The redefining helped spread Christianity around the world. That kind of spiritual teacher was more appealing than a Jewish revolutionary. “I wanted to have the kind of relationship with this man that I felt I could never have with the celestial Christ.”Īfter his death and the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem some years later, Aslan argues, Jesus’ followers reinvented him as a gentle spiritual teacher who taught love rather than revolution. But over time he began to feel that the Jesus he learned about in church wasn’t as interesting as the actual Jesus of Nazareth. And they question whether the author, a practicing Muslim and creative writing professor, is qualified to write about Jesus.Īslan said his interest in Jesus started at age 15, when he joined a Young Life group in his home state of California. That Jesus has gotten lost in 2,000 years of church history, he said.īut critics say that Aslan has simply created his own version of Jesus. It’s expected to debut this weekend on The New York Times’ best-seller list, becoming the latest in a long line of controversial and profitable books about the so-called historical Jesus.Īslan said he wants to show the power of Jesus as a flesh-and-blood human being, rather than the savior of the world. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth has already reached No.

Now Aslan’s controversial new book about Jesus is about to make him a best-selling author.

Reza aslan jesus