Zealot cover art

Zealot

The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth

 Preview
Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Zealot

By: Reza Aslan
Narrated by: Reza Aslan
Try Standard free

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $22.99

Buy Now for $22.99

About this listen

 #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A lucid, intelligent page-turner” (Los Angeles Times) that challenges long-held assumptions about Jesus

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.

Praise for Zealot

“Riveting . . . Aslan synthesizes Scripture and scholarship to create an original account.”—The New Yorker

“Fascinatingly and convincingly drawn . . . Aslan may come as close as one can to respecting those who revere Jesus as the peace-loving, turn-the-other-cheek, true son of God depicted in modern Christianity, even as he knocks down that image.”—The Seattle Times

“[Aslan’s] literary talent is as essential to the effect of Zealot as are his scholarly and journalistic chops. . . . A vivid, persuasive portrait.”—Salon

“This tough-minded, deeply political book does full justice to the real Jesus, and honors him in the process.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“A special and revealing work, one that believer and skeptic alike will find surprising, engaging, and original.”—Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power

“Compulsively readable . . . This superb work is highly recommended.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) Ancient Christianity Politicians Politics & Activism Middle East Royalty
All stars
Most relevant
touched on and provided answers to so many questions I had in my thoughts

wow

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I throughly enjoyed listening to Reza Aslan narrate his book, ‘Zealot’. I’d really recommend this to Christians and non Christians alike. It was was engaging, thoughtful and, for me personally, great to put my Roman Catholic indoctrination / teachings into a more meaningful and historical context.

Fascinating!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
So fascinating these accounts especially for history buffs. It sort of puts the jigsaw pieces together.

A very interesting perspective

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A fascinating book, recounting the documented, historical events surrounding Jesus the man and his journey to spread the message that would later become Christianity, and comparing bible versions of events to what likely would have actually happened as per the historical time they occurred. Recommended reading for anyone even slightly interested in the truth of Jesus as a historical figure, not just some cosmic being.

Not just for the devout

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This was a perfect insight into the volatile political and geographical world at the time of Jesus.
Reza has a great voice, breaks the whole subject down in easy to understand language and brings a passion for the topic that permeates to the reader.

Great!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.