Thought-provoking book

The most thought-provoking book I read in 2013 was "Zealolot - The Life and Times   of Jesus of Nazareth" by Reza Aslan. The book became the No. 1 nonfiction bestseller in the U.S. Aslan is a professor at the University of California and a respected scholar of world religions. His thesis, which is impressively researched (over 100 pages of footnotes) is that a large percentage of what most followers believe to be true about the life of Jesus is a product of the writings of St. Paul which became influential after the crucifixion and does not reflect teachings and sayings made by Jesus. Aslan argues that Jesus' primary message was a challenge to the Roman authorities and their appointed Hebrew priestly class. According to the book, Jesus verifiable teachings had little to do with salvation and gaining heaven but rather the obligation to help the poor and oppressed. Aslan argues that Paul was wrong and that Jesus was more interested in helping the downtrodden than  in saving souls.

Whether or not Aslan is correct is a matter of opinion and cannot be shown to be definitively true or false from a scholarly view. Although there have been some disagreements from recognized historians of Christianity, most have supported Aslan's reasoning to a large extent. You can read the book and decide for yourself.