Jesus Christ

Jesus (c. 4 BC), also referred to as Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus Christ, was a first-century preacher and  leader. He is the central figure of. Most believe he is the  of  and the awaited   prophesied in the.

Virtually all modern scholars of antiquity agree that, although the has produced little agreement on the  and on how closely the Jesus portrayed in the Bible reflects the. Jesus was a  who was  by  and began. He and was often referred to as "". Jesus debated with fellow Jews on how to best follow God, engaged in healings, taught in s and gathered followers. He was arrested and tried by the, turned over to the Roman government, and on the order of , the. After his death, his followers believed he, and the community they formed eventually became the.

doctrines include the beliefs that Jesus was conceived by the, was named , performed , founded the , died by  as a sacrifice to achieve , rose from the dead, and  into , from where he. Most enables people to be reconciled to God. The asserts that Jesus will  either  or  their, an event tied to the Second Coming of Jesus in. The great majority of Christians worship Jesus as the incarnation of God the Son, the second of three of the. A minority of s, wholly or partly, as non-scriptural. is celebrated annually on December 25 (or various dates in January by some eastern churches) as. His crucifixion is honored on and his resurrection on. The widely used "", from the Latin anno Domini ("in the year of the Lord"), and the equivalent  alternative "", are based on the approximate birthdate of Jesus.

Jesus is also revered in non-Christian religions. , Jesus (commonly transliterated as ISO) is considered one of 's important and the Messiah. believe Jesus was a and was born of a virgin, but was not the son of God. The states that Jesus never claimed divinity. Most Muslims do not believe that he, but that he was physically by God. In contrast, that Jesus was the awaited Messiah, arguing that he did not fulfill, and was neither divine nor resurrected.

Etymology
A typical in Jesus' time, sometimes , or the individual's hometown. Thus, in the New Testament, Jesus is commonly referred to as "Jesus of Nazareth" (e.g., :47). Jesus' neighbors in Nazareth refer to him as "the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon" (:3), "the carpenter's son" (:55), or "Joseph's son" (:22). In John, the disciple refers to him as "Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth" (:45).

The name Jesus is derived from the Latin Iesus, a of the  Ἰησοῦς (Iesous). The Greek form is a rendering of the ישוע ('), a variant of the earlier name יהושע ('), or in English, "Joshua", meaning " saves". This was also the name of and of a  in the Old Testament.

The name Yeshua appears to have been in use in Judea at the time of the birth of Jesus. The 1st-century works of historian, who wrote in , the same language as that of the New Testament, refer to at least twenty different people with the name Jesus (i.e. Ἰησοῦς). The etymology of Jesus' name in the context of the New Testament is generally given as " is salvation".

Since early Christianity, Christians have commonly referred to Jesus as "Jesus Christ". "Jesus Christ" is the name that the author of the claims Jesus gave to himself during his. The word  was a ("the Christ"), not a given name. It derives from the Greek (Christos), a translation of the Hebrew   meaning "", and is usually transliterated into English as "". In biblical Judaism, was used to anoint certain exceptionally holy people and objects as part of their religious investiture (see  and :29).

Christians of the time designated Jesus as "the Christ" because they believed him to be the Messiah, whose arrival is in the  and Old Testament. In postbiblical usage, Christ became viewed as a name—one part of "Jesus Christ". The term "" (meaning a follower of Christ) has been in use since the 1st century.

Canonical gospels
The four s (,, , and John) are the foremost sources for the life and message of Jesus. However, other parts of the New Testament also include references to key episodes in his life, such as the in 1 Corinthians 11:23. (Acts 10:37–38 and Acts 19) refers to the early ministry of Jesus and its anticipation by John the Baptist. Acts 1:1–11 says more about the Ascension of Jesus (also mentioned in 1 Timothy 3:16) than the canonical gospels do. In the, which were written earlier than the gospels, the words or instructions of Jesus are cited several times (1 Corinthians 7:10–11, 9:14, 11:23–25, 2 Corinthians 12:9).

Some groups had separate descriptions of the life and teachings of Jesus that are not included in the New Testament. These include the, , and , the , and. Most scholars conclude that these are written much later and are less reliable accounts than the canonical gospels.

The canonical gospels are four accounts, each written by a different author. The authors of the gospels are all anonymous, attributed by tradition to the, each with close ties to Jesus: Mark by , an associate of Peter; Matthew by one of Jesus' disciples; Luke by a companion of Paul mentioned in a few epistles; and John by another of Jesus' disciples, the "".

One important aspect of the study of the gospels is the under which they fall. Genre "is a key convention guiding both the composition and the interpretation of writings". Whether the gospel authors set out to write novels, myths, histories, or biographies has a tremendous impact on how they ought to be interpreted. Some recent studies suggest that the genre of the gospels ought to be situated within the realm of ancient. Although not without critics, the position that the gospels are a type of ancient biography is the consensus among scholars today.

Not everything contained in the New Testament gospels is considered to be historically reliable. Views range from their being descriptions of the life of Jesus to their providing little historical information about his life beyond the basics. According to a broad scholarly consensus, the (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), and not John, are the most reliable sources of information about Jesus.

According to the, the first to be written was the Gospel of Mark (written AD 60–75), followed by the Gospel of Matthew (AD 65–85), the Gospel of Luke (AD 65–95), and the Gospel of John (AD 75–100). Furthermore, most scholars agree that the authors of Matthew and Luke used Mark as a source when writing their gospels. Matthew and Luke also share some content not found in Mark. To explain this, many scholars believe that in addition to Mark, another source (commonly called the "") was used by the two authors.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels, from the Greek σύν (syn "together") and ὄψις (opsis "view"). They are similar in content, narrative arrangement, language and paragraph structure. Scholars generally agree that it is impossible to find any direct literary relationship between the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John. While the flow of some events (such as Jesus' baptism,, crucifixion and interactions with the ) are shared among the Synoptic Gospels, incidents such as the transfiguration do not appear in John, which also differs on other matters, such as the.

The Synoptics emphasize different aspects of Jesus. In Mark, Jesus is the whose mighty works demonstrate the presence of. He is a tireless wonder worker, the servant of both God and man. This short gospel records few of Jesus' words or teachings. The Gospel of Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's will as revealed in the Old Testament, and he is the Lord of the Church. He is the "", a "king", and the Messiah. Luke presents Jesus as the divine-human savior who shows compassion to the needy. He is the friend of sinners and outcasts, come to seek and save the lost. This gospel includes well-known parables, such as the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son.

The identifies Jesus as an incarnation of the divine Word. As the Word, Jesus was eternally present with God, active in all creation, and the source of humanity's moral and spiritual nature. Jesus is not only greater than any past human prophet but greater than any prophet could be. He not only speaks God's Word; he is God's Word. In the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals his divine role publicly. Here he is the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the True Vine and more.

In general, the authors of the New Testament showed little interest in an absolute chronology of Jesus or in synchronizing the episodes of his life with the secular history of the age. As stated in, the gospels do not claim to provide an exhaustive list of the events in the life of Jesus. The accounts were primarily written as theological documents in the context of, with timelines as a secondary consideration. In this respect, it is noteworthy that the Gospels devote about one third of their text to the last week of the life of Jesus in, referred to as. Although the gospels do not provide enough details to satisfy the demands of modern historians regarding exact dates, it is possible to draw from them a general picture of the life story of Jesus.

Genealogy and nativity
Jesus was Jewish, born to Mary, wife of. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke offer two accounts of the. Matthew traces Jesus' ancestry to through. Luke traces Jesus' ancestry through to God. The lists are identical between Abraham and David, but differ radically from that point. Matthew has twenty-seven generations from David to Joseph, whereas Luke has forty-two, with almost no overlap between the names on the two lists. Various theories have been put forward seeking to explain why the two genealogies are so different.

Matthew and Luke each describe Jesus' birth, especially that Jesus was born to a virgin named Mary in in fulfillment of prophecy. Luke's account emphasizes events before the and centers on Mary, while Matthew's mostly covers those after the birth and centers on Joseph. Both accounts state that Jesus was born to and Mary, his, in Bethlehem, and both support the doctrine of the , according to which Jesus was miraculously conceived by the  in Mary's womb when she was still a virgin. At the same time, there is evidence, at least in the Lukan, that Jesus was thought to have had, like many figures in antiquity, a dual paternity, since there it is stated he descended from the seed or loins of David. By taking him as his own, Joseph will give him the necessary Davidic descent.

In Matthew, Joseph is troubled because Mary, his betrothed, is pregnant, but in the first of an angel assures him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, because her child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. In, or  from the East bring gifts to the young Jesus as the. They find Jesus in a house in Bethlehem and not a barn and Jesus is now a child and not an infant. Matthew focuses on an event after the Luke Nativity where Jesus was an infant. In Matthew hears of Jesus' birth and, wanting him killed, orders the murders of male infants in Bethlehem under age of 2. But an angel warns Joseph in his second dream, and the family —later to return and settle in.

In, Mary learns from the angel that she will conceive and bear a child called Jesus through the action of the Holy Spirit. When Mary is due to give birth, she and Joseph travel from Nazareth to Joseph's ancestral home in Bethlehem to register in the census ordered by. While there Mary gives birth to Jesus, and as they have found no room in the inn, she places the newborn in a. An, who go to Bethlehem to see Jesus, and subsequently spread the news abroad. After the, Joseph, Mary and Jesus return to Nazareth.

Early life, family, and profession
Jesus' childhood home is identified in the gospels of Luke and Matthew as the town of Nazareth in, where he lived with his family. Although Joseph appears in descriptions of Jesus' childhood, no mention is made of him thereafter. His other family members—his mother, Mary,, ,  and  and his unnamed sisters—are mentioned in the gospels and other sources.

The Gospel of Mark reports that Jesus comes into conflict with his neighbors and family. Jesus' mother and brothers come to get him because people are saying that. Jesus responds that his followers are his true family. In John, Mary follows Jesus to his crucifixion, and he expresses concern over her well-being.

Jesus is called a τέκτων () in, traditionally understood as but could cover makers of objects in various materials, including builders. The gospels indicate that Jesus could read, paraphrase, and debate scripture, but this does not necessarily mean that he received formal scribal training.

When Jesus is presented as a baby in the temple per Jewish Law, a man named says to Mary and Joseph that Jesus "shall stand as a sign of contradiction, while a sword will pierce your own soul. Then the secret thoughts of many will come to light". Several years later, when Jesus goes missing on a visit to, his parents sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions, and the people are amazed at his understanding and answers; Mary scolds Jesus for going missing, to which Jesus replies that he must "be in his father's house".

Baptism and temptation
The Synoptic accounts of Jesus' baptism are all preceded by information about. They show John preaching penance and repentance for the remission of sins and encouraging the giving of to the poor  as he baptizes people in the area of the  around  and foretells  the arrival of someone "more powerful" than he. Later, Jesus identifies John as "the Elijah who was to come", the prophet who was expected to arrive before the "great and terrible day of the Lord". Likewise, Luke says that John had the spirit and power of.

In Mark, John baptizes Jesus, and as he comes out of the water he sees the descending to him like a dove and he hears a voice from heaven declaring him to be God's Son. This is one of two events described in the gospels where a voice from Heaven calls Jesus "Son", the other being the. The spirit then drives him into the wilderness where he is tempted by. Jesus then begins his ministry after John's arrest. Jesus' baptism in Matthew is similar. Here, before Jesus' baptism, John protests, saying, "I need to be baptized by you". Jesus instructs him to carry on with the baptism "to fulfill all righteousness". Matthew also details the three temptations that Satan offers Jesus in the wilderness. In Luke, the Holy Spirit descends as a dove after everyone has been baptized and Jesus is praying. John implicitly recognizes Jesus from prison after sending his followers to ask about him. Jesus' baptism and temptation serve as preparation for his public ministry.

The Gospel of John leaves out Jesus' baptism and temptation. Here, John the Baptist testifies that he saw the Spirit descend on Jesus. John publicly proclaims Jesus as the sacrificial, and some of John's followers become disciples of Jesus. In this Gospel, John denies that he is Elijah. Before John is imprisoned, Jesus leads his followers to baptize disciples as well, and they baptize more people than John.

Public ministry
The Synoptics depict two distinct geographical settings in Jesus' ministry. The first takes place north of, in , where Jesus conducts a successful ministry; and the second shows Jesus rejected and killed when he travels to. Often referred to as "", Jesus preaches his message orally. Notably, Jesus forbids those who recognize him as the Messiah to speak of it, including people he heals and demons he exorcises (see ).

John depicts Jesus' ministry as largely taking place in and around Jerusalem, rather than in Galilee; and Jesus' divine identity is openly proclaimed and immediately recognized.

Scholars divide the ministry of Jesus into several stages. The Galilean ministry begins when Jesus returns to Galilee from the after rebuffing the temptation of. Jesus preaches around Galilee, and in, , who will eventually form the core of the early Church, encounter him and begin to travel with him. This period includes the, one of Jesus' major discourses, as well as the , the , and a number of other miracles and. It ends with the and the Transfiguration.

As Jesus travels towards Jerusalem, in the n ministry, he returns to the area where he was baptized, about a third of the way down from the along the. The begins with Jesus'  into the city on. In the Synoptic Gospels, during that week Jesus from the  and  him. This period culminates in the and the.

Disciples and followers
Near the beginning of his ministry, Jesus. In Matthew and Mark, despite Jesus only briefly requesting that they join him, Jesus' first four apostles, who were fishermen, are described as immediately consenting, and abandoning their nets and boats to do so. In John, Jesus' first two apostles were disciples of John the Baptist. The Baptist sees Jesus and calls him the ; the two hear this and follow Jesus. In addition to the Twelve Apostles, the opening of the passage of the identifies a much larger group of people as disciples. Also, in Jesus sends  in pairs to prepare towns for his prospective visit. They are instructed to accept hospitality, heal the sick and spread the word that the is coming.

In Mark, the disciples are notably obtuse. They fail to understand Jesus' miracles, his parables , or what "rising from the dead" would mean. When Jesus is later arrested, they desert him.

Teachings and miracles
In the Synoptics, Jesus teaches extensively, often in s, about the Kingdom of God (or, in Matthew, the ). The Kingdom is described as both imminent and already present in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus promises inclusion in the Kingdom for those who accept his message. Jesus talks of the "," an figure who would come to gather the chosen.

Jesus calls people to repent their sins and to devote themselves completely to God. Jesus tells his followers to adhere to, although he is perceived by some to have broken the law himself, for example regarding the. When asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus replies: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind ... And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself". Other ethical teachings of Jesus include, refraining from hatred and lust, , and forgiving people who have sinned against you.

John's Gospel presents the teachings of Jesus not merely as his own preaching, but as divine. John the Baptist, for example, states in : "He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure." In Jesus says, "My teaching is not mine but his who sent me." He asserts the same thing in : "Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works."

Approximately thirty parables form about one third of Jesus' recorded teachings. The parables appear within longer sermons and at other places in the narrative. They often contain symbolism, and usually relate the physical world to the. Common themes in these tales include the kindness and generosity of God and the perils of transgression. Some of his parables, such as the, are relatively simple, while others, such as the  , are sophisticated, profound and abstruse. When asked by his disciples about why he speaks in parables to the people, Jesus replies that the chosen disciples have been given to "know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven", unlike the rest of their people, "For the one who has will be given more and he will have in abundance. But the one who does not have will be deprived even more.", going on to say that the majority of their generation have grown "dull hearts" and thus are unable to understand.

In the gospel accounts, Jesus devotes a large portion of his ministry performing s, especially healings. The miracles can be classified into two main categories: healing miracles and nature miracles. The healing miracles include cures for physical ailments, s, and. The nature miracles show Jesus' power over nature, and include, walking on water, and calming a storm, among others. Jesus states that his miracles are from a divine source. When Jesus' opponents suddenly accuse him of performing exorcisms by the power of, the prince of demons, Jesus counters that he performs them by the "Spirit of God" or "finger of God", arguing that all logic suggests that Satan would not let his demons assist the Children of God because it would divide Satan's house and bring his kingdom to desolation; furthermore, he asks his opponents that if he exorcises by , "by whom do your sons cast them out?". In, he goes on to say that while all manner of sin, "even insults against God" or "insults against the son of man", shall be forgiven, whoever insults goodness (or "The ") shall never be forgiven; he/she carries the guilt of his/her sin forever.

In John, Jesus' miracles are described as "signs", performed to prove his mission and divinity. However, in the Synoptics, when asked by some teachers of the Law and some Pharisees to give miraculous signs to prove his authority, Jesus refuses, saying that no sign shall come to corrupt and evil people except the sign of the prophet. Also, in the Synoptic Gospels, the crowds regularly respond to Jesus' miracles with awe and press on him to heal their sick. In John's Gospel, Jesus is presented as unpressured by the crowds, who often respond to his miracles with trust and faith. One characteristic shared among all miracles of Jesus in the gospel accounts is that he performed them freely and never requested or accepted any form of payment. The gospel episodes that include descriptions of the miracles of Jesus also often include teachings, and the miracles themselves involve an element of teaching. Many of the miracles teach the importance of faith. In the and the, for instance, the beneficiaries are told that their healing was due to their faith.

Proclamation as Christ and Transfiguration
At about the middle of each of the three Synoptic Gospels are two significant events: the Confession of and the Transfiguration of Jesus. These two events are not mentioned in the Gospel of John.

In his Confession, tells Jesus, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus affirms that Peter's confession is divinely revealed truth. After the confession, Jesus tells his disciples about his upcoming death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21, Mark 8:31, Luke 9:22)

In the Transfiguration (,, and ), Jesus takes Peter and two other apostles up an unnamed mountain, where "he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white." A bright cloud appears around them, and a voice from the cloud says, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him".

Passion Week
The description of the last week of the life of Jesus (often called ) occupies about one third of the narrative in the canonical gospels, starting with Jesus' and ending with his Crucifixion.

Activities in Jerusalem
In the Synoptics, the last week in Jerusalem is the conclusion of the journey through Perea and that Jesus began in Galilee. Jesus rides a young donkey into Jerusalem, reflecting the tale of, an oracle from the in which the Jews' humble king enters Jerusalem this way. People along the way lay cloaks and small branches of trees (known as palm fronds) in front of him and sing part of.

Jesus next expels the money changers from the, accusing them of turning it into a den of thieves through their commercial activities. Jesus then prophesies about the coming destruction, including false prophets, wars, earthquakes, celestial disorders, persecution of the faithful, the appearance of an "abomination of desolation," and unendurable tribulations. The mysterious "Son of Man," he says, will dispatch angels to gather the faithful from all parts of the earth. Jesus warns that these wonders will occur in the lifetimes of the hearers. In John, the Cleansing of the Temple occurs at the beginning of Jesus' ministry instead of at the end.

Jesus comes into conflict with the Jewish elders, such as when they and when he. , one of the, secretly strikes a bargain with the Jewish elders, agreeing to betray Jesus to them for.

The Gospel of John recounts of two other feasts in which Jesus taught in Jerusalem before the Passion Week. In, a village near Jerusalem, Jesus. This potent sign increases the tension with authorities, who conspire to kill him. anoints Jesus' feet, foreshadowing his entombment. Jesus then makes his Messianic entry into Jerusalem. The cheering crowds greeting Jesus as he enters Jerusalem add to the animosity between him and the establishment. In John, Jesus has already cleansed the Second Temple during an earlier Passover visit to Jerusalem. John next recounts Jesus' Last Supper with his disciples.

Last Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that Jesus shares with his in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper is mentioned in all four canonical gospels; Paul's  also refers to it. During the meal, that one of his apostles will betray him. Despite each Apostle's assertion that he would not betray him, Jesus reiterates that the betrayer would be one of those present. and specifically identify Judas as the traitor.

In the Synoptics, Jesus takes bread, breaks it, and gives it to the disciples, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you". He then has them all drink from a cup, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood". The Christian or  of the  is based on these events. Although the Gospel of John does not include a description of the bread-and-wine ritual during the Last Supper, most scholars agree that (the ) has a eucharistic character and resonates with the  in the Synoptic Gospels and in the Pauline writings on the Last Supper.

In all four gospels, Jesus predicts that Peter will deny knowledge of him three times before the crows the next morning. In Luke and John, the prediction is made during the Supper. In Matthew and Mark, the prediction is made after the Supper; Jesus also predicts that all his disciples will desert him. The Gospel of John provides the only account of after the meal. John also includes a long sermon by Jesus, preparing his disciples (now without Judas) for his departure. of the Gospel of John are known as the and are a significant source of  content.

Agony in the Garden, betrayal, and arrest
In the Synoptics, Jesus and his disciples go to the garden, where Jesus prays to be spared his coming ordeal. Then Judas comes with an armed mob, sent by the chief priests, scribes and elders. He to identify him to the crowd, which then. In an attempt to stop them, an unnamed disciple of Jesus uses a sword to cut off the ear of a man in the crowd. After Jesus' arrest, his disciples go into hiding, and Peter, when questioned, thrice knowing Jesus. After the third denial, Peter hears the rooster crow and recalls Jesus' prediction about his denial. Peter then weeps bitterly.

In John (18:1–11), Jesus does not pray to be spared his crucifixion, as the gospel portrays him as scarcely touched by such human weakness. The people who arrest him are and Temple guards. Instead of being betrayed by a kiss, Jesus proclaims his identity, and when he does, the soldiers and officers fall to the ground. The gospel identifies Peter as the disciple who used the sword, and Jesus rebukes him for it.

Trials by the Sanhedrin, Herod, and Pilate
After his arrest, Jesus is taken to the, a Jewish judicial body. The gospel accounts differ on the. In, and , Jesus is taken to the house of the high priest, , where he is  and beaten that night. Early the next morning, the chief priests and scribes lead Jesus away into their council. states that Jesus is first taken to, Caiaphas' father-in-law, and then to the high priest.

During the trials Jesus speaks very little, mounts no defense, and gives very infrequent and indirect answers to the priests' questions, prompting an officer to slap him. In Jesus' unresponsiveness leads Caiaphas to ask him, "Have you no answer?" In the high priest then asks Jesus, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?" Jesus replies, "I am", and then predicts the coming of the. This provokes Caiaphas to tear his own robe in anger and to accuse Jesus of blasphemy. In Matthew and Luke, Jesus' answer is more ambiguous: in he responds, "You have said so", and in  he says, "You say that I am".

The Jewish elders take Jesus to and ask the Roman governor,, to judge and condemn Jesus for various allegations, accusing him of , perverting the nation, forbidding the payment of tribute, inciting  against , , claiming to be the King of the Jews, the Son of God, and a  to the world. The use of the word "king" is central to the discussion between Jesus and Pilate. In Jesus states, "My kingdom is not from this world", but he does not unequivocally deny being the King of the Jews. In Pilate realizes that Jesus is a Galilean, and thus comes under the jurisdiction of, the  of Galilee and Perea. Pilate sends Jesus to Herod to be tried, but Jesus says almost nothing in response to Herod's questions. Herod and his soldiers mock Jesus, put an expensive robe on him to make him look like a king, and return him to Pilate, who then calls together the Jewish elders and announces that he has "not found this man guilty".

Observing a custom of the time, Pilate allows one prisoner chosen by the crowd to be released. He gives the people a choice between Jesus and a murderer called ( or  Bar-abbâ, "son of the father", from the common given name : 'father'). Persuaded by the elders, the mob chooses to release Barabbas and crucify Jesus. Pilate writes a sign in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that reads "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews" (abbreviated as in depictions) to be affixed to Jesus' cross, then  and sends him to be crucified. The soldiers place a on Jesus' head and ridicule him as the King of the Jews. They beat and taunt him before taking him to, also called Golgotha, for crucifixion.

Crucifixion and entombment
Jesus' crucifixion is described in all four canonical gospels. After the trials, Jesus is led to ; the route traditionally thought to have been taken is known as the. The three Synoptic Gospels indicate that assists him, having been compelled by the Romans to do so. In Jesus tells the women in the multitude of people following him not to weep for him but for themselves and their children. At Calvary, Jesus is offered a sponge soaked in a concoction usually offered as a. According to Matthew and Mark, he refuses it.

The soldiers then crucify Jesus and for his clothes. Above Jesus' head on the cross is Pilate's inscription, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Soldiers and passersby him about it. Two convicted thieves are crucified along with Jesus. In Matthew and Mark, both thieves mock Jesus. In Luke, rebukes Jesus, while  defends him. Jesus tells the latter: "today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). In John, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the were at the crucifixion. Jesus tells the beloved disciple to take care of his mother (John 19:26–27).

The Roman soldiers break the two thieves' legs (a procedure designed to hasten death in a crucifixion), but they do not break those of Jesus, as he is already dead (John 19:33). In, pierces Jesus' side with a , and  flow out. In the Synoptics, when Jesus dies, the heavy curtain at the Temple is torn. In,. In Matthew and Mark, terrified by the events, a Roman states that Jesus was the.

On the same day,, with Pilate's permission and with ' help, , wraps him in a clean cloth, and buries him in his new. In, on the following day the chief Jewish priests ask Pilate for the tomb to be secured, and with Pilate's permission the priests place seals on the large stone covering the entrance.

Resurrection and Ascension
(alone in the Gospel of John, but accompanied by other women in the Synoptics) goes to Jesus' tomb on Sunday morning and is surprised to find it empty. Despite Jesus' teaching, the disciples had not understood that Jesus would rise again.
 * In Matthew, there are guards at the tomb. An angel descends from heaven, and opens the tomb. The guards faint from fear. Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" after they visited the tomb. Jesus then appears to the eleven remaining disciples in Galilee and to baptize all nations in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
 * In Mark, and  are with Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:1). In the tomb, a young man in a white robe (an angel) tells them that Jesus will meet his disciples in Galilee, as he had told them (referring to Mark 14:28).
 * In Luke, Mary and various other women meet two angels at the tomb, but the eleven disciples do not believe their story (Luke 25:1–12). Jesus appears to two of his followers in Emmaus. He also makes an appearance to Peter. Jesus then appears that same day to his disciples in Jerusalem (Luke 24:13–43). Although he appears and vanishes mysteriously, he also eats and lets them touch him to prove that he is not a spirit. He repeats his command to bring his teaching to all nations.
 * In John, Mary is alone at first, but Peter and the beloved disciple come and see the tomb as well. Jesus then appears to Mary at the tomb. He later appears to the disciples, breathes on them, and gives them the power to forgive and retain sins. In a second visit to disciples, he proves to a doubting disciple ("") that he is flesh and blood. The disciples return to Galilee, where Jesus makes another appearance. He performs a miracle known as the at the, after which Jesus encourages Peter to serve his followers.

Jesus' is described in,  and mentioned in. In the, forty days after the Resurrection, as the disciples look on, "he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight". states that Jesus has "gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God".

The Acts of the Apostles describes several appearances of Jesus after his Ascension. In, gazes into heaven and sees "Jesus standing at the right hand of God" just before his death. On the road to, the Apostle to Christianity after seeing a blinding light and hearing a voice saying, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting". In, Jesus instructs in a vision to heal Paul. The includes a revelation from Jesus concerning the.

Early Christianity
After Jesus' life, his followers, as described in the first chapters of the, were all either by birth or , for which the biblical term "" is used, and referred to by historians as s. The early Gospel message was spread , probably in , but almost immediately also in. The 's Acts of the Apostles and record that the first Christian community was  and its leaders included, , and.

After the, he claimed the title of "Apostle to the Gentiles". Paul's influence on Christian thinking is said to be more significant than that of any other. By the end of the, Christianity began to be recognized internally and externally as a which itself was refined and developed further in the centuries after the destruction of the.

Numerous quotations in the New Testament and other Christian writings of the first centuries, indicate that early Christians generally used and revered the (the ) as, mostly in the Greek  or Aramaic  translations.

Early Christians wrote many religious works, including the ones included in the. The canonical texts, which have become the main sources used by historians to try to understand the historical Jesus and sacred texts within Christianity, were probably written between 50 and 120 AD.

Historical views
Prior to the, the gospels were usually regarded as accurate historical accounts, but since then scholars have emerged who question the reliability of the gospels and draw a distinction between the Jesus described in the gospels and the Jesus of history. Since the 18th century, three separate scholarly quests for the historical Jesus have taken place, each with distinct characteristics and based on different research criteria, which were often developed during the quest that applied them. While there is widespread scholarly agreement on the existence of Jesus, and a basic consensus on the general outline of his life, the portraits of Jesus constructed by various scholars often differ from each other, and from the image portrayed in the gospel accounts.

Approaches to the historical reconstruction of the life of Jesus have varied from the "maximalist" approaches of the 19th century, in which the gospel accounts were accepted as reliable evidence wherever it is possible, to the "minimalist" approaches of the early 20th century, where hardly anything about Jesus was accepted as historical. In the 1950s, as the second quest for the historical Jesus gathered pace, the minimalist approaches faded away, and in the 21st century, minimalists such as are a very small minority. Although a belief in the of the gospels cannot be supported historically, many scholars since the 1980s have held that, beyond the few facts considered to be historically certain, certain other elements of Jesus' life are "historically probable". Modern scholarly research on the historical Jesus thus focuses on identifying the most probable elements.

Judea and Galilee in the 1st century
In AD 6,, , and were transformed from a  of the  into an imperial province, also called. A Roman, rather than a client king, ruled the land. The prefect ruled from, leaving to be run by the. As an exception, the prefect came to Jerusalem during religious festivals, when religious and patriotic enthusiasm sometimes inspired unrest or uprisings. Gentile lands surrounded the Jewish territories of Judea and, but Roman law and practice allowed Jews to remain separate legally and culturally. Galilee was evidently prosperous, and poverty was limited enough that it did not threaten the social order.

This was the era of, which combined with elements of  Greek culture. Until the and the  of the Eastern Mediterranean, the main centers of Hellenistic Judaism were  (Egypt) and  (now Southern Turkey), the two main  of the  area, both founded at the end of the 4th century BCE in the wake of the conquests of. Hellenistic Judaism also existed in, where there was conflict between and traditionalists (sometimes called ). The was translated from  and  into ; the  translations into Aramaic were also generated during this era, both due to the decline of knowledge of Hebrew.

Jews based their faith and religious practice on the, five books said to have been given by God to. The three prominent religious parties were the, the , and the. Together these parties represented only a small fraction of the population. Most Jews looked forward to a time that God would deliver them from their pagan rulers, possibly through war against the Romans.

Chronology
Jesus was a Galilean Jew, born around the beginning of the 1st century, who died in 30 or 33 AD in. The general scholarly consensus is that Jesus was a contemporary of and was crucified by the Roman governor, who held office from 26 to 36 AD.

The gospels offer several clues concerning the year of Jesus' birth. associates the birth of Jesus with the reign of, who died around 4 BC, and mentions that Herod was on the throne shortly before the birth of Jesus, although this gospel also associates the birth with the  which took place ten years later. states that Jesus was "about thirty years old" at the start of his, which according to was preceded by John the Baptist's ministry, itself recorded in  to have begun in the 15th year of ' reign (28 or 29 AD). By collating the gospel accounts with historical data and using various other methods, most scholars arrive at a date of birth from 6 to 4 BC for Jesus, but some propose estimates that lie in a wider range.

The years of Jesus' ministry have been estimated using several different approaches. One of these applies the reference in, and the dates of Tiberius' reign, which are well known, to give a date of around 28–29 AD for the start of Jesus' ministry. Another approach uses the statement about the temple in, which asserts that the was in its 46th year of construction at the start of Jesus' ministry, together with  that the temple's reconstruction was started by Herod the Great in the 18th year of his reign, to estimate a date around 27–29 AD. A further method uses the date of the  and the marriage of  to , based on the writings of Josephus, and correlates it with  and. Given that most scholars date the marriage of Herod and Herodias as AD 28–35, this yields a date about 28–29 AD.

A number of approaches have been used to estimate the year of the crucifixion of Jesus. Most scholars agree that he died in 30 or 33 AD. The gospels state that the event occurred during the prefecture of Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea from 26 to 36 AD. The date for the (estimated to be 33–36 AD) acts as an upper bound for the date of Crucifixion. The dates for Paul's conversion and ministry can be determined by analyzing the and the. Astronomers have tried to estimate the precise date of the Crucifixion by analyzing lunar motion and calculating historic dates of, a festival based on the. The most widely accepted dates derived from this method are April 7, 30 AD, and April 3, 33 AD (both ).

Historicity of events
Scholars have reached a limited consensus on the basics of Jesus' life.

Family
Many scholars agree that Joseph, Jesus' father, died by the time Jesus began his ministry. Joseph is not mentioned at all in the gospels during Jesus' ministry. Joseph's death would explain why in Mark 6:3, Jesus' neighbors refer to Jesus as the "son of Mary" (sons were usually identified by their fathers).

According to Theissen and Merz, it is common for extraordinary, such as Jesus, to come into conflict with their ordinary families. In Mark, Jesus' family comes to get him, fearing that he is mad (Mark 3:20–34), and this account is likely historical because early Christians would not have invented it. After Jesus' death, many members of his family joined the Christian movement. Jesus' brother became a leader of the Jerusalem Church.

Géza Vermes says that the doctrine of the arose from theological development rather than from historical events. Despite the widely held view that the authors of the Synoptic Gospels drew upon each other (the so-called ), other scholars take it as significant that the virgin birth is by two separate gospels, Matthew and Luke.

According to E. P. Sanders, the in Matthew and Luke are the clearest case of invention in the Gospel narratives of Jesus' life. Both accounts have Jesus born in, in accordance with Jewish salvation history, and both have him growing up in Nazareth. But Sanders points that the two Gospels report completely different and irreconcilable explanations for how that happened. Luke's account of a census in which everyone returned to their ancestral cities is not plausible. Matthew's account is more plausible, but the story reads as though it was invented to identify Jesus as like a new, and the historian reports Herod the Great's brutality without ever mentioning that.

Sanders says that the genealogies of Jesus are based not on historical information but on the authors' desire to show that Jesus was the universal Jewish savior. In any event, once the doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus became established, that tradition superseded the earlier tradition that he was descended from through Joseph. Luke reports that Jesus was a of, but scholars generally consider this connection to be invented.

Baptism
Most modern scholars consider Jesus' baptism to be a definite historical fact, along with his crucifixion. Theologian states that they "command almost universal assent" and "rank so high on the 'almost impossible to doubt or deny' scale of historical facts" that they are often the starting points for the study of the historical Jesus. Scholars adduce the, saying that early Christians would not have invented a baptism that might imply that Jesus committed s and wanted to. According to Theissen and Merz, Jesus was inspired by and took over from him many elements of his teaching.

Ministry in Galilee
Most scholars hold that Jesus lived in and  and did not preach or study elsewhere. They agree that Jesus debated with Jewish authorities on the subject of God, performed some healings, taught in s and gathered followers. Jesus' Jewish critics considered his ministry to be scandalous because he feasted with sinners, fraternized with women, and allowed his followers to pluck grain on the Sabbath. According to Sanders, it is not plausible that disagreements over how to interpret the Law of Moses and the Sabbath would have led Jewish authorities to want Jesus killed.

According to Ehrman, Jesus taught that a coming kingdom was everyone's proper focus, not anything in this life. He taught about the Jewish Law, seeking its true meaning, sometimes in opposition to other traditions. Jesus put love at the center of the Law, and following that Law was an apocalyptic necessity. His ethical teachings called for forgiveness, not judging others, loving enemies, and caring for the poor. Funk and Hoover note that typical of Jesus were ical or surprising turns of phrase, such as advising one, when struck on the cheek, to be struck as well (Luke 6:29).

The Gospels portray Jesus teaching in well-defined sessions, such as the in the Gospel of Matthew or the parallel  in Luke. According to Gerd Theissen and Annette Merz, these teaching sessions include authentic teachings of Jesus, but the scenes were invented by the respective evangelists to frame these teachings, which had originally been recorded without context. While Jesus' s fit within the social context of, he defined them differently. First, he attributed them to the faith of those healed. Second, he connected them to s prophecy.

Jesus chose  (the "Twelve"), evidently as an  message. All three Synoptics mention the Twelve, although the names on Luke's list vary from those in Mark and Matthew, suggesting that Christians were not certain who all the disciples were. The 12 disciples might have represented the twelve original, which would be restored once God's rule was instituted. The disciples were reportedly meant to be the rulers of the tribes in the coming Kingdom (Matthew 19:28, Luke 22:30). According to Bart Ehrman, Jesus' promise that the Twelve would rule is historical, because the Twelve included. In Ehrman's view, no Christians would have invented a line from Jesus, promising rulership to the disciple who betrayed him. In Mark, the disciples play hardly any role other than a negative one. While others sometimes respond to Jesus with complete faith, his disciples are puzzled and doubtful. They serve as a to Jesus and to other characters. The failings of the disciples are probably exaggerated in Mark, and the disciples make a better showing in Matthew and Luke.

Sanders says that Jesus' mission was not about, although he acknowledges that this opinion is unpopular. He argues that repentance appears as a strong theme only in Luke, that repentance was 's message, and that Jesus' ministry would not have been scandalous if the sinners he ate with had been repentant. According to Theissen and Merz, Jesus taught that God was generously giving people an opportunity to repent.

Role
Jesus taught that an apocalyptic figure, the "", would soon come on clouds of glory to gather the elect, or chosen ones (Mark 13:24–27, Matthew 24:29–31, Luke 21:25–28). He referred to himself as a "" in the colloquial sense of "a person", but scholars do not know whether he also meant himself when he referred to the heavenly "Son of Man". and other early Christians interpreted the "Son of Man" as the risen Jesus.

The title, or , indicates that Jesus' followers believed him to be the anointed heir of King , whom some Jews expected to save Israel. The Gospels refer to him not only as a Messiah but in the absolute form as "the Messiah" or, equivalently, "the Christ". In early Judaism, this absolute form of the title is not found, but only phrases such as "his Messiah". The tradition is ambiguous enough to leave room for debate as to whether Jesus defined his role as that of the Messiah. The Jewish messianic tradition included many different forms, some of them focused on a Messiah figure and others not. Based on the Christian tradition, advances the hypothesis that Jesus saw himself in messianic terms but did not claim the title "Messiah". Bart Ehrman argues that Jesus did consider himself to be the Messiah, albeit in the sense that he would be the king of the new political order that God would usher in, not in the sense that most people today think of the term.

Passover and crucifixion in Jerusalem
Around AD 30, Jesus and his followers traveled from to  to observe. Jesus caused a disturbance in the, which was the center of Jewish religious and civil authority. Sanders associates it with Jesus' prophecy that the Temple would be totally demolished. Jesus had a last meal with his disciples, which is the origin of the Christian sacrament of bread and wine. Jesus' words are recorded in the Synoptics and in Paul's. The differences in the accounts cannot be completely reconciled, and it is impossible to know what Jesus intended, but in general the meal seems to point forward to the coming Kingdom. Jesus probably expected to be killed, and he may have hoped that God would intervene.

The Gospels say that Jesus was betrayed to the authorities by a disciple, and many scholars consider this report to be highly reliable. He was executed on the orders of, the Roman of. Pilate most likely saw Jesus' reference to the Kingdom of God as a threat to Roman authority and worked with the Temple elites to have Jesus executed. The Sadducean high-priestly leaders of the Temple more plausibly had Jesus executed for political reasons than for his teaching. They may have regarded him as a threat to stability, especially after he caused a disturbance at the Second Temple. Other factors, such as Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, may have contributed to this decision. Most scholars consider Jesus' crucifixion to be factual, because early Christians would not have invented the painful death of their leader.

After crucifixion
After Jesus' death, his followers said he rose from the dead, although exact details of their experiences are unclear. According to Sanders, the Gospel reports contradict each other, which, according to him, suggests competition among those claiming to have seen him first rather than deliberate fraud. On the other hand, suggests that inconsistencies in the Gospels reflect differences in the agendas of their unknown authors. The followers of Jesus formed a community to wait for his return and the founding of his kingdom.

Portraits of Jesus
Modern research on the historical Jesus has not led to a unified picture of the historical figure, partly because of the variety of academic traditions represented by the scholars. Given the scarcity of historical sources, it is generally difficult for any scholar to construct a portrait of Jesus that can be considered historically valid beyond the basic elements of his life. The portraits of Jesus constructed in these quests often differ from each other, and from the image portrayed in the gospels.

Jesus is seen as the founder of, in the words of Sanders, a '"renewal movement within Judaism." One of the criteria used to discern historical details in the "third quest" is the criterion of plausibility, relative to Jesus' Jewish context and to his influence on Christianity. A disagreement in contemporary research is whether Jesus was. Most scholars conclude that he was an apocalyptic preacher, like and. In contrast, certain prominent North American scholars, such as and John Dominic Crossan, advocate for a non-eschatological Jesus, one who is more of a   than an apocalyptic preacher. In addition to portraying Jesus as an apocalyptic prophet, a charismatic healer or a, some scholars portray him as the true Messiah or an prophet of. However, the attributes described in the portraits sometimes overlap, and scholars who differ on some attributes sometimes agree on others.

Since the 18th century, scholars have occasionally put forth that Jesus was a political national messiah, but the evidence for this portrait is negligible. Likewise, the proposal that Jesus was a does not fit with the earliest strata of the Synoptic tradition.

Language, ethnicity, and appearance
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, , and , with Aramaic being predominant. There is substantial consensus that Jesus gave most of his teachings in Aramaic in the.

Modern scholars agree that Jesus was a Jew of 1st-century.  in New Testament Greek is a term which in the contemporary context may refer to religion, ethnicity (of Judea), or both. In a review of the state of modern scholarship, writes that the entire question of ethnicity is "fraught with difficulty", and that "beyond recognizing that 'Jesus was Jewish', rarely does the scholarship address what being 'Jewish' means".

The New Testament gives no description of the physical appearance of Jesus before his death—it is generally indifferent to racial appearances and does not refer to the features of the people it mentions. Jesus probably looked like a typical Jew of his time and according to some scholars was likely to have had a sinewy appearance due to.

Christ myth theory
The is the hypothesis that Jesus of Nazareth never existed; or if he did, that he had virtually nothing to do with the founding of Christianity and the accounts in the. Stories of Jesus' birth, along with other key events, have so many mythic elements that some scholars have suggested that Jesus himself was a. (1809–1882) taught that the first Gospel was a work of literature that produced history rather than described it. According to (1850–1906) a social movement produced Jesus when it encountered Jewish messianic expectations. (1865–1935) saw Jesus as the concrete form of a myth that predated Christianity. Despite arguments put forward by authors who have questioned the existence of a, there remains a strong consensus in that a historical Jesus did live in that area and in that time period.

Perspectives
Apart from his own disciples and followers, the Jews of Jesus' day generally rejected him as the Messiah, as do the great majority of Jews today. Christian theologians, s, reformers and others have written extensively about Jesus over the centuries. s and have often been defined or characterized by their descriptions of Jesus. Meanwhile,, , Muslims, Baha'is, and others have found prominent places for Jesus in their religions. Jesus has also had detractors, both past and present.

Christian
Jesus is the central figure of Christianity. Although Christian views of Jesus vary, it is possible to summarize the key beliefs shared among major, as stated in their or  texts. Christian views of Jesus are derived from various sources, including the canonical gospels and New Testament letters such as the Pauline epistles and the. These documents outline the key beliefs held by Christians about Jesus, including his divinity, humanity, and earthly life, and that he is the Christ and the. Despite their many shared beliefs, not all Christian denominations agree on all doctrines, and both on teachings and beliefs have persisted throughout Christianity for centuries.

The New Testament states that the resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of the Christian faith. Christians believe that through his death and resurrection, humans can be  and are thereby offered  and the promise of. Recalling the words of John the Baptist on the day after Jesus' baptism, these doctrines sometimes refer to Jesus as the Lamb of God, who was crucified to fulfill his role as the servant of God. Jesus is thus seen as the, whose obedience contrasts with. Christians view Jesus as a role model, whose God-focused life believers are encouraged to imitate.

Most Christians believe that Jesus was both human and the Son of God. While there has been over his nature, Trinitarian Christians generally believe that Jesus is the Logos, God's incarnation and, both fully divine and fully human. However, the doctrine of the Trinity is not universally accepted among Christians. With the Protestant Reformation, Christians such as and the s started questioning the ancient creeds that had established Jesus' two natures. Nontrinitarian Christian groups include, and.

Christians revere not only Jesus himself, but also his. Devotions to the go back to the earliest days of Christianity. These devotions and feasts exist in both and.

Jewish
rejects the idea of Jesus being God, or a mediator to God, or part of a Trinity. It holds that Jesus is not the, arguing that he neither fulfilled the Messianic prophecies in the nor embodied the personal qualifications of the Messiah. Jews argue that Jesus did not fulfill prophesies to build the, gather Jews back to Israel , bring world peace , and unite humanity under the God of Israel. Furthermore, according to Jewish tradition, there were no prophets after, who delivered his prophesies in the 5th century BC.

Judaic criticism of Jesus is long-standing. The Talmud, written and compiled from the 3rd to the 5th century AD, includes that since medieval times have been considered to be defamatory accounts of Jesus. In one such story, Yeshu HaNozri ("Jesus the Nazarene"), a lewd apostate, is executed by the Jewish high court for spreading idolatry and practicing magic. The majority of contemporary scholars consider that this material provides no information on the historical Jesus. The , a late 12th-century work of written by, states that Jesus is a "stumbling block" who makes "the majority of the world to err and serve a god other than the Lord".

Medieval Hebrew literature contains the anecdotal "Episode of Jesus" (known also as Toledot Yeshu), in which Jesus is described as being the son of Joseph, the son of Pandera (see: ). The account portrays Jesus as an impostor.

Islamic
A major figure in Islam, Jesus (commonly transliterated as ') is considered to be a of  (') and the Messiah (') who was sent to guide the  (Bani Isra'il) with a new scripture, the Gospel (referred to in Islam as '). Muslims regard the gospels of the New Testament as inauthentic, and believe that Jesus' original message was and that  came later to restore it. Belief in Jesus (and all other ) is a requirement for being a. The by name 25 times—more often than Muhammad—and emphasizes that Jesus was a mortal human who, like all other prophets, had been divinely chosen to spread God's message. While the Qur'an affirms the Virgin birth of Jesus, he is considered to be neither the incarnation nor the. Islamic texts emphasize a strict notion of () and forbid the association of partners with God, which would be. Like all, Jesus is considered a Muslim.

The Quran describes the annunciation to Mary () by an angel that she is to give birth to Jesus while remaining a virgin. It calls the virgin birth a miracle that occurred by the will of God. The Quran (21:91 and 66:12) states that God breathed into Mary while she was chaste. Jesus is called the "Spirit of God" because he was born through the action of the Spirit, but that belief does not imply.

To aid in his ministry to the Jewish people, Jesus was given the ability to perform s, by permission of God rather than by his own power. Through his ministry, Jesus is seen as a to Muhammad. According to the Quran, Jesus was not crucified but was merely made to appear that way to unbelievers by Allah, who physically raised Jesus into the heavens. To Muslims, it is the ascension rather than the crucifixion that constitutes a major event in the life of Jesus. Most Muslims believe that Jesus will return to earth at the and defeat the  () by killing him in Lud.

Ahmadiyya Islam
The has several  about Jesus. Ahmadis believe that he was a mortal man who survived his crucifixion and died a natural death at the age of 120 in, and is buried at.

Bahá'í
teachings consider Jesus to be a, a Bahá'í concept for prophets—intermediaries between God and humanity, serving as messengers and reflecting God's qualities and attributes. The Bahá'í concept emphasizes the simultaneous qualities of humanity and divinity; thus, it is similar to the Christian concept of incarnation. Bahá'í thought accepts Jesus as the Son of God. In Bahá'í thought, Jesus was a perfect incarnation of God's attributes, but Bahá'í teachings reject the idea that "ineffable essence" of the Divinity was contained within a single human body because of their beliefs regarding " and of the essence of God".

, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, wrote that since each manifestation of God has the same divine attributes, they can be seen as the spiritual "return" of all previous manifestations of God, and the appearance of each new manifestation of God inaugurates a religion that supersedes the former ones, a concept known as. Bahá'ís believe that God's plan unfolds gradually through this process as mankind matures, and that some of the manifestations arrive in specific fulfillment of the missions of previous ones. Thus, Bahá'ís believe that Bahá'u'lláh is the promised return of Christ. Bahá'í teachings confirm many, but not all, aspects of Jesus as portrayed in the gospels. Bahá'ís believe in the virgin birth and in the Crucifixion, but see the Resurrection and the miracles of Jesus as symbolic.

Other
In Christian Gnosticism (now a largely extinct religious movement), Jesus was sent from the divine realm and provided the secret knowledge necessary for salvation. Most Gnostics believed that Jesus was a human who became possessed by the spirit of "the Christ" at his baptism. This spirit left Jesus' body during the crucifixion, but was rejoined to him when he was raised from the dead. Some Gnostics, however, were, believed that Jesus did not have a physical body, but only appeared to possess one. , a Gnostic sect, accepted Jesus as a prophet, in addition to revering and.

Some consider Jesus to be an  or a. , an, taught that Jesus was the reincarnation of  and a student of , the reincarnation of. Some s, including, regard Jesus as a who dedicated his life to the welfare of people. The movement entertains a wide variety of views on Jesus. , from whom many New Age teachings originated, refer to Jesus as the, a spiritual er, and they believe that Christ, after , occupied the body of Jesus. Jesus (along with other religious figures such as Zoroaster,, and Buddha) as part of their "religious heritage". s reject Jesus' divinity, but have differing views on Jesus' moral teachings. For example, has called him "a great moral teacher".

Artistic depictions
Some of the earliest depictions of Jesus at the are firmly dated to before 256. Thereafter, despite the lack of biblical references or historical records, a wide range of depictions of Jesus appeared during the last two millennia, often influenced by cultural settings, political circumstances and theological contexts. As in other, the earliest depictions date to the late 2nd or early 3rd century, and surviving images are found especially in the.

The depiction of Christ in pictorial form was highly in the early church. From the 5th century onward, flat painted icons became popular in the Eastern Church. The acted as a barrier to developments in the East, but by the ninth century, art was permitted again. The brought renewed, but total prohibition was atypical, and Protestant objections to images have tended to reduce since the 16th century. Although large images are generally avoided, few Protestants now object to book illustrations depicting Jesus. The use of depictions of Jesus is advocated by the leaders of denominations such as and Catholics and is a key element of the Eastern Orthodox tradition.

The was a major theme in Eastern Christian art, and every  monk who had trained in  painting had to prove his craft by painting an icon depicting it. Icons receive the external marks of veneration, such as kisses and prostration, and they are thought to be powerful channels of divine grace. The brought forth a number of artists who focused on depictions of Jesus;  and others followed  in the systematic development of uncluttered images.

Before the Protestant Reformation, the was common in Western Christianity. It is a model of the cross with Jesus crucified on it. The crucifix became the central ornament of the altar in the 13th century, a use that has been nearly universal in Roman Catholic churches since then.

Jesus appears as an infant in a manger (feed trough) in Christmas creches, which depict the. He is typically joined by Mary, Joseph, animals, shepherds, angels, and the. (1181/82–1226) is credited with popularizing the creche, although he probably did not initiate it. The creche reached its height of popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries in southern Europe.

Associated relics
The total destruction that ensued with the by the Romans in AD 70 made the survival of items from 1st-century Judea very rare and almost no direct records survive about the history of Judaism from the last part of the 1st century through the 2nd century. writes that although reports ( III 5.3) that the early Christians left Jerusalem for  just before Jerusalem was subjected to the final lock down, we must accept that no first hand Christian items from the early Jerusalem Church have reached us. writes, "as investigation after investigation has shown, not a single, reliably authenticated relic of Jesus exists."

However, throughout the history of Christianity a number of s attributed to Jesus have been claimed, although doubt has been cast on them. The 16th-century Catholic theologian wrote sarcastically about the proliferation of relics and the number of buildings that could have been constructed from the wood claimed to be from the. Similarly, while experts debate whether Jesus was crucified with three nails or with four, at least thirty s continue to be venerated as relics across Europe.

Some relics, such as purported remnants of the, receive only a modest number of pilgrims, while the (which is associated with an approved  to the ), has received millions, including s  and.