Zealot: The Life And The Times Of Jesus Of Nazareth (Зелот: Земной путь Иисуса из Назарета) Book Review

Simply an amazing book. It reads in one breath and is written as a mixture of an adventure novel and a historical essay. And every single word and description is backed up by thoughtful commentary: why it looked exactly the way people thought it did at the time, what kind of world they lived in, and, most importantly, what the short life of the most influential person in history, who became the center and meaning of the world's largest religion, might have actually been like. Reza Aslan, with the conviction of a historian, the logic of a researcher, and the talent of a lively storyteller, paints a portrait of Jesus of Nazareth—and layer by layer removes the canons of iconography, the clichés of holiness, and all possible distortions and inaccuracies in search of the real person, not the myth.

Reza Aslan, "Zealot: The Life And The Times Of Jesus Of Nazareth"

 

The author of the book, an American researcher of religion of Iranian origin and Christian background, comes to the convincing conclusion that Jesus Christ, whom we know from the Bible, is not at all identical to the real person who lived in Palestine from 2 to 35 AD and died on the cross. This is proven through a methodical, almost detective-like investigation by comparing different sources and evaluating their contradictions. After all, the texts of both Testaments are primarily messages written by specific people in specific circumstances and for specific purposes. What purpose did they serve? This is the question that needs to be answered first. After all, even contradictions in versions of the same events can reveal a lot about both the authors of these versions and the events themselves.

The author of the book, an American researcher of religion of Iranian origin and Christian background, makes a convincing conclusion that Jesus Christ, whom we know from the Bible, is not at all identical to the real person who lived in Palestine in 2-35 AD and died on the cross. This is proven through a methodical, almost detective-like investigation by comparing different sources and evaluating their contradictions. After all, the texts of both Testaments are primarily messages written by specific people in specific circumstances and for specific purposes. What purpose did they serve? This is the question that needs to be answered first. After all, even contradictions in versions of the same events can tell us a lot about both the authors of these versions and the event itself (although it is unlikely that we will be able to reconstruct it with 100% accuracy after two thousand years). A classic example is the Gospel of Mark, the shortest and earliest, written forty years (!) after Christ's execution. That is, the apostle Mark could hardly have been a documentary witness to the events, which, according to the canons, he recorded from the words of the apostle Peter. And this is the earliest of the Gospels. In each subsequent Gospel, there are more and more details that do not coincide with each other (and even with the reality of first-century Judea).

Here are just a few conclusions that this analysis leads to: Jesus most likely could not read or write. His father was indeed Joseph (not some legionnaire named Pantira), who did not abandon Mary because of her pregnancy before marriage solely out of kindness (although he could have). Nazareth had barely a thousand farming residents and no synagogue where a young genius could have put the scribes and Pharisees to shame (Jesus probably never even held the Torah in his hands). He had brothers and sisters, including James the Just, who took over leadership of his sect after the crucifixion. Among Jesus' disciples were women, whom he willingly accepted into his movement despite the condemnation of patriarchal society (suffice it to recall Mary Magdalene, who in reality was a rich and educated woman, and not a “prostitute” at all). And most interestingly, the cruel governor Pontius Pilate hated the Jews and signed death warrants by the dozen without batting an eye. That he would waste time meeting and having philosophical conversations with some traitor to the Empire who had caused a ruckus in the Temple, the center of power of the corrupt local theocratic elite, which was beneficial to Rome... Unfortunately, this is pure fiction (and inspiration for wonderful stories like The Master and Margarita).

The real Jesus of Galilee was a passionate fanatic. An empathetic speaker. A fierce nationalist. One of many zealots—ardent defenders of the faith who dreamed of a new order (and were prepared to bring it about at the cost of bloodshed). His Jesus is the Son of Israel and the land of Palestine, a poor country occupied by foreigners and dreaming of freedom in his imagination, when all infidels will be put to the sword and fire, and the power of Yahweh-Jehovah will be established throughout the world. The leader of an ill-conceived uprising, whose only significant achievement was the “expulsion of the merchants” (a political act of intimidation), an uncoordinated rally-demonstration (entering the city on a donkey as a folk hero of the past), and an attempt to overthrow the legitimate authority in a remote colony of Caesar. From the point of view of the pragmatic Romans, this was sufficient grounds for the death penalty for causing unrest, with burial in secret.

How did such a short and vivid, yet typical of that time, life become the beginning of the most numerous religion in the world? This is the most interesting question, intertwining the motives and interests of everyone who has ever written sacred texts or touched upon them. For whom was it written? If for the Romans, the authors could have softened certain points for influential lords in order to make the young movement more appealing. If for their own people, other motives came into play, including complex cultural characteristics and mythological justifications. What goals were embedded in the Gospels, Epistles... and the Apocalypse? The same ones as in modern propaganda materials: to justify, to give weight, to show significance and consistency, continuity from ancient times and the promise of a better world through the oldest of the arts: narrative, history.

The life of Jesus of Nazareth is the greatest story ever written. But not in the sense in which this phrase is usually understood. He was one of thousands of embittered prophets, talented healers, and unsuccessful revolutionaries. Contemporary historians wrote almost nothing about him, except for a couple of lines by Josephus and Tacitus. But his followers turned his life into a legend and his figure into a myth unlike any other.

And so, a man became God.
But God was once a man.

Rating: 10/10, must read.

 

 

 

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Реза Аслан, "Зелот: Земная жизнь Иисуса из Назарета. История. Факты. События"