Jesus

Jesus (c. 6 to 4 BC – AD 30 or 33), also known as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth, was a Jewish teacher who lived in the Roman province of Judaea a long time ago. Today, he is the most important person in Christianity, the world's largest religion. Most Christians believe Jesus was the incarnation of God the Son and the messiah that people had been waiting for.

According to Christian tradition, Jesus began teaching after being baptized by John the Baptist. He traveled around, telling stories called parables and teaching people important lessons. He had twelve special followers called his apostles.

The New Testament says that Jesus was arrested in Jerusalem and later crucified. Christians believe that he rose from the dead, which helped start the early Christian Church. Important events like celebrating his birth at Christmas, his crucifixion on Good Friday, and his coming back to life on Easter Sunday are remembered every year by many people around the world.

Name

In Jesus' time, Jewish people usually had just one name. Sometimes they added their father's name or their hometown. Jesus was often called "Jesus of Nazareth." His neighbors knew him as "the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon," or simply "Joseph's son."

The name Jesus comes from the Hebrew name Joshua, meaning "God saves." Christians have called Jesus "Jesus Christ" for centuries. The word "Christ" is not a name but a title meaning "the Messiah," someone special who was expected to come, as told in the Hebrew Bible.

Life and teachings in the New Testament

The four books called gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—are the main sources for learning about Jesus's life and teachings. These books tell the story of Jesus, including important events like the Last Supper. Other early Christian writings also mention Jesus, but scholars believe the four gospels are the most reliable sources.

The gospels were written by different authors and at different times. Mark was written first, followed by Matthew and Luke, and then John. The gospels tell us about Jesus’s life, from his birth to his teachings and miracles. They also describe how Jesus chose followers, called apostles, to help spread his message. Jesus taught about loving God and loving others. The gospels also cover the final days of Jesus’s life. After his death, Jesus is said to have risen from the dead and appeared to his followers.

Early Christianity

Main article: Early Christianity

After Jesus's life, his followers were Jewish or chose to be Jewish. They shared his teachings by talking and later by writing. The early Christian community was in Jerusalem and led by important people such as Peter, James (the brother of Jesus), and John the Apostle.

Paul the Apostle helped share Jesus's message with people who were not Jewish. He traveled around the Mediterranean Sea. Paul's ideas shaped what Christians believe. By the end of the first century, Christianity was its own religion, separate from Judaism. Early Christians valued the Hebrew Bible and wrote many religious books that became part of the New Testament. These writings tell us about Jesus and the start of Christianity.

Historical views

Main articles: Historical Jesus, Quest for the historical Jesus, and Scholarly interpretation of Gospel elements

See also: Biblical criticism

Long ago, many people thought the Gospels told exactly what happened in Jesus' life. But later, some scholars started to wonder if the Gospels were completely true. They try to learn about the real Jesus by looking at facts we can be sure about. Even though scholars agree Jesus lived, they often have different ideas about his life.

In the year AD 6, the land called Judea changed from being ruled by local leaders to being part of the Roman Empire. A Roman official, called a prefect, governed the area from a city named Caesarea Maritima. Jerusalem was managed by a religious leader called the High Priest of Israel. Galilee, another nearby area, was ruled by a man named Herod Antipas. This was a time when Jewish traditions mixed with Greek culture, creating what is called Hellenistic Judaism. The main religious groups at the time were the Pharisees, the Essenes, and the Sadducees. Most Jewish people hoped God would one day free them from foreign rulers.