Zealot

‘Revealing and always finely written’ -- The Telegraph
'A riveting biography’ -- The New Yorker
‘A lucid, intelligent page-turner’ -- Los Angeles Times
'Zealot, a book on the life of Jesus written by a man not only with scholarly credentials but who had for a period of time converted to Christianity before reverting back to Islam, was fascinating.' -- The Guardian
‘If little is certain about Jesus’s life, rather more is known about his times, which Aslan evokes with commendable diligence. Zealot becomes, in part, a handy primer of first-century Middle Eastern history. … Aslan clearly admires Jesus, and, at the risk of inflaming the wrath of Fox News, his freedom from any obligation to buy the son-of-God stuff permits fresh and refreshing contemplation … At its core, Zealot is a gentle dispute with the modern notion of Jesus, whom we are generally encouraged to perceive as a forgiving and boundlessly tolerant sort.’ -- New Humanist
‘A special and revealing work, one that believer and skeptic alike will find surprising, engaging and original.’ -- Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
‘Compulsively readable … this superb work is highly recommended’ -- Publishers Weekly
‘A vivid, persuasive portrait of the world and societies in which Jesus lived and the role he most likely played in both’ -- Salon
‘A book of outstanding research and a gripping read. Page after page of excellent prose offer insight into what it was like to be living under Roman oppression and why there was a multitude of messiahs offering hope and freedom.’ -- The Middle East in Europe