Jesus (c. 6 BC–c. AD 30)

The Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, showing one of the 14 stations which mark the stages of Jesus' journey to Calvary, the place of his crucifixion.

The Arab village of Kafr Kanna (Cana) in Galilee, northern Israel. According to the gospel of St John it was at a wedding here that Jesus turned water into wine for the guests.

Mosaic at the foot of the altar in Tabgha Church, Lower Galilee in Israel. According to Christian tradition, it is the site of the desert place where Jesus fed a multitude of more than 5,000 followers with only five loaves and two fishes.

Detail of the Deesis Mosaic in the museum of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey. Dating from the early 14th century, it depicts the figure of Christ (shown here) flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist.

Hebrew religious teacher on whose teachings Christianity was founded. It is difficult to give a historically accurate account of his life. According to the four Gospels of the New Testament, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Palestine, son of God and the Virgin Mary, and brought up by Mary and her husband Joseph as a carpenter in Nazareth. After adult baptism, he gathered 12 disciples, but his preaching antagonized the Jewish and Roman authorities and he was executed by crucifixion. Three days later there came reports of his resurrection and, later, his ascension to heaven.

Judaism and Islam recognize Jesus as a prophet, but Christianity holds him to be the ‘Son of God’. Furthermore, Christians believe that the prophesies of Jewish prophets regarding the coming of the Messiah were fulfilled in his life.

Through his legal father Joseph, Jesus belonged to the tribe of Judah and the family of David, the second king of Israel, a heritage prophesied for the Messiah. In AD 26 or 27 his cousin John the Baptist proclaimed the coming of the promised Messiah and baptized Jesus, who then made two missionary journeys through the district of Galilee. His teaching, summarized in the Sermon on the Mount, aroused both religious opposition from the Pharisees and secular opposition from the party supporting the Roman governor Herod Antipas. When Jesus returned to Jerusalem (probably AD 29), a week before the festival of Pesach (Passover), he was greeted by the people as the Messiah, though he rode into the city on a donkey, a sign of humility. The Hebrew authorities (aided by the apostle Judas Iscariot) had him arrested and condemned to death, after a hurried trial by the Sanhedrin (supreme Jewish court). The Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate, confirmed the sentence, stressing the threat posed to imperial authority by Jesus' teaching.

God the Son The doctrine that Jesus was both human and divine, known as the doctrine of the Incarnation, lies at the heart of the Christian religion (to be incarnate means to have a body of flesh). Christians believe that it was in the man, Jesus, that God became human. It is an important part of this doctrine that Jesus was both fully God and fully human, not half and half; and that Jesus is unique in this. Christians believe that through incarnation in Jesus, by living among people as a human being, God revealed important truths, demonstrated love and concern for humanity, and provided a way for people to reach God.

Son of God In Christian belief, then, Jesus is understood as having lived in obedience to God's will. He was ‘without sin’, living a perfect human life, and so is a role model to Christians. The writers of the New Testament stressed that Jesus knew he had a mission to fulfil, that Jesus was aware that by his actions, God's will was being done. Jesus urged his followers to love others as themselves, and to worship and love God. They were told to live their lives ‘pure in heart’, sensitive to others, and without pride or anxiety. His teachings became complicated by various interpretations by both individual Christians and Christian institutions. His views on the role of the Messiah differed from that expected. Many Jews were waiting for a warrior king who could save them from their enemies. Jesus adopted the role of the ‘suffering servant’, spoken of by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 50:5–6 and Isaiah 53:10). According to Isaiah, it was the servant's role to suffer and die for the sake of others.

Crucifixion, salvation, and resurrection Christians believe that because Jesus was without sin, he was able to save people from their sins and from death, the consequence of sin. That is, he was able to grant salvation. The cross is probably the most important symbol in the Christian religion. Through his crucifixion, Jesus willingly underwent suffering and death, sacrificing himself on behalf of humanity, and so brought reconciliation between God and humanity (the doctrine of atonement). Through the Resurrection, Jesus is understood to have overcome the consequences of sin, showing that death was not the end. His followers could now look forward to an afterlife, an eternal life in heaven.

Events in Jesus' life Very little is known about the life of Jesus of Nazareth before he began his ministry at the age of about 30. Almost the only information available is that found in the four Gospels of the New Testament. It is likely that all these Gospels were written at least 30 years after Jesus' death and that, before then, the material was passed on orally and by some written records that no longer exist.

Estimates of Jesus' birth range from 9 BC to 4 BC and many scholars suggest 6 BC as the most likely date. According to the Gospels, Jesus was born shortly before the death of Herod the Great (c. 4 BC). His legal father, Joseph, was a carpenter and it is possible that Jesus would have been brought up in this trade.

When Jesus was around 30 years old, he was baptized by John the Baptist, and at this point received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus went away to be alone to think about how to carry out his mission, during which time he was tested by the Devil – the temptations of Jesus. He then chose 12 men as his disciples, who were to spread his teachings. Some scholars have seen the choice of 12 as representing the 12 tribes of Israel and the beginning of the Messianic community (God-like community) headed by Jesus as saviour.

Jesus began his ministry of preaching and healing in the area around Galilee. He was not popular with everyone during his life; he mixed with the poor and social outsiders, and criticized the religious leaders of the time, including the Scribes and Pharisees, whom the Gospels describe as priding themselves on their own holiness while ignoring those in need.

Jesus taught about the approach of the ‘Kingdom of God’. His parables (moral stories) stressed the urgent need for his followers to be ready for the arrival of the kingdom.

His ministry ended with his arrest, trial, and execution during Pesach in Jerusalem. The Gospels say that at his last meal, known as the Last Supper, he gave a new, symbolic meaning to the bread and wine by describing them as his body and blood.

Under Roman law, the Jewish leaders who first tried Jesus were unable to sentence him to death, and had to persuade the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate, that he was a threat to Roman authority. They pressed him to find Jesus guilty of claiming to be the Messiah, a religious and political king and traitor to Rome. Pilate confirmed the sentence.

The Gospels say Jesus rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion, and appeared to his disciples over a period of 40 days, until he finally ascended to heaven. The stories of resurrection appearances stress that Jesus was not a ghost; he could eat with people and his wounds were there to touch.