Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth

This intriguing, thought-provoking, and painstakingly researched biography of the man we know as Jesus of Nazareth questions long-held beliefs. It comes from the globally bestselling author of No god but God.

A travelling Jewish prophet and healer who travelled the Galilee two millennia ago gathered disciples to create what he dubbed the "Kingdom of God." He was taken prisoner, subjected to torture, and put to death as a state criminal because the revolutionary movement he started posed such a danger to the status quo.

Decades after his dishonourable demise, his devotees would refer to him as God.

By analysing Jesus through the prism of the turbulent time in which he lived—first-century Palestine, an age rife with apocalyptic fervor—Reza Aslan peels back the layers of centuries' worth of mythology to provide fresh insights into one of history's most significant and mysterious figures. Numerous Jewish prophets, preachers, and pretenders to the Messiah role roamed the Holy Land, conveying divine revelations. This was the period of zealotry, a fierce nationalism that demanded that all Jews oppose the Roman occupation as a holy obligation. And few people demonstrated this idea more than the flamboyant Galilean who stood up to the imperial authority and the Jewish religious establishment, who were their friends.

Comparing the Jesus of the Gospels with the historical sources, Aslan paints a picture of a man full of passion and conviction but also full of contradictions: a man of peace who advised his followers to arm themselves with swords; an exorcist and faith healer who pushed his followers to conceal his true identity; and finally the seditious "King of the Jews," whose brief life did not bring about the liberation from Rome that he had promised. Aslan investigates the motivations for the early Christian church's preference to spread the idea of Jesus as a nonviolent spiritual guide as opposed to a politically aware revolutionary. Additionally, he wrestles with the enigma surrounding Jesus' self-awareness, which lies at the core of all later assertions about his divinity.

Zealot both confirms the radical and transforming character of Jesus of Nazareth's life and mission and offers a new insight into one of the greatest tales ever told. The end product is an exceptionally remarkable portrayal of a man, a moment, and the beginning of a religion—a thought-provoking, beautifully written biography with the energy of a rapidly turning book.