But over time he began to feel that the Christ he learned about in church wasn't as interesting as the actual Jesus of Nazareth. That's where he learned about having a personal relationship with Christ. 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 bestseller 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 bestselling author.

He later studied Jesus of Nazareth in college, which led Aslan to a doctorate in the sociology of religion. For the third time, Jesus is about to change Reza Aslan's life.Īs a teenager, Aslan turned to Christ in an evangelical youth group, where becoming a Christian made him feel like a real American.

Zealot author