Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Yeah, I saw the Fox interview, etc etc.
Lots of controversy around this book, lots of jibber-jabbing. And if that sounds irreverent, that’s just how this subject is always treated, this Jesus person; so entrenched is Western civilization in the Christian myth, any book would be controversial and by many measures irreverent. We’ve reached a point where you’re either offended that a person would question the truth of Christ’s sacrifice or you’re offended that a person would pay any heed to such poppy-cock.
Enter Reza Aslan. No matter what he says in the book, he’s wrong. Right? Like a pop star who’s entertainment value is her off-stage antics moreso than her songs, more words will be written about Dr. Aslan than he wrote in the book itself. Questions about his authority, his motivations, his sources, the over-all impact his book will have. Well, here it is. This is his impact.
This is the impact religion has, anymore, on anyone. We’re no longer a nation of believers, skipped right past being a nation of questioners; we’re nothing but a nation of commentators. This internet age, this media age, is an age of viewing, judging, passing on.
And who am I to do otherwise? I was more interested to learn that Aslan has a degree in creative writing. If his scholarship adds nothing all that new to the historical Jesus story, his writing ability certainly does. Aslan weaves a compelling history, and doesn’t damn with faint praise—while he may brush up against irreverence, that’s only in the eye of the beholder, and in my opinion his treatment of the life and times of Jesus is more respectful than anything else.
It’s a book worth reading, not because it will be a good weapon against those froth-mouthed Christers, and not because it buoys allegiance to scripture, but because it’s a helluva story, written well. Enough said.