Two thousand years ago, a wandering Jew, preacher, and miracle worker crossed Galilee from end to end, attracting followers to establish what he called the "kingdom of God." The revolutionary movement he incited was so threatening to the established order that he was arrested, tortured, and executed as a common criminal.

Decades after his humiliating death, his followers would come to call him God. Reza Aslan delivers a provocative, compelling, and thoroughly researched biography that challenges old and deeply rooted perceptions of the man we know as Jesus of Nazareth.

By comparing and illuminating the Jesus of the Gospels with historical sources, Aslan paints the portrait of a man full of faith and passion, who is nevertheless torn by contradictions: a peace-loving man who urged his followers to arm themselves with swords; an exorcist who healed through faith and urged his disciples to keep his identity a secret; and finally, the subversive "King of the Jews," whose promise to free them from Rome was not fulfilled during his short life.

Aslan explores the reasons why the early Christian church preferred to promote an image of Jesus as a peace-loving spiritual teacher rather than a politically conscious revolutionary. He also tackles the riddle of how Jesus understood himself – with the mystery that lies at the center of all subsequent debate regarding his divinity.

The Zealot offers a new perspective on one of the most significant stories ever told, while simultaneously affirming the radical and groundbreaking nature of the life and mission of Jesus of Nazareth.

“A bold and extremely well-documented reexamination of the most important life ever lived.” LAURENCE WRIGHT, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief.

REZA ASLAN is a renowned writer and religious scholar. His first book, God: A Human History, has been translated into thirteen languages and has been hailed as one of the most important books of the last decade. He is also the author of How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror, as well as the editor of Tablet & Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East.

Born in Iran, he lives in New York City and Los Angeles with his wife and two sons. Zealot was released in the United States in 2013 and is being translated into more than 35 languages, with a film adaptation in the works by Lionsgate.

“The story of Jesus of Nazareth is understandably the narrative that has influenced human history more than any other. Here, Reza Aslan writes evocatively and insightfully about the life and significance of the figure whom billions of people have identified with the expected Messiah. It is a distinctive and revealing work that both believers and skeptics will find striking, engaging, and original.” JOHN MEACHAM, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power.