I would like to hear educated opinions about Reza Aslan's book, "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth." In my previous readings, which have been extensive for a layperson, I haven't read as full a description of the context of Israel / Roman rule / Judaism during the 3-4 decades prior to Jesus' public ministry, for instance--fascinating! Is that historically accurate, as much as is possible from the vantage of 2014?
What about Jesus being a disciple of John the Baptist--more than I had ever considered before--accurate, do you think? I had thought Jesus returned to Galilee sho