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{{Short description|Jesus as seen in the Christian tradition}}
{|style="float: right; width:175px;border: #FFFFFF solid 1px"
] is a ] in ] believed by most ] to encompass the ] and the site of his crucifixion and resurrection.]]
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{{Jesus}}
|{{Christianity}}
In ], ] is the ] as chronicled in the ]'s ], and in most ]s he is held to be ], a ] (Person) of the ] of ]. ]s believe him to be the ] (giving him the title '']''), ] in the Bible's ]. Through ] and ], Christians believe that God offers humans ] and ],<ref>''Oxford Companion to the Bible'' p. 649.</ref> with Jesus's death ] for all ].
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|{{Gospel Jesus}}
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These teachings emphasize that as the ], Jesus chose to suffer nailed to the cross at ] as a sign of his obedience to the will of God, as an "agent and servant of God".<ref name=anselm >''The Christology of Anselm of Canterbury'' by Dániel Deme 2004 {{ISBN|0-7546-3779-4}}, pp. 199–200</ref><ref name=Cullmann/> Jesus's choice positions him as a man of obedience, ] to ]'s disobedience.<ref name=Pannenberg >''Systematic Theology, Volume 2'' by Wolfhart Pannenberg 2004 0567084663 ISBN, pp. 297–303</ref> According to the New Testament, after God raised him from the dead,<ref>{{bibleref2|Acts|2:24|NIV}}, {{bibleref2|Romans|10:9|NIV}}, {{bibleref2|1Cor|15:15|NIV}}, {{bibleref2|Acts|2:31-32}}, {{bibleref2-nb|Acts|3:15}}, {{bibleref2-nb|Acts|3:26}}, {{bibleref2-nb|Acts|4:10}}, {{bibleref2-nb|Acts|5:30}}, {{bibleref2-nb|Acts|10:40–41}}, {{bibleref2-nb|Acts|13:30}}, {{bibleref2-nb|Acts|13:34}}, {{bibleref2-nb|Acts|13:37}}, {{bibleref2-nb|Acts|17:30–31}}, {{bibleref2|1Cor|6:14}}, {{bibleref2|2Cor|4:14}}, {{bibleref2|Gal|1:1}}, {{bibleref2|Eph|1:20}}, {{bibleref2|Col|2:12}}, {{bibleref2|1Thess|1:10}}, {{bibleref2|Heb|13:20}}, {{bibleref2|1Pet|1:3}}, {{bibleref2-nb|1Pet|1:21}}</ref> Jesus ] to heaven to ] of ],<ref>{{bibleref2|Mark|16:19}}, {{bibleref2|Luke|22:69}}, {{bibleref2|Acts|2:33}}, {{bibleref2-nb|Acts|5:31}}, {{bibleref2-nb|Acts|7:55–56}}, {{bibleref2|Romans|8:34}}, {{bibleref2|Eph|1:20}}, {{bibleref2|Col|3:1}}, {{bibleref2|Hebrews|1:3}}, {{bibleref2-nb|Hebrews|1:13}}, {{bibleref2-nb|Hebrews|10:12}}, {{bibleref2-nb|Hebrews|12:2}}, {{bibleref2|1Peter|3:22}}</ref> with his followers awaiting his ] and God's subsequent ].<ref>{{bibleref2|Acts|1:9–11}}</ref>


According to the ] accounts, Jesus was ], and ] other ] how to follow God (sometimes using ]), performed ] and gathered ]. Christians generally believe that this narrative is ].
''This article presents a description of ] as based on the views of Christians. Other related articles present different descriptions and perspectives of Jesus. Please note that discussions of Christian viewpoints give a wide latitude to the definition of Christian. Viewpoints from denominations that may not be accepted as being Christian by the wider Christian community are still discussed.''


While there has been theological debate over the ], ] Christians believe that Jesus is the {{lang|grc|]}}, ] (God in human form), God the Son, and "]"—fully divine and fully human. Jesus, having become fully human in all respects, suffered the pains and ] of a mortal man, yet he ].
'''Christian views of ]''' vary somewhat among different ]s, but almost all Christians base their beliefs around what they hold to be Jesus' teachings, and believe that Jesus is the ] (]), the saviour of mankind foretold in the ]. Most further believe him to be the ], and the ] of God himself.


==Belief in the divinity== == Core teachings ==
Although Christian views of Jesus vary, it is possible to summarise the key elements of the beliefs shared by major Christian denominations by analysing their ] or ] texts.<ref name=CathLuther1 >Jackson, Gregory Lee, ''Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant: a doctrinal comparison'' 1993 {{ISBN|978-0-615-16635-3}} Part One: "Areas of Agreement", pages 11-17</ref><ref>''The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Its History, Doctrine'' by John Anthony McGuckin 2010 pages 6-7</ref><ref>''Basic Christian doctrine'' by ] 1993 pages 1-2</ref> Christian views of Jesus are derived from various biblical sources, particularly from the ] and ] letters such as the ]. Christians predominantly hold that these works are historically true.<ref>Second Vatican Council, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531175312/https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html |date=2014-05-31 }}; Thomas Aquinas, {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060906114843/http://www.newadvent.org/summa/100110.htm |date=2006-09-06 }}; c.f. Catechism of the Catholic Church, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150325191945/https://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p1s1c2a3.htm#III |date=2015-03-25 }}; R.C. Sproul, ''Knowing Scripture'' pp. 45–61; Greg Bahnsen, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141204091801/http://www.cmfnow.com/articles/pt173.htm |date=2014-12-04 }}; Scott Foutz, </ref>


Those Christian groups or denominations which are committed to what are considered biblically ] Christianity nearly all agree that Jesus:<ref>"Who is Jesus? What Do Christians Believe?" Johns Hopkins University. Graduate Christian Fellowship. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130304063444/http://www.jhu.edu/gcf/beliefs.html#J|date=2013-03-04}} 1 May 2013</ref>
Apart from the role of Jesus as the Messiah, the vast majority of self-described Christians also regard belief in his ''divinity'' to be a significant part of ]. According to mainstream Christian theology after it was systematized in the first centuries ], Jesus is conceptualized as a member of the ], who along with the Father and the ] are thought to be three "persons" with one metaphysical substance, that complete unity being ]. ''See'' ]; ]. Some, although a minority in Christianity, do not subscribe to this view in part or at all, such as: '']'', '']'', ], and ]. More specifically, ] refers to this hierarchy as the ] and believes that they are three distinct persons unified in will and mind, but not in body; Jehovah's Witnesses believe Jesus is the first creation of God, a distinct being, and the Holy Spirit is God's impersonal active force.
*was born of a virgin;
*is a human being who is also fully God;
*has never sinned during his existence;
*was crucified, died, and was buried in a tomb;
*rose from the dead on the third day;
*ascended back to God the Father 40 days after his resurrection;
*will return to Earth.<ref>cf. {{Bibleref2|John|14:1-3}}, {{Bibleref2|Acts|1:10-11}}, {{Bibleref2|Luke|21:27}}, {{Bibleref2|Revelation|1:7}}</ref>
Some groups considered to be Christian hold beliefs that are considered to be ]. For example, believers in ] reject the idea that ] has two natures, one human and one divine.<ref>{{cite book |title=An Introductory Dictionary of Theology and Religious Studies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k85JKr1OXcQC&pg=PA902|year=2007|publisher=Liturgical Press|isbn=978-0-8146-5856-7|page=902}}</ref>


The five major milestones in the gospel narrative of the life of Jesus are his ], ], death by crucifixion, resurrection and ].<ref name=digby >''Essays in New Testament interpretation'' by Charles Francis Digby Moule 1982 {{ISBN|0-521-23783-1}} page 63</ref><ref>''The Melody of Faith: Theology in an Orthodox Key'' by Vigen Guroian 2010 {{ISBN|0-8028-6496-1}} page 28</ref><ref name=JBreck12 /> These are usually bracketed by two other episodes: his ] at the beginning and the sending of the ] (Holy Spirit) at the end.<ref name=digby /><ref name=JBreck12 >''Scripture in tradition'' by John Breck 2001 {{ISBN|0-88141-226-0}} page 12</ref> The gospel accounts of the teachings of Jesus are often presented in terms of specific categories involving his "works and words", e.g., his ], ] and ].<ref name=Zuck100 >''The Bible Knowledge Commentary'' by John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck 1983 {{ISBN|0-88207-812-7}} page 100</ref><ref name=WPent212 >''The words and works of Jesus Christ'' by J. Dwight Pentecost 2000 {{ISBN|978-0-310-30940-6}} page 212</ref>
Some ] have developed other metaphysical conceptualizations of Jesus, including the idea that Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are one "person" with three or more manifestations (see ]) or are distinct not just in "person" but in metaphysical essence, and unified only in "will" or "mind". Many of these doctrines were rejected as ] by the ]s of Christianity, and some modern variants (for example, ] and the ]) are at times excluded from the umbrella of ], particularly by ], though they often call themselves Christian. ''See'' ], ].


Christians not only attach theological significance to the ''works'' of Jesus, but also to his ''name''. Devotions to the ] go back to the ].<ref name=Sylvester >Hunter, Sylvester. ''Outlines of dogmatic theology'', Volume 2. 2010 {{ISBN|1-146-98633-5}} p. 443</ref><ref name=Houlden>Houlden, Leslie. ''Jesus: the Complete Guide'', 2006. {{ISBN|0-8264-8011-X}} p. 426</ref> These exist today both in ] and ].<ref name="Houlden"/>
Christians see many passages in the ]s and other parts of the New Testament as debating the divinity of Jesus Christ. ] discussed the issue in ''Does the NT call Jesus God?''


Christians predominantly profess that through Jesus' life, death, and rising from the dead, he restored humanity's right relationship with God with the blood of the ]. His death on a cross is understood as a redemptive sacrifice: the source of humanity's salvation and the ] for sin<ref>''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' §606–618; Council of Trent (1547) in Denzinger-Schönmetzer, ''Enchiridion Symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum'' (1965) §1529; {{bibleref2|John|14:2–3}}</ref> which had entered human history through ].<ref>''Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England,'' article 9; ''Augsburg Confession,'' article 2; ''Second Helvetic Confession,'' chapter 8; {{bibleref2|Romans|5:12–21}}; {{bibleref2|1Cor.|15:21–22}}.</ref>
==Life==
] image of ] from ], ].]]
{{main|New Testament view on Jesus' life}}


=== Birth and childhood === ==Christ, ''Logos'' and Son of God==
], by ] (14th century): "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God".]]
{{blockquote|''But who do you say that I am?'' Only Simon Peter answered him: ''You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'' — ]<ref>''Who do you say that I am? Essays on Christology'' by Jack Dean Kingsbury, Mark Allan Powell, David R. Bauer 1999 {{ISBN|0-664-25752-6}} page xvi and 109</ref>}}
{{Blockquote|Jesus is mediator, but the title means ''more'' than someone ''between'' God and man. He is not just a third party between God and humanity. As true God he brings God to mankind. As true man he brings mankind to God.<ref name=Stagg>Stagg, Frank. ''New Testament Theology.'' Broadman Press, 1962. {{ISBN|0-8054-1613-7}}</ref>}}


Most Christians generally consider Jesus to be the Christ, the long-awaited ], as well as the one and only Son of God. The opening words in the ] (]), "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God", provide Jesus with the two distinct attributions as Christ and as the Son of God. His ] is again re-affirmed in ].<ref>''Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity'' by Larry W. Hurtado 2005 {{ISBN|0-8028-3167-2}} page 288</ref> ] which begins by calling Jesus the Christ and ] explains it again with the affirmation: "Jesus, who is called Christ".
Of the four ], the ] (birth) is mentioned only in the ] and the ]. Both infancy accounts support the doctrine of the ], in which Jesus was miraculously conceived in his mother's womb by the Holy Spirit, when his mother was still a virgin.
According to these accounts, Jesus was born while ] and ], Joseph's betrothed, were visiting ] from their native ]. Mary is also commonly referred to as "the ]" or, as Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox call her, "the Mother of God" (see ]).


In the Pauline epistles, the word '']'' is so closely associated with Jesus that apparently for the ] there was no need to claim that Jesus was Christ, for that was considered widely accepted among them. Hence Paul could use the term ''Christos'' with no confusion about who it referred to, and as in ] and ] he could use expressions such as "in Christ" to refer to the followers of Jesus.<ref>''Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity'' by Larry W. Hurtado 2005 {{ISBN|0-8028-3167-2}} page 99</ref>
Details of the two accounts appear to be at variance with each other. For example, Luke reports that the parents lived at Nazareth, but, according to Matthew, they settled in Nazareth after their return from ], an event that Luke does not mention. Matthew further explained that Joseph and Mary fled with the ] Jesus to Egypt after they had been warned by an angel of the ].


In the New Testament, the title "Son of God" is applied to Jesus on many occasions, from the ] up to the ].<ref name=Cathenc >{{Cite web |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14142b.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia: Son of God |access-date=2011-10-13 |archive-date=2020-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407100303/http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14142b.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The declaration that Jesus is the Son of God is made by many individuals in the New Testament, and on two occasions by ] as a voice from Heaven, and is asserted by Jesus himself.<ref name=Cathenc /><ref name=OneTeacher >''One teacher: Jesus' teaching role in Matthew's gospel'' by John Yueh-Han Yieh 2004 {{ISBN|3-11-018151-7}} pages 240-241</ref><ref name=Pentecost >Dwight Pentecost ''The words and works of Jesus Christ'' 2000 {{ISBN|0-310-30940-9}} page 234</ref><ref name=Bromiley571 >''The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia'' by Geoffrey W. Bromiley 1988 {{ISBN|0-8028-3785-9}} page 571-572</ref>
A few verses in the Gospels mention Jesus' "brothers". Some Christians argue it is not necessarily the case that "brother" must mean "child of same father and same mother". Indeed, half-brothers are called "]" in very many human cultures throughout history and to the present day. Thus, they speculate that Joseph was likely much older man than Mary, a widower with children at the time of his betrothal to Mary, with their planned marriage being primarily a social arrangement to ensure Mary was economically provided for. This is supported by the observation that Joseph is not mentioned later in the Gospels, presumably due to his death. Some biblical scholars, particularly those who are ], go further, saying that in both ] and ], the word for "brother" is also used to refer to cousins.


In ], the concept that Christ is the '']'' (i.e., "The Word") has been important in establishing the doctrine of the divinity of Christ and his position as God the Son in the Trinity{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} as set forth in the ]. This derives from the ], commonly translated into English as: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."<ref>{{cite web|title=John 1:1|url=https://biblia.com/books/nkjv/Jn1.1|website=Biblia.com|publisher=Faithlife.com|access-date=2 August 2017}}</ref> λόγος in the original ] is translated as ''Word'' and in theological discourse, this is often left in its English ] form, '']''.
The New Testament tells little more about Jesus's childhood or young adulthood (See also '']''). However, by the time he reached his 30s, the gospels all report that he had become known as a religious teacher.
The easiest way to understand this is the teaching that ] (The Word of God) came from the bosom of ] and became a living being who then translated into a foetus in the womb of (]) through a ] means, as professed by believers in ].


The ] refers to the existence of Christ before his ] as Jesus. One of the relevant New Testament passages is ] where, in the Trinitarian view, Christ is identified with a pre-existent divine ] called the Logos or Word. This doctrine is reiterated in ] when Jesus refers to the glory which he had with the Father "before the world was" during the ].<ref name=Endo >''Creation and Christology'' by Masanobu Endo 2002 {{ISBN|3-16-147789-8}} page 233</ref> {{Bibleref2|John|17:24}} also refers to the Father loving Jesus "before the foundation of the world".<ref name=Endo /> ] views about the pre-existence of Christ vary, with some rejecting it and others accepting it.
=== The ministry and message of Jesus ===


Following the ], from the 2nd century forward, several controversies developed about how the human and divine are related within the person of Jesus.<ref name=Editors1999>{{Citation| last = Fahlbusch| first = Erwin| year = 1999| title = The encyclopedia of Christianity| pages = 463| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=z47zgZ75dqgC&q=Logos+as+God+in+the+early+church&pg=PA463| isbn = 0-8028-2413-7| publisher = Brill| location = Leiden, Netherland}}</ref><ref name=Rausch2003>{{Citation| last = Rausch | first = Thomas P.| year = 2003| title = Who is Jesus? : an introduction to Christology| pages = 149| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8OJCa6euw5gC&q=Justin+Martyr+christology&pg=PA148| isbn = 0-8146-5078-3| publisher = Liturgical Press| location = Collegeville, Minn.}}</ref><ref name=McGrath2007>{{Citation| last = McGrath | first = Alister E.| year = 2007| title = Christian theology : an introduction| pages = 282| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=tHlY94UWi3UC&q=Justin+Martyr+christology&pg=PA282| isbn = 978-1-4051-5360-7| publisher = Blackwell| location = Malden, Mass. }}</ref> Eventually in 451, the concept of a ] was stated at the Council of Chalcedon, namely that Jesus is both fully divine and fully human.<ref name=Editors1999/><ref name=Rausch2003/><ref>Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 2nd series, Vol XIV p207, translated edition by H.R. Percival. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/ephesus.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000816024110/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/ephesus.html |date=2000-08-16 }}</ref><ref>The Seven Ecumenical Councils of the Undivided Church, trans H. R. Percival, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 2nd Series, ed. P. Schaff and H. Wace, (repr. Grand Rapids MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1955), XIV, pp. 192-242</ref> However, differences among Christian denominations continued thereafter, with some rejecting the hypostatic union in favor of monophysitism.
Although the ]s focus mainly on the last year of Jesus's ministry, the ] indicates that his ministry spanned at least three ]s from the time he was baptised by ] until his crucifixion. In his ministry, Jesus travelled as a wandering ] and performed ]s and ].


==Incarnation, Nativity and Second Adam==
Jesus advocated universal love between people, and adherence to the will of God. Some believe His message to have been that ] is a more direct fulfilling of God's will, rather than observing the laws which were contained in the ], see also ]. Very often, Jesus conveyed his message through the use of ]s.
{{Main|Incarnation (Christianity)|Nativity of Jesus|Second Adam}}
]'', by ], {{Circa|1490}}]]{{blockquote|''He is the image of the invisible God, the ] of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible''. — ]}}


The above verse from Colossians regards the birth of Jesus as the model for all creation.<ref>Bromiley, Geoffrey W. ''The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia'', 1988. {{ISBN|0-8028-3785-9}}</ref><ref>Espín, Orlando O. and James B. Nickoloff.''An introductory dictionary of theology and religious studies'', 2007. {{ISBN|0-8146-5856-3}}, p. 238</ref><ref>Mills, Watson E. and Roger Aubrey Bullard. ''Mercer dictionary of the Bible'', 1998. {{ISBN|0-86554-373-9}}. p. 712</ref><ref>Ryrie, Charles C. ''Basic Theology:'', 1999. {{ISBN|0-8024-2734-0}}. p. 275</ref>
Some of his teachings are ]ical. He taught that the first would be last, and the last first; also that "anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matt 16:25); and that non-violence should be used to combat violence. He said that he gives peace to those who believe in him, yet he warned that he was bringing strife to the world, setting family members against one another (due to disagreement regarding belief in him). The use of paradox is a recognised form of attempting to break through established forms of thinking to allow new insight. For example, the use of ]s in some branches of Buddhism, which seek to transcend harmful or false ways of thinking, is similar.


] viewed the birth of Jesus as an event of cosmic significance which brought forth a "new man" who undid the damage caused by the fall of the first man, Adam. Just as the ] view of Jesus as the incarnate Logos proclaims the universal relevance of his birth, the Pauline perspective emphasizes the birth of a new man and a new world in the birth of Jesus.<ref name=Pannenberg /> Paul's ] view of Jesus counter-positions him as a new man of morality and obedience, in contrast to Adam. Unlike Adam, the new man born in Jesus obeys God and ushers in a world of morality and salvation.<ref name="Pannenberg"/>
He preached an ] message, saying that the ] would come unexpectedly; as such, he called on his followers to be ever alert and faithful.


In the Pauline view, Adam is positioned as the first man and Jesus as the second: Adam, having corrupted himself by his disobedience, also infected humanity and left it with a curse as its inheritance. The birth of Jesus counterbalanced the fall of Adam, bringing forth redemption and repairing the damage done by Adam.<ref name=Daille >Daille, Jean. ''An exposition of the epistle of Saint Paul to the Philippians'', 1995. {{ISBN|0-8028-2511-7}}. pp. 194-195</ref>
The early fathers of the church further expanded on his message, and much of the rest of the New Testament is concerned with the meaning of Jesus's death and resurrection, and its implications for humanity. One idea that has remained constant throughout Christian theology is the idea that humanity was redeemed, saved, or given an opportunity to achieve salvation through Jesus's death. "Jesus died for our sins" is a common Christian ]. See also ].


In the 2nd century Church Father ] writes:
While faith in Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection is sufficient for salvation within the Christian doctrine, -and as explained by Jesus, Himself in the famous passage, ],<!--- scholars & translations do not agree that John 3:16 is meant to quote Jesus - AND this is not representative of Catholic views & hence questionable whether it is majority view of Xty--> good works are certainly expected as evidence of the convert's salvation. (E.g., ] 2:18, in which the writer says that he will show his faith by his works; ] 3:2, which asks the reader to "strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die," implying that bad works might lead to a loss of salvation; and, most importantly, words from Jesus, Himself, in John 13:15, which claim that His life is an example or role model for followers, and the very strong claim in John 14:12, in which Jesus states that followers who believe in Him can do the works that Jesus does and even "greater works," in fact, a scripture that has provoked much debate on the role of miracles and healing in current times. See also ])
<blockquote>
"When He became incarnate and was made man, He commenced afresh the long line of human beings, and furnished us, in a brief, comprehensive manner, with salvation; so that what we had lost in Adam—namely to be according to the image and likeness of God- that we might recover in Christ Jesus."<ref name=Bethune >Bethune-Baker, James Franklin. ''An introduction to the early history of Christian doctrine'', 2005. {{ISBN|1-4021-5770-3}}. p. 334</ref><ref name=Williston >Walker, Williston. ''A History of the Christian Church'', 2010. {{ISBN|1-4400-4446-5}}. pp. 65-66</ref>
</blockquote>


In ] theology, Paul's contrasting of Jesus as the new man versus Adam provided a framework for discussing the uniqueness of the birth of Jesus and the ensuing events of his life. The nativity of Jesus thus began to serve as the starting point for "cosmic Christology" in which the birth, life and resurrection of Jesus have universal implications.<ref name=Pannenberg /><ref>Grillmeier, John Bowden. ''Christ in Christian Tradition: From the Apostolic Age to Chalcedon''. Aloys, 1975. {{ISBN|0-664-22301-X}}. pp. 15-19</ref><ref>Helyer, Larry R. ''The Witness of Jesus, Paul and John: An Exploration in Biblical Theology'', 2008. {{ISBN|0-8308-2888-5}} p. 282</ref> The concept of Jesus as the "new man" repeats in the cycle of birth and rebirth of Jesus from his nativity to his resurrection: following his birth, through his morality and obedience to the Father, Jesus began a "new harmony" in the relationship between God the Father and man. The nativity and resurrection of Jesus thus created the author and exemplar of a new humanity.<ref>Rahner, Karl. ''Encyclopedia of theology: a concise Sacramentum mundi'', 2004. {{ISBN|0-86012-006-6}}. pp. 474 and 1434</ref> In this view, the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus brought about salvation, undoing the damage of Adam.<ref>Burke, Raymond L.; et al. (2008). ''Mariology: A Guide for Priests, Deacons, Seminarians, and Consecrated Persons''. {{ISBN|978-1-57918-355-4}}. pp. 613-614</ref>
However, the idea of "salvation" has been interpreted in many ways, and a wide spectrum of Christian viewpoints exist and have existed throughout history up to the present day.


As the ], Jesus would be of the ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/1:6 |title=Matthew 1:6 Matthew 1:6 |access-date=2019-06-29 |archive-date=2019-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202212520/http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/1:6 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/3:31 |title=Luke 3:31 |access-date=2019-06-29 |archive-date=2019-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202213800/http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/3:31 |url-status=live }}</ref> One argument against this would be a contradiction in Jesus' genealogies: Matthew saying he is the son of ] and Luke saying he is the son of ]—Solomon and Nathan being brothers. ] taught that there is no contradiction, for Nathan wed Solomon's wife after Solomon died in accordance with scripture, namely, ] (the ] that a man must marry his brother's childless widow).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OToIDAAAQBAJ&dq=One+ought+also+to+observe+this%2C+that+the+law+was+that+when+a+man+died+without+seed%2C+this+man%27s+brother+should+take+to+wife+the+wife+of+the+dead+man+and+raise+up+seed+to+his+brother&pg=PT163 |title=Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, chapter XIII |access-date=2019-06-29 |archive-date=2022-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123125100/https://books.google.com/books?id=OToIDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT163&lpg=PT163&dq=One+ought+also+to+observe+this,+that+the+law+was+that+when+a+man+died+without+seed,+this+man%27s+brother+should+take+to+wife+the+wife+of+the+dead+man+and+raise+up+seed+to+his+brother&source=bl&ots=EfMhh8epRo&sig=ACfU3U2Y9_c4NOWlXFK9bmTzBGFj4BlKxQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi4gaqLr53gAhXo8YMKHQzmAycQ6AEwAXoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=One%20ought%20also%20to%20observe%20this%2C%20that%20the%20law%20was%20that%20when%20a%20man%20died%20without%20seed%2C%20this%20man's%20brother%20should%20take%20to%20wife%20the%20wife%20of%20the%20dead%20man%20and%20raise%20up%20seed%20to%20his%20brother&f=false |url-status=live |last1=Damascus |first1=Saint John of |publisher=Aeterna Press }}</ref>
Some especially notable events in the ministry of Jesus, recounted in the Gospels, include:
* When Jesus was asked what is the most important commandment in the ], Jesus answered that the greatest commandment is "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind" (Mark 12:29-30, echoing Deut. 6:5, the ]), and at the same time he said that the commandment "You must love your neighbor as yourself" (found in Lev. 19:18) is as important.
* Jesus asked his disciples "Who do you say am?" ] answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "You are a blessed man!... So now I say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my community. And the gates of hell can never overpower it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of Heaven: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
* Seeing ] at the ], he used a whip to drive out the animals being bought and sold by the merchants, released the doves, and overturned the tables to scatter the money-changers' coins.
* On the Thursday evening before ], Jesus shared a ] meal with his disciples&mdash;the ]. During the meal, he gave bread to his disciples, saying, "Take it and eat. This is my body", and then gave them a cup of wine, saying, "Drink from this, all of you, for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Many Christian denominations take this as the institution of the sacrament of Communion, or the ].


Jesus grew up in Galilee and much of his ministry took place there.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Joel B. |last1=Green |first2=Scot |last2=McKnight |first3=I. Howard |last3=Marshall |author-link1=Joel B. Green |author-link2=Scot McKnight |author-link3=I. Howard Marshall |title=Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9ntwNm-tOogC |publisher=InterVarsity Press |year=1992 |page=442 |isbn=978-0-8308-1777-1}}</ref> The languages spoken in Galilee and Judea during the 1st century AD include ], ], and ], with Aramaic being predominant.<ref name="BarrLang">{{cite journal|first=James|last=Barr|title=Which language did Jesus speak|journal=Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester|year=1970|volume=53|issue=1|pages=9–29|url=https://www.escholar.manchester.ac.uk/uk-ac-man-scw:1m2973|doi=10.7227/BJRL.53.1.2|access-date=2019-06-29|archive-date=2018-12-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203184449/https://www.escholar.manchester.ac.uk/uk-ac-man-scw:1m2973|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Porter110">{{cite book|title=Handbook to exegesis of the New Testament|url=https://archive.org/details/handbooktoexeges00port|url-access=limited|first=Stanley E.|last= Porter|year= 1997| isbn= 978-90-04-09921-0 |publisher=Brill |pages= –12}}</ref> There is substantial consensus that Jesus gave most of his teachings in Aramaic<ref>{{cite book |first=James D.G. |last=Dunn |author-link=James Dunn (theologian) |title=Jesus Remembered |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-8028-3931-2 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G4qpnvoautgC |pages=313–315}}</ref> in the ].<ref name="Allen C. Myers">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary|title=Aramaic|quote=It is generally agreed that Aramaic was the common language of Israel in the first century AD. Jesus and his disciples spoke the Galilean dialect, which was distinguished from that of Jerusalem (Matt. 26:73).|page=72|isbn=0-8028-2402-1|editor=Allen C. Myers|location=Grand Rapids, Michigan|publisher=William B. Eerdmans|year=1987}}</ref><ref name="Encyclopedia">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/32043/Aramaic-language|title=Aramaic language|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref>
Some contemporary scholars focus on Jesus' parables, a type of teaching story found in the three synoptic gospels.


The canonical gospels describe Jesus wearing ] – the tassels on a ] – in {{bibleverse|Matthew|14:36|KJV}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.usccb.org/bible/mt/14:36 |title=Matthew 14:46 |access-date=2019-06-29 |archive-date=2020-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801152744/http://www.usccb.org/bible/mt/14:36 |url-status=live }}</ref> and {{bibleverse|Luke|8:43-44|KJV}}.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/8:43 |title=Luke 8:43-44 |access-date=2019-06-29 |archive-date=2020-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801140935/http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/8:43 |url-status=live }}</ref> Besides this, the New Testament includes no descriptions of Jesus' appearance before his death and the gospel narratives are generally indifferent to people's racial appearance or features.<ref>Robin M. Jensen "Jesus in Christian art", Chapter 29 of ''The Blackwell Companion to Jesus'' edited by Delbert Burkett 2010 {{ISBN|1-4051-9362-X}} page 477-502</ref><ref>''The likeness of the king: a prehistory of portraiture in late medieval France'' by Stephen Perkinson 2009 {{ISBN|0-226-65879-1}} page 30</ref><ref name="Kidd">{{cite book |author=Colin Kidd |year=2006 |title=The Forging of Races: Race and Scripture in the Protestant Atlantic World, 1600–2000 |publisher=] |location=Cambridge, UK |isbn=978-0-521-79324-7}}</ref>{{rp|48–51}}
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==Ministry==
=== Arrest, trial, and crucifixion ===
{{Main|Ministry of Jesus}}
{{see also|New Testament places associated with Jesus}}
], 1512]]
{{blockquote|style=margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;|''The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).''—John 10:10 (Ampl)}}
{{Quotation|style=margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;|Jesus seemed to have two basic concerns with reference to people and the material: (1) that they be freed from the tyranny of things and (2) that they be actively concerned for the needs of others.<ref name=Stagg/>}}


In the canonical gospels, the Ministry of Jesus begins with his baptism in the countryside of ], near the ] and ends in ], following the ].<ref name=Alister16 >McGrath, Alister E. ''Christianity: an introduction'', 2006 {{ISBN|978-1-4051-0901-7}}. pp. 16-22</ref> The ] (]) states that Jesus was "about 30 years of age" at the start of his ministry.<ref name=Kostenberger140 >], L. Scott Kellum. ''The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament'', 2009. {{ISBN|978-0-8054-4365-3}}. p. 114</ref><ref name=ChronosPaul >] "The Date of the Nativity and Chronology of Jesus" in Vardaman, Jerry and Edwin M. Yamauchi.''Chronos, kairos, Christos: nativity and chronological studies'', 1989. {{ISBN|0-931464-50-1}}. pp. 113-129</ref> The date of the start of his ministry has been estimated at around AD 27 to 29 and the end in the range AD 30 to 36.<ref name=Kostenberger140 /><ref name=ChronosPaul /><ref name=Barnett19 >Barnett, Paul. ''Jesus & the Rise of Early Christianity: A History of New Testament Times'', 2002. {{ISBN|0-8308-2699-8}}. pp. 19-21</ref><ref name="Sanders">{{Cite book | last = Sanders | first=E.P.|title=The Historical Figure of Jesus|year = 1993 | pages = 11, 249 |publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-0140144994 }}</ref>
According to the Gospels, Jesus, riding a colt, entered ] on a Sunday&mdash;celebrated now as ]&mdash;and was greeted by throngs of people waving ] branches, and shouting "]", or "Save, we pray".


Jesus' early Galilean ministry begins when after his baptism, he goes ] from his time in the ].<ref>Morris, Leon. ''The Gospel according to Matthew''. {{ISBN|0-85111-338-9}}. p. 71</ref> In this early period he preaches around Galilee and recruits ] who begin to travel with him and eventually form the core of the early Church.<ref name=Alister16 /><ref name=Redford117 >Redford, Douglas. ''The Life and Ministry of Jesus: The Gospels'', 2007 {{ISBN|0-7847-1900-4}}. pp. 117-130</ref> The major Galilean ministry which begins in ] includes the ], and covers most of the ministry of Jesus in Galilee.<ref>Ladd, George Eldon. ''A theology of the New Testament''. p. 324</ref><ref name=Redford143 >Redford, Douglas. ''The Life and Ministry of Jesus: The Gospels'', 2007. {{ISBN|0-7847-1900-4}}. pp. 143-160</ref> The final Galilean ministry begins after the ] as Jesus prepares to go to Jerusalem.<ref>Cox, Steven L., Kendell H Easley. ''Harmony of the Gospels'', 2007 {{ISBN|0-8054-9444-8}}. pp. 97-110</ref><ref name=Redford165 >Redford, Douglas. ''The Life and Ministry of Jesus: The Gospels'', 2007. {{ISBN|0-7847-1900-4}}. pp. 165-180</ref>
On Thursday of that week, he shared the ], and afterward took a walk to pray in the ], where he felt overwhelming sadness and anguish, and said "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have it." Then, a little while later, he said, "If this cup cannot pass by, but I must drink it, your will be done!"


In the later Judean ministry Jesus starts his final journey to Jerusalem through Judea.<ref name=KingsburyMark >Kingsbury, Jack Dean. ''The Christology of Mark's Gospel'', 1983 {{ISBN|0-8006-2337-1}}. pp. 91-95</ref><ref name=Barton132 >Barton, Stephen C. ''The Cambridge companion to the Gospels''. {{ISBN|0-521-00261-3}}. pp. 132-133</ref><ref>Cox, Steven L., Kendell H Easley. ''Harmony of the Gospels'', 2007 {{ISBN|0-8054-9444-8}}. pp. 121-135</ref><ref>Redford, Douglas. ''The Life and Ministry of Jesus: The Gospels'', 2007 {{ISBN|0-7847-1900-4}}. pp. 189-207</ref> As Jesus travels towards Jerusalem, in the later ] ministry, about one third the way down from the Sea of Galilee along the River Jordan, he returns to the area where he was baptized.<ref>Cox, Steven L., Kendell H. Easley. ''Harmony of the Gospels'', 2007 {{ISBN|0-8054-9444-8}}. p. 137</ref><ref>Redford, Douglas. ''The Life and Ministry of Jesus: The Gospels'', 2007. {{ISBN|0-7847-1900-4}}. pp. 211-229</ref><ref>Mills, Watson E. and Roger Aubrey Bullard. ''Mercer dictionary of the Bible'', 1998. {{ISBN|0-86554-373-9}}, p. 929</ref>
], one of Jesus' ], who had left in the middle of the Last Supper, had in the meantime betrayed Jesus by informing the Jewish authorities of his location. The authorities had decided to arrest Jesus, since some of them had come to consider him a threat to their power due to his growing popularity, his new interpretations of scripture, and his revelations of their hypocrisy. Judas and a group of men armed with swords and clubs then appeared, and Judas helped to identify Jesus by kissing him, a signal pre-arranged with them. Although one of the bystanders drew a sword, cutting off the ear of one of the armed men, Jesus rebuked the follower, saying, "Put your sword back, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword." Then the disciples deserted him and ran away, apart from Peter, who followed at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest (there he would disown Jesus three times). Jesus was brought before the ], and, after implying the affirmative when asked if he was the son of God, was handed over to ], the local governor (of ]) in the occupying Roman government.


The final ministry in Jerusalem is sometimes called the '']'' and begins with the Jesus' ].<ref name=Cox155>Cox, Steven L., Kendell H Easley. ''Harmony of the Gospels'', 2007 {{ISBN|0-8054-9444-8}}. p. 155-170</ref> The gospels provide more details about the final ministry than the other periods, devoting about one third of their text to the ].<ref name=Turner613 >Turner, David L. ''Matthew'', 2008. {{ISBN|0-8010-2684-9}}. p.613</ref>
Pilate asked Jesus whether he considered himself the "king of the Jews", which could have been considered sedition. Jesus replied, "It is you who say it." Pilate then allowed a crowd that had gathered to decide whether Jesus or ] should be released. The crowd decided to release Barrabas. Pilate, attempting to placate the crowd, had Jesus ], and some Roman soldiers fashioned a crown out of thorns and placed it on Jesus' head. The crowd demanded that Jesus be ], and Pilate relented.


==Teachings, parables and miracles==
That same day, having carried his own cross, Jesus was crucified on ], with a sign reading (in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek) ] placed on the cross upon the direction of Pilate. According to the Gospel of Luke, as he was crucified, Jesus said, "Father, ] them; they know not what they do." As he hung on the cross, he was mocked by passers-by, and, according to the Gospel of John, was visited by his mother and others, then died; his death was confirmed by a Roman soldier piercing his side with a ]. Christian legend states that the soldier's name was ], although the Gospels do not mention his name.
{{Main|Parables of Jesus|Miracles of Jesus}}
], 1056]]
{{blockquote|''The words that I say unto you I speak not from myself: but the Father who dwells in me does his works.'' — ]<ref name="autogenerated98" />}}
In the New Testament the teachings of Jesus are presented in terms of his "words and works".<ref name=Zuck100 /><ref name=WPent212 /> The words of Jesus include several sermons, in addition to parables that appear throughout the narrative of the Synoptic Gospels (the gospel of John includes no parables). The works include the miracles and other acts performed during his ministry.<ref name=WPent212 />


Although the ]s are the major source of the teachings of Jesus, the Pauline epistles, which were likely written decades before the gospels, provide some of the earliest written accounts of the teachings of Jesus.<ref name=Blomb442 >Blomberg, Craig L. ''Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey''. B & H Academic, 2009. {{ISBN|0-8054-4482-3}}. pp. 441-442</ref>
While hanging on the cross, the ] has Jesus asking, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Many readers find this theologically perplexing, believing that God left him to die on the cross. According to a common interpretation of the scriptures, ] was turning away from Jesus at this time because He was suffering in the place of sinners. Others recognise this as an exact quotation of the first verse of Psalm 22, a common way at the time to refer to an entire Psalm. That Psalm begins with cries of despair, but ends on a note of hope and trust in God's triumph and deliverance. It also contains several details that have been taken to apply to Jesus' crucifixion, such as the soldiers casting lots for Jesus' garments and leaving his bones unbroken. Still others consider "why hast thou forsaken me" to be a mistranslation of the original ]: they argue that a better translation is "for this I was kept" or "why hast thou let me to live?".


The New Testament does not present the teachings of Jesus as merely his own teachings, but equates the words of Jesus with divine revelation, with ] stating in ]: "For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit." and Jesus stating in ]: "My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me".<ref name="autogenerated98">Osborn, Eric Francis. ''The Emergence of Christian Theology''. Cambridge University Press, 1993. {{ISBN|978-0521430784}} p.98</ref><ref name=And108 >Köstenberger, Andreas J. ''The missions of Jesus and the disciples according to the Fourth Gospel''. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998. {{ISBN|0-8028-4255-0}} pages 108-109</ref> In ] Jesus claims divine knowledge, stating: "No one knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father except the Son", asserting the mutual knowledge he has with the Father.<ref name="Bromiley571"/><ref>Talbert, Charles H. ''Matthew''. Baker Academic, 2010. {{ISBN|0-8010-3192-3}} p. 149</ref>
The ], on the other hand, has Jesus in total control from the cross, saying "It is finished" upon his death, and instead of asking the "bitter cup" to be taken away from him while praying in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before, he actually asks for it in John's account.


One of the most important of ] teachings is his ] in ] and ]. There ] explained the signs of the ], popularly known as the ]. These are the days that precedes the ] of ], there he spoke of the signs of the end of days and what will happen to the believers in Christ, the ] and the troubles that will come upon the world. The second coming of Jesus is mainly divided into two, namely; the ] and the ]. The rapture being the time Jesus comes in the air to take up his saints to ] for a period of seven years and the second coming, being a time he comes with the ] to rule the ] for a thousand years. It is also referred to as the millennial reign.
=== Resurrection, Ascension, and Second Coming ===


===Discourses===
According to the ], he ] on the third day following his crucifixion and appeared to his disciples; the ] reports that forty days later he ascended bodily into ] and retains since then both of his natures, ]. ] letters to the ], ] and ], as well as the letter to the ] (traditionally attributed to Paul) claim that Jesus presently exercises all authority in heaven and on earth for the sake of the Church, until all of the earth is made subject to his rule through the preaching of the Gospel, see also the ]. Based on the ], Christians believe that ] from heaven at the end of the age, to ], and fulfill the rest of ].
{{See also|Five Discourses of Matthew|Sermon on the Mount|Beatitudes}}
]'' to his eleven remaining disciples after the ], from the '']'' by ]]]
The gospels include several discourses by Jesus on specific occasions, such as the ] delivered after the ], the night before his Crucifixion.<ref name=Gail142 >O'Day, Gail R., Susan Hylen. ''John (Westminster Bible Companion)'' Westminster John Knox Press, 2006. {{ISBN|978-0-664-25260-1}}, Chapter 15: The Farewell Discourse, pages 142-168</ref> Although some of the teachings of Jesus are reported as taking place within the formal atmosphere of a synagogue (e.g., in {{Bibleverse|Matthew|4:23|KJV
}}) many of the discourses are more like conversations than formal lectures.<ref name=Howick7 >Howick, E. Keith. ''The Sermons of Jesus the Messiah''. WindRiver Publishing, 2003. {{ISBN|978-1-886249-02-8}} pp. 7-9</ref>


The ] has a structured set of sermons, often grouped as the ] which present many of the key teachings of Jesus.<ref name=Cradle194 >Köstenberger, Andreas J.L. Scott Kellum, Charles L. Quarles. ''The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament''. B&H Academic, 2009. {{ISBN|978-0-8054-4365-3}}. pp. 194-196</ref><ref name=Keener37 >Keener, Craig S. ''The Gospel of Matthew''. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009. {{ISBN|978-0-8028-6498-7}}. pp. 37-38</ref> Each of the five discourses has some parallel passages in the ] or the ].<ref name=RTFrance >France, R.T. ''The Gospel of Matthew (New International Commentary on the New Testament)''. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-8028-2501-8}}. p.9</ref> The five discourses in Matthew begin with the ], which encapsulates many of the moral teachings of Jesus and which is one of the best known and most quoted elements of the New Testament.<ref name=Howick7 /><ref name="ReferenceA">Vaught, Carl G. ''The Sermon on the Mount: a Theological Investigation''. Baylor University Press; 2nd edition, 2001. {{ISBN|978-0-918954-76-3}}. pp. xi-xiv</ref> The Sermon on the Mount includes the '']'' which describe the character of the people of the ], expressed as "blessings".<ref>"Beatitudes." F. L. Cross (Editor), E. A. Livingstone (Editor). ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.'' New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. {{ISBN|978-0192802903}}</ref> The Beatitudes focus on love and humility rather than force and exaction and echo the key ideals of Jesus' teachings on spirituality and compassion.<ref name=Haste >Hastings, James. ''A Dictionary Of The Bible''. Oxford University Press, USA; 3rd Revised edition, 2005. {{ISBN|1-4102-1730-2}} pp.15-19</ref><ref name=Peace >Jegen, Carol Frances. ''Jesus the Peacemaker''. Sheed & Ward, 1986. {{ISBN|0-934134-36-7}}. pp. 68-71</ref><ref name=Synop >Majerník Ján, Joseph Ponessa, Laurie Watson Manhardt. ''The Synoptics: Matthew, Mark, Luke''. Sheed & Ward, 2005. {{ISBN|1-931018-31-6}}, pp.63-68</ref> The other discourses in Matthew include the ''Missionary Discourse'' in ] and the ''Discourse on the Church'' in ], providing instructions to the disciples and laying the foundation of the codes of conduct for the anticipated community of followers.<ref name=Toussaint >Toussaint, Stanley D. ''Behold the King: A Study of Matthew''. Kregel Academic & Professional, 2005. {{ISBN|0-8254-3845-4}}. pp.215-216</ref><ref>Jensen, Richard A. ''Preaching Matthew's Gospel''. CSS Publishing Company, 1998. {{ISBN|978-0-7880-1221-1}}. pp. 25 & 158</ref><ref>Chouinard, Larry. ''Matthew (The College Press NIV Commentary)''. College Press Publishing Company, 1997. {{ISBN|0-89900-628-0}}. p.321</ref>
In many sects of the ] (]), it is believed that Jesus appeared in the ] after his resurrection and taught some early Americans, whom ''The ]'' says were of Israelite descent.


===Parables===
==Miracles performed==
]. The ] is one of the parables of Jesus.]]
The ] represent a major component of his teachings in the gospels, the approximately thirty parables forming about one third of his recorded teachings.<ref name="Lockyer174">Lockyer, Herbert. ''All the Parables of the Bible''. Zondervan, 1988. {{ISBN|978-0-310-28111-5}}. p.174</ref><ref name="JDPentecost10">Pentecost, J. Dwight. ''The parables of Jesus: Lessons in Life from the Master Teacher''. Zondervan, 1998. {{ISBN|0-8254-3458-0}}. p.10</ref> The parables may appear within longer sermons, as well as other places within the narrative.<ref name=Howick7 /> Jesus' parables are seemingly simple and memorable stories, often with imagery, and each conveys a teaching which usually relates the physical world to the ] world.<ref name="Lisco9-11">Lisco, Friedrich Gustav, and Patrick Fairbairn. ''The parables of Jesus Explained and Illustrated Volume 29''. Nabu Press, 2010. {{ISBN|978-1149508398}}. pp.9-11</ref><ref>Oxenden, Ashton. ''The parables of our Lord.'' William Macintosh Publishers, London, 1864. ASIN: B008RW5N2S. p.6</ref>


In the 19th century, Lisco and ] stated that in the parables of Jesus, "the image borrowed from the visible world is accompanied by a truth from the invisible (spiritual) world" and that the parables of Jesus are not "mere similitudes which serve the purpose of illustration, but are internal analogies where nature becomes a witness for the spiritual world".<ref name="Lisco9-11"/> Similarly, in the 20th century, calling a parable "an earthly story with a heavenly meaning",<ref name="Barclay12"/> William Barclay states that the parables of Jesus use familiar examples to lead others' minds towards heavenly concepts. He suggests that Jesus did not form his parables merely as analogies but based on an "inward affinity between the natural and the spiritual order."<ref name="Barclay12">Barclay, William. ''The Parables of Jesus''. Westminster John Knox Press, 1999. {{ISBN|0-664-25828-X}} p.12.</ref>
''Main article:'' ]


One of the major reasons why Jesus spoke in parables to the ] was explained to the disciples of Jesus by Jesus himself. It is found in Matthew 13:13-14; there Jesus explains why he used much of parables to the people of ]. Jesus explained that it was so for the fulfillment of the prophecy of ] the prophet, and this is found in Isaiah 6:9-10. This was for the people of Israel not to understand and realize who Jesus is and accept him, he purposely did this to make provision for ]<ref>{{Citation|title=The Temple and Gentiles|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781472550286.ch-006|work=Attitudes to Gentiles in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity|year=2013 |publisher=Bloomsbury T&T Clark|doi=10.5040/9781472550286.ch-006 |isbn=978-0-56763-766-6 |access-date=2022-01-02}}</ref> to be part of the children of God.
] raised from the grave by Jesus''; a painting by the ] artist ] (c. ]).]]


Miracles performed by Jesus, according to the Gospels, include: === Miracles of Jesus ===
{{blockquote|''Believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father''. —]<ref>''The emergence of Christian theology'' by Eric Francis Osborn 1993 {{ISBN|0-521-43078-X}} page 100</ref>}}
In Christian teachings, the miracles of Jesus were as much a vehicle for his message as were his words. Many of the miracles emphasize the importance of faith, for instance in ],<ref>{{bibleverse|Lk|17:19}}</ref> Jesus did not say: "My power has saved you" but says "Rise and go; your faith has saved you."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Marthaler |first1=Berard L. |title=The creed: the apostolic faith in contemporary theology |url=https://archive.org/details/creedapostolicfa0000mart/page/220 |year=1993 |publisher=Twenty-Third Publications; 3rd Revised edition |isbn=0-89622-537-2 |page= }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1= Lockyer|first1=Herbert |title= All the Parables of the Bible|year=1988 |publisher= Zondervan|isbn=978-0-310-28111-5 |page=235}}</ref> Similarly, in the ] miracle, ] learns an important lesson about faith in that as his faith wavers, he begins to sink.<ref>{{bibleverse|Mt|14:34-36}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Perkins |first1=Pheme |title=Reading the New Testament: An Introduction |url=https://archive.org/details/readingnewtesta00perk/page/54 |year=1988 |publisher=Paulist Press |isbn=0-8091-2939-6 |page= }}</ref>


] in ''The Pool'' by ], 1592]]
* Turning water into wine for a wedding feast.
* Curing a sick child who was near death.
* Curing a lame man, a man with a virulent skin disease, a paralyzed man.
* Feeding a crowd of five thousand using only fives loaves of bread and two fish.
* Walking on water to reach his disciples who were in a boat (and enabling Peter to walk on water, also).
* Giving sight to a man born blind.
* Bringing a man (]) who had been dead for four days back to life.
* Appearing to ], ], and ] in a ] state, with unearthly, brilliant white clothes, and with ] and ].


One characteristic shared among all miracles of Jesus in the Gospel accounts is that he delivered benefits freely and never requested or accepted any form of payment for his healing miracles, unlike some high priests of his time who charged those who were healed.<ref name="Blomberg197" /> In ] he advised his disciples to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, and drive out demons without payment and stated: "Freely you have received; freely give".<ref name="Blomberg197">{{cite book |last1=Blomberg |first1=Craig L. |title=Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey |year=2009 |publisher=B & H Academic |isbn=978-0-8054-4482-7 |page=197}}</ref>
==Quotes==
''Main article:'' ]


Christians in general believe that Jesus' miracles were actual historical events and that his miraculous works were an important part of his life, attesting to his divinity and the ], i.e., the dual natures of Christ's humanity and divinity in one ]<ref name="Catholic Encyclopedia on Miracles">{{Cite web |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10338a.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia on Miracles |access-date=2011-10-14 |archive-date=2017-11-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116010649/http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10338a.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Christians believe that while Jesus' experiences of hunger, weariness, and death were evidences of his humanity, the miracles were evidences of his deity.<ref>Lockyer, Herbert. ''All the Parables of the Bible''. Zondervan, 1988. {{ISBN|978-0-310-28111-5}}. p.25</ref><ref>Brande, William Thomas, George William Cox. ''A dictionary of science, literature, & art''. London, 1867, also Published by Old Classics on Kindle, 2009, page 655</ref><ref>Ramm, Bernard L. ''An Evangelical Christology: Ecumenic and Historic''. Regent College Publishing, 1993. {{ISBN|1-57383-008-9}}. p.45</ref>
Well-known quotations attributed to Jesus in the Gospels include:
* ] ({{bibleref|Matthew|5:3-12}})
* ] ({{bibleref|Matthew|6:9-13}})
* "No one can be the slave of two masters... You cannot be the slave of both God and mammon." ({{bibleref|Matthew|6:24}}) (])
* ] ({{bibleref|Matthew|7:1}})
* "Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls in front of pigs..." ({{bibleref|Matthew|7:6}})
* "Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find." ({{bibleref|Matthew|7:7}})
* "Enter by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to destruction is wide and spacious, and many take it." ({{bibleref|Matthew|7:13}})
* "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth: it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword... A person's enemies will be the members of his own household." ({{bibleref|Matthew|10:34}})
* "Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (the ] - {{bibleref|Matthew|11:28}})
* "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for someone rich to enter the kingdom of Heaven." ({{bibleref|matthew|19:24}})
* "] what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God." ({{bibleref|Matthew|22:21}})
* "The spirit is willing enough, but human nature is weak." ({{bibleref|Matthew|26:41}})
* "Love your enemies, do good to those who treat you badly. To anyone who slaps you on one cheek, present the other cheek as well". ({{bibleref|Luke|6:27}})
* "Why do you observe the splinter in your brother's eye and never notice the great log in your own?" ({{bibleref|Luke|6:41}})
* "I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the light of life." ({{bibleref|John|8:12}})
* "I am the Way; I am Truth and Life. No one can come to the Father except through me." ({{bibleref|John|14:6}})
* "Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give to you, a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you." ({{bibleref|John|14:27}})


Christian authors also view the miracles of Jesus not merely as acts of power and omnipotence, but as works of love and mercy: they were performed to show compassion for sinful and suffering humanity.<ref name="Catholic Encyclopedia on Miracles" /> Authors Ken and Jim Stocker state that "every single miracle Jesus performed was an act of love".<ref>Stocker, Ken. Jim Stocker. ''Facts, Faith, and the FAQs''. Xulon Press, 2006. {{ISBN|978-1600347535}}. p.139</ref> And each miracle involves specific teachings.<ref>Maguire, Robert. ''The Miracles of Christ''. Ulan Press, 2012. ASIN: B009QMIYOW. p.133</ref><ref>Wiersbe, Warren W. ''Classic Sermons on the Miracles of Jesus''. Kregel Academic & Professional, 1995. {{ISBN|0-8254-3999-X}}. p.132</ref>
== Christology ==
{{main|Christology}}


Since according to the ]<ref>{{bibleverse|Jn|20:30||20:30}}</ref> it was impossible to narrate all the miracles performed by Jesus, the '']'' states that the miracles presented in the Gospels were selected for a twofold reason: first for the manifestation of God's glory, and then for their evidential value. Jesus referred to his "works" as evidences of his mission and his divinity, and in {{Bibleref2|John|5:36}} he declared that his miracles have greater evidential value than the testimony of ].<ref name="Catholic Encyclopedia on Miracles" />
'''Christology''' is that part of ] ] that studies and defines who Jesus Christ is. It is generally less concerned with the minor details of his life; rather it deals with who he was, the ], and the major events of his life (his birth, death, and resurrection), and the nature of miracles.


==Crucifixion and atonement==
Christology may also cover questions concerning the ], and what, if anything, Christ accomplished for the rest of humanity. There are almost as many Christological views as there are variants of Christianity. The different Christological views of various Christian sects have led to ] by ]s, accusations of ], and subsequent ].
{{see also|Lamb of God}}
{{Christology}}
The accounts of the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection of Jesus provide a rich background for ] analysis, from the ] to the Pauline epistles.<ref>Powell, Mark Allan (ed.) and David R. Bauer (ed.). ''Who do you say that I am? Essays on Christology''. Westminster John Knox Press, 1999. {{ISBN|0-664-25752-6}}. p.106</ref>


] "agency christology" combines the concept that Jesus is the Son of his Father with the idea that he has come into the world as his Father's agent, commissioned and sent by the Father to represent the Father and to accomplish his Father's work. Implied in each Synoptic portrayal of Jesus is the doctrine that the salvation Jesus gives is inseparable from Jesus himself and his divine identity. Sonship and agency come together in the Synoptic gospels only in the Parable of the Vineyard ({{Bibleref2|Matthew|21:37}}; {{Bibleref2|Mark|12:6}}; {{Bibleref2|Luke|20:13}}).<ref>Bauckhman, Richard. "The Johannine Jesus and the Synoptic Jesus". {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107005638/http://richardbauckham.co.uk/uploads/Accessible/Johannine%20Jessus%20%26%20Synoptic%20Jesus.pdf|date=2017-11-07}} 2 May 2013</ref> The submission of Jesus to crucifixion is a sacrifice made as an ''agent of God'' or ''servant of God'', for the sake of eventual victory.<ref name=Cullmann >{{cite book |last1= Cullmann|first1=Oscar |title= The Christology of the New Testament|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vc_cPAAACAAJ|year=1959 |publisher= Westminster John Knox Press|isbn=0-664-24351-7 |page=79}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Sadananda |first1=Rathnakara Sadananda |title= The Johannine exegesis of God: An Exploration into the Johannine Understanding Of God|year=2004 |publisher=Walter De Gruyter Inc |isbn=3-11-018248-3 |page=281}}</ref> This builds upon the ] theme of the ] which begins in ] with ]'s proclamation: "The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world".<ref name=Pollard >{{cite book |last1=Pollard |first1=T. E. |title=Johannine Christology and the Early Church |url=https://archive.org/details/johanninechristo00poll|url-access=limited |year=2005 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0-521-01868-4 |page=}}</ref><ref name=Hengel371 >{{cite book |last1=Hengel |first1=Martin |title= Studies in Early Christology|year=2004 |publisher=T&T Clark |isbn=0-567-04280-4 |page=371}}</ref> Further reinforcement of the concept is provided in ], where the "lamb slain but standing" is the only one worthy of handling the scroll (i.e., the book) containing the names of those who are to be saved.<ref name=DeHaan >{{cite book |last1=De Haan |first1=M. R. |title=Studies in Revelation |year=1998 |publisher=Kregel Classics |isbn=978-0825424854 |page=103}}</ref>
== Differences in interpretation ==


A central element in the Christology presented in the ] is the affirmation of the belief that the death of Jesus by crucifixion happened "with the foreknowledge of God, according to a definite plan".<ref name=Matera67 >{{cite book |last1=Matera |first1=Frank J. |title=New Testament Christology |url=https://archive.org/details/newtestamentchri0000mate/page/67 |year=1999 |publisher=Kregel Classics |isbn=0-664-25694-5 |page= }}</ref> In this view, as in ], the cross is not viewed as a scandal, for the Crucifixion of Jesus "at the hands of the lawless" is viewed as the fulfilment of the plan of God.<ref name=Matera67 /><ref>''The speeches in Acts: their content, context, and concerns'' by Marion L. Soards 1994 {{ISBN|0-664-25221-4}} page 34</ref>
In different areas some prophetic claims from the New Testament do not appear to match Old Testament references in most modern day Christian Bibles. It should be noted that the sources used for translation have different languages from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Early Christians, and some Christians today, relied on the ], a Greek translation of the Old Testament that was popular in Jewish Alexandrian communities at the time of Jesus. Much prophetic quoting from the New Testament matches this text. Since most modern Christian Bibles translate from the later Hebrew ], there can be some confusion as to why there are subtle wording differences unless this difference is understood.


Paul's Christology has a specific focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus. For Paul, Jesus' crucifixion is directly related to his resurrection and the term "the cross of Christ" used in ] may be viewed as his abbreviation of the message of the gospels.<ref name=Schwarz132 >{{cite book |last1=Schwarz |first1=Hans |title=Christology |year=1998 |isbn=0-8028-4463-4 |pages=132–134}}</ref> For Paul, the Crucifixion of Jesus was not an isolated event in history, but a cosmic event with significant ] consequences, as in ].<ref name=Schwarz132 /> In the Pauline view, Jesus, obedient to the point of death (]), died "at the right time" (]) based on the plan of God.<ref name=Schwarz132 /> For Paul, the "power of the cross" is inseparable from the resurrection of his Lord.<ref name=Schwarz132 />
Jesus of ] came to be seen as a possible Messiah (or Greek ''Khristos'', thus the appellation "Jesus the Christ") to the Jews, and some believed this and followed him. This caused a division in the Jewish religion; those who followed Jesus were eventually called (at first pejoratively) ]s, see also ]. Jews then and now interpreted the prophecies to mean a great political or military leader, who would liberate them from the oppressive ] rule. Jesus was accepted as a messiah mainly by non-Jewish ] in the Roman Empire, though there was for a time a ] sect, sometimes called the ] and ]. Most Christians believe Jesus ] to fulfil the rest of ].


] supported the "agent of God" Christology and argued that in his trial in ] Jesus could have successfully argued for his innocence, but instead submitted to crucifixion in obedience to the Father.<ref name=CalvinC >{{cite book |last1=Edmondson |first1=Edmondson |title=Calvin's Christology |url=https://archive.org/details/calvinschristolo00edmo_868|url-access=limited |year=2004 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0-521-54154-9 |page=}}</ref><ref>''The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures'' by ] 2002 {{ISBN|0-8028-4775-7}} page 125</ref> This Christological theme continued into the 20th century, both in the ] and ]es. In the Eastern Church ] argued that the Crucifixion of Jesus was "]" determined by the Father before the creation of the world, to redeem humanity from the disgrace caused by the fall of Adam.<ref name=SBulgakov >{{cite book |last1= Bulgakov |first1= Sergei |last2=Jakim |first2=Boris |title=The Lamb of God |year= 2008 |publisher= Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company|isbn=978-0-8028-2779-1 |page=129}}</ref> In the Western Church, ] elaborated on the analogy that the blood of the Lamb of God (and the water from the side of Jesus) shed at the Crucifixion had a cleansing nature, similar to baptismal water.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rahner |first1=Karl |title=Encyclopedia of theology: a concise Sacramentum mundi |year=2004 |publisher=Burns & Oates |isbn=0-86012-006-6 |page=74}}</ref>
Muslims believe in their holy Qur'an and what it says about Jesus, which is that he was a prophet. Muslims believe that Jesus could perform miracles, but they reject any concept about Trinities of God, and often quote the ], 5.72-75 when discussing the subject of Christian views of Jesus. {{fact}}


] believe that the Crucifixion was the culmination of Christ's atonement, which began in the ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/gs/gethsemane?lang=eng|title=churchofjesuschrist.org - Gethsemane}}</ref>
==See also==
*]
*]
*]


==Resurrection, Ascension, and Second Coming==
==External links==
{{Main|Resurrection of Jesus|Ascension of Jesus|Second Coming of Christ}}
* ], "''''". ISBN 0788605887
{{See also|Resurrection of Jesus in Christian art|Ascension of Jesus in Christian art}}
* "''''". GodAndScience.org.
] ('']'' by ], 1499–1502).]]
* Domínguez, J., "''''". Jan. 26, 2004. (Public domain text)
The New Testament teaches that the Resurrection of Jesus is a foundation of the Christian faith.<ref>{{bibleverse|1cor|15:12-20||1 Cor 15:12-20}}, {{bibleverse|1Peter|1:3|HCSB|1 Pet 1:3}}</ref> Christians, through ] in the working of God<ref>{{bibleverse|Colossians|2:12||Col 2:12}}</ref> are spiritually resurrected with Jesus, and are ] so that they may walk in a new way of life.<ref>{{bibleverse|Rom|6:4}}</ref>
* "''''". BiblePlus.


In the teachings of the ], Jesus' resurrection was seen as heralding a ]. Forming a theology of the resurrection fell to ]. It was not enough for Paul to simply repeat elementary teachings, but as {{bibleverse|Hebrews|6:1|NIV}} states, "go beyond the initial teachings about Christ and advance to maturity". Fundamental to Pauline theology is the connection between Christ's resurrection and redemption.<ref>''The creed: the apostolic faith in contemporary theology'' by Berard L. Marthaler 2007 {{ISBN|0-89622-537-2}} page 361</ref> Paul explained the importance of the resurrection of Jesus as the cause and basis of the hope of Christians to share a similar experience in {{bibleverse|1cor|15:20-22|NIV|1 Cor 15:20-22}}:
]
<blockquote>
]
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.</blockquote>
]
]


If the cross stands at the center of Paul's theology, so does the resurrection: unless the one died the death of ''all'', the ''all'' would have little to celebrate in the Resurrection of the one.<ref>Dunn, James D. G. ''Theology of Paul the Apostle''. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2003. {{ISBN|978-0802844231}}. p. 235</ref> Paul taught that, just as Christians share in Jesus' death in baptism, so they will share in his resurrection<ref name = "Ehrman 2006"/> for Jesus was designated the Son of God by his Resurrection.<ref>{{bibleverse|Rom.|1:4}}</ref><ref name = "Ehrman 2006">Ehrman, Bart. Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene: The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend. Oxford University Press, USA. 2006. {{ISBN|0-19-530013-0}}</ref> Paul's views went against the thoughts of the Greek philosophers to whom a bodily resurrection meant a new imprisonment in a corporeal body, which was what they wanted to avoid, given that for them the corporeal and the material fettered the spirit.<ref>Reichelt, Karl Ludvig and Sverre Holth. ''Meditation and Piety in the Far East'', 2004. {{ISBN|0-227-17235-3}} p.30</ref> At the same time, Paul believed that the newly resurrected body would be a ]—immortal, glorified and powerful, in contrast to an earthly body which is mortal, dishonored and weak.<ref>{{Bibleref2|1cor|15:42-49||1 Corinthians 15:42-49}}</ref>
]

]
The ], discussed the death and resurrection of Jesus, including ] (50−115),<ref>Ignatius makes many passing references, but two extended discussions are found in the ] and the ].</ref> ] (69−155), and ] (100−165).<ref>''Dialogue with Trypho'', critical edition by Philippe Bobichon : ''Dialogue avec Tryphon''. Vol. I, Editions universitaires de Fribourg, 2003, 45, 1-4 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402145537/https://www.academia.edu/7280008/JUSTIN_MARTYR_Dialogue_avec_Tryphon_Dialogue_with_Trypho_%C3%A9dition_critique_VOLUME_I_Introduction_Texte_grec_Traduction_Coll_Paradosis_%C3%A9ditions_universitaires_de_Fribourg_Suisse_no_47_1_2003_563_pages |date=2021-04-02 }}</ref> Following the ] and the liberating ] in 313, the ] of the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries, that focused on Christology helped shape the Christian understanding of the redemptive nature of resurrection, and influenced both the development of its iconography, and its use within ].<ref>''The Resurrection and the icon'' by Michel Quenot 1998 {{ISBN|0-88141-149-3}} page 72</ref>
]

]
== Nontrinitarian perspectives ==
]
{{Further|Nontrinitarianism}}
The doctrine of the Trinity, including the belief that Jesus is a ] of the Trinity, is not universally accepted among Christians.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Antitrinitarianism| url=http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/A597.html| last=Friedmann|first=Robert| encyclopedia=Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia |access-date=October 24, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{CathEncy|wstitle=Blessed Trinity|first=George H. |last= Joyce}}</ref> Nontrinitarian Christian groups include ],<ref>{{citation |title= Mormonism 101: What is Mormonism |url= http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormonism-101 |work= MormonNewsroom.org |publisher= LDS Church |access-date= October 21, 2014 |date= October 13, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141021175426/http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormonism-101 |archive-date= October 21, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ] and ].<ref>"Antitrinitarianism." F. L. Cross (Editor), E. A. Livingstone (Editor). ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.'' New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. {{ISBN|978-0192802903}}</ref> Though modern nontrinitarian groups all reject the doctrine of the Trinity, their views still differ widely on the nature of Jesus. Some do not believe that Jesus is God, instead believing that he was a messenger from God, or prophet, or the perfect created human. This is the view espoused by ancient sects such as the ],<ref>{{Cite book| author = Hyam Maccoby| title = The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity| pages = 172–183| publisher = HarperCollins | year = 1987 | isbn = 0-06-250585-8| author-link = Hyam Maccoby}}</ref> and modern-day Unitarians.<ref>{{cite book |first=David |last=Miano |title=An Explanation of Unitarian Christianity |publisher=AUC |year=2003 |page=15 |url=http://americanunitarian.org/explanation.htm |access-date=2020-06-06 |archive-date=2019-05-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521191654/http://www.americanunitarian.org/explanation.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Christianity}}
* {{annotated link|Chronology of Jesus}}
* {{annotated link|Gospel harmony}}
* {{annotated link|Great Commission}}
* {{annotated link|Holy Name of Jesus}}
* {{annotated link|Jesus in comparative mythology}}
* {{annotated link|Jesus in Islam}}
* {{annotated link|Judaism's view of Jesus}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|chapter=]|title=A Complete Catechism of the Catholic Religion|year=1912|publisher=Schwartz, Kirwin & Fauss|first= Joseph|last=Deharbe|translator=Rev. John Fander}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Jesus footer|state=collapsed}}
{{New Testament people}}
{{Catholic Church footer}}
{{Christianity footer}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christian Views Of Jesus}}
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Latest revision as of 10:39, 11 December 2024

Jesus as seen in the Christian tradition
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a holy site in Jerusalem believed by most Christians to encompass the tomb of Jesus and the site of his crucifixion and resurrection.
Part of a series on
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In Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God as chronicled in the Bible's New Testament, and in most Christian denominations he is held to be God the Son, a prosopon (Person) of the Trinity of God. Christians believe him to be the messiah (giving him the title Christ), who was prophesied in the Bible's Old Testament. Through Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection, Christians believe that God offers humans salvation and eternal life, with Jesus's death atoning for all sin.

These teachings emphasize that as the Lamb of God, Jesus chose to suffer nailed to the cross at Calvary as a sign of his obedience to the will of God, as an "agent and servant of God". Jesus's choice positions him as a man of obedience, in contrast to Adam's disobedience. According to the New Testament, after God raised him from the dead, Jesus ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father, with his followers awaiting his return to Earth and God's subsequent Last Judgment.

According to the gospel accounts, Jesus was born of a virgin, and he taught other Jews how to follow God (sometimes using parables), performed miracles and gathered disciples. Christians generally believe that this narrative is historically true.

While there has been theological debate over the nature of Jesus, Trinitarian Christians believe that Jesus is the Logos, God incarnate (God in human form), God the Son, and "true God and true man"—fully divine and fully human. Jesus, having become fully human in all respects, suffered the pains and temptations of a mortal man, yet he did not sin.

Core teachings

Although Christian views of Jesus vary, it is possible to summarise the key elements of the beliefs shared by major Christian denominations by analysing their catechetical or confessional texts. Christian views of Jesus are derived from various biblical sources, particularly from the canonical gospels and New Testament letters such as the Paul epistles. Christians predominantly hold that these works are historically true.

Those Christian groups or denominations which are committed to what are considered biblically orthodox Christianity nearly all agree that Jesus:

  • was born of a virgin;
  • is a human being who is also fully God;
  • has never sinned during his existence;
  • was crucified, died, and was buried in a tomb;
  • rose from the dead on the third day;
  • ascended back to God the Father 40 days after his resurrection;
  • will return to Earth.

Some groups considered to be Christian hold beliefs that are considered to be heterodox. For example, believers in monophysitism reject the idea that Christ has two natures, one human and one divine.

The five major milestones in the gospel narrative of the life of Jesus are his baptism, transfiguration, death by crucifixion, resurrection and ascension to Heaven. These are usually bracketed by two other episodes: his nativity at the beginning and the sending of the Paraclete (Holy Spirit) at the end. The gospel accounts of the teachings of Jesus are often presented in terms of specific categories involving his "works and words", e.g., his ministry, parables and miracles.

Christians not only attach theological significance to the works of Jesus, but also to his name. Devotions to the name of Jesus go back to the earliest days of Christianity. These exist today both in Eastern and Western Christianity.

Christians predominantly profess that through Jesus' life, death, and rising from the dead, he restored humanity's right relationship with God with the blood of the New Covenant. His death on a cross is understood as a redemptive sacrifice: the source of humanity's salvation and the atonement for sin which had entered human history through the sin of Adam.

Christ, Logos and Son of God

First page of Mark, by Sargis Pitsak (14th century): "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God".

But who do you say that I am? Only Simon Peter answered him: You are the Christ, the Son of the living GodMatthew 16:15-16

Jesus is mediator, but the title means more than someone between God and man. He is not just a third party between God and humanity. As true God he brings God to mankind. As true man he brings mankind to God.

Most Christians generally consider Jesus to be the Christ, the long-awaited Messiah, as well as the one and only Son of God. The opening words in the Gospel of Mark (1:1), "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God", provide Jesus with the two distinct attributions as Christ and as the Son of God. His divinity is again re-affirmed in Mark 1:11. Matthew 1:1 which begins by calling Jesus the Christ and in verse 16 explains it again with the affirmation: "Jesus, who is called Christ".

In the Pauline epistles, the word Christ is so closely associated with Jesus that apparently for the early Christians there was no need to claim that Jesus was Christ, for that was considered widely accepted among them. Hence Paul could use the term Christos with no confusion about who it referred to, and as in 1 Corinthians 4:15 and Romans 12:5 he could use expressions such as "in Christ" to refer to the followers of Jesus.

In the New Testament, the title "Son of God" is applied to Jesus on many occasions, from the Annunciation up to the Crucifixion. The declaration that Jesus is the Son of God is made by many individuals in the New Testament, and on two occasions by God the Father as a voice from Heaven, and is asserted by Jesus himself.

In Christology, the concept that Christ is the Logos (i.e., "The Word") has been important in establishing the doctrine of the divinity of Christ and his position as God the Son in the Trinity as set forth in the Chalcedonian Creed. This derives from the opening of the Gospel of John, commonly translated into English as: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." λόγος in the original Koine Greek is translated as Word and in theological discourse, this is often left in its English transliterated form, Logos. The easiest way to understand this is the teaching that Jesus (The Word of God) came from the bosom of God the Father and became a living being who then translated into a foetus in the womb of (Virgin Mary) through a supernatural means, as professed by believers in Christ.

The pre-existence of Christ refers to the existence of Christ before his incarnation as Jesus. One of the relevant New Testament passages is John 1:1-18 where, in the Trinitarian view, Christ is identified with a pre-existent divine hypostasis called the Logos or Word. This doctrine is reiterated in John 17:5 when Jesus refers to the glory which he had with the Father "before the world was" during the Farewell Discourse. John 17:24 also refers to the Father loving Jesus "before the foundation of the world". Nontrinitarian views about the pre-existence of Christ vary, with some rejecting it and others accepting it.

Following the Apostolic Age, from the 2nd century forward, several controversies developed about how the human and divine are related within the person of Jesus. Eventually in 451, the concept of a hypostatic union was stated at the Council of Chalcedon, namely that Jesus is both fully divine and fully human. However, differences among Christian denominations continued thereafter, with some rejecting the hypostatic union in favor of monophysitism.

Incarnation, Nativity and Second Adam

Main articles: Incarnation (Christianity), Nativity of Jesus, and Second Adam
Nativity at Night, by Geertgen tot Sint Jans, c. 1490

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. — Colossians 1:15-16

The above verse from Colossians regards the birth of Jesus as the model for all creation.

Paul the Apostle viewed the birth of Jesus as an event of cosmic significance which brought forth a "new man" who undid the damage caused by the fall of the first man, Adam. Just as the Johannine view of Jesus as the incarnate Logos proclaims the universal relevance of his birth, the Pauline perspective emphasizes the birth of a new man and a new world in the birth of Jesus. Paul's eschatological view of Jesus counter-positions him as a new man of morality and obedience, in contrast to Adam. Unlike Adam, the new man born in Jesus obeys God and ushers in a world of morality and salvation.

In the Pauline view, Adam is positioned as the first man and Jesus as the second: Adam, having corrupted himself by his disobedience, also infected humanity and left it with a curse as its inheritance. The birth of Jesus counterbalanced the fall of Adam, bringing forth redemption and repairing the damage done by Adam.

In the 2nd century Church Father Irenaeus writes:

"When He became incarnate and was made man, He commenced afresh the long line of human beings, and furnished us, in a brief, comprehensive manner, with salvation; so that what we had lost in Adam—namely to be according to the image and likeness of God- that we might recover in Christ Jesus."

In patristic theology, Paul's contrasting of Jesus as the new man versus Adam provided a framework for discussing the uniqueness of the birth of Jesus and the ensuing events of his life. The nativity of Jesus thus began to serve as the starting point for "cosmic Christology" in which the birth, life and resurrection of Jesus have universal implications. The concept of Jesus as the "new man" repeats in the cycle of birth and rebirth of Jesus from his nativity to his resurrection: following his birth, through his morality and obedience to the Father, Jesus began a "new harmony" in the relationship between God the Father and man. The nativity and resurrection of Jesus thus created the author and exemplar of a new humanity. In this view, the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus brought about salvation, undoing the damage of Adam.

As the biological son of David, Jesus would be of the Jewish race, ethnicity, nation, and culture. One argument against this would be a contradiction in Jesus' genealogies: Matthew saying he is the son of Solomon and Luke saying he is the son of Nathan—Solomon and Nathan being brothers. John of Damascus taught that there is no contradiction, for Nathan wed Solomon's wife after Solomon died in accordance with scripture, namely, yibbum (the mitzvah that a man must marry his brother's childless widow).

Jesus grew up in Galilee and much of his ministry took place there. The languages spoken in Galilee and Judea during the 1st century AD include Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek, with Aramaic being predominant. There is substantial consensus that Jesus gave most of his teachings in Aramaic in the Galilean dialect.

The canonical gospels describe Jesus wearing tzitzit – the tassels on a tallit – in Matthew 14:36 and Luke 8:43–44. Besides this, the New Testament includes no descriptions of Jesus' appearance before his death and the gospel narratives are generally indifferent to people's racial appearance or features.

Ministry

Main article: Ministry of Jesus See also: New Testament places associated with Jesus
The Communion of the Apostles, by Luca Signorelli, 1512

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).—John 10:10 (Ampl)

Jesus seemed to have two basic concerns with reference to people and the material: (1) that they be freed from the tyranny of things and (2) that they be actively concerned for the needs of others.

In the canonical gospels, the Ministry of Jesus begins with his baptism in the countryside of Judea, near the River Jordan and ends in Jerusalem, following the Last Supper. The Gospel of Luke (3:23) states that Jesus was "about 30 years of age" at the start of his ministry. The date of the start of his ministry has been estimated at around AD 27 to 29 and the end in the range AD 30 to 36.

Jesus' early Galilean ministry begins when after his baptism, he goes back to Galilee from his time in the Judean desert. In this early period he preaches around Galilee and recruits his first disciples who begin to travel with him and eventually form the core of the early Church. The major Galilean ministry which begins in Matthew 8 includes the commissioning of the Twelve Apostles, and covers most of the ministry of Jesus in Galilee. The final Galilean ministry begins after the death of John the Baptist as Jesus prepares to go to Jerusalem.

In the later Judean ministry Jesus starts his final journey to Jerusalem through Judea. As Jesus travels towards Jerusalem, in the later Perean ministry, about one third the way down from the Sea of Galilee along the River Jordan, he returns to the area where he was baptized.

The final ministry in Jerusalem is sometimes called the Passion Week and begins with the Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The gospels provide more details about the final ministry than the other periods, devoting about one third of their text to the last week of the life of Jesus in Jerusalem.

Teachings, parables and miracles

Main articles: Parables of Jesus and Miracles of Jesus
A Gospel of John, 1056

The words that I say unto you I speak not from myself: but the Father who dwells in me does his works.John 14:10

In the New Testament the teachings of Jesus are presented in terms of his "words and works". The words of Jesus include several sermons, in addition to parables that appear throughout the narrative of the Synoptic Gospels (the gospel of John includes no parables). The works include the miracles and other acts performed during his ministry.

Although the Canonical Gospels are the major source of the teachings of Jesus, the Pauline epistles, which were likely written decades before the gospels, provide some of the earliest written accounts of the teachings of Jesus.

The New Testament does not present the teachings of Jesus as merely his own teachings, but equates the words of Jesus with divine revelation, with John the Baptist stating in John 3:34: "For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit." and Jesus stating in John 7:16: "My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me". In Matthew 11:27 Jesus claims divine knowledge, stating: "No one knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father except the Son", asserting the mutual knowledge he has with the Father.

One of the most important of Jesus' teachings is his second coming in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. There Jesus explained the signs of the last days, popularly known as the end-time. These are the days that precedes the second coming of Jesus Christ, there he spoke of the signs of the end of days and what will happen to the believers in Christ, the persecution and the troubles that will come upon the world. The second coming of Jesus is mainly divided into two, namely; the Rapture and the Second Coming. The rapture being the time Jesus comes in the air to take up his saints to Heaven for a period of seven years and the second coming, being a time he comes with the saints to rule the earth for a thousand years. It is also referred to as the millennial reign.

Discourses

See also: Five Discourses of Matthew, Sermon on the Mount, and Beatitudes
Jesus' Farewell Discourse to his eleven remaining disciples after the Last Supper, from the Maestà by Duccio

The gospels include several discourses by Jesus on specific occasions, such as the Farewell Discourse delivered after the Last Supper, the night before his Crucifixion. Although some of the teachings of Jesus are reported as taking place within the formal atmosphere of a synagogue (e.g., in Matthew 4:23) many of the discourses are more like conversations than formal lectures.

The Gospel of Matthew has a structured set of sermons, often grouped as the Five Discourses of Matthew which present many of the key teachings of Jesus. Each of the five discourses has some parallel passages in the Gospel of Mark or the Gospel of Luke. The five discourses in Matthew begin with the Sermon on the Mount, which encapsulates many of the moral teachings of Jesus and which is one of the best known and most quoted elements of the New Testament. The Sermon on the Mount includes the Beatitudes which describe the character of the people of the Kingdom of God, expressed as "blessings". The Beatitudes focus on love and humility rather than force and exaction and echo the key ideals of Jesus' teachings on spirituality and compassion. The other discourses in Matthew include the Missionary Discourse in Matthew 10 and the Discourse on the Church in Matthew 18, providing instructions to the disciples and laying the foundation of the codes of conduct for the anticipated community of followers.

Parables

The Good Samaritan is a painting by James Tissot. The Parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the parables of Jesus.

The parables of Jesus represent a major component of his teachings in the gospels, the approximately thirty parables forming about one third of his recorded teachings. The parables may appear within longer sermons, as well as other places within the narrative. Jesus' parables are seemingly simple and memorable stories, often with imagery, and each conveys a teaching which usually relates the physical world to the spiritual world.

In the 19th century, Lisco and Fairbairn stated that in the parables of Jesus, "the image borrowed from the visible world is accompanied by a truth from the invisible (spiritual) world" and that the parables of Jesus are not "mere similitudes which serve the purpose of illustration, but are internal analogies where nature becomes a witness for the spiritual world". Similarly, in the 20th century, calling a parable "an earthly story with a heavenly meaning", William Barclay states that the parables of Jesus use familiar examples to lead others' minds towards heavenly concepts. He suggests that Jesus did not form his parables merely as analogies but based on an "inward affinity between the natural and the spiritual order."

One of the major reasons why Jesus spoke in parables to the Jews was explained to the disciples of Jesus by Jesus himself. It is found in Matthew 13:13-14; there Jesus explains why he used much of parables to the people of Israel. Jesus explained that it was so for the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah the prophet, and this is found in Isaiah 6:9-10. This was for the people of Israel not to understand and realize who Jesus is and accept him, he purposely did this to make provision for Gentiles to be part of the children of God.

Miracles of Jesus

Believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father. —John 10:38

In Christian teachings, the miracles of Jesus were as much a vehicle for his message as were his words. Many of the miracles emphasize the importance of faith, for instance in cleansing ten lepers, Jesus did not say: "My power has saved you" but says "Rise and go; your faith has saved you." Similarly, in the Walking on Water miracle, Apostle Peter learns an important lesson about faith in that as his faith wavers, he begins to sink.

Jesus healing the paralytic in The Pool by Palma il Giovane, 1592

One characteristic shared among all miracles of Jesus in the Gospel accounts is that he delivered benefits freely and never requested or accepted any form of payment for his healing miracles, unlike some high priests of his time who charged those who were healed. In Matthew 10:8 he advised his disciples to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, and drive out demons without payment and stated: "Freely you have received; freely give".

Christians in general believe that Jesus' miracles were actual historical events and that his miraculous works were an important part of his life, attesting to his divinity and the Hypostatic union, i.e., the dual natures of Christ's humanity and divinity in one hypostasis. Christians believe that while Jesus' experiences of hunger, weariness, and death were evidences of his humanity, the miracles were evidences of his deity.

Christian authors also view the miracles of Jesus not merely as acts of power and omnipotence, but as works of love and mercy: they were performed to show compassion for sinful and suffering humanity. Authors Ken and Jim Stocker state that "every single miracle Jesus performed was an act of love". And each miracle involves specific teachings.

Since according to the Gospel of John it was impossible to narrate all the miracles performed by Jesus, the Catholic Encyclopedia states that the miracles presented in the Gospels were selected for a twofold reason: first for the manifestation of God's glory, and then for their evidential value. Jesus referred to his "works" as evidences of his mission and his divinity, and in John 5:36 he declared that his miracles have greater evidential value than the testimony of John the Baptist.

Crucifixion and atonement

See also: Lamb of God
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The accounts of the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection of Jesus provide a rich background for Christological analysis, from the canonical gospels to the Pauline epistles.

Johannine "agency christology" combines the concept that Jesus is the Son of his Father with the idea that he has come into the world as his Father's agent, commissioned and sent by the Father to represent the Father and to accomplish his Father's work. Implied in each Synoptic portrayal of Jesus is the doctrine that the salvation Jesus gives is inseparable from Jesus himself and his divine identity. Sonship and agency come together in the Synoptic gospels only in the Parable of the Vineyard (Matthew 21:37; Mark 12:6; Luke 20:13). The submission of Jesus to crucifixion is a sacrifice made as an agent of God or servant of God, for the sake of eventual victory. This builds upon the salvific theme of the Gospel of John which begins in John 1:36 with John the Baptist's proclamation: "The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world". Further reinforcement of the concept is provided in Revelation 21:14, where the "lamb slain but standing" is the only one worthy of handling the scroll (i.e., the book) containing the names of those who are to be saved.

A central element in the Christology presented in the Acts of the Apostles is the affirmation of the belief that the death of Jesus by crucifixion happened "with the foreknowledge of God, according to a definite plan". In this view, as in Acts 2:23, the cross is not viewed as a scandal, for the Crucifixion of Jesus "at the hands of the lawless" is viewed as the fulfilment of the plan of God.

Paul's Christology has a specific focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus. For Paul, Jesus' crucifixion is directly related to his resurrection and the term "the cross of Christ" used in Galatians 6:12 may be viewed as his abbreviation of the message of the gospels. For Paul, the Crucifixion of Jesus was not an isolated event in history, but a cosmic event with significant eschatological consequences, as in 1 Corinthians 2:8. In the Pauline view, Jesus, obedient to the point of death (Philippians 2:8), died "at the right time" (Romans 4:25) based on the plan of God. For Paul, the "power of the cross" is inseparable from the resurrection of his Lord.

John Calvin supported the "agent of God" Christology and argued that in his trial in Pilate's Court Jesus could have successfully argued for his innocence, but instead submitted to crucifixion in obedience to the Father. This Christological theme continued into the 20th century, both in the Eastern and Western Churches. In the Eastern Church Sergei Bulgakov argued that the Crucifixion of Jesus was "pre-eternally" determined by the Father before the creation of the world, to redeem humanity from the disgrace caused by the fall of Adam. In the Western Church, Karl Rahner elaborated on the analogy that the blood of the Lamb of God (and the water from the side of Jesus) shed at the Crucifixion had a cleansing nature, similar to baptismal water.

Mormons believe that the Crucifixion was the culmination of Christ's atonement, which began in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Resurrection, Ascension, and Second Coming

Main articles: Resurrection of Jesus, Ascension of Jesus, and Second Coming of Christ See also: Resurrection of Jesus in Christian art and Ascension of Jesus in Christian art
Depictions of the Resurrection of Jesus are central to Christian art (Resurrection of Christ by Raphael, 1499–1502).

The New Testament teaches that the Resurrection of Jesus is a foundation of the Christian faith. Christians, through faith in the working of God are spiritually resurrected with Jesus, and are redeemed so that they may walk in a new way of life.

In the teachings of the apostolic Church, Jesus' resurrection was seen as heralding a new era. Forming a theology of the resurrection fell to Apostle Paul. It was not enough for Paul to simply repeat elementary teachings, but as Hebrews 6:1 states, "go beyond the initial teachings about Christ and advance to maturity". Fundamental to Pauline theology is the connection between Christ's resurrection and redemption. Paul explained the importance of the resurrection of Jesus as the cause and basis of the hope of Christians to share a similar experience in 1 Cor 15:20–22:

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

If the cross stands at the center of Paul's theology, so does the resurrection: unless the one died the death of all, the all would have little to celebrate in the Resurrection of the one. Paul taught that, just as Christians share in Jesus' death in baptism, so they will share in his resurrection for Jesus was designated the Son of God by his Resurrection. Paul's views went against the thoughts of the Greek philosophers to whom a bodily resurrection meant a new imprisonment in a corporeal body, which was what they wanted to avoid, given that for them the corporeal and the material fettered the spirit. At the same time, Paul believed that the newly resurrected body would be a spiritual body—immortal, glorified and powerful, in contrast to an earthly body which is mortal, dishonored and weak.

The Apostolic Fathers, discussed the death and resurrection of Jesus, including Ignatius (50−115), Polycarp (69−155), and Justin Martyr (100−165). Following the conversion of Constantine and the liberating Edict of Milan in 313, the ecumenical councils of the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries, that focused on Christology helped shape the Christian understanding of the redemptive nature of resurrection, and influenced both the development of its iconography, and its use within liturgy.

Nontrinitarian perspectives

Further information: Nontrinitarianism

The doctrine of the Trinity, including the belief that Jesus is a person of the Trinity, is not universally accepted among Christians. Nontrinitarian Christian groups include the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Unitarians and Jehovah's Witnesses. Though modern nontrinitarian groups all reject the doctrine of the Trinity, their views still differ widely on the nature of Jesus. Some do not believe that Jesus is God, instead believing that he was a messenger from God, or prophet, or the perfect created human. This is the view espoused by ancient sects such as the Ebionites, and modern-day Unitarians.

See also

Further reading

References

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  4. ^ Systematic Theology, Volume 2 by Wolfhart Pannenberg 2004 0567084663 ISBN, pp. 297–303
  5. Acts 2:24, Romans 10:9, 1Cor 15:15, Acts 2:31–32, 3:15, 3:26, 4:10, 5:30, 10:40–41, 13:30, 13:34, 13:37, 17:30–31, 1Cor 6:14, 2Cor 4:14, Gal 1:1, Eph 1:20, Col 2:12, 1Thess 1:10, Heb 13:20, 1Pet 1:3, 1:21
  6. Mark 16:19, Luke 22:69, Acts 2:33, 5:31, 7:55–56, Romans 8:34, Eph 1:20, Col 3:1, Hebrews 1:3, 1:13, 10:12, 12:2, 1Peter 3:22
  7. Acts 1:9–11
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