MUSLIM AUTHOR’S ‘ZEALOT’ BOOK RILES CHRISTIAN CRITICS WITH CLAIMS JESUS NEVER CONSIDERED HIMSELF GOD, SOMETIMES PROMOTED VIOLENCE

  • Dr. Reza Aslan’s book “Zealot” sparks major controversy among the faithful
  • Author, a Muslim, claims that Jesus never considered himself God and that he was a revolutionary
  • Aslan claims the Bible is “replete with the most blatant and obvious errors”
  • Christian faith leaders respond to his claims that the holy book is not historically accurate
Dr. Reza Aslan has sparked a plethora of controversy with his new book, “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth.” The author, a Muslim, says he penned the book in an effort to shed light on the Christian savior’s life. Since its release, though, controversy has abounded — and for good reason.
Some of the conclusions Aslan comes to in the book are frustrating followers of Jesus who contend that the academic is misrepresenting facts and recycling old and debunked theories and ideas generally embraced by Islamic adherents. His views and the accusations being waged against him are complex, so TheBlaze consulted with a number of Christian experts to better understand them.
Before we get into the finer details, let’s look at some of the author’s more divisive and contentious claims.

SOME OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL CLAIMS IN “ZEALOT”

In an article about the book published on Tuesday, The Daily Beast’s Lizzie Crocker admitted that, upon reading “Zealot,” it’s understandable why “some Christians have found it so explosive.” As the reporter noted, there are a number of key claims that are overtly shocking — not the least of which is Aslan’s claim that Christ was “a man of profound contradictions.”
To begin, Aslan argues that Jesus was born in Nazareth, not Bethlehem as is recorded in the New Testament. And rather than the “prince of peace,” Christ is depicted as being more of a rabble-rouser who, at moments, condoned violence. While Aslan claims that Jesus didn’t promote unrest, the author does claim he didn’t avoid it.

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