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muhavipi's review against another edition
4.0
An intriguing look not only into the development of early Christology but also into the development of his earliest followers.
bibliobrandie's review against another edition
I chose this book because my mom is suddenly religious and I was looking for some talking points. I listened to the audio version, I think I would have understood more if I had read it. Also since I have little knowledge of the Bible or names in the Bible I just think a lot was lost on me. It was an interesting history lesson though.
rallsley's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Fantastic historical perspective and review of the New Testament events many Christians are familiar with. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to know more about the context of the life of Jesus and even a bit about how the gospels were constructed, no matter where they lie on the spectrum of religion. There's something in there for everyone. Be cautious because it will challenge what you may already think you know about Jesus.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, War, Violence, Colonisation, and Genocide
Minor: Torture
This book does detail and review events related to Roman occupation and destruction of Jerusalem as well as discussing the crucifixion of Jesus and stoning of various other Bible figureskcrouth's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fascinating book. The sub-title is a great summary of the contents: "The Life and TImes of Jesus of Nazareth". Dr. Aslan presents a thorough, well researched, and excellent survey of the subject in an accessible and readable way. He overlays the major dimensions of the period during which the historic man we have come to know as Jesus lived. By dimensions I mean religious, sociological, political, geographical, historical, customs, etc. All these dimensions are overlaid with one another in an organized and logical manner to provide an interesting and enlightening study of much of what we know to be historically true about the man Jesus. I learned much from this book, even after being associated with "Christian" churches for much of my life. It is extremely interesting to me to see the vast number of facts about which the "church" is ignorant, or chooses to misrepresent, or to downright lie about. The dynamics of the life and death of Jesus, and the resulting groups of followers, are not as neat, tidy, and consistent as are presented in sunday school, or in so-called seminaries which take the Bible at face value, or even as literal, and ignore real history. And once again, I am fascinated at how many people who claim to be followers of Jesus don't know the critical facts about who he was and the times in which he lived. The last 100+ pages are thorough footnotes, which while not reading as easily as the main text, provide extensive references and explanation of the material in the main chapters. And unlike many authors, Dr. Aslan presents references to opposing views as well as his own. This book is a very worthwhile read if you care anything about this man who is called Jesus.
kiahcorrin's review against another edition
It's a bit dense and I have too many books in my brain! I will return to it!
deb918's review against another edition
Very interesting read. Chew the meat and spit out the bones is my motto. Definitely, some food for thought. Read it with an open discerning mind.