zealot the life and times of jesus of nazareth review

“Reza Aslan’s book barely touches the vast sea of literature on this problem”.

“Aslan demonstrates on about every third page that he is not conversant with recent literature on Second Temple Judaism “.In your case, the answer appears to be rather clear: Diversity of the demographics doesn't improve the quality of the opinion it just adds the fog of contemporary politics to the debate.Īpplying this to Aslan, I do not see that he gets past the first inquiry: whether he has the necessary training and mastery of the field necessary to earn the respect of those who do. If the person is qualified to present an opinion, then we inquire into the opinion itself, and this is where diversity matters – diversity of opinion, not diversity of demographics. We don’t apply different standards to experts based on their particular demographics in order to achieve demographic diversity, as we don’t believe that that is at all relevant to the quality of the opinion. If the answer is yes, that person is then “qualified” to present an opinion to the jury, as we don’t want juries getting fooled by people who don’t really know what they are talking about. First, we ask whether the person has the qualifications and credentials necessary to express an opinion worthy of respect – not agreement – by his or her peers. When someone presents himself as qualified to express an opinion in a highly specialized field of study, we apply a two-part test. In my field, which is law, we deal with expert opinions as a matter of course. I see the focus on credentials quite differently.įirst, let me address your point about diversity. It pains me to say this, but both the interview and this First Things article seem to be motivated by religious distrust.” “If by 'tougher interview' Matthew Franck means 'unprofessional, Islamophobic farce', I would agree. What I understand you to be saying here is that (1) demographic diversity is valuable in your field for its own sake, and (2) expressions of concern about his credentials - and reactions to his misrepresentations of same - are really expressions of Islamophobia. I am convinced that the American news media’s fascination with Christian-Muslim relations has overshadowed the merits of Aslan’s thesis… or lack thereof.” I really wish that I could endorse this book if for no other reason than to promote diversity. Sadly, I would welcome more other-than-traditional-Christian scholars in the field. “Aslan might be guilty of inflating his résumé, but this is not what made the book controversial. Respectfully, Anthony, I am not persuaded by this aspect of your position on Aslan. This will have to be in two parts due to the size limit.

Zealot the life and times of jesus of nazareth review