Review ~ Zealot by Reza Aslan

Published July 16th 2013 by Random House

I’m intrigued by the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth, not from any religious perspective but more to discover more about Jesus the man, and the era in which he lived. This interesting novel by Reza Aslan goes some way to bring the man to life in a realistic way, which has nothing to do with the biblical version, but has lots to do with the history and unpredictability of life two thousand years ago.

There is no doubt that Jesus was a passionate and focused activist, by the very nature of the time in which he lived, he needed to be both purposeful and decisive, and I think that this book goes some way to explain some of the rationale behind his actions. However, even after finishing this novel, my image of Jesus the Nazarene remains one of a peaceful and enlightened saviour and though I am interested to have read Reza Aslan’s interpretation, my personal image of the man Jesus remains unchanged.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for my ecopy of this book to review.