from his embarrassing interview with a fox news anchor about his new book, zealot.
In zealot, reza aslan replaced the staid, wellworn portrayal of jesus of nazareth with a startling new image of the man in all his contradictions. When i was 16 years old, i read the book that has probably had the greatest influence on methe brothers karamazov by fyodor dostoevsky. You write in the book that you became an evangelical christian in high school, but that after a few years, you abandoned christianity and returned to the faith of. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The life and times of jesus of nazareth hardcover july 16 20 by reza aslan. The life and times of jesus of nazareth is a book by iranianamerican writer and scholar reza aslan. Aslan was being interviewed on the occasion of the appearance of his book that places jesus of nazareth at the top of a. The life and times of jesus of nazareth ebook written by reza aslan. Aslan is not the yrst author to consider the case of the historical jesus, but his.
If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the. His 20 book zealot on jesus was excellent, so i had high hopes for this 2011 book on islam. Reza aslan has 9 books on goodreads with 236481 ratings. In the first paragraph of the book s introduction, aslan states that the itinerant preacher wandering from village to village clamoring about the end of the world, a band of ragged followers trailing behind, was a common sight in jesuss time so common, in fact, that it had become a kind of caricature among the roman elite. A human history by reza aslan, the washington post, 17. Confronting religious extremism in the age of globalization, zealot. Reza aslan is a good writer and a good historian of religion.
This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of zealot by reza aslan. Religious scholar reza aslan found that he was much more interested in studying jesus as a human being than as the figure he learned about in church. An engaging and personal interview on nprs fresh air attracted widespread interest. Reza aslan converted to christianity when he was a teenager, but became more interested in jesus than as a messiah. The life and times of jesus of nazareth, reza aslan follows this long tradition, settling on the hypothesis, also around for hundreds of years, that jesus was a jewish. Two thousand years ago, an itinerant jewish preacher. Zealot author reza aslan on jesus of history versus. The networks religion correspondent, lauren green, began by asking why aslan, a muslim, would write a book about jesus. The life and times of jesus of nazareth hardcover july 16, 20.
Seeing ancient palestine as a hot bed of revolutionary activity, he finds the most plausible explanation of the historical jesus as one which sees jesus as revolutionary. Reza aslan s recent book on the life of jesus called zealot. Zealot yields a fresh perspective on one of the greatest stories ever told even as it affirms the radical and transformative nature of jesus life and mission. The life and times of jesus of nazareth beyond fundamentalism. The life and times of jesus of nazareth reza aslan, 20 random house 336 pp. The life and times of jesus of nazareth, had risen to number one on the new york times bestseller list, i must confess, i was both. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read zealot.
The life and times of jesus of nazareth from the internationally bestselling author of no god but god comes a fascinating, provocative, and meticulously researched biography that calls into question everything we thought we knew about jesus of nazareth. Why did you title your biography of jesus of nazareth zealot. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Aslan rips jesus out of all the contexts we thought he belonged in and holds him forth as someone entirely new. In zealot, reza aslan doesnt just synthesize research and reimagine a lost world, though he does those things very well. The life and times of jesus of nazareth has already reached no. Aslan spoke with pbs newshour correspondent ray suarez. But those familiar with the harvard graduate and former christians work say zealot is rehashed scholarship that. At one point in his book zealot, reza aslan provides a brief survey of the various jewish preachers, prophets, bandits, and messiahs asl20, p49 whose zeal for god threatened to subvert roman authority in the decades leading up to the war, and jesus of nazareth only merits passing mention there.