Jesus

Jesus (c. 6 to 4 BC – AD 30 or 33), also known as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth, was a Jewish preacher and religious leader who lived in the Roman province of Judaea during the first century. Today, he is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest religion. Most Christians believe Jesus was the incarnation of God the Son and the promised messiah, a descendant of the Davidic line as foretold in the Old Testament. His life and teachings are mainly known from the four canonical Gospels in the New Testament.

According to Christian tradition, Jesus began his public teaching after being baptized by John the Baptist and fasting for 40 days in the wilderness. He traveled as an itinerant teacher, sharing important lessons through parables and gathering followers, including twelve he chose as his apostles. He often discussed how best to follow God with other Jewish teachers, such as the Pharisees and Sadducees.

The New Testament says that Jesus was arrested in Jerusalem, tried by Jewish leaders, and then crucified by the Roman authorities under Pontius Pilate. Christians believe that he rose from the dead on the third day, a key belief that helped start the early Christian Church, which grew into a worldwide movement. Important Christian events like the celebration of his birth at Christmas, his crucifixion on Good Friday, and his resurrection on Easter Sunday are remembered each year by millions of people around the world.

Name

In Jesus' time, Jewish people usually had just one name, sometimes adding 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. Scholars think that Matthew and Luke used Mark as a source for their stories. The gospels tell us about Jesus’s life, from his birth to his teachings, miracles, and eventual death. They also describe how Jesus chose followers, called apostles, to help spread his message. Jesus taught about loving God and loving others, and he performed many miracles, showing his power and compassion. The gospels also cover the final days of Jesus’s life, including his betrayal, trials, and crucifixion. After his death, Jesus is said to have risen from the dead and appeared to his followers, promising to return one day.

Early Christianity

Main article: Early Christianity

After Jesus's life, his followers were all Jewish by birth or by choice. They spread his teachings first by speaking and later also by writing. The early Christian community was centered in Jerusalem and was led by important figures such as Peter, James (the brother of Jesus), and John the Apostle.

Paul the Apostle played a big role in sharing Jesus's message with people who were not Jewish, traveling through areas around the Mediterranean Sea. Paul's ideas greatly shaped what Christians believe. By the end of the first century, Christianity was seen as its own religion, separate from Judaism. Early Christians highly valued the Hebrew Bible and wrote many religious books that became part of the New Testament. These writings help us learn about Jesus and the beginnings of Christianity.

Historical views

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

See also: Biblical criticism

Before the 1700s, many people believed the Gospels gave exact details about Jesus' life. But since then, some scholars have begun to question if the Gospels are completely reliable. They try to find the real Jesus by looking at what we can be sure really happened. Even though scholars agree Jesus existed, they often have different ideas about what his life was like.

In the year AD 6, the land called Judea changed from being ruled by local leaders to being a province 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.