Zealot: Jesus the Man

Book review -- Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan

Living in first century Palestine, Jesus was one of the so-called messiahs walking up and down the countryside, who would deliver the Jews from Roman oppression. Like rebels before and after him, Jesus was to establish a kingdom of God here on earth with Jesus as God's human agent.

This is the thesis of Reza Aslan's recent book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. Written like a fast paced novel, Aslan (with advanced degrees in sociology of religions and creative writing) makes accessible the scholarly debate on the historical Jesus, that has been going on for hundreds of years since German scholar Hermann Samuel Reimarus wrote, in the 18th century, that the real Jesus was "a political revolutionary... whose disciples invented a resurrection to make sense of his failure" (Ross Douthat, The New York Times, Aug 3, 2013).

Also the Jefferson Bible
Thomas Jefferson did much the same thing in 18th century America. Working at nights after he was done with matters of government and personal affairs at his estate at Monticello, he'd cut and paste parts of the New Testament in four columns --- in Latin, French, Spanish, and English. Included were the moral teachings of Jesus; excluded were stories of annunciation, virgin birth, demon possession, and resurrection. In short, Jefferson removed any reference to the supernatural and the divinity of Jesus. He had the pasteup job bookbound and he'd read from it before he retired for the night. He titled his work The Moral Teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Now it's commonly called The Jefferson Bible.

In a letter to John Adams in 1813 Jefferson described his work: "I have performed this operation for my own use, by cutting verse by verse out of the printed book, and arranging the matter which is evidently Jesus's and which is as easily distinguished as diamonds in a dung-hill."

Age of superstition
In Jesus's time, every disease is attributed to the devil or divine activity; miracles are not uncommon, the common belief being they are performed by prophets or magicians. The question is not whether angels, devils, or spirits exist but who caused a person's ailments.We have the expression "The sins of the fathers are visited upon the children", meaning as divine retribution to evil deeds of recalcitrant parents.

Even Jesus, in his healing of the sick, is accused by the priests as agent of Belzeebub. Which prompts Jesus to say, in effect, "Why will Satan take out his own evil spirits from a man possessed? A house divided against itself cannot stand...."

First century Palestine was the age of superstition, exorcism, and faith healing. The people then of course knew nothing about schizophrenia,  epilepsy, psychosis, or mass hysteria.

Modified messiah concept
When Jesus is asked if he is the messiah, oftentimes he hedges the question or if he answers in the affirmative he follows this "with an ecstatic exhortation... that once again throws everything into confusion: 'And you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.' (Mk 14.62). (p 141)

And Jesus did not say "Worship me" but "Come follow me... whoever  follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life (Mt 16.4, Jn 8.12)."

Regardless of how Jesus himself he failed, by his death, to establish the Kingdom of God here on earth. This left the early followers with a dilemma: either Jesus was just another failed messiah or they had to "reinvent" their messiah concept. "For those who fell into the latter camp, the apocalyptic imagery of 1Enoch and 4Ezra, both written long after Jesus's death, paved a way forward... of a messiah as a prexistent, predetermined, heavenly, and divine Son of Man, one whose 'kingdom' was not of this world." (p 144)

Aslan, in a gesture of fairness, writes the counterarguments of other scholars (in over 70 pages of Notes), that Jesus is both human and divine and that he is the Son of God.

In the final analysis, it is up to the believer who is serious about her faith to arrive at her own conclusion. In the end it is a matter of belief. Until science is able to explain every "mystery" in nature's evolution (including man the highest species in the natural world) and to finally thrash superstition and the supernatural as the cause of historical events.

Humanist Jesus
There will always be persons who will cling to superstition and the supernatural despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Example: That human evolution started 10,000 years according to the Bible and the Bible is the inerrant word of God; compared to human fossils scientifically dated 4.5 million years ago discovered by anthropologists. But there will be more and more people who will rely on reason and man's goodwill to conduct their own lives  in relation to other humans. Not because of reward and punishment in an afterlife.

The time will come in a couple of centuries when Christian believers will see Jesus as a humanist who shows us the way to an upright and moral life for ourselves, for our families, and in dealings with our fellowmen.

If you're a serious believer in Jesus and you're interested in this kind of reformed Christianity, please visit my website at borromeofaithforjesus.blogspot.com.
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