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I have read several books along the lines of trying to figure out what the historical Jesus stood for.
As a result, I did not find anything particularly revolutionary in Zealot. The new wrinkle here is more of a focus on the politics of the founders of the early Christian religion, as opposed to shedding light on Jesus of Nazareth, about whom not much of anything objective is known. So I think a more accurate title would have been something along the lines of Zealotry: th ...more
As a result, I did not find anything particularly revolutionary in Zealot. The new wrinkle here is more of a focus on the politics of the founders of the early Christian religion, as opposed to shedding light on Jesus of Nazareth, about whom not much of anything objective is known. So I think a more accurate title would have been something along the lines of Zealotry: th ...more
This, I think, explains the environment where I live: A nurse asked me about the book when I had just started it. I explained that it was a secular look at Jesus. She looked confused and asked what secular means. I described it as non-religious which made her look concerned. She shared that she and her husband are reading the Bible together, but it is very slow going because it is hard to read.
This does a good job of setting the environment and circumstances of the time and place where Jesus ope ...more
This does a good job of setting the environment and circumstances of the time and place where Jesus ope ...more
This book is hard for me to rate fairly because it didn't tell me anything new. I had done my research on Jesus the man vs. the Biblical Jesus a long time ago. What I did appreciate was how precisely and logically Aslan laid everything out. There was much about different rulers/sects that I didn't really have in order. Now I feel I have a grip on it. While the book did an excellent job on the man, I felt I was missing something. There were myths galore and faux messiahs up the wazoo, but I still
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The Jesus we "know" and the Jesus his disciples knew seems to be a very different person. While I don't consider myself a particularly religious person, I am more than a little fascinated by the historical times of biblical people. I don't think I've ever considered that Jesus has been portrayed as both a violent rebel and a peaceful hippie. This book points out both sides clearly and explains how we got there. It boils down to the stories that have been told about Jesus and who their intended a
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This book was definitely very interesting and I can recommend it with some caveats. As Aslan himself indicates, every scholar who studies Jesus tends to find the Jesus he/she wants. Aslan does precisely that, trying to carve out a Jesus who was more political revolutionary than spiritual leader.
I take issue with some of Aslan's scholarship. He says he will use several different sources, but ultimately uses nearly exclusively the canonical gospels. He then proceeds to do what he criticizes most ...more
I take issue with some of Aslan's scholarship. He says he will use several different sources, but ultimately uses nearly exclusively the canonical gospels. He then proceeds to do what he criticizes most ...more
If I could give it 3.5 stars, I would. I really enjoyed this look into the history of Jesus of Nazareth. I also appreciated the respect for faith that the author has. What bothered me was the lack of footnoting/endnoting. It could only strengthen the piece and it became difficult to distinguish opinion from fact when this was lacking.
I really enjoyed this one! Again I found myself wavering between ratings and would give this 3.5 stars if I could. It was a great and fairly fast read. I found it interesting to have the life of Jesus and the early days of Christianity put into historical context in a way that was so accessible for a non-academic.
Jul 18, 2013
Samantha
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Jul 29, 2013
Marines
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Jul 30, 2013
Celia
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Aug 06, 2013
Rodney Ulyate
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Jan 15, 2014
Linda
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Apr 21, 2014
Tom
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Apr 03, 2018
Alicia
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May 05, 2022
Lori
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