Who Was the Historical Jesus
583621
Reza Aslan was born into a family of moderate Muslims who emigrated from Iran in the wake of the Islamic revolution. He converted to Christianity at age fifteen. This book, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth is the result of twenty years of scholarship.
In Zealot, Aslan seeks to discover the "historical Jesus," the man himself, leader of a social and religious movement and martyred revolutionary. Unfortunately, hard facts about Jesus are hard to come by, and, according to Aslan, much of what is written in the gospels was fabricated to suit the purposes of the writer.
What is known about Jesus, the historical person? Very little. He was most likely born in Nazareth. Aslan shows the story that he was born in Bethlehem due to Joseph's summons to answer a Roman census to be a fiction. The Romans didn't do their censuses that way. He probably had a number of brothers and sisters. Was he married? Nothing is known about a wife, but young Jewish men were not encouraged to remain single. It is likely that he met and was baptized by John the Baptist. It is likely that, after the death of John the Baptist, Jesus sought to continue his work and went about Galilee preaching, making followers and performing miracles. Aslan does not bring these miracles into question. It is likely that Jesus detested the wealthy priest class in Jerusalem and wanted to destroy it. He appears to have favored the notion of redistribution of wealth in favor of the poor. He was, in effect, a revolutionary.  After several years of itinerant preaching, Jesus took his followers to Jerusalem and confronted the wealthy priests of the temple by overturning the tables of the moneychangers and releasing the sacrificial animals. It seems a bold and foolhardy thing to do. In those days lots of people were executed for far less.
It is clear that Jesus was born into a society that was in complete chaos. Roman rule was a disaster for Judea and there was a vicious cycle of rebellion on the part of Judeans and oppression on the part of the Romans. Aslan seeks to put Jesus and his movement into this context.
Of great interest is the struggle, after the crucifixion of their leader, between Jesus's brother James and Paul of Tarsus. After Jesus's death his twelve apostles continued his work under the leadership of Jesus's brother James, known as James the Just. According to Aslan: "The movement's principal leaders-the apostles Peter and John, and Jesus's brother James-maintained their fealty to Jewish customs and Mosaic law to the end. Under their leadership, the Jerusalem church became known as the `mother assembly.' No matter how far and wide the movement spread, no matter how many other `assemblies' were established, no matter how many new converts-Jew or gentile-the movement attracted, every assembly, every convert, and every missionary would fall under the authority of the `mother assembly' in Jerusalem until the day it was burned to the ground."
After the destruction of Jerusalem, however, it was Paul who prevailed. By the time the gospels were written, the Christian leadership was in the hands of a Hellenized Jewish elite who sought to make converts among Greek and Roman gentiles. They willingly abandoned the strictures of Judaism and largely adopted the rather deviant beliefs of Paul. In the end it is Paul whose teachings become the heart and soul of Christianity. According to Aslan: "Paul's portrayal of Jesus as Christ may sound familiar to contemporary Christians-it has since become the standard doctrine of the church-but it would have been downright bizarre to Jesus's Jewish followers. The transformation of the Nazarean into a divine, preexistent, literal son of God whose death and resurrection launch a new genus of eternal beings responsible for judging the world has no basis in any writings about Jesus that are even remotely contemporary with Paul's.
Zealot is a fascinating book both for Christians desiring to know more about the origin of their religion and for non-believers who have an interest in history.
4837048
I learned a lot reading this fascinating book, despite the fact I have often read books about this period.  I had thought of Jesus as a man who was trying to modernize and "soften" Judaism.  It turns out that, if you examine the actual history of the times as well as the language used by the people of the times, Jesus was actually trying to kick the Romans out of Palestine.

At the time, Rome had appointed "Quislings" as Temple priests, and the place was rife with corruption.  Jesus was a fundamentalist who wanted to take his people back to the time when they were a kingdom established by god.  Basically what nearly everyone longed for was another King David.

I was particularly fascinated by the discussion about what happened between Jesus' successor, his brother James, and Saul, who preached that people didn't have to obey the Law in order to follow Jesus.  That chapter alone answered some questions I had had about Paul who always seemed like the Evil Tempter of the story. So many histories leave that part out.

I am giving the book 5 stars although sometimes in the reading I thought of knocking off a star because I am a very chronological person, and the author often loops back before going forward again.  But, the book is so fascinating and well written it held my attention anyway.
2064675
A first class analysis and explanation of who Jesus was and on what his ministry is based.  The book investigates historical, geographic, theological and textual/canonical sources in order to elucidate "traditional understanding" if I might put it that way and in order to create the foundation for the author's conclusions.  His primary conclusion is, of course, his initial contention that Jesus was a Gentile out of Galilee and not a Jew out of Judea and who is related to a god other than Jehovah.
I attempt to live my life in accordance with Proverbs 9:9 and so even though I found some of the book to be the antithesis of what I "know" I accepted that the author is sincere in his descriptions and explanations thus encouraging me to read on.  I spent quite a long time getting through the book because I wanted to double-check a number of his statements and also some of his sources that he references in the book. Time and again I ended up agreeing with him! (I rarely change my mind but I sometimes rearrange my prejudices - well on more than a few occasions  because of what I read in this book, I changed my mind!)
For my own part I was always confused as to why the God of the Old Testament encouraged war and destruction and required death penalties for his followers so frequently, yet the God of the New Testament is a loving and forgiving God.  The explanation given to me by Christian ministers never rang true - now it does.  I wondered why Jesus retreated from Judea to Tyre, Sidon and other Gentile cities so frequently - now it's rather obvious. I wondered why In John's gospel, for example after Lazarus is raised, Jesus is cautioned about going back to "the Jews" who want to stone him to death instead of staying where it's safe - if he was a Jew why would his disciples refer to the Jews as though they are "foreigners"?  And I never understood why the Bible would refer to Jesus as a high priest from the line of Melchisedic - now I know.
There are many contradictions and inconsistencies in the Bible (many referenced in Thomas Paine's 'The Age of Reason' but many more which are not) and this book goes a very long way to explaining and making real sense out of them.
I congratulate the author on a fine piece of work and I recommend this book to anyone who is in search of the truth.
It might be worth mentioning that the book's author is a Christian himself and so has researched and written the book from "within the fold"
1414256
An interesting look at the times that created Jesus as an historical figure in juxtaposition to what we understand of him as a religious figure from sacred texts. It is the sort of thinking critical to understanding the life of Jesus whether or not you are a Christian.
2227787
Aslan seems to have started his book bound to prove that the historical Jesus had no higher calling than that of many other Messiah want-to-bes. Than he interpreted the data to show that Jesus came from a rebellious region and, therefore, must be a anti-roman rebel. That he met John the Baptist and, therefore,  must be simply one of John's disciples, just another failed zealot. Every time he ran into data that suggested Jesus had a higher calling, he dismissed it as made up by Biblical writers determined to start a new religion. A historian shouldn't pick and choose his facts. The book is, however, well written and well documented. It's a good read for someone who can discern.
2371174
The authors made their book into a historical record that I'd wished I'd paid more attention to while studying ancient Rome in school.  I knew the story of Jesus, but the authors filled in the blanks with details of what part different religious & ruling parties played in the death of Jesus of Nazareth.  It was a story told in a way that made the reader feel as if he/she was actually there witnessing the events leading up to & the death of Jesus.  It would be hard to imagine that whatever religious/political leanings a person might have that they wouldn't be moved by the story of this great man.  I would highly recommend this book.
2412818
If you have doubts about the historical Jesus read this book. It is a well researched and well written book. I highly recommend it.
4895489
A Great story about the Barabbas Character that was released  when Jesus was crucified. Answered a lot of Mystery about this person.
4727798
There are interesting things in this book as to what actually could have happened during the timeline of Jesus and the area in which he was actually from.
3347969
I grew up Christian, but I'm not devout. Still, the phenomenon of Jesus and Christianity is a major force in history and society, so to read this story of Jesus as a historical figure - with no (obvious) ulterior motive or pretense of truth - was a privilege. Well-written and well-researched, it was a great read.
1438974
It was a compelling read, especially because it put Jesus of Nazareth into the proper context of his times. The view Christians nowadays may have is product of years later, and a result of gentile influence over the story  of the historical Jesus. This is not about the Christ, but the Jew from Nazareth who died by act of sedition against the Roman Empire.
2432268
In "American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon", Boston University historian Stephen Prothero examines how Jesus has moved from being a divine Savior to a folk icon.  No matter what his or her religious inclination, or lack thereof, nearly everyone in America has embraced Jesus in one form or another.  For some it is a religious understanding, for others a recognition of Him as the great teacher, for others a recognition of the political benefits of being associated with Jesus, and to still others He is the ultimate sales tool or the ultimate appeal to a higher authority in support of their particular beliefs.
This is a fascinating trip through American history as Prothero discusses the progressive change of the American view of Jesus from the Puritanical lawgiver to a tender, caring and effeminate Jesus, to a strong, muscular Jesus and finally to our current state where images of Him are likely to appear on a refrigerator magnet, rock music poster, or a bumper sticker.  During this trip he examines incident after incident of how this transformation slowly took place.  In addition to discussing these various changes he explains how the various societal factors of the time influenced them.

One of the most interesting points on the relationship of Americans with Jesus is that while His popularity as a celebrity or bumper sticker continues to grow, Bible study has continued to decline.  What are the factors that have allowed the average person to so effectively separate Jesus from the religious trappings that have always been associated with Him in the past?  How have these small changes allowed us to come to a point where He is truly a celebrity figure with only minimal traits of divinity?  These are some of the questions that Stephen Prothero looks at and what makes "American Jesus" an interesting and highly recommended read.
677235
The Jesus Seminar is a group of scholars who analyze the Gospels of the New Testament (as well as the relatively recent discovery of the Gospel of Thomas in 1945) by applying historical standards. To what degree can anyone be relatively certain that Jesus said something, or said something very like it, when Jesus only spoke orally and none of what he said was written down until long after his life? Why is a portrait of the historical Jesus necessary?

Please read "The Jesus Seminar and Its Critics" before you attempt this. Yes, you will find all of the methodology of the Seminar set forth in the beginning of "The Parables of Jesus" but I think you will be frustrated and annoyed without having the broader view of "The Jesus Seminar and Its Critics."
4752653
Jesus of Nazareth emerges from the confusion of the various gospel interpretations to become a recognizable historical figure. I had never so clearly seen how Paul both fits into the story but adapts the Jesus of history to become the Christ of faith.  Paul's Christ emerges from the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem following the Jewish revolt.
2521676
The Case for Jesus begins with Dr. Pitre telling us about his time in undergraduate classes at LSU and how he was blown away and confused when his professor told him that the Gospels were all anonymously written and that it wasn't until centuries later that the names of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were added to them. He then tells us about how he graduated from Vanderbilt being a bit lost and confused with his faith. Thankfully for the Catholic Church, he did not, or else we would not have his great mind and book. Instead, he entered a PhD program in New Testament studies. Through those studies, he learned three things. 1. The Gospels were not anonymous. 2. Jesus did claim to be God. 3. The confusion about Jesus and who He claimed to be is everywhere! Years later, he decided to write this book for anyone who has ever wondered, "Who did Jesus claim to be?"

The book then takes us through early Christianity and the Gospels. Dr. Pitre tells us that the Gospels were not anonymous, who the authors actually were, what the Early Church Fathers had to say about the Gospels, the dating of the Gospels, and apocryphal gospels. The chapter "Jesus and the Jewish Messiah" was the most fascinating to me, In this chapter, Dr. Pitre walks us through the Old Testament book of Daniel and how these prophecies related to Jesus. There are sections on the Kingdom of God, the Son of God, and even the Death of the Messiah. Truly a fascinating chapter and one I had to read again and will have to visit again the next time I read through the book of Daniel. The book then concludes with chapters on who Jesus thought He was, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.

This book is a solid read for those looking for who Jesus was. It is straight-forward, but intelligent, and you can read it at two different levels. The first level is just reading the book. The second level is turning to the notes at the end and diving deeper by reading some of the sources that Dr. Pitre used in writing this book. I personally loved the book, and it is a great book for Catholics. At the same time, this book is a bit like preaching to the choir. Catholics will have a great book to bolster their faith and be more informed on a subject they didn't know a lot about before. Conversely, atheists and skeptics will see the title for this book, and dismiss it without even giving it a chance, which is a shame, but reality.
1530284
excellent comprehensive history of the times and the people at the time of Jesus' from his beginnings to his death.
4137380
This book, like Bill O'Reilly's previous two books, ties together facts/information from a variety of sources.  In so doing it provides a detailed accounting of both Roman and Jewish life, laws, customs and traditions and the impact each had on the other to show how people of that time perceived Jesus and why they treated/reacted to him the way they did.  No matter what a person's personal beliefs or convictions are regarding Jesus, this book gives a great historical account of his life and times.