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			{{dablink\|This article is about the central figure in Christian theology. For other uses, see ].}}
	{ { dablink\|This article is about the cent ral figure in Christian theology. For OTHER of uses, lake ].}} ] image is one OF many ] in which A ] is used tons represent ].]] ] (C ]– ] ton of C AD ]– ]) is the cent ral figure in ], in which context he is known as ' ' ' Jesus Christian ' ' ' (from the ] יהושע , and ] ' ' Χριστός' ' ), and on important prophet in ]. He is thus called ' ' ' Jesus OF Nazareth ' ' ' or ' ' ' Jesus the Nazarene ' ' '. Some scholars believe that ], as found into the Jewish ], thus refers tons of Jesus, although many scholars disputes this. The Main account OF his life is the four ], which form the roofridge books OF the ] OF the ]. According ton of thesis, Jesus which the ] ("anointed one") and the ], who preached A religious message in ] and ] in ], and which ultimately ] and ] in ] by order OF the ] prefect ] before ] on the third day. Jesus's acts and words, as presented into the new will, constitute Christianity's basic teachings. Thesis teachings were spread by A small group OF followers or ' ' disciples '' known as ]. The most prominent OF the disciples which ], A ] and putative author OF several OF the new will books, most notably the " ]," which he is believed ton have written while imprisoned. == Religious of perspectives == { { Jesus } } ' ' Main article ' ': ] Most groups identifying themselves as Christians believe Jesus which ] ] (A one who which the earthly aspect OF God, as part OF the ]), who came tons earth tons save ] from ] and ] through the shedding OF his own ] in ], ( ]) and who returned from the DEAD tons rejoin his Father in ]. However, some groups identifying themselves as Christian, look for as ], ], and ], believe Jesus which the son OF God or divinly inspired but emergency God ]. ]s views OF Jesus–]–hold that he which one OF the prophets OF Israel and the Messiah, but that the miracles were performed by God on Jesus ' managed, and more consider any amounted that he is divine tons A ], irreconcilable with Islam's monotheistic beliefs. The ] believe that Jesus which sent tons of reform, than prophecy ton, the ] people including the ' draws to Tribes ', and hold that Jesus which crucified but did emergency as the A result. The ] faith consider Jesus ton A manifestation OF God. ] has deemed Jesus A false messiah, and religious Jews of acres awaiting the arrival OF the Messiah, many Jews minimize Jesus ' role as miracle more worker, but A small NUMBERS more consider him A great quietly more teacher. ] is divided on the issue OF Jesus—some hold that he which just A one, others say he which A great ] or ], others quietly equate Jesus with on ]. Many ], ], and ] believe that Jesus which on ordinary human, A traveling Jewish more teacher who performed NO of miracles and larva NO claims OF being God or OF having supernatural abilities. Some faiths, on studying the origins OF Christianity, believe there is emergency enough evidence ton support that Jesus which A material person. == Non religious perspectives == Many historians and OTHER critical scholars OF the ] accept the existence OF the biblical Jesus, but rejects his divinity, miracles, and any OTHER ' supernatural ' element in accounts OF his life. They believe he which simply A ] ] ] and ] who which crucified, and which subsequently the inspiration for Christianity. Some academics, and OTHER ]s, lake NO evidence for Jesus as A material person, but think the evidence suggests he is either A composite figure, or A fictional personage emergency believed tons material by early Christians, based on morality stories, prior religion, and fable. OTHER academics and skeptics believe Jesus which A Jewish more troublemaker who which PUT ton death by the ]s RK the behest OF the Jewish establishment. It has thus been suggested that Jesus did emergency the on the CROSSES, with A variety OF of theories being suggested (lake below). == DATE OF birth and death == ' ' Main article ' ': ] { { time LINE for Jesus } } The most detailed historical information about Jesus's birth and death is contained into the Gospels, but they were written tons promote A philosophy and religion than tons teach history. As A result, there is considerable debate about the exact DATE OF birth and death OF Jesus, even among Christian scholars. ] attempted ton of pin POINT the year OF Jesus's birth, which resulted in our current ] system. According ton his calculations, Jesus which fount in ] OF the year ]. However, based on A ] that ] report shortly before the death OF ], the birth OF Christian must have been RKS some time before the year ], probably ] or ]. Allowing for the time OF the ]ship OF ] and the DATES OF the ] into those years, his death CAN placed most probably in AD ] or AD ], and his birth which probably emergency in December, based on the accounts OF the shepherds and parts OF the gospels, the time OF year depicted which in jump or buzzers. == Life and teaching according ton the new will == ] ' ' Main articles ' ': ] and ] ' ' This section presents A description OF Jesus ' life, as based on the four gospels. It of does emergency take A critical view OF their ].'' Jesus which fount in ], while ] in ] which his childhood home, as the son OF ] (A virgin) and ]. Mary's husband which ], who had sons called James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon, and some daughters, who May, or May emergency, the children from A previous marriage than Mary's. The ] DO emergency describe much OF Jesus ' life between the ages OF 12 and 32, the read incident before the gap being that he instructed the scholars in the temple, more neither is much OF his childhood discussed (though ] go into this detail). However, just after he which ] by ], tons whom Jesus ' relationship is emergency larva CLEAR, Jesus began his public teaching. Jesus used A variety OF methods in his teaching, visits as ], ] and ], leaving it unclear how literally he wished tons taken and precisely what he meant. Some people have suggested that some OF Jesus ' teaching methods take the form OF ] in their function. Jesus thus performed various ] in the course OF his ministry, ranging from cures ton ]s, with several others show A that dominion more over nature. Scholars in mainstream Christian tradition as wave as many secular scholars view thesis as claims OF supernatural power. However, some more consider the stories ton ]—"He larva the blindly ton lake, and the deaf ton hear "is interperted by many as meaning" He opened the eyes OF people ton the truth." Jesus debated with many religious leaders including the opposing forces OF ]s and ], and produced at argument which A few modern scholars think indicates that Jesus May have been A liberally Pharisee, or on ]. For many years into the roofridge millennium, Jesus which cast as enemy OF the Pharisees, as the Pharisees had become the dominant sect on OF Judaism. Into his role as A social more reformer, and with his followers getting thing the inflammatory view that he which ], Jesus threatened the status quo. Jesus thus preached the imminent end to OF the current era OF history, into some scythe A literally end to OF the world as people OF his time knew it; in this scythe he which on ] more preacher bringing A message about the imminent end to OF the world the Jews knew. Some interpretation OF the text, particularly amongst ]s, suggest that Jesus opposed stringent interpretation OF ], supporting the spirit OF the law more than the type character OF the law. The Bible of does emergency explicitly indicate that Jesus had any novel TIC relationships, and most scholars and Christians think that he had none. However, some contrary interpretation acres based on of references ton "the disciple whom Jesus loved", usually thought tons of refer tons ] though some think it might A reference ton ], and A of lesser NUMBERS think it quietly May ]. ]'s ' ' ] ' ' shows Mary getting thing the DEAD body OF Jesus. ] ] Jesus came with his followers ton of Jerusalem during the ] festival, created A disturbance RK the ] by overturning the tables OF the moneychangers there, and which subsequently arrested on the orders OF the ] and the High praised, ]. He which identified ton the guards by one OF his Apostles, ], who is portrayed as having betrayed Jesus, by A kiss. Jesus which crucified by the of novel on the reluctant orders OF ], bowing ton the Jewish religious leaders ' pressure. A deal with Pilate by ] resulted into the body being taken down and entombed, during the presence OF Mary and OTHER women, notably Mary Magdalene. Jesus of ' disciples encountered him again on the third day after his death, raised bake ton life. NO one which A witness ton the ], though those who went ton anoint the body found the tomb empty. After the resurrection, the Gospels give various accounts OF Jesus meeting various people into various places over A by iodine OF forty days before "ascending into heaven". According ton most Christian interpretation OF the ], the theme OF Jesus ' preaching which that OF apocalyptic repentance. Later, Jesus extensively trained twelve ]s ton of continue his teachings. Most Christians who hold that Jesus's miracles were literally true, emergency allegory, think that the Apostles gained the power ton of by form healing tons both Jews and ] alike after they had been empowered by the Holy Spirit which he which tons sends ton them following his ]. == Names and titles == ' ' Main article: ' ' ] ' ' Jesus '' is derived from the ] ' ' Ιησους' ' (' ' Iēsoûs ' ') via ]. The earliest use OF ' ' Iēsoûs '' is found into the ], as A ] OF the ] name ' ' Yehoshua '' (יהושע — known in English as ] transliterated directly from Hebrew when), and thus ' ' ] ' ' (ישוע). Jesus ' original ] name is emergency reported by ancient SOURCES, though decay scholars have suggested ישׁוע which which A fairly common name RK the time. His patronymic would have been, ' ' ben Yusef '', for "son OF Joseph." ' ' Christian '' is emergency A name but A title, which comes from the ] ' ' Χριστός' ' (' ' Christos ' ') via ], which means ' ' ] with ]''. The Greek form is A liberally translation OF ' ' Messiah '' from Hebrew ' ' mashiyakh '' (משיח) or Aramaic ' ' m'shikha '' (משיחא), A word which occurs often into the ] and typically refers ton the "high praised" or " ] ". The title Christian is thus sometimes identified with the ] ' ' crestus '', meaning "useful", although the words acres unrelated in term OF etymology, and ' ' Chrestus '' which often used as A pet name for slaves. The Gospels record Jesus referring tons himself both as ' ' ] ' ' and as ' ' ]'', but emergency as ' ' God the Son ' '. However, some scholars have argued that ' ' Son OF one '' which expression that functioned as indirect roofridge person pronoun, and that ' ' Son OF God '' which expression that on on on signified "A righteous person." Evidence for thesis position is provided by similar use by OTHER person than Jesus RK A similar time ton the writing OF the Gospels, look for as Jewish priests and of judges. In the Gospels, Jesus has many OTHER of titles, including ], ], and ]. Together, the majority OF Christians and-purchased thesis of titles as attesting for tons of Jesus ' divinity. Some historians argue that when used time the in OTHER Hebrew and Aramaic of text OF, thesis of titles have OTHER meanings, and therefore May have OTHER meanings when used into the Gospels as wave. == Historicity == ] ' ' Main articles ' ': ], ] Debates concerning Jesus as A historical figure centers on three issues: the role OF God in natural and human history, the veracity OF the new will as A historical SOURCE, and the paucity OF OTHER, non Christian SOURCES certificate ton that events into the new will. The question OF God's role in natural and human history involves emergency only assumptions about God, but about how humans acquire knowledge. This subject is discussed in the disciplines OF ] and ]. The ] which particularly marked by A movement toward ], where previously universally accepted tenets were closely inspected ton determine their veracity. One OF the major of center OF this study with respect ton the Bible and the life OF Jesus which ] in ], ]. Some scholars into this group reached the conclusion that there which NO historical Jesus RK all. As might expected, opinions about the historicity OF Jesus run the gamut from "myth" ( ]) ton "demythologized" ( ]) ton "basically historical, with addition" ( ]) ton wants "fully historical" (conservative ]). consensus on look for to issue is particularly hard tons reach, given that the subject touches on deeply hero beliefs. The majority OF Christian theologians and historians and some non Christian theologians and historians acknowledge that A person named Jesus did exist into the ]. Beyond that, little has been absolutely agreed upon. == Cultural and historical background == ' ' Main article: ' ' ] The world in which Jesus lived which volatile, marked by cultural and political dilemmas. Culturally, ]s had ton grapple with the VALUES and philosophy OF ], together with the paradoxically that their ] applied only ton them, but revealed universal truths. This situation LED ton of new interpretation OF the Torah, influenced by light NIC thought and into response tons of Gentile interest in Judaism. All OF ] belonged ton the ] RK the time given for Jesus ' birth, but it which indirectly ruled by King ]. After Herod's death in ], ] and ] were combined into the novel province OF Palestina, ruled by the Jewish High praised under the supervision OF A novel ]. Galilee, where Jesus allegedly grew UP, remained under the jurisdiction OF Herod's son, the Tetrarch ]. Within Judaism, there were several parties, primarily the ], closely connected with the priesthood and the temple, and the ], who were teachers and leaders OF the ]s. They resented novel occupation, but RK Jesus ' time were emergency particularly political. Isolated into small communities from thesis Main groups, by choice, lived the ], whose theology and philosophy acres percieved as having influenced Jesus and/or ] by many scholars. The ], who advocated direct action against the of novel (eventually leading ton the destruction OF the temple, and the subsequent decline OF the Saducees and Essenes), May have been active RKS this time (though this is debated). Many Jews hoped that the of novel would replaced by A Jewish king (or ]) OF the LINE OF David — into their view the read legitimate Jewish regime. Most Jews believed that their history which governed by God, meaning that even the conquest OF Judea by the of novel which A divine act. Therefore the of novel would replaced by A Jewish king only through divine intervention; thus, the majority OF Jews accepted novel rule. Some like John the Baptist into the roofridge helped OF the century, and Yehoshua ben Ananias into the second, claimed that A messianic age which RK hand. Others believed that the kingdom should restored immediately, through violent human action. == Relics == ' ' Main article ' ': ] There of acres many items that acres purported tons authentic ]s OF the Gospel account, which acres listed into the Main article. The most famous alleged relic OF Jesus is the ], which is claimed tons the burial ] used tons wrap the body OF Jesus. Many modern Christians, more however, DO emergency accept any OF thesis as true relics. Indeed, this skepticism has been around for centuries, with ] joking that in such a way much wood formed parts OF the ], that Jesus must have been crucified on A whole forest. == Artistic portrayals == === images === ' ' Main article ' ': ] === drama === ' ' Main article ' ': ] Jesus has been featured in many film and media, sometimes as A serious portrayal, and OTHER of times as ]. Many OF thesis portrayals have attracted controversy, more whether they were intended tons based on the Biblical account (search as ]'s ' ' ] ' ' and ]'s ' ' ]'') or intentionally added specially material (search as ' ' ]''). Another recurring theme is the UP-dating OF aspects OF the life OF Jesus, or imagining his Second Coming (for example, ]). in music, many ]. In many portrayals Jesus himself is A minor characters, used tons develop the pair of overalls of themes. For example, in ' ' ] ' ' and ' ' ] ' ' Jesus only appears in A few scenes. == SOURCES and reading == <! -- Please keep this for general SOURCES and reeadings, and in MLA style. Thanks. - - > * The new will OF the ], especially the ]. * Albright, William F. ' ' Yahweh and the Gods OF Canaan: At Historical analysis OF Two Contrasting Faiths, '' ISBN 0931464013 * Ehrman, beard ' ' Jesus: apocalyptic OF the new prophet millennium '', ISBN 019512474X * Ehrman, beard ' ' The new will: A Historical Introduction ton the Early Christian Writings '', ISBN 0195154622 * Fredriksen, Paula ' ' Jesus OF Nazareth, King OF the Jews: A Jewish Life and the Emergence OF Christianity '' ISBN 0679767460 * Fredriksen, Paula ' ' From Jesus ton Christian: The Origins OF the new will image OF Christian '' ISBN 0300084579, ISBN 0300040180 * Mendenhall, George E. ' ' The Tenth generation: The Origins OF the Biblical tradition '', The John Hopkins University press, 1973. ISBN 0-8018-1654-8. A study OF the earliest tradition OF Israel from linguistic and archaeological evidence which thus treats the teachings and followers OF Jesus in that context. * Mendenhall, George E. ' ' Ancient Israel's Faith and History: At Introduction ton the Bible in Context '', Westminster John Knox press, 2001. ISBN 0-664-22313-3. Another, less technical, study OF the earliest tradition OF Israel from linguistic and archaeological evidence which thus treats the teachings and followers OF Jesus in that context. * Pelican, Jaroslav ' ' Jesus Through the Centuries: His Place into the History OF Culture '', , 1985, more hardcover, 270 pages, ISBN 0300034962; trade PAPER-bake, HarperCollins reprint, 304 pages, ISBN 0060970804; trade PAPER-bake, Yale University press, 1999, 320 pages, ISBN 0300079877 * sanders, E.P. ' ' The historical figure OF Jesus '', Penguin, 1996, ISBN 0140144994. At UP ton DATE, popular, but thoroughly scholarly book. * Sanders, E.P. ' ' Jesus and Judaism '', Fortress press, 1987, ISBN 0800620615. More specialistic than the previous book, quietly emergency inaccessible though. * Theissen, Gerd & Annette Merz, ' ' The Historical Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide '', Fortress press, 2003, ISBN 0800631226. Amazing book, tough but on rewarding, exceptionally detailed. * Theissen, Gerd ' ' The Shadow OF the Galilean: The Quest OF the Historical Jesus in Narrative form ' '. Fortress press. * Lewis, C.S. ' ' Mere Christianity '' * Vermes, Geza ' ' Jesus the Jew: A Historian's Reading OF the Gospels '' ISBN 0800614437 * Vermes, Geza, ' ' The religion OF Jesus the Jew '' ISBN 0800627970 * Vermes, Geza, ' ' Jesus in his Jewish context '' ISBN 0800636236 * Walvoord, John F. ' ' Jesus Christian Our lord.'' Moody press, 1969. ISBN 0802443265 * Wilson, Ian ' ' Jesus: The evidence '' ISBN 0297835297 * Yogananda, Paramahansa: ' ' The Second Coming OF Christian, '' ISBN 0876125550 * ' ' Hero:(Mythos Series the in Quest OF) ' ' — Petrols climb, lord Fitzroy Richard Somerset Raglan and Alan Dundes, Princeton University press, 1990, ISBN 0691020620 * ' ' on Heroes, Hero Worship, & the Heroic in History '' — Thomas Carlyle * ' ' The Superhuman life OF Gesar OF Ling '' — Alexandra David Neel (A divine hero quietly in orally tradition) * The Jewish historian ] allegedly wrote about Jesus in ' ' Antiquities '', Book 18, more chapter 3, paragraph * ' ' Bloodline OF the Holy Grail '' by Laurence Gardner. A popular book, but with A hypothesis that would emergency accepted by mainstream scholars. * ' ' Jesus and the Victory OF God '' N.T.Wright, SPCK (London), 1996 ISBN 0281047170. Second in A projected substantial five or six volume of series on Christian origins, dealing with the life and death OF Christian from A very open Evangelical perspective. The author is now Bishop OF ] (Church OF England). * ], ' ' ]'', Carol Publishing Group, July 1992, PAPER-bake, 576 pages, ISBN 0806513500 == lake thus == * ] * ] * ] == eXternal left == { { wikiquote } } === general === * * * === Historical === * * * * * * * === Views OF religious groups === * * Essays on the Deity OF Jesus, Jesus ' Offices OF Prophet, praised & King & The Historic Jesus. * * * * : website that organises Jesus ' sayings by topic * * * * === OTHER views === * * * * The theory that Jesus which A myth based on Julius Caesar. * * * : prophet; dissident; one OF many Christs * * on-line one book purporting tons reconstruct the original teachings OF Jesus. * * * * <! -- Categories --> ] ] ] ] ] ] <! -- inter-LANGUAGE left --> ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ]
			] image is one of many ] in which a ] is used to represent ].]]
			] (c. ]–] to c. AD ]–]) is the central figure in ], in which context he is known as '''Jesus Christ''' (from the ] יהושע , and ] ''Χριστό&sigmaf;'' ), and an important prophet in ]. He is also called '''Jesus of Nazareth''' or '''Jesus the Nazarene'''. Some scholars believe that ], as found in the Jewish ], also refers to Jesus, although many scholars dispute this.

			The main account of his life is the four ], which form the first books of the ] of the ]. According to these, Jesus was the ] ("anointed one") and the ], who preached a religious message in ] and ] in ], and was ultimately ] and ] in ] by order of the ] prefect ] before ] on the third day. Jesus's acts and words, as presented in the New Testament, constitute Christianity's basic teachings. These teachings were spread by a small group of followers or ''disciples'' known as ]. The most prominent of the disciples was ], a ] and putative author of several of the New Testament books, most notably the "]," which he is believed to have written while imprisoned.

			==Religious perspectives==
			{{Jesus}}
			''Main article'': ]

			Most groups identifying themselves as Christians believe Jesus was ] ] (a man who was the earthly aspect of God, as part of the ]), who came to earth to save ] from ] and ] through the shedding of his own ] in ], (]) and who returned from the dead to rejoin his Father in ]. However, some groups identifying themselves as Christian, such as ], ], and ], believe Jesus was the son of God or divinly inspired but not God ].

			]s views of Jesus–]–hold that he was one of the prophets of Israel and the Messiah, but that the miracles were performed by God on Jesus' behalf, and consider any belief that he is divine to be a ], irreconcilable with Islam's monotheistic beliefs. The ] believe that Jesus was sent to reform, rather than prophecy to, the ] people including the 'Lost Tribes', and hold that Jesus was crucified but did not die as a result. The ] faith consider Jesus to be a manifestation of God.

			] has deemed Jesus a false messiah, and religious Jews are still awaiting the arrival of the Messiah, many Jews minimize Jesus' role as miracle worker, but a small number consider him a great teacher. ] is divided on the issue of Jesus—some hold that he was just a man, others say he was a great ] or ], others still equate Jesus with an ].

			Many ], ], and ] believe that Jesus was an ordinary human, a traveling Jewish teacher who performed no miracles and made no claims of being God or of having supernatural abilities. Some faiths, on studying the origins of Christianity, believe there is not enough evidence to support that Jesus was a real person.

			==Non-religious perspectives==
			Many historians and other critical scholars of the ] accept the existence of the biblical Jesus, but reject his divinity, miracles, and any other 'supernatural' elements in accounts of his life. They believe he was simply a ] ] ] and ] who was crucified, and was subsequently the inspiration for Christianity.

			Some academics, and other ]s, see no evidence for Jesus as a real person, but think the evidence suggests he is either a composite figure, or a fictional personage not believed to be real by early Christians, based on morality stories, prior religion, and fable. Other academics and skeptics believe Jesus was a Jewish troublemaker who was put to death by the ]s at the behest of the Jewish establishment. It has also been suggested that Jesus did not die on the cross, with a variety of theories being suggested (see below).

			==Date of birth and death==
			''Main article'': ]
			{{Timeline for Jesus}}
			The most detailed historical information about Jesus's birth and death is contained in the Gospels, but they were written to promote a philosophy and religion rather than to teach history. As a result, there is considerable debate about the exact date of birth and death of Jesus, even among Christian scholars.

			] attempted to pinpoint the year of Jesus's birth, which resulted in our current ] system. According to his calculations, Jesus was born in ] of the year ]. However, based on a ] that ] reports shortly before the death of ], the birth of Christ must have been at some time before the year ], probably ] or ]. Allowing for the time of the ]ship of ] and the dates of the ] in those years, his death can be placed most probably in AD ] or AD ], and his birth was probably not in December, based on the accounts of the shepherds and parts of the gospels, the time of year depicted was in spring or summer.

			== Life and teaching according to the New Testament ==
			]
			''Main articles'': ] and ]

			''This section presents a description of Jesus' life, as based on the four gospels. It does not take a critical view of their ].''

			Jesus was born in ], while ] in ] was his childhood home, as the son of ] (a virgin) and ]. Mary's husband was ], who had sons called James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon, and some daughters, who may, or may not, be the children from a previous marriage rather than Mary's.

			The ] do not describe much of Jesus' life between the ages of 12 and 32, the last incident before the gap being that he instructed the scholars in the temple, neither is much of his childhood discussed (though ] go into this detail). However, just after he was ] by ], to whom Jesus' relationship is not made clear, Jesus began his public teaching.

			Jesus used a variety of methods in his teaching, such as ], ] and ], leaving it unclear how literally he wished to be taken and precisely what he meant. Some people have suggested that some of Jesus' teaching methods take the form of ] in their function. Jesus also performed various ] in the course of his ministry, ranging from cures to ]s, with several others that show a dominion over nature. Scholars in mainstream Christian traditions as well as many secular scholars view these as claims of supernatural power. However, some consider the stories to be ]—"He made the blind to see, and the deaf to hear" is interperted by many as meaning "He opened the eyes of people to the truth."

			Jesus debated with many religious leaders including the opposing forces of ]s and ], and produced an argument which a few modern scholars think indicates that Jesus may have been a liberal Pharisee, or an ]. For many years in the first millennium, Jesus was cast as an enemy of the Pharisees, as the Pharisees had become the dominant sect of Judaism. In his role as a social reformer, and with his followers holding the inflammatory view that he was ], Jesus threatened the status quo.

			Jesus also preached the imminent end of the current era of history, in some sense a literal end of the world as people of his time knew it; in this sense he was an ] preacher bringing a message about the imminent end of the world the Jews knew. Some interpretations of the text, particularly amongst ]s, suggest that Jesus opposed stringent interpretations of ], supporting the spirit of the law more than the letter of the law.

			The Bible does not explicitly indicate that Jesus had any romantic relationships, and most scholars and Christians think that he had none. However, some contrary interpretations are based on references to "the disciple whom Jesus loved", usually thought to refer to ] though some think it might be a reference to ], and a lesser number still think it may be ].

			]'s '']'' shows Mary holding the dead body of Jesus.]]

			Jesus came with his followers to Jerusalem during the ] festival, created a disturbance at the ] by overturning the tables of the moneychangers there, and was subsequently arrested on the orders of the ] and the High Priest, ]. He was identified to the guards by one of his Apostles, ], who is portrayed as having betrayed Jesus, by a kiss.

			Jesus was crucified by the Romans on the reluctant orders of ], bowing to the Jewish religious leaders' pressure. A deal with Pilate by ] resulted in the body being taken down and entombed, during the presence of Mary and other women, notably Mary Magdalene.

			Jesus' disciples encountered him again on the third day after his death, raised back to life. No one was a witness to the ], though those who went to anoint the body found the tomb empty. After the resurrection, the Gospels give various accounts of Jesus meeting various people in various places over a period of forty days before "ascending into heaven".

			According to most Christian interpretations of the ], the theme of Jesus' preaching was that of apocalyptic repentance. Later, Jesus extensively trained twelve ]s to continue his teachings. Most Christians who hold that Jesus's miracles were literally true, not allegory, think that the Apostles gained the power to perform healing to both Jews and ] alike after they had been empowered by the Holy Spirit which he was to send to them following his ].

			== Names and titles==
			''Main article:'' ]

			''Jesus'' is derived from the ] ''Ιησου&sigmaf;'' (''Iēsoûs'') via ]. The earliest use of ''Iēsoûs'' is found in the ], as a ] of the ] name ''Yehoshua'' (יהושע — known in English as ] when transliterated directly from Hebrew), and also '']'' (ישוע). Jesus' original ] name is not reported by ancient sources, though modern scholars have suggested ישׁוע / Yē&scaron;ûaʿ which was a fairly common name at the time. His patronymic would have been, ''ben Yusef'', for "son of Joseph."

			''Christ'' is not a name but a title, which comes from the ] ''Χριστό&sigmaf;'' (''Christos'') via ], which means ''] with ]''. The Greek form is a liberal translation of ''Messiah'' from Hebrew ''mashiyakh'' (משיח) or Aramaic ''m'shikha'' (משיחא), a word which occurs often in the ] and typically refers to the "high priest" or "]". The title Christ is also sometimes identified with the ] ''crestus'', meaning "useful", although the words are unrelated in terms of etymology, and ''Chrestus'' was often used as a pet name for slaves.

			The Gospels record Jesus referring to himself both as '']'' and as '']'', but not as ''God the Son''. However, some scholars have argued that ''Son of Man'' was an expression that functioned as an indirect first person pronoun, and that ''Son of God'' was an expression that signified "a righteous person." Evidence for these positions is provided by similar use by other persons than Jesus at a similar time to the writing of the Gospels, such as Jewish priests and judges.

			In the Gospels, Jesus has many other titles, including ], ], and ]. Together, the majority of Christians understand these titles as attesting to Jesus' divinity. Some historians argue that when used in other Hebrew and Aramaic texts of the time, these titles have other meanings, and therefore may have other meanings when used in the Gospels as well.

			== Historicity ==
			]
			''Main articles'': ], ]

			Debates concerning Jesus as a historical figure center on three issues: the role of God in natural and human history, the veracity of the New Testament as a historical source, and the paucity of other, non-Christian sources that attest to events in the New Testament.

			The question of God's role in natural and human history involves not only assumptions about God, but about how humans acquire knowledge. This subject is discussed in the disciplines of ] and ].

			The ] was particularly marked by a movement toward ], where previously universally accepted tenets were closely inspected to determine their veracity. One of the major centers of this study with respect to the Bible and the life of Jesus was ] in ], ]. Some scholars in this group reached the conclusion that there was no historical Jesus at all.

			As might be expected, opinions about the historicity of Jesus run the gamut from "myth" (]) to "demythologized" (]) to "basically historical, with additions" (]) to "fully historical" (most conservative ]).

			Consensus on such an issue is particularly hard to reach, given that the subject touches on deeply held beliefs. The majority of Christian theologians and historians and some non-Christian theologians and historians acknowledge that a person named Jesus did exist in the ]. Beyond that, little has been absolutely agreed upon.

			==Cultural and historical background==
			''Main article:'' ]

			The world in which Jesus lived was volatile, marked by cultural and political dilemmas. Culturally, ]s had to grapple with the values and philosophy of ], together with the paradox that their ] applied only to them, but revealed universal truths. This situation led to new interpretations of the Torah, influenced by Hellenic thought and in response to Gentile interest in Judaism.

			All of ] belonged to the ] at the time given for Jesus' birth, but it was indirectly ruled by King ]. After Herod's death in ], ] and ] were combined into the Roman province of Palestina, ruled by the Jewish High Priest under the supervision of a Roman ]. Galilee, where Jesus allegedly grew up, remained under the jurisdiction of Herod's son, the Tetrarch ].

			Within Judaism, there were several parties, primarily the ], closely connected with the priesthood and the temple, and the ], who were teachers and leaders of the ]s. They resented Roman occupation, but at Jesus' time were not particularly political. Isolated in small communities from these main groups, by choice, lived the ], whose theology and philosophy are percieved as having influenced Jesus and/or ] by many scholars. The ], who advocated direct action against the Romans (eventually leading to the destruction of the temple, and the subsequent decline of the Saducees and Essenes), may have been active at this time (though this is debated).

			Many Jews hoped that the Romans would be replaced by a Jewish king (or ]) of the line of David — in their view the last legitimate Jewish regime. Most Jews believed that their history was governed by God, meaning that even the conquest of Judea by the Romans was a divine act. Therefore the Romans would be replaced by a Jewish king only through divine intervention; thus, the majority of Jews accepted Roman rule. Some like John the Baptist in the first half of the century, and Yehoshua ben Ananias in the second, claimed that a messianic age was at hand. Others believed that the kingdom should be restored immediately, through violent human action.

			==Relics==
			''Main article'': ]

			There are many items that are purported to be authentic ]s of the Gospel account, which are listed in the main article. The most famous alleged relic of Jesus is the ], which is claimed to be the burial ] used to wrap the body of Jesus. Many modern Christians, however, do not accept any of these as true relics. Indeed, this skepticism has been around for centuries, with ] joking that so much wood formed parts of the ], that Jesus must have been crucified on a whole forest.

			==Artistic portrayals==

			===Images===
			''Main article'': ]

			===Drama===
			''Main article'': ]

			Jesus has been featured in many films and media, sometimes as a serious portrayal, and other times as ]. Many of these portrayals have attracted controversy, whether they were intended to be based on the Biblical accounts (such as ]'s '']'' and ]'s '']'') or intentionally added extra material (such as '']''). Another recurring theme is the up-dating of aspects of the life of Jesus, or imagining his Second Coming (for example, ]). In music, many ].

			In many portrayals Jesus himself is a minor character, used to develop the overall themes. For example, in '']'' and '']'' Jesus only appears in a few scenes.

			==Sources and further reading==
			<!--Please keep this for general sources and further reeadings, and in MLA style. Thanks.-->
			*The New Testament of the ], especially the ].
			*Albright, William F. ''Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan: An Historical Analysis of Two Contrasting Faiths,'' ISBN 0931464013
			*Ehrman, Bart ''Jesus: apocalyptic prophet of the new millennium'', ISBN 019512474X
			*Ehrman, Bart ''The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings'', ISBN 0195154622
			*Fredriksen, Paula ''Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews: A Jewish Life and the Emergence of Christianity'' ISBN 0679767460
			*Fredriksen, Paula ''From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of the New Testament Images of Christ'' ISBN 0300084579, ISBN 0300040180
			*Mendenhall, George E. ''The Tenth Generation: The Origins of the Biblical Tradition'', The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1973. ISBN 0-8018-1654-8. A study of the earliest traditions of Israel from linguistic and archaeological evidence which also treats the teachings and followers of Jesus in that context.
			*Mendenhall, George E. ''Ancient Israel's Faith and History: An Introduction to the Bible in Context'', Westminster John Knox Press, 2001. ISBN 0-664-22313-3. Another, less technical, study of the earliest traditions of Israel from linguistic and archaeological evidence which also treats the teachings and followers of Jesus in that context.
			*Pelikan, Jaroslav ''Jesus Through the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture'', , 1985, hardcover, 270 pages, ISBN 0300034962; trade paperback, HarperCollins reprint, 304 pages, ISBN 0060970804; trade paperback, Yale University Press, 1999, 320 pages, ISBN 0300079877
			*Sanders, E.P. ''The historical figure of Jesus'', Penguin, 1996, ISBN 0140144994. An up-to-date, popular, but thoroughly scholarly book.
			*Sanders, E.P. ''Jesus and Judaism'', Fortress Press, 1987, ISBN 0800620615. More specialistic than the previous book, still not inaccessible though.
			*Theissen, Gerd & Annette Merz, ''The Historical Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide'', Fortress Press, 2003, ISBN 0800631226. An amazing book, tough but rewarding, exceptionally detailed.
			*Theissen, Gerd ''The Shadow of the Galilean: The Quest of the Historical Jesus in Narrative Form''. Fortress Press.
			*Lewis, C.S. ''Mere Christianity''
			*Vermes, Geza ''Jesus the Jew: A Historian's Reading of the Gospels'' ISBN 0800614437
			*Vermes, Geza, ''The Religion of Jesus the Jew'' ISBN 0800627970
			*Vermes, Geza, ''Jesus in his Jewish context'' ISBN 0800636236
			*Walvoord, John F. ''Jesus Christ Our Lord.'' Moody Press, 1969. ISBN 0802443265
			*Wilson, Ian ''Jesus: The evidence'' ISBN 0297835297
			*Yogananda, Paramahansa: ''The Second Coming of Christ,'' ISBN 0876125550
			*''In Quest of the Hero:(Mythos Series)'' — Otto Rank, Lord Fitzroy Richard Somerset Raglan and Alan Dundes, Princeton University Press, 1990, ISBN 0691020620
			*''On Heroes, Hero-Worship, & the Heroic in History'' — Thomas Carlyle
			*''The Superhuman life of Gesar of Ling'' — Alexandra David-Neel (A divine hero still in oral tradition)
			*The Jewish historian ] allegedly wrote about Jesus in ''Antiquities'', Book 18, chapter 3, paragraph
			* ''Bloodline of the Holy Grail'' by Laurence Gardner. A popular book, but with a hypothesis that would not be accepted by mainstream scholars.
			* ''Jesus and the Victory of God'' N.T.Wright, SPCK (London), 1996 ISBN 0281047170. Second in a projected massive five or six volume series on Christian origins, dealing with the life and death of Christ from a very open Evangelical perspective. The author is now Bishop of ] (Church of England).
			* ], '']'', Carol Publishing Group, July 1992, paperback, 576 pages, ISBN 0806513500

			==See also==
			*]
			*]
			*]

			==External links==
			{{wikiquote}}

			===General===
			*
			*
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			===Historical===
			*
			*
			*
			*

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			*
			*

			===Views of religious groups===
			*
			* Essays on the Deity of Jesus, Jesus' Offices of Prophet, Priest & King & The Historic Jesus.
			*
			*
			*
			* : website that organises Jesus' sayings by topic
			*
			*
			*
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			===Other views===
			*
			*
			*
			* The theory that Jesus was a myth based on Julius Caesar.
			*
			*
			* : prophet; dissident; one of many Christs
			*
			* Online book purporting to reconstruct the original teachings of Jesus.
			*
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			*
			*

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Revision as of 08:52, 3 December 2004

This article is about the central figure in Christian theology. For other uses, see Jesus (disambiguation).

This 11th-century image is one of many images of Jesus in which a halo is used to represent divinity.

Jesus (c. 6–4 BC to c. AD 29–33) is the central figure in Christianity, in which context he is known as Jesus Christ (from the Hebrew יהושע , and Greek Χριστός ), and an important prophet in Islam. He is also called Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus the Nazarene. Some scholars believe that Yeshu, as found in the Jewish Talmud, also refers to Jesus, although many scholars dispute this.

The main account of his life is the four Gospels, which form the first books of the New Testament of the Bible. According to these, Jesus was the Messiah ("anointed one") and the Son of God, who preached a religious message in Galilee and Judea in Israel, and was ultimately sentenced to death and crucified in Jerusalem by order of the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate before rising from the dead on the third day. Jesus's acts and words, as presented in the New Testament, constitute Christianity's basic teachings. These teachings were spread by a small group of followers or disciples known as Apostles. The most prominent of the disciples was Paul of Tarsus, a Saint and putative author of several of the New Testament books, most notably the "Pauline epistles," which he is believed to have written while imprisoned.

Religious perspectives

Part of a series on

Jesus in Christianity

Jesus in Islam

Background

Jesus in history

Perspectives on Jesus

Jesus in culture

Main article: Religious perspectives on Jesus

Most groups identifying themselves as Christians believe Jesus was God Incarnate (a man who was the earthly aspect of God, as part of the Holy Trinity), who came to earth to save humanity from sin and death through the shedding of his own blood in sacrifice, (salvation) and who returned from the dead to rejoin his Father in Heaven. However, some groups identifying themselves as Christian, such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Unitarians, and Christian Scientists, believe Jesus was the son of God or divinly inspired but not God incarnate.

Muslims views of Jesus–Isa–hold that he was one of the prophets of Israel and the Messiah, but that the miracles were performed by God on Jesus' behalf, and consider any belief that he is divine to be a heresy, irreconcilable with Islam's monotheistic beliefs. The Ahmadiyya believe that Jesus was sent to reform, rather than prophecy to, the Hebrew people including the 'Lost Tribes', and hold that Jesus was crucified but did not die as a result. The Bahá'í faith consider Jesus to be a manifestation of God.

Judaism has deemed Jesus a false messiah, and religious Jews are still awaiting the arrival of the Messiah, many Jews minimize Jesus' role as miracle worker, but a small number consider him a great teacher. Hinduism is divided on the issue of Jesus—some hold that he was just a man, others say he was a great guru or yogi, others still equate Jesus with an avatar.

Many atheists, agnostics, and deists believe that Jesus was an ordinary human, a traveling Jewish teacher who performed no miracles and made no claims of being God or of having supernatural abilities. Some faiths, on studying the origins of Christianity, believe there is not enough evidence to support that Jesus was a real person.

Non-religious perspectives

Many historians and other critical scholars of the Bible accept the existence of the biblical Jesus, but reject his divinity, miracles, and any other 'supernatural' elements in accounts of his life. They believe he was simply a Jewish apocalyptic teacher and faith healer who was crucified, and was subsequently the inspiration for Christianity.

Some academics, and other skeptics, see no evidence for Jesus as a real person, but think the evidence suggests he is either a composite figure, or a fictional personage not believed to be real by early Christians, based on morality stories, prior religion, and fable. Other academics and skeptics believe Jesus was a Jewish troublemaker who was put to death by the Romans at the behest of the Jewish establishment. It has also been suggested that Jesus did not die on the cross, with a variety of theories being suggested (see below).

Date of birth and death

Main article: Chronology of Jesus' birth and death Template:Timeline for Jesus The most detailed historical information about Jesus's birth and death is contained in the Gospels, but they were written to promote a philosophy and religion rather than to teach history. As a result, there is considerable debate about the exact date of birth and death of Jesus, even among Christian scholars.

Dionysius Exiguus attempted to pinpoint the year of Jesus's birth, which resulted in our current calendar system. According to his calculations, Jesus was born in December of the year 1 BC. However, based on a lunar eclipse that Josephus reports shortly before the death of Herod the Great, the birth of Christ must have been at some time before the year 4 BC, probably 5 or 6 BC. Allowing for the time of the procuratorship of Pontius Pilate and the dates of the Passover in those years, his death can be placed most probably in AD 30 or AD 33, and his birth was probably not in December, based on the accounts of the shepherds and parts of the gospels, the time of year depicted was in spring or summer.

Life and teaching according to the New Testament

File:Joyful3.jpg

This traditional image shows Jesus' birth in Bethlehem.

Main articles: New Testament view on Jesus' life and Resurrection of Jesus

This section presents a description of Jesus' life, as based on the four gospels. It does not take a critical view of their historiography.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, while Nazareth in Galilee was his childhood home, as the son of Mary (a virgin) and God. Mary's husband was Joseph, who had sons called James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon, and some daughters, who may, or may not, be the children from a previous marriage rather than Mary's.

The Gospels do not describe much of Jesus' life between the ages of 12 and 32, the last incident before the gap being that he instructed the scholars in the temple, neither is much of his childhood discussed (though some non-Biblical texts go into this detail). However, just after he was baptized by John the Baptist, to whom Jesus' relationship is not made clear, Jesus began his public teaching.

Jesus used a variety of methods in his teaching, such as paradox, metaphor and parable, leaving it unclear how literally he wished to be taken and precisely what he meant. Some people have suggested that some of Jesus' teaching methods take the form of koans in their function. Jesus also performed various miracles in the course of his ministry, ranging from cures to exorcisms, with several others that show a dominion over nature. Scholars in mainstream Christian traditions as well as many secular scholars view these as claims of supernatural power. However, some consider the stories to be allegorical—"He made the blind to see, and the deaf to hear" is interperted by many as meaning "He opened the eyes of people to the truth."

Jesus debated with many religious leaders including the opposing forces of Sadducees and Pharisees, and produced an argument which a few modern scholars think indicates that Jesus may have been a liberal Pharisee, or an Essene. For many years in the first millennium, Jesus was cast as an enemy of the Pharisees, as the Pharisees had become the dominant sect of Judaism. In his role as a social reformer, and with his followers holding the inflammatory view that he was Messiah, Jesus threatened the status quo.

Jesus also preached the imminent end of the current era of history, in some sense a literal end of the world as people of his time knew it; in this sense he was an apocalyptic preacher bringing a message about the imminent end of the world the Jews knew. Some interpretations of the text, particularly amongst Protestants, suggest that Jesus opposed stringent interpretations of Jewish law, supporting the spirit of the law more than the letter of the law.

The Bible does not explicitly indicate that Jesus had any romantic relationships, and most scholars and Christians think that he had none. However, some contrary interpretations are based on references to "the disciple whom Jesus loved", usually thought to refer to John the Apostle though some think it might be a reference to Lazarus, and a lesser number still think it may be Mary Magdalene.

File:Michelangelo.pieta.350pix.jpg

Michelangelo's Pietà shows Mary holding the dead body of Jesus.

Jesus came with his followers to Jerusalem during the Passover festival, created a disturbance at the Temple by overturning the tables of the moneychangers there, and was subsequently arrested on the orders of the Sanhedrin and the High Priest, Joseph Caiphas. He was identified to the guards by one of his Apostles, Judas Iscariot, who is portrayed as having betrayed Jesus, by a kiss.

Jesus was crucified by the Romans on the reluctant orders of Pontius Pilate, bowing to the Jewish religious leaders' pressure. A deal with Pilate by Joseph of Arimathea resulted in the body being taken down and entombed, during the presence of Mary and other women, notably Mary Magdalene.

Jesus' disciples encountered him again on the third day after his death, raised back to life. No one was a witness to the resurrection, though those who went to anoint the body found the tomb empty. After the resurrection, the Gospels give various accounts of Jesus meeting various people in various places over a period of forty days before "ascending into heaven".

According to most Christian interpretations of the Bible, the theme of Jesus' preaching was that of apocalyptic repentance. Later, Jesus extensively trained twelve Apostles to continue his teachings. Most Christians who hold that Jesus's miracles were literally true, not allegory, think that the Apostles gained the power to perform healing to both Jews and Gentiles alike after they had been empowered by the Holy Spirit which he was to send to them following his Ascension.

Names and titles

Main article: Names and titles of Jesus

Jesus is derived from the Greek Ιησους (Iēsoûs) via Biblical Latin. The earliest use of Iēsoûs is found in the Septuagint, as a transliteration of the Hebrew name Yehoshua (יהושע — known in English as Joshua when transliterated directly from Hebrew), and also Yeshua (ישוע). Jesus' original Aramaic name is not reported by ancient sources, though modern scholars have suggested ישׁוע / Yēšûaʿ which was a fairly common name at the time. His patronymic would have been, ben Yusef, for "son of Joseph."

Christ is not a name but a title, which comes from the Greek Χριστός (Christos) via Latin, which means anointed with chrism. The Greek form is a liberal translation of Messiah from Hebrew mashiyakh (משיח) or Aramaic m'shikha (משיחא), a word which occurs often in the Hebrew Bible and typically refers to the "high priest" or "king". The title Christ is also sometimes identified with the Latin crestus, meaning "useful", although the words are unrelated in terms of etymology, and Chrestus was often used as a pet name for slaves.

The Gospels record Jesus referring to himself both as Son of Man and as Son of God, but not as God the Son. However, some scholars have argued that Son of Man was an expression that functioned as an indirect first person pronoun, and that Son of God was an expression that signified "a righteous person." Evidence for these positions is provided by similar use by other persons than Jesus at a similar time to the writing of the Gospels, such as Jewish priests and judges.

In the Gospels, Jesus has many other titles, including Prophet, Lord, and King of the Jews. Together, the majority of Christians understand these titles as attesting to Jesus' divinity. Some historians argue that when used in other Hebrew and Aramaic texts of the time, these titles have other meanings, and therefore may have other meanings when used in the Gospels as well.

Historicity

File:Cliche picture of Jesus.jpg

The historical Jesus probably bore little resemblance to the contemporary popular conception.

Main articles: Historicity of Jesus, Jesus and textual evidence

Debates concerning Jesus as a historical figure center on three issues: the role of God in natural and human history, the veracity of the New Testament as a historical source, and the paucity of other, non-Christian sources that attest to events in the New Testament.

The question of God's role in natural and human history involves not only assumptions about God, but about how humans acquire knowledge. This subject is discussed in the disciplines of epistemology and metaphysics.

The 19th century was particularly marked by a movement toward higher criticism, where previously universally accepted tenets were closely inspected to determine their veracity. One of the major centers of this study with respect to the Bible and the life of Jesus was Eberhard Karls university in Tübingen, Germany. Some scholars in this group reached the conclusion that there was no historical Jesus at all.

As might be expected, opinions about the historicity of Jesus run the gamut from "myth" (Earl Doherty) to "demythologized" (Rudolf Bultmann) to "basically historical, with additions" (Will Durant) to "fully historical" (most conservative Christians).

Consensus on such an issue is particularly hard to reach, given that the subject touches on deeply held beliefs. The majority of Christian theologians and historians and some non-Christian theologians and historians acknowledge that a person named Jesus did exist in the first century. Beyond that, little has been absolutely agreed upon.

Cultural and historical background

Main article: Cultural and historical background of Jesus

The world in which Jesus lived was volatile, marked by cultural and political dilemmas. Culturally, Jews had to grapple with the values and philosophy of Hellenism, together with the paradox that their Torah applied only to them, but revealed universal truths. This situation led to new interpretations of the Torah, influenced by Hellenic thought and in response to Gentile interest in Judaism.

All of Palestine belonged to the Roman empire at the time given for Jesus' birth, but it was indirectly ruled by King Herod the Great. After Herod's death in 4 BC, Judea and Samaria were combined into the Roman province of Palestina, ruled by the Jewish High Priest under the supervision of a Roman procurator. Galilee, where Jesus allegedly grew up, remained under the jurisdiction of Herod's son, the Tetrarch Herod Antipas.

Within Judaism, there were several parties, primarily the Sadducees, closely connected with the priesthood and the temple, and the Pharisees, who were teachers and leaders of the synagogues. They resented Roman occupation, but at Jesus' time were not particularly political. Isolated in small communities from these main groups, by choice, lived the Essenes, whose theology and philosophy are percieved as having influenced Jesus and/or John the Baptist by many scholars. The Zealots, who advocated direct action against the Romans (eventually leading to the destruction of the temple, and the subsequent decline of the Saducees and Essenes), may have been active at this time (though this is debated).

Many Jews hoped that the Romans would be replaced by a Jewish king (or Messiah) of the line of David — in their view the last legitimate Jewish regime. Most Jews believed that their history was governed by God, meaning that even the conquest of Judea by the Romans was a divine act. Therefore the Romans would be replaced by a Jewish king only through divine intervention; thus, the majority of Jews accepted Roman rule. Some like John the Baptist in the first half of the century, and Yehoshua ben Ananias in the second, claimed that a messianic age was at hand. Others believed that the kingdom should be restored immediately, through violent human action.

Relics

Main article: Relics of Jesus

There are many items that are purported to be authentic relics of the Gospel account, which are listed in the main article. The most famous alleged relic of Jesus is the Shroud of Turin, which is claimed to be the burial shroud used to wrap the body of Jesus. Many modern Christians, however, do not accept any of these as true relics. Indeed, this skepticism has been around for centuries, with Erasmus joking that so much wood formed parts of the True Cross, that Jesus must have been crucified on a whole forest.

Artistic portrayals

Images

Main article: Images of Jesus

Drama

Main article: Dramatic portrayals of Jesus Christ

Jesus has been featured in many films and media, sometimes as a serious portrayal, and other times as satire. Many of these portrayals have attracted controversy, whether they were intended to be based on the Biblical accounts (such as Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ and Pier Pasolini's The Gospel According to St. Matthew) or intentionally added extra material (such as The Last Temptation of Christ). Another recurring theme is the up-dating of aspects of the life of Jesus, or imagining his Second Coming (for example, The Seventh Sign). In music, many songs refer to Jesus.

In many portrayals Jesus himself is a minor character, used to develop the overall themes. For example, in Ben Hur and The Life of Brian Jesus only appears in a few scenes.

Sources and further reading

The New Testament of the Bible, especially the Gospels.
Albright, William F. Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan: An Historical Analysis of Two Contrasting Faiths, ISBN 0931464013
Ehrman, Bart Jesus: apocalyptic prophet of the new millennium, ISBN 019512474X
Ehrman, Bart The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, ISBN 0195154622
Fredriksen, Paula Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews: A Jewish Life and the Emergence of Christianity ISBN 0679767460
Fredriksen, Paula From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of the New Testament Images of Christ ISBN 0300084579, ISBN 0300040180
Mendenhall, George E. The Tenth Generation: The Origins of the Biblical Tradition, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1973. ISBN 0-8018-1654-8. A study of the earliest traditions of Israel from linguistic and archaeological evidence which also treats the teachings and followers of Jesus in that context.
Mendenhall, George E. Ancient Israel's Faith and History: An Introduction to the Bible in Context, Westminster John Knox Press, 2001. ISBN 0-664-22313-3. Another, less technical, study of the earliest traditions of Israel from linguistic and archaeological evidence which also treats the teachings and followers of Jesus in that context.
Pelikan, Jaroslav Jesus Through the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture, Yale University Press, 1985, hardcover, 270 pages, ISBN 0300034962; trade paperback, HarperCollins reprint, 304 pages, ISBN 0060970804; trade paperback, Yale University Press, 1999, 320 pages, ISBN 0300079877
Sanders, E.P. The historical figure of Jesus, Penguin, 1996, ISBN 0140144994. An up-to-date, popular, but thoroughly scholarly book.
Sanders, E.P. Jesus and Judaism, Fortress Press, 1987, ISBN 0800620615. More specialistic than the previous book, still not inaccessible though.
Theissen, Gerd & Annette Merz, The Historical Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide, Fortress Press, 2003, ISBN 0800631226. An amazing book, tough but rewarding, exceptionally detailed.
Theissen, Gerd The Shadow of the Galilean: The Quest of the Historical Jesus in Narrative Form. Fortress Press.
Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity
Vermes, Geza Jesus the Jew: A Historian's Reading of the Gospels ISBN 0800614437
Vermes, Geza, The Religion of Jesus the Jew ISBN 0800627970
Vermes, Geza, Jesus in his Jewish context ISBN 0800636236
Walvoord, John F. Jesus Christ Our Lord. Moody Press, 1969. ISBN 0802443265
Wilson, Ian Jesus: The evidence ISBN 0297835297
Yogananda, Paramahansa: The Second Coming of Christ, ISBN 0876125550
In Quest of the Hero:(Mythos Series) — Otto Rank, Lord Fitzroy Richard Somerset Raglan and Alan Dundes, Princeton University Press, 1990, ISBN 0691020620
On Heroes, Hero-Worship, & the Heroic in History — Thomas Carlyle
The Superhuman life of Gesar of Ling — Alexandra David-Neel (A divine hero still in oral tradition)
The Jewish historian Josephus allegedly wrote about Jesus in Antiquities, Book 18, chapter 3, paragraph www.josephus-1.com
Bloodline of the Holy Grail by Laurence Gardner. A popular book, but with a hypothesis that would not be accepted by mainstream scholars.
Jesus and the Victory of God N.T.Wright, SPCK (London), 1996 ISBN 0281047170. Second in a projected massive five or six volume series on Christian origins, dealing with the life and death of Christ from a very open Evangelical perspective. The author is now Bishop of Durham (Church of England).
Michael H. Hart, The 100, Carol Publishing Group, July 1992, paperback, 576 pages, ISBN 0806513500

External links

General

Historical

Views of religious groups

From Jesus to Christ
Jesus Christ (Christology)Essays on the Deity of Jesus, Jesus' Offices of Prophet, Priest & King & The Historic Jesus.
Christ Notes
Jesus Christ Catholic Encyclopedia article
EWTN's Jesus Christ webpage
The Words: website that organises Jesus' sayings by topic
Jesus' birth (Jehovah's Witnesses official site)
Latter-day Saint (Mormon) beliefs about Jesus
A Jewish response to Christian missionaries
Jesus in Heaven on Earth: A Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement perspective

Other views

The Jesus Puzzle
The Jesus Puzzle
Skeptic's Guide to Jesus
The Creation of Christ The theory that Jesus was a myth based on Julius Caesar.
The theory that the story of Jesus is based on the older Hindu story of Krishna
Religious Tolerance website about Jesus
Unitarian Universalist Views of Jesus: prophet; dissident; one of many Christs
The theory and evidence of Jesus having lived in Ladakh, in the Himalaya from 12 to 29 years
The Original Teaching of Jesus Christ Online book purporting to reconstruct the original teachings of Jesus.
Jesus was actually called Yahushua
Jesus never existed
Various articles related to the natural death of Jesus
Jesus the Messiah at Hebrew for Christians.

Categories: