Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, Judea – then part of
the Roman Empire, under the rule of Herod. Jesus Christ was born into a Jewish
family; his parents were Mary and Joseph of Nazareth.
Jesus Christ was born in
Bethlehem because his father had to travel to his place of birth to take part
in the Roman census.
Because of over-crowding due to
the census, the family were offered a place in a stable, and hence Jesus Christ
was born in the humblest of surroundings – in a manger surrounded by animals.
According to the Gospels, the
birth of Jesus Christ was proclaimed to shepherds in nearby fields.
Later on, Jesus Christ was
visited by three wise men from the east offering gifts of gold, frankincense
and myrrh. Shortly after Jesus Christ’ birth, Herod was told a ‘future king of
the Jews’ had been born in his kingdom.
Feeling his temporal power
threatened, he ordered all young Jewish boys to be killed.
The Gospels relate how Joseph was
warned in a dream and, as a result, took his family to Egypt before returning
to Nazareth when it was considered safe.
Not much is known about Jesus
Christ’ early life, the Gospels concentrate on the last couple of years when he
was active in his ministry.
However, Jesus Christ is believed
to have followed in his father’s footsteps and trained to be a carpenter.
Some have also suggested during
this period Jesus Christ travelled to India and Persia where he learned
something of India’s spiritual tradition before returning to Nazareth to begin
his ministry.
All three synoptic gospels say Jesus
Christ was baptised by John the Baptist, in the River Jordan. This symbolic
baptism was the beginning of Jesus Christ’ ministry.
Following his baptism, Jesus
Christ spent 40 days in the desert where he was tempted by the Devil. However,
he passed the test and refused any temptations of wealth or worldly gain.
Blessed are the poor in spirit:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
In the last months of his life, Jesus
Christ entered into Jerusalem and was greeted enthusiastically by crowds who
shouted ‘Hosanna’.
Jesus Christ then entered the
main temple and created controversy by overturning the tables of the money
lenders. Jesus Christ criticised them for conducting business in a sacred
temple – claiming they had turned the temple into a ‘den of robbers.’
The radical nature of Jesus
Christ’ teachings, in addition to his growing following, aroused the concern of
the religious authorities, who felt threatened by the message of Jesus Christ.
Later that week Jesus Christ
celebrated the Passover meal with his thirteen disciples. He foretold that he
would be betrayed by one of his own disciples and turned over to the
authorities.
As Jesus Christ had foretold,
this occurred. Judas betrayed Jesus Christ to the temple authorities by kissing
Jesus Christ. Judas was paid 30 silver coins for his betrayal.
But, he later repented of his
action and hung himself from a tree.
The Jewish elders asked him if he
was the Son of God. Jesus Christ replied ‘It is as you say.’ The Jewish
authorities passed him to the Roman authorities with the recommendation he
should be charged with blasphemy.
It is said that Pontius Pilate
was reluctant to have him executed as he didn’t see a crime that Jesus Christ
had committed against the Romans.
Pilate’s wife had a dream he
which she felt Jesus Christ was innocent and his wife tried to persuade Pilate
to release Jesus Christ.
Pilate ordered Jesus Christ to be
flogged in the hope this would appease the Jewish authorities. However, they
still wanted to see Jesus Christ executed.
On the feast of Passover, it was
traditional for the Roman authorities to release one prisoner.
However, the crowd chose not Jesus
Christ to be released but Barabbas – a convicted criminal. Pilate washed his
hands saying it was not his crime.
Jesus Christ was then led up to
the Calvary to be crucified. He was beaten and taunted by soldiers and some in
the crowd.
Many others were weeping at the
sight of Jesus Christ being taken to his execution. He had to carry a cross and
at one stage fainted – and was helped by Simon of Cyrene.
Jesus Christ was nailed to the
cross with an inscription above his head. “Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the King
of the Jews” (INRI). He was crucified in between two thieves.
Jesus Christ died on the cross,
with a Roman soldier puncturing his side with a spear to prove that he was
dead.
The Gospels relate that on the
Sunday following the crucifixion, Mary Magdalene visited the tomb of Jesus
Christ to find it empty.
His disciples come to realise
that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. Though disciples like Thomas doubted
Jesus Christ’ resurrection until he saw Jesus Christ Christ in the flesh.
Due to a lack of accurate
historical records, there is some dispute over the exact details of the life
and teachings of Jesus Christ Christ.
The most widely used sources are
the four canonical gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
It is estimated that these were
written about 70-200 years after the death of Christ. There are also many other
non-canonical gospels such as Thomas, Peter and Mary. Of particular interest
was the discovery of the dead sea scrolls, which uncovered texts previously
lost.
In the history of early
Christianity, there was much debate about the nature of Jesus Christ Christ.
Some felt Jesus Christ was a direct incarnation of God; others felt he was both
divine and human.
There were different branches of
Christianity emphasizing different aspects. For example, the Gnostics emphasized
the immanence of God and the ability for followers to have a direct
relationship with God.
In 325 AD, the Nicene Creed formalized
the Christian church teachings about Jesus Christ.
They accepted four Gospels as
canonical and rejected many other gospels. The Nicene Creed also gave great
emphasis to the writings and letters of St Paul.
St Paul emphasized the divine
nature of Jesus Christ Christ and the importance of the crucifixion and
resurrection.
Many key figures in the
Enlightenment/Renaissance felt Jesus Christ to be a supreme teacher of moral
and religious ideals, but rejected claims to divinity and miracles such as the
virgin birth.
For example, Thomas Jefferson
wrote the ‘Life and Morals of Jesus Christ Christ’ (known as the Jefferson
Bible. Benjamin Franklin also looked to Jesus Christ Christ as a great moral
teacher, but, didn’t accept all the teachings of the Christian church.
A person who has achieved self-realization
or God-realization. Jesus Christ Christ is also looked upon as an Avatar – a realized
soul with a special mission to save innumerable souls.
Many Indian spiritual Master view
Jesus Christ Christ as divine – ‘an incarnation of God’ but they do not accept
that Jesus Christ Christ was alone in achieving this spiritual realization.source
- biographyonline
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