Zealot

Aslan, Reza. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. New York: Random House. 2013. Print

First Sentences:

The war with Rome begins not with a clang of swords but with the lick of a dagger drawn from an assassin's cloak

Description:

Again, the first sentence hooked me. In these few words, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan, hints about a story of the Roman era and the assassin who caused its downfall. "The lick of a dagger" already reveals an interesting turn of words. And, of course, the title ensures the focus will be on Jesus, "the man who would so permanently alter the course of human history." Whether one is a religious person or not, a book that offers historical details about this person and his era, written in such stylistic prose, cannot be easily resisted, at least not by me.

Aslan presents a clear, painstakingly-researched look at what is factually known about the world of Jesus, Jerusalem, and Rome in the first century. Zealot brings to life the era prior to the birth of Jesus and up through several centuries after his death using documents written in that era.

Figures like Herod the Great, Quirinius (who called for the census depicted in the Bible), John the Baptist, Pontius Pilate, Saul/Paul, the disciples, and many other powerful and as well as ordinary figures are given a thorough, historical analysis, along with logical reasoning by Aslan to explain real and possible motivations and actions, whether in agreement with Biblical accounts or not. 

For example, Aslan reasons that Jesus, as a "carpenter" living in a tiny village with no wooden structures, probably worked on construction projects in the capital city of Sepphoris. This was an environment where Jesus could see firsthand the differences between the rich and poor, the brutal rule of Rome, and possibly even have glimpsed Herod Antipas, the Roman ruler who lived there - and the man would one day would cut off the head of John the Baptist.

For some readers, the word "zealot" paired with "Jesus" may be off-putting. Aslan explains that the historic Zealots were scattered groups committed to freeing Israel from foreign rule and serving no foreign master except God. He notes:

To be zealous for the Lord was to walk in the blazing footsteps of the prophets and heroes of old, men and women who tolerated no partner to God, who would bow to no king save the King of the World, and who dealt ruthlessly with idolatry and with those who transgressed God's law. The very land of Israel was claimed through zeal, for it was the zealous warriors of God who cleansed it of all foreigners and idolaters, just as God demanded.

Zealots might resort to extreme acts of violence against Rome and even Jewish aristocracy and priests who collaborated with the Roman rulers in Jerusalem. Zealots were referred to as "bandits" (probable description for the two men who flanked Jesus on the cross), and lead by "messiahs" who promised freedom from Roman domination and establishment of God's rule on earth. While there is no evidence that Jesus resorted to acts of extreme violence, his teachings certainly fit the philosophy of zealots and messiahs. 

Of course, these revolutionaries were rightly viewed as serious threats to Roman rule and therefore heavily pursued and crucified, the punishment reserved for acts of sedition and treason. Pilate, the prefect of Jerusalem in 26 C.E., had complete disdain for the Jewish population. Contrary to Biblical depictions of Pilate as a man hesitant to put Jesus to death, Aslan's research showed: 

[Pilate] so eagerly, and without trial, sent thousands upon thousands of Jews to the cross that the people of Jerusalem felt obliged to lodge a formal complaint with the Roman emperor.

Also examined are the accounts of Jesus' healings and exorcisms. Aslan argues that while these stories cannot be verified, there are no historical writings to disprove them either. Simple refutation of these deeds would be an easy course of action his enemies could have taken to challenge Jesus' credibility. But Aslan's research showed that:

While debates raged within the early church over who Jesus was -- a rabbi? the messiah? God incarnate? -- there was never any debate, either among his followers or his detractors, about his role as an exorcist and miracle worker.

A long bibliography of sources is included. Of course, the Bible and the Gospels are heavily examined, although they were written long after the death of Jesus and therefore are not eyewitness accounts. 

Period works cited include those from the first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, Tacitus, and Pliny the Younger. And Aslan examines other writings the offer descriptions of Jesus, such as the Gospels of Thomas, Philip, and Mary Magdalene, as well as other Gnostic writers discovered in Egypt in the 1940s. 

Aslan looks with a jaded eye at many accounts about Jesus, particularly those written years after Jesus' death. He is careful to differentiate between the documents of faith and the recorded facts found in historical documents of that time. Writers of this era, he explains, wanted to reveal "truths," not just state "facts," and thus the actual details of their histories are not important.  

[People of this era] did not make a sharp distinction between myth and reality; the two were intimately tied together in their spiritual experience....they were less interested in what actually happened than in what it meant.

Zealot is a riveting, extremely clearly-written and researched account of a fascinating world and the life of Jesus. It is a book for believers in Jesus as the Son of God, for Jews interested in the historical account of their people and their religion, and for anyone else fascinated by scholarly research of this era and people presented in a skillful, unbiased narrative. Highly recommended.

Happy reading. 

Fred

www.firstsentencereader.blogspot.com

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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Wallace, Lew. Ben-Hur  

Still the best novel on life, loss, revenge, and faith in Rome during the era of Jesus. 

Lagerkvst, Par. Barabbas  

I haven't read this in years, but the imaginative story of the life of Barabbas after he was the one chosen to be spared instead of Jesus has stayed with me. A short, but powerful book.

The Book of Fred

Bardi, Abby. The Book of Fred. New York: Washington Square Press. 2001. Print

First Sentences:

When Little Freddie took sick, I knew things would change, and change fast. 

We sat next to his bed all day, laying our hands on him and saying the Beautiful Prayer, but he just got hotter to the touch and more shivery. His skin looked yellow, like he was turning into old paper. I laid my hand on his forehead and said "Get thee hence" a bunch of times, but it didn't help.

That night I had a dream that the Archangel Willie came to me and said, "Lo, Mary Fred, thou wilt be traveling down the road. Thou wilt be somewhere else when the Big Cat comes. So look to yourself and say Ho." 

Description:

Who could not be intrigued by a book with "Fred" in its title? Certainly, The Book of Fred by Abby Bardi promises to all of us named Fred (and naturally everyone else in the intelligent reading world!) that here at last is a novel which celebrates the greatness of this superior name.

Fifteen-year-old Mary Fred lives in a fundamentalist cult, founded and led by Fred Brown, the author of their sacred text, The Book of Fred. All members of this sect have "Fred" in their names and live in the Compound located apart from outside world of "Lackers." Members of the Fred Brown cult follow his written rules as laid out in The Book of Fred, such as watch no television, wear only brown clothes ("the color of prophecy"), eat fish but no meat, and completely rely on The Book for acceptable action in all situations.

But after the death of Mary Fred's brother in the opening pages, her parents are jailed for child neglect for not seeking medical attention for him. Mary Fred is forcibly moved into a foster home of Lackers, comprised of Alice, a single mother who has not recovered from her divorce; Alice's brother Roy, a layabout drug user; and Alice's daughter Heather, a typically lost teenager.

For Mary Fred, this is a totally new world, completely foreign to her life in the Compound, full of new stimuli, temptations, and decisions to be made. Mary Fred must try to fit into this new environment and deal with this confusing Lacker family, without the guidance of her parents or other cultists, relying only on the wisdom of The Book of Fred and her own intuition. Of course, there are unexpected results. 

Each chapter is narrated a different character, providing access to that individual's unique thoughts, reactions, and decision-making process when facing another new situation or challenge to their previously uneventful lives. Readers get very close to each character, learning inside information about them which shaped their lives.

I was fascinated by this completely different peek into our mundane world and ordinary people through the eyes of a young, isolated cultist. Mary Fred is our guide to the modern world, offering a wonderful, intelligent, and fascinating story full of unique, memorable characters.

Please read this book. You won't regret it.

(And speaking as a Fred, I know one can never go wrong by heeding the words of a man with such an inspiring, profound, and wise name.)

Happy reading. 

Fred

www.firstsentencereader.blogspot.com

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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Gibbons, Stella. Cold Comfort Farm 

Orphan Flora Poste decides to take up residence on Cold Comfort Farm with very distant relatives when her money runs short. She soon finds herself among odd characters who definitely need Flora's guidance to shape up their lives. Very funny and well-written.

Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief

Wright, Lawrence. Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief. New York : Knopf. 2013. Print

First Sentences: 

Scientology plays an outside role in the cast of new religions that have arisen in the twentieth century and survived into the twenty-first.

The church won't release official membership figures, but informally it claims 8 million members worldwide, a figure that is based on the number of people who have donated to the church. A recent ad claims that the church welcomes 4.4 million new people every year. And yet, according to a former spokesperson for the church, the International Association of Scientologists, an organization that church members are forcefully encouraged to join, has only about 30,000 members. 

Description:

[Disclaimer: If any Scientologists are reading this, please remember that I am not the author of Going Clear, so don't harass me for sharing the insider information about your religion. Deal directly with Lawrence Wright, the plain-speaking, fearless author of Going Clear.]

Is there another religion so popular, so mysterious, and so polarizing as Scientology? With a pulp fiction writer as its leader, a required billion year commitment contract, and celebrity followers like Tom Cruise, John Travlota, and Kirstie Alley, Scientology is a fascinating mystery to outsiders. 

Lawrence Wright, the Pulitzer Prize-winner author of Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, turns his extensive research skills on this religion in his newest book Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief, uncovering previously unknown details about its origins, philosophy, creator, and current status.  

Going Clear first focuses on the life and philosophy of L. Ron Hubbard, a fascinating, driven, charismatic, and possibly insane figure. Using quotes from numerous letters, reports, books, interviews, and recollections of Hubbard's friends and early converts, Wright slowly reveals Hubbard as a prolific author (he holds the Guinness world record for number of books published), an exaggerator of the truth, and a spiritual philosopher. A non-religious figure himself, Hubbard reportedly said to friends many times, "I'd like to start a religion. That's where the money is." 

Through his international best-seller, Dianetics, Hubbard combined pieces of other alternative religions with his own philosophy into a simple pathway that would allow individuals to reach new levels of spiritual power and awareness without relying on any god. This philosophy immediately became popular in Hollywood during the early 1960s among those drawn to California for new answers, but unsatisfied by organized religion and drugs.

In Hubbard's new "Scientology," every human has subconscious memories and other mental blockages which prevent the achievement of a higher form of existence. Through intense auditing sessions, Scientologists can become immune to these negative forces ("going clear"). As a "Clear," a Scientologist can ascend higher on the Bridge to Total Freedom, leading to new levels of self-awareness and spiritual powers, including out-of-body experiences, ability to travel in space, and familiarity with previous lives.

Scientology actively recruited celebrities in 1969 via their Celebrity Centre in Hollywood. Classes were offered to actors to improve self-confidence, get in touch with their emotions, and use Scientology contacts in the TV/movie industry to land parts. John Travolta felt he received his breakout Vinnie Barbarino role in the Welcome Back Kotter TV series because his classmates at the Centre pointed together at the ABC studios and "telepathicaly communicated the instruction: 'We want John Travolta for the part.'"

But Wright reveals a darker side to Scientology right from the start with details culled from interviews with former Scientologists and administrators close to Hubbard. The Rehabilitation Project Force, an enforced isolation area (e.g., the hold of the Scientology boat, the basement of a building, etc.), was created for members with subversive thoughts against Scientology. Isolated in the RPF area from the outside world, members could get back into good graces through required physical work (such as scrubbing bathrooms with toothbrushes), minimal food (leftover table scraps), enforced silence, and cramped living quarters. Members often were confined at RPF for one to two years,

Member of the Sea Organization inner leadership circle could not have children and were forced to cut all contact with Suppressive Persons (those deemed to be irretrievably against Scientology), including parents and sometimes even spouses. According to interviewees, money was taken from members' personal accounts, leaving them penniless. Beatings were administered even to SeaOrg administrators for minor or no apparent reason.

Should someone try to escape from RPF or another Scientology base, there was a special security team ready to use either emotional, psychological and even physical force to bring the escapees back. 

Wright presents an exhaustive bibliography of resources to back up the claims in Going Clear. Details from these interviews, reports, and articles are woven so skillfully together by Wright that one cannot help but be mesmerized by the organization, philosophy, and people of this religion. Wright does footnote wherever the church formally denies or explains specific occurrences.

Wright is probably used to handling any fallout from disgruntled subjects of his books (i.e., Al-Qaeda), so any Scientologist-stalking and character-assassination tactics launched against him (several such instances were documented in this book as carried out against other Scientologist exposers) won't be enough to discredit him or silence his exhaustive research.  

Going Clear is a wild, highly-detailed, almost unbelievable inspection of Scientology, its people, and its power. Riveting and scary. 

Happy reading. 

Fred

www.firstsentencereader.blogspot.com

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_______________

If this book interests you, be sure to check out:
 

Krakauer, Jon Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith.  

Extensive research to give insight into the Mormon religion and its followers.

Bardi, Abby. The Book of Fred.  

Fictional account of a girl who escapes an isolated cult and its leader named Fred (!). She then must try to deal with the real world using or overcoming her upbringing based on the religious text, The Book of Fred. Who could not be attracted to a storyline and leader such as this?