'This is a special and revealing work, one that believer and sceptic alike will find surprising, engaging and original' Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power 'A bold, powerfully argued re-visioning of the most consequential life ever lived' Lawrence Wright, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief ou don't have to lose your religion to learn much that's vitally germane to its history from Aslan's absorbing, reader-friendly book.' Booklist (starred review) 'Aslan brings a fine popular style, shorn of all jargon, to bear on the presentation of Jesus of Nazareth. 'A well-researched, readable biography of Jesus of Nazareth.' Kirkus Compulsively readable and written at a popular level, this superb work is highly recommended.' Publishers Weekly 'Carefully comparing extra-biblical historical records with the New Testament accounts, Aslan develops a convincing and coherent story of how the Christian church, and in particular Paul, reshaped Christianity's essence, obscuring the very real man who was Jesus of Nazareth.

'A vivid, persuasive portrait of the world and societies in which Jesus lived and the role he most likely played in both ' Salon

It deserves special praise for the endnotes, which dispense with page references in favour of informal essays, and provide an overview of the whole field of contemporary 'Christology'.' Nicholas Blincoe, The Telegraph 'A lean, fast-paced account of First Century Palestine, often revealing and always finely written, which attempts to locate Christ within his historical landscape. synthesises Scripture and scholarship to create an original account.' The New Yorker

Zealot life and times of jesus