I came home recently to spend Christmas with my family and saw that my mom was reading Bill O'reilly's Killing Jesus (among other things--I don't mean to imply that I have some big problem with her reading that book, it's not really my business and in any case she's admirably diverse in her reading choices). I'm not religious, and my mom is, but we're both really open minded and enjoy discussing issues in critical and challenging ways. I voiced my opinions regarding a general distaste for political figures (particularly those who make their living through highly controversial political and religious rants) putting their names on books claiming to be historical/factual accounts (I think it's a disservice to the topic they seem to care so much about, as well as a job that's better left to, oh, I don't know, historians?) and she argued that the book was making no arguments, per se, but rather telling a good story about stuff that is widely accepted as factual. I have issues with that in and of itself, but I'd really just like to get her a book that is considered both entertaining/engaging as well as credible. Whether or not it's in support of Christian ideology or critical of it is not as important to me as simply providing a text that is both fun and trustworthy (or as trustworthy as one could be, given the topic).
I've done a lot of searching in this thread and others on reddit and the internet at large, but although I found a lot of recommendations about academic texts, I didn't really see anything that might strike a good balance between digestible, accessible, challenging, and factually accurate...I know that's a tall order, but I figured if there was anywhere to ask it would be here! I was considering Aslan's Zealot for a while, but it was not very well regarded in some subs around here. I know it's impossible to find a perfect answer to such a loaded question, but I'm still going to put out the request!
Thanks in advance for any suggestions, it's greatly appreciated.
So a few things first. Aslan's Zealot is not, in any way historical scholarship. It's pop history that is mostly dismissed among actual historians. Similarly, O'reilly's book is likewise almost useless since he is a journalist, not a historian. While both provide some interesting facts (mostly taken out of context) neither actually present an understanding of the historical Jesus as understood by historians.
Several I'd recommend are:
Ehrman, Bart's Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium This book is written by one of the world's most well-respected historians on Early Christianity. This is also the very first book I had to read in graduate school on the historical Jesus and it's engaging and easy to read for non-historians. It also presents the view that the historical Jesus was an Apocalyptic prophet in the proper context -- which also happens to be what the vast majority of historians believe about the historical Jesus. Ehrman is also agnostic (like myself) but he doesn't attack religion.
Crossan, John Dominic: The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant
This is another excellent book. This book like, Ehrman's attempts to pain a proper contextual understanding of the historical Jesus, but does it in a different light -- he focuses on who the man was rather than what his primary preaching message was.
Sanders, E.P.: The Historical Figure of Jesus
I'd only recommend this one if the other two have been finished. It focuses on Judaism and Christianity and the dynamics of the historical Jesus after he died and the effects he had on his early followers.
Please let me know if you have any other questions or if I can help in any other way.