The Jesus of History vs. the Christ of Faith

The Aspen Institute, 7/14/15; Ashley Wells, Crystal Quintero (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Jesus of History versus the Christ of Faith

Zealot: Life & Times of Jesus

Sifting through centuries of myth-making, Professor of Christianity Reza Aslan sheds new light on one of history’s most influential and enigmatic figures by examining Rabbi Jesus of Nazareth, the figurehead and supposed founder of Christianity (Jesuism) within the context of the times in which he lived: the Age of Zealotry. Balancing the Jesus of the Gospels against historical sources, Prof. Aslan describes a man of peace who exhorted his followers to arm themselves with deadly weapons, an exorcist and faith healer who urged his disciples to keep his identity secret, and the seditious “King of the Jews,” whose promise of political liberation from Rome went unfulfilled in his lifetime. Prof. Aslan explores why the early Christian Church preferred to promulgate an image of Jesus as a peaceful spiritual teacher rather than a politically conscious revolutionary and grapples with the riddle of how Rabbi Jesus understood or thought of himself.

WARNING: Do not listen! Filthy anti-Jesus music!

(Crass) Eve Libertine spoken word, "Reality Asylum"