Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge, from NetGalley, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it
Synopsis: From the internationally bestselling author of No god but Godcomes a fascinating, provocative, and meticulously researched biography that challenges long-held assumptions about the man we know as Jesus of Nazareth.
Two thousand years ago, an itinerant Jewish preacher and miracle worker walked across the Galilee, gathering followers to establish what he called the “Kingdom of God.” The revolutionary movement he launched was so threatening to the established order that he was captured, tortured, and executed as a state criminal.
Within decades after his shameful death, his followers would call him God.
Sifting through centuries of mythmaking, Reza Aslan sheds new light on one of history’s most influential and enigmatic characters by examining Jesus through the lens of the tumultuous era in which he lived: first-century Palestine, an age awash in apocalyptic fervor. Scores of Jewish prophets, preachers, and would-be messiahs wandered through the Holy Land, bearing messages from God. This was the age of zealotry—a fervent nationalism that made resistance to the Roman occupation a sacred duty incumbent on all Jews. And few figures better exemplified this principle than the charismatic Galilean who defied both the imperial authorities and their allies in the Jewish religious hierarchy.
Balancing the Jesus of the Gospels against the historical sources, Aslan describes a man full of conviction and passion, yet rife with contradiction; a man of peace who exhorted his followers to arm themselves with swords; an exorcist and faith healer who urged his disciples to keep his identity a secret; and ultimately the seditious “King of the Jews” whose promise of liberation from Rome went unfulfilled in his brief lifetime. Aslan explores the reasons why the early Christian church preferred to promulgate an image of Jesus as a peaceful spiritual teacher rather than a politically conscious revolutionary. And he grapples with the riddle of how Jesus understood himself, the mystery that is at the heart of all subsequent claims about his divinity.
Review First, let's address the elephant in the room, that has been debated all Summer over the author writing this book, "I am a scholar of religions with four degrees, including one in the New Testament, and fluency in biblical Greek, who has been studying the origins of Christianity for two decades, who also just happens to be a Muslim," the author said in response to a interview on FoxNews.. "I am a professor of religion, including the New Testament. That’s what I do for a living." Is it really any different than a Christian author writing a book on Muslim? If we honor our country's free-speech, then this should NOT be a huge issue as it was...
Now to the book itself- this book is an INTERPRETATION, based on facts that are known, and religious writings. The author obviously has the background (religious degrees are not simple to obtain!) to write this book, and he has presented the story in an easy to understand, novel, that will keep you reading, to see where he is going with his thought processes. I think many people will have issue with the book because Jesus is presented as a flawed man, who was human in every sense. And the fact that a different side is being presented of Pontius Pilate and the entire crucification event, may send readers away scratching their heads and wondering about what they were taught as children.
And that IS the point of this book- to be thought provoking, to urge the reader to question what they really know, and to go out and research and learn. Something a good professor will always instill in his students! Perhaps it was all those years of Jesuit education, but seeking out all sides of an equation is second nature to me, and I found this book and interesting read, and one that brings to life know historical facts. Add this one to your 'to read' list' for the Fall!
About the Author: Dr. Reza Aslan's bachelor's degree is in religious studies, with an emphasis on scripture and traditions (which at Santa Clara University means the New Testament). His minor was in biblical Greek. He has a master of theological studies degree from Harvard University, in world religions, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in the sociology of religions. UCSB's doctoral program is an interdisciplinary one that draws from religion, history, philosophy, and sociology, among other fields. Aslan's doctorate in the sociology of religions encompasses expertise in the history of religion. Reza also has a master of fine arts degree from the University of Iowa.
Synopsis: From the internationally bestselling author of No god but Godcomes a fascinating, provocative, and meticulously researched biography that challenges long-held assumptions about the man we know as Jesus of Nazareth.
Two thousand years ago, an itinerant Jewish preacher and miracle worker walked across the Galilee, gathering followers to establish what he called the “Kingdom of God.” The revolutionary movement he launched was so threatening to the established order that he was captured, tortured, and executed as a state criminal.
Within decades after his shameful death, his followers would call him God.
Sifting through centuries of mythmaking, Reza Aslan sheds new light on one of history’s most influential and enigmatic characters by examining Jesus through the lens of the tumultuous era in which he lived: first-century Palestine, an age awash in apocalyptic fervor. Scores of Jewish prophets, preachers, and would-be messiahs wandered through the Holy Land, bearing messages from God. This was the age of zealotry—a fervent nationalism that made resistance to the Roman occupation a sacred duty incumbent on all Jews. And few figures better exemplified this principle than the charismatic Galilean who defied both the imperial authorities and their allies in the Jewish religious hierarchy.
Balancing the Jesus of the Gospels against the historical sources, Aslan describes a man full of conviction and passion, yet rife with contradiction; a man of peace who exhorted his followers to arm themselves with swords; an exorcist and faith healer who urged his disciples to keep his identity a secret; and ultimately the seditious “King of the Jews” whose promise of liberation from Rome went unfulfilled in his brief lifetime. Aslan explores the reasons why the early Christian church preferred to promulgate an image of Jesus as a peaceful spiritual teacher rather than a politically conscious revolutionary. And he grapples with the riddle of how Jesus understood himself, the mystery that is at the heart of all subsequent claims about his divinity.
Review First, let's address the elephant in the room, that has been debated all Summer over the author writing this book, "I am a scholar of religions with four degrees, including one in the New Testament, and fluency in biblical Greek, who has been studying the origins of Christianity for two decades, who also just happens to be a Muslim," the author said in response to a interview on FoxNews.. "I am a professor of religion, including the New Testament. That’s what I do for a living." Is it really any different than a Christian author writing a book on Muslim? If we honor our country's free-speech, then this should NOT be a huge issue as it was...
Now to the book itself- this book is an INTERPRETATION, based on facts that are known, and religious writings. The author obviously has the background (religious degrees are not simple to obtain!) to write this book, and he has presented the story in an easy to understand, novel, that will keep you reading, to see where he is going with his thought processes. I think many people will have issue with the book because Jesus is presented as a flawed man, who was human in every sense. And the fact that a different side is being presented of Pontius Pilate and the entire crucification event, may send readers away scratching their heads and wondering about what they were taught as children.
And that IS the point of this book- to be thought provoking, to urge the reader to question what they really know, and to go out and research and learn. Something a good professor will always instill in his students! Perhaps it was all those years of Jesuit education, but seeking out all sides of an equation is second nature to me, and I found this book and interesting read, and one that brings to life know historical facts. Add this one to your 'to read' list' for the Fall!
About the Author: Dr. Reza Aslan's bachelor's degree is in religious studies, with an emphasis on scripture and traditions (which at Santa Clara University means the New Testament). His minor was in biblical Greek. He has a master of theological studies degree from Harvard University, in world religions, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in the sociology of religions. UCSB's doctoral program is an interdisciplinary one that draws from religion, history, philosophy, and sociology, among other fields. Aslan's doctorate in the sociology of religions encompasses expertise in the history of religion. Reza also has a master of fine arts degree from the University of Iowa.
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