TimDrake1914 on page 1: Bart seemed to view Zealot as more of a fictionalized account of Jesus, rather than an actual scholarly take on Jesus.
Yes. While it isn't written as fiction, I took it as a fiction that said "Who would Jesus have to be in order to grow up and live in that time in a way to become literally immortalized?" But to me, it was a scholarly explanation.
There are now plenty of Jesus-Isn't-Real books, so it was refreshing to read. Even if it's a fiction, it helps the reader to understand the culture that could create the "zealots" for the era.