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kellymcgatha 's review for:
Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
by Reza Aslan
Until reading this book, I don't think I ever quite understood the world Jesus lived in. Reza Aslan really brings the brutality of first century Palestine to life, and he manages to do it in a captivating way that made it difficult to put the book down. Aslan attempts to put aside the current image of Jesus and instead uses the few historical facts and the context of the world Jesus lived in to try and understand who this historical Jesus was. The Jesus he portrays is no less inspiring than the one of the gospels. And perhaps the most fascinating part of the book is how Aslan shows how the events following Jesus' death helped give rise to a new religion and a new image of Jesus that is most likely quite different than the historical Jesus. In other words, he shows how Jesus went from an illiterate Jew to being Jesus Christ.
Whether you're religious or not, if you're interested in the life of Jesus, you should read this book. A fair warning, though, to the most religious: If you don't like to see the gospels challenged, then don't waste your time. Aslan takes Bible verses that I've heard my entire life and puts them into the context of the first century Palestine and suddenly they take on a whole new meaning. He creates an image of Jesus that, to me, is much more real than the one popularized today and yet is no less inspiring.
Whether you're religious or not, if you're interested in the life of Jesus, you should read this book. A fair warning, though, to the most religious: If you don't like to see the gospels challenged, then don't waste your time. Aslan takes Bible verses that I've heard my entire life and puts them into the context of the first century Palestine and suddenly they take on a whole new meaning. He creates an image of Jesus that, to me, is much more real than the one popularized today and yet is no less inspiring.