Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
Fresh Bread discussions happen every Wednesday at 7pm in Matt’s office. On April 18th, we will begin discussing Reza Aslan’s Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth.
REZA ASLAN is an internationally renowned writer, commentator, professor, producer, and scholar of religions. His books, including his #1 New York Times Bestseller, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, have been translated into dozens of languages around the world.
About the book (from Amazon): Two thousand years ago, an itinerant Jewish preacher walked across the Galilee, gathering followers to establish what he called the “Kingdom of God.” The revolutionary movement he launched was so threatening to the established order that he was executed as a state criminal. Within decades after his death, his followers would call him God. Sifting through centuries of mythmaking, Reza Aslan sheds new light on one of history’s most enigmatic figures by examining Jesus through the lens of the tumultuous era in which he lived. Balancing the Jesus of the Gospels against the historical sources, Aslan describes a man full of conviction and passion, yet rife with contradiction. He explores the reasons the early Christian church preferred to promulgate an image of Jesus as a peaceful spiritual teacher rather than a politically conscious revolutionary. And he grapples with the riddle of how Jesus understood himself, the mystery that is at the heart of all subsequent claims about his divinity. Zealot yields a fresh perspective on one of the greatest stories ever told even as it affirms the radical and transformative nature of Jesus’ life and mission.
Tentative reading and discussion schedule:
| DATE | CHAPTERS | PAGES |
| Apr 18 | Front Matter (five sections) | pp xiii-xxxiv |
| Apr 25 | Prologue: A Different Sort of Sacrifice
Ch 1: A Hole in the Corner Ch 2: King of the Jews Ch 3: You Know Where I Am From |
pp 3-33 |
| May 2 | Ch 4: The Fourth Philosophy
Ch 5: Where is Your Fleet to Sweep the Roman Seas? Ch 6: Year One |
pp 34-70 |
| May 9 | Prologue: Zeal for Your House
Ch 7: The Voice Crying Out in the Wilderness Ch 8: Follow Me Ch 9: By the Finger of God |
pp 73-114 |
| May 16 | Ch 10: May Your Kingdom Come
Ch 11: Who Do You Say I Am? Ch 12: No King but Caesar |
pp 115-159 |
| May 23 | Prologue: God Made Flesh
Ch 13: If Christ Has Not Been Risen |
pp 163-182 |
| May 30 | Ch 14: Am I Not an Apostle?
Ch 15: The Just One Epilogue: True God from True God |
pp 183-216 |
Fresh Bread meets Wednesdays from 7:00pm to 8:15pm at the Camas Friends Meeting House (in the pastor’s office). Our most recent books include:
- Lisa Sharon Harper’s The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong Can Be Made Right
- Science Mike’s Finding God in the Waves: How I Lost My Faith and Found it Again Through Science
- Thomas Kelly’s A Testament of Devotion
- Marcus Borg’s The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith
- Julie Clawson’s Everyday Justice: The Global Impact of our Daily Choices
- Philip Gulley’s Living the Quaker Way: Discover the Hidden Happiness in the Simple Life
- Jim Wallis’s America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America.
Fresh Bread Discussions are a great time to ask questions, get to know each other, and engage in spiritual formation. Hope to see you there!