__________________"CHARLIE HAPPENING" Helping anyone stay on the path of Jesus Christ and Helping anyone trying to find it, it is Love, Peace, Faith, Belief, Hope, Everything
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
We Want to Witness ! Thanks for the Comments !
Thanks so much for leaving a comment and joining the Blog. I'm not yet straightened away with it yet but I've given front page time now to the SECULAR view and what we are 'up against', however, with Jesus with Us Who can be against us? So, what we need to do is Bless people in Jesus' Name, and Pray for people either right on the spot or privately, and we need to witness to the General Public and our close relationships. You must stand firm and proud (Godly Pride) and share your experience of Being Born Again with another person. Word of mouth is the best, in effect you are Witnessing for Jesus that He is Real and You and They are His children and He Loves you and He Loves them. Not pushy, just with Love. The Holy Spirit will Lead You, do not hesitate when the notion comes upon you, it's probably the Holy Spirit ! :) I can't get over it, I become so happy and joyful when I talk with my followers, visitors, friends. I Love you All in Jesus' Name. Charlie
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
The Post Below is in Two Parts, to read it all Go to Older Posts ! And Now appears on Menu on Rt Side of Page
This is a pretty long article and on the second page it mingles with the menu and I'm not sure why but it is still readable there, I apologize for my lack of expertise but each thing I do I get better. You are all such an inspiration to me. God Bless You Over and Over Every Day, in Jesus' Name, that is My Prayer for You ! Well I worked on it and got
"Part 2 " to appear in the menu but haven't solved how to get the copy to go around the menu on the second page......count it all Joy I am smiling as I try to figure it out !
Charlie Happening
"Part 2 " to appear in the menu but haven't solved how to get the copy to go around the menu on the second page......count it all Joy I am smiling as I try to figure it out !
Charlie Happening
Part 1 This Secular Explanation of Jesus is Extremely Distasteful
My Dear Friends,
Feb 24 2012
This is reprinted from
Wikipedia, One of the Main Sources of Information today, even though authenticity is questionable because it is not a team of scholars, rather if you don't like your BIO you can re write and they will print it in the fashion you desire, sort of like making someone's point of view authentic when infact it is uneducated and politically manipulated into its present forms. Take a look at this article and please correspond about your feelings that this type of explanation is what is 'taught to our kids', Thanks so much, All My Followers and More and in My Prayers ! God Bless You One and All in Jesus' Name.
Charlie Happening
Praise Jesus for the Proofs that He Performed and Truths He has Provided Us With !
____________________Part 1_____________________
Feb 24 2012
This is reprinted from
Wikipedia, One of the Main Sources of Information today, even though authenticity is questionable because it is not a team of scholars, rather if you don't like your BIO you can re write and they will print it in the fashion you desire, sort of like making someone's point of view authentic when infact it is uneducated and politically manipulated into its present forms. Take a look at this article and please correspond about your feelings that this type of explanation is what is 'taught to our kids', Thanks so much, All My Followers and More and in My Prayers ! God Bless You One and All in Jesus' Name.
Charlie Happening
Praise Jesus for the Proofs that He Performed and Truths He has Provided Us With !
____________________Part 1_____________________
Jesus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. For other uses, see Jesus (disambiguation).
| Jesus | |
|---|---|
 Jesus as Good Shepherd (stained glass at St John's Ashfield) | |
| Born | 7–2 BC/BCE[1] Bethlehem, Judaea (traditional); Nazareth (some scholars)[2][3] |
| Died | 30–36 AD/CE[4][5][6][7][8] Calvary, Judaea (according to the New Testament, herose on the third day after his death) |
| Cause of death | Crucifixion |
| Resting place | A garden tomb in Jerusalem(traditionally and temporarily)[9] |
| Nationality | Israelite |
| Ethnicity | Jewish |
| Home town | Nazareth, Galilee |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Parents | Father: Joseph (other views) |
Jesus of Nazareth (
/ˈdʒiːzəs/; 7–2 BC/BCE to 30–36 AD/CE) is the central figure ofChristianity, where he is referred to as Jesus Christ, and is also regarded as an important prophet of God in Islam. Most Christian denominations venerate him as God the Son incarnatedand believe that he rose from the dead after being crucified.[13][14] The principal sources of information regarding Jesus are the Bible's four canonical gospels,[15] which most biblical scholars find useful for reconstructing Jesus' life and teachings.[16][17][18][19] Scholars have correlated the New Testament accounts with non-Christian historical records to arrive at anestimated chronology for the major episodes in the life of Jesus.[20][6][4][21]
/ˈdʒiːzəs/; 7–2 BC/BCE to 30–36 AD/CE) is the central figure ofChristianity, where he is referred to as Jesus Christ, and is also regarded as an important prophet of God in Islam. Most Christian denominations venerate him as God the Son incarnatedand believe that he rose from the dead after being crucified.[13][14] The principal sources of information regarding Jesus are the Bible's four canonical gospels,[15] which most biblical scholars find useful for reconstructing Jesus' life and teachings.[16][17][18][19] Scholars have correlated the New Testament accounts with non-Christian historical records to arrive at anestimated chronology for the major episodes in the life of Jesus.[20][6][4][21]
Most critical historians agree that Jesus was a Galilean Jewish Rabbi who was regarded as a teacher and healer in Judaea,[22] that he was baptized by John the Baptist, and that he was crucified in Jerusalem on the orders of the Roman Prefect, Pontius Pilate, on the charge ofsedition against the Roman Empire.[23] Critical Biblical scholars and historians have offered competing descriptions of Jesus as a self-described Messiah, as the leader of an apocalypticmovement, as an itinerant sage, as a charismatic healer, and as the founder of an independent religious movement. Most contemporary scholars of the historical Jesus consider him to have been an independent, charismatic founder of a Jewish restoration movement, anticipating a future apocalypse.[24] Other prominent scholars, however, contend that Jesus' "Kingdom of God" meant radical personal and social transformation instead of a future apocalypse.[24]
Christians traditionally believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, performed miracles, founded the Church, died sacrificially to achieve atonement, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, from which he will return.[14] The majority of Christians worship Jesus as the incarnation of God the Son, and the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.[25] A few Christian groups, however, reject Trinitarianism, wholly or partly, believing it to be non-scriptural.[25][26] Most Christian scholars today present Jesus as the awaited Messiah promised in the Old Testament and as God,[27]arguing that he fulfilled many Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament.[28]
Judaism rejects the belief that Jesus was the awaited Messiah, arguing that he did not fulfill theMessianic prophecies in the Tanakh.[29] In Islam, Jesus (in Arabic: عيسى in Islamic usage, commonly transliterated as Isa) is considered one of God's important prophets,[30][31] a bringer of scripture, and the product of a virgin birth, but not the victim of crucifixion.[32] Islam and theBahá'í Faith use the title "Messiah" for Jesus,[33][34] but do not teach that he was God incarnate.
Etymology of name
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"Jesus" is a transliteration, occurring in a number of languages and based on the Latin Iesus, of theGreek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs), itself a hellenization of the Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yĕhōšuă‘, Joshua) or Hebrew-Aramaicיֵשׁוּעַ (Yēšûă‘), both meaning "Yahweh delivers" or "Yahweh rescues".[35][36]
The etymology of the name Jesus is generally expressed by Christians as "God's salvation" usually expressed as "Yahweh saves",[37][38][39] "Yahweh is salvation"[40][41] and at times as "Jehovah is salvation".[42] The name Jesus appears to have been in use in Judaea at the time of the birth of Jesus.[42][43] Philo's reference (Mutatione Nominum item 121) indicates that the etymology of Joshua was known outside Judaea at the time.[44]
In the New Testament, in Luke 1:26-33, the angel Gabriel tells Mary to name her child "Jesus", and inMatthew 1:21 an angel tells Joseph to name the child "Jesus". The statement in Matthew 1:21 "you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" associates salvific attributes to the name Jesus in Christian theology.[45][46]
"Christ" ( /ˈkraɪst/) is derived from the Greek Χριστός (Khrīstos), meaning "the anointed" or "the anointed one", a translation of the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Māšîaḥ), usually transliterated into English as "Messiah" ( /mɨˈsaɪ.ə/).[47][48] In the Septuagint version of the Hebrew Bible (written well over a century before the time of Jesus), the word "Christ" (Χριστός) was used to translate the Hebrew word "Messiah" (מָשִׁיחַ) into Greek.[49] In Matthew 16:16, the apostle Peter's profession "You are the Christ" identifies Jesus as the Messiah.[50] In postbiblical usage, "Christ" became viewed as a name, one part of "Jesus Christ", but originally it was a title ("Jesus the Anointed").[51]
/ˈkraɪst/) is derived from the Greek Χριστός (Khrīstos), meaning "the anointed" or "the anointed one", a translation of the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Māšîaḥ), usually transliterated into English as "Messiah" ( /mɨˈsaɪ.ə/).[47][48] In the Septuagint version of the Hebrew Bible (written well over a century before the time of Jesus), the word "Christ" (Χριστός) was used to translate the Hebrew word "Messiah" (מָשִׁיחַ) into Greek.[49] In Matthew 16:16, the apostle Peter's profession "You are the Christ" identifies Jesus as the Messiah.[50] In postbiblical usage, "Christ" became viewed as a name, one part of "Jesus Christ", but originally it was a title ("Jesus the Anointed").[51]Chronology
Main article: Chronology of Jesus
Although a few scholars have questioned the existence of Jesus as an actual historical figure,[52] most scholars involved with historical Jesus research believe his existence, but that the supernatural claims associated with him cannot be established using documentary and other evidence.[53][54][55][56][57][58] As discussed in the sections immediately below, the estimation of the year of death of Jesus places his lifespan around the beginning of the 1st century AD/CE, in the geographic region of Roman Judaea.[59][60][61][62][63] The New Testament also refers to the Sea of Galilee which is about 75 miles north of Jerusalem.[64]
Roman involvement in Judaea began around 63 BC/BCE and by 6 AD/CE Judaea had become a Roman province.[65] From 26-37 AD/CE Pontius Pilate was the governor of Roman Judaea.[66] In this time period, although Roman Judaea was strategically positioned in the Near East, close to Arabia and North Africa, it was not viewed as a critically important province by the Romans.[67][68] At the time the Romans were highly tolerant of other religions and allowed the local populations such as the Jews to practice their own faiths.[65]
Year of birth
Two independent approaches have been used to estimate the year of the birth of Jesus, one by analyzing the Nativity accounts in the Gospels of Luke and Matthewalong with other historical data, the other by working backwards from the estimation of the start of the ministry of Jesus, as also discussed in the next section.[6][21]
In its Nativity account, the Gospel of Matthew associates the birth of Jesus with the reign of Herod the Great, who is generally believed to have died around 4 BC/BCE.[21][69] Matthew 2:1 states that: "Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king" and Luke 1:5 mentions the reign of Herod shortly before the birth of Jesus.[21] Matthew also suggests that Jesus may have been as much as two years old at the time of the visit of the Magi and hence even older at the time of Herod's death.[70] But the author of Luke also describes the birth as taking place during the first census of the Roman provinces of Syria and Iudaea, which is generally believed to have occurred in 6 AD/CE.[71] Most scholars generally assume a date of birth between 6 and 4 BC/BCE.[72] Other scholars assume that Jesus was born sometime between 7–2 BC/BCE.[73]
The year of birth of Jesus has also been estimated in a manner that is independent of the Nativity accounts, by using information in theGospel of John to work backwards from the statement in Luke 3:23 that Jesus was "about 30 years of age" at the start of his ministry.[4][6]As discussed in the section below, by combining information from John 2:13 and John 2:20 with the writings of Flavius Josephus, it has been estimated that around 27-29 AD/CE, Jesus was "about thirty years of age".[74][75] Some scholars thus estimate the year 28 AD/CE to be roughly the 32nd birthday of Jesus and the birth year of Jesus to be around 6-4 BC/BCE.[4][6][76]
However, the common Gregorian calendar method for numbering years, in which the current year is 2012, is based on the decision of a monkDionysius in the sixth century, to count the years from a point of reference (namely, Jesus’ birth) which he placed sometime between 2 BCand 1 AD.[77] Although Christian feasts related to the Nativity have had specific dates (e.g. December 25 for Christmas) there is no historical evidence for the exact day or month of the birth of Jesus.[78][79][80]
Years of ministry
There have been different approaches to estimating the date of the start of the ministry of Jesus.[4][74][75][81]One approach, based on combining information from the Gospel of Luke with historical data about EmperorTiberius yields a date around 28-29 AD/CE, while a second independent approach based on statements in the Gospel of John along with historical information from Josephus about the Temple in Jerusalem leads to a date around 27-29 AD/CE.[6][74][75][82][83][84] A third method uses the date of the death of John the Baptist and the marriage of Herod Antipas to Herodias based on the writings of Josephus, and correlates it to Matthew 14:4.[85][86][87]
The estimation of the date based on the Gospel of Luke relies on the statement in Luke 3:1-2 that the ministry of John the Baptist which preceded that of Jesus began "in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar".[74] Given that Tiberius began his reign in 14 AD/CE, this yields a date about 28-29 AD/CE.[4][74][76][88][89]
The estimation of the date based on the Gospel of John uses the statements in John 2:13 that Jesus went to the Temple in Jerusalem around the start of his ministry and in John 2:20 that "Forty and six years was this temple in building" at that time.[6][74] According to Josephus (Ant15.380) the temple reconstruction was started by Herod the Great in the 15th-18th year of his reign at about the time that Augustus arrived in Syria (Ant 15.354).[4][74][90][91] Temple expansion and reconstruction was ongoing, and it was in constant reconstruction until it was destroyed in 70 AD/CE by the Romans.[92] Given that it took 46 years of construction, the Temple visit in the Gospel of John has been estimated at around 27-29 AD/CE.[6][74][82][83][84][93]
Although both the gospels and Josephus refer to Herod Antipas killing John the Baptist, they differ on the details, e.g. whether this act was a consequence of the marriage of Herod Antipas and Herodias, as indicated in Matthew 14:4, or a pre-emptive measure by Herod which possibly took place before the marriage, as Josephus suggests in Ant 18.5.2.[94][95][96][97] The exact year of the marriage of Herod Antipas and Herodias is subject to debate among scholars.[86] In his analysis of Herod's life, Harold Hoehner estimates that John the Baptist's imprisonment probably occurred around AD 30-31.[98] The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia estimates the death of the Baptist to have occurred about AD 31-32.[87] The death of John the Baptist relates to the end of the major Galilean ministry of Jesus, just before the half way point in the gospel narratives, before the start of Jesus' final journey to Jerusalem through Judea.[99][100][100][101]
Luke 3:23 states that at the start of his ministry Jesus was "about 30 years of age", but the other gospels do not mention a specific age. However, in John 8:57 the Jews exclaimed to Jesus: "Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?" suggesting that he was much less than 50 years old during his ministry.[6] The length of the ministry is subject to debate, based on the fact that the synoptic gospels mention only one passover during Jesus' ministry, often interpreted as implying that the ministry lasted approximately one year, whereas the Gospel of John records multiple passovers, implying that his ministry may have lasted at least three years.[4][6][102][103]
Year of death
A number of approaches have been used to estimate the year of the death of Jesus, including information from the canonical gospels, the chronology of the life of Paul the Apostle in the New Testament correlated with historical events, as well as different astronomical models, as discussed below.
All four canonical gospels report that Jesus was crucified at Calvary during the prefecture of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect who governed Judaea from 26 to 36 AD/CE. The late 1st century Jewish historian Josephus,[59] writing in Antiquities of the Jews (c. 93 AD/CE), and the early 2nd century Roman historianTacitus,[60] writing in The Annals (c. 116 AD/CE), also state that Pilate ordered the execution of Jesus, though both writers use the title "procurator" instead of "prefect".[61]
The estimation of the date of the conversion of Paul places the death of Jesus before this conversion, which is estimated at around 33-36 AD/CE.[5][104][105] (Also see the estimation of the start of Jesus' ministry as a few years before this date above). The estimation of the year of Paul's conversion relies on a series of calculations working backwards from the well established date of his trial before Gallio in Achaea Greece (Acts 18:12-17) around 51-52 AD/CE, the meeting of Priscilla and Aquila which were expelled from Rome about 49 AD/CE and the 14-year period before returning to Jerusalem in Galatians 2:1.[5][104][105] The remaining period is generally accounted for by Paul's missions (at times with Barnabas) such as those inActs 11:25-26 and 2 Corinthians 11:23-33, resulting in the 33-36 AD/CE estimate.[5][104][105]
For centuries, astronomers and scientists have used diverse computational methods to estimate the date of crucifixion, Isaac Newton being one of the first cases.[62] Newton's method relied on the relative visibility of the crescent of the new moon and he suggested the date as Friday, April 23, 34 AD/CE.[106] In 1990 astronomer Bradley E. Schaefer computed the date as Friday, April 3, 33 AD/CE.[107] In 1991, John Pratt stated that Newton's method was sound, but included a minor error at the end. Pratt suggested the year 33 AD/CE as the answer.[62]Using the completely different approach of a lunar eclipse model, Humphreys and Waddington arrived at the conclusion that Friday, April 3, 33 AD/CE was the date of the crucifixion.[63][108][109]
Life and teachings in the New Testament
See also: Life of Jesus in the New Testament
Although the four canonical gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are the main sources for the biography of Jesus’ life, other parts of the New Testament, such as the Pauline epistles which were likely written decades before them, also include references to key episodes in his life such as the Last Supper, as in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.[110][111][112] The Acts of the Apostles (10:37-38 and 19:4) refers to the early ministry of Jesus and its anticipation by John the Baptist.[113][114] And Acts 1:1-11 says more about the Ascension episode (also mentioned in 1 Timothy 3:16) than the canonical gospels.[115][116]
Canonical gospel accounts
Three of the four canonical gospels, namely Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are known as the Synoptic Gospels, from the Greek σύν (syn "together") and ὄψις (opsis "view"). These three gospels display a high degree of similarity in content, narrative arrangement, language and paragraph structures.[117] The presentation in the fourth canonical gospel, i.e. John, differs from these three in that it has more of a thematic nature rather than a narrative format.[118][119] And scholars generally agree that it is impossible to find any direct literary relationship between the synoptic gospels and the Gospel of John.[118]
However, 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.[120] The gospels were primarily written as theological documents in the context of early Christianity with the chronological timelines as a secondary consideration.[121] One manifestation of the gospels being theological documents rather than historical chronicles is that they devote about one third of their text to just seven days, namely the last week of the life of Jesus in Jerusalem.[122]
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.[120][121][123] However, as stated in John 21:25 the gospels do not claim to provide an exhaustive list of the events in the life of Jesus.[124]
Gospel sources, similarities and differences
See also: Gospel harmony and Historical reliability of the Gospels
Scholars have debated the sources for the gospels for millennia, and have proposed various hypotheses of how the synoptic gospels were written and how they influenced each other, going back to the Augustinian hypothesis in the 5th century.[125] In the 20th and 21st centuries hypotheses such as the two-source, four-source, Farrer or the Markan priority hypothesis have been debated.[125][126][127] Each hypothesis assumes a specific order in which the gospels were written, or that other as yet unknown and hypothetical documents such as the Q sourceor the M source influenced various gospels in various ways. Each hypotheses has had support among some scholars, while problems with and weaknesses in it have been pointed out by opponents.[125][126][127][128]
Since the 2nd century attempts have been made to harmonize the gospel accounts into a single narrative; Tatian's Diatesseron perhaps being the first harmony and other works such as Augustine' book Harmony of the Gospels followed.[129][130] A number of different approaches to gospel harmony have been proposed in the 20th century, but no single and unique harmony can be constructed.[131] While some scholars argue that combining the four gospel stories into one story is tantamount to creating a fifth story different from each original, others see the gospels as blending together to give an overall and comprehensive picture of Jesus' teaching and ministry.[130][132][133][134] Although there are differences in specific temporal sequences, and in the parables and miracles listed in each gospel, the flow of the key events such as Baptism, Transfiguration and Crucifixion and interactions with people such as the Apostles are shared among the gospel narratives.[120][121][135][136]
Key elements and the five major milestones
The five major milestones in the gospel narrative of the life of Jesus are his Baptism, Transfiguration, Crucifixion, Resurrection andAscension.[137][138][139] These are usually bracketed by two other episodes: his Nativity at the beginning and the sending of the Holy Spirit at the end.[137][139] The gospel accounts of the teachings of Jesus are often presented in terms of specific categories involving his "works and words", e.g. his ministry, parables and miracles.[140][141]
The gospels include a number discourses by Jesus on specific occasions, e.g. the Sermon on the Mount or the Farewell Discourse, and also include over 30 parables, spread throughout the narrative, often with themes that relate to the sermons.[142] Parables represent a major component of the teachings of Jesus in the gospels, forming approximately one third of his recorded teachings, and John 14:10 positions them as the revelations of God the Father.[143][144] The gospel episodes that include descriptions of the miracle of Jesus also often include teachings, providing an intertwining of his "words and works" in the gospels.[141][145]
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Genealogy and Nativity
The accounts of the genealogy and Nativity of Jesus in the New Testament appear only in the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of Matthew. While there are documents outside of the New Testament which are more or less contemporary with Jesus and the gospels, many shed no light on the more biographical aspects of his life and these two gospel accounts remain the main sources of information on the genealogy and Nativity.[123]
Genealogy
Main article: Genealogy of Jesus
Matthew begins his gospel in 1:1 with the genealogy of Jesus, and presents it before the account of the birth of Jesus, while Luke discusses the genealogy in chapter 3, after the Baptism of Jesus in Luke 3:22 when the voice from Heaven addresses Jesus and identifies him as the Son of God.[146] At that point Luke traces Jesus' ancestry through Adam to God.[146]
While Luke traces the genealogy upwards towards Adam and God, Matthew traces it downwards towards Jesus.[147] Both gospels state that Jesus was begotten not by Joseph, but by God.[148] Both accounts trace Joseph back to King David and from there to Abraham. These lists are identical between Abraham and David (except for one), but they differ almost completely between David and Joseph.[149][150] Matthew gives Jacob as Joseph’s father and Luke says Joseph was the son of Heli. Attempts at explaining the differences between the genealogies have varied in nature, e.g. that Luke traces the genealogy through Mary while Matthew traces it through Joseph; or that Jacob and Heli were both fathers of Joseph, one being the legal father, after the death of Joseph's actual father—but there is no scholarly agreement on a resolution for the differences.[151][152][153]
Nativity
Main article: Nativity of Jesus
The Nativity is a prominent element in the Gospel of Luke, comprises over 10% of the text, and is three times the length of the nativity text in Matthew.[154] Luke's account takes place mostly before the birth of Jesus and centers on Mary, while Matthew's takes place mostly after the birth of Jesus and centers on Joseph.[155][156][157] According to Luke and Matthew, Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, his betrothed, inBethlehem. Both support the doctrine of the Virgin Birth in which Jesus was miraculously conceived in his mother's womb by the Holy Spirit, when his mother was still a virgin.[158][159][160][161]
Luke is the only gospel to provide an account of the birth of John the Baptist, and uses it to draw parallels between the births of John and Jesus.[162] Luke relates the two births in the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth[154]and further connects the two births by stating that Mary and Elizabeth are cousins.[163] In Luke 1:31-38 Mary learns from the angel Gabriel 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 of Quirinius. In Luke 2:1-7. Mary gives birth to Jesus and, having found no place in the inn, places the newborn in a manger. An angel visits the shepherds and sends them to adore the child in Luke 2:22. After presenting Jesus at the Temple, Joseph and Mary return home to Nazareth.[156][164]
The nativity account in chapters 1 and 2 of the Gospel of Matthew appears to differ from Luke in implying that Jesus and his family are already living in Bethlehem.[165] However, Matthew does not state that Joseph lived in Bethlehem prior to the birth of Jesus.[166] Following his betrothal to Mary, Joseph is troubled in Matthew 1:19-20 because Mary is pregnant, but in the first of Joseph's three dreams an angel assures him not be afraid to take Mary as his wife, because her child was conceived by the Holy Spirit.[167] In Matthew 1:1-12, the Wise Menor Magi bring gifts to the young Jesus after following a star which they believe was a sign that the King of the Jews had been born. King Herod hears of Jesus' birth from the Wise Men and tries to kill him by massacring all the male children in Bethlehem under the age of two (the Massacre of the Innocents).[168] Before the massacre, Joseph is warned by an angel in his dream and the family flees to Egypt and remains there until Herod's death, after which they leave Egypt and settle in Nazareth to avoid living under the authority of Herod's son and successor Archelaus.[167][169]
Early life and profession
See also: Return of young Jesus to Nazareth
In the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, Jesus’ childhood home is identified as the town of Nazareth in Galilee. Joseph, husband of Mary, appears in descriptions of Jesus’ childhood and no mention is made of him thereafter.[170] The New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, andGalatians mention Jesus’ brothers and sisters, but the Greek word adelphos in these verses, has also been translated as brother or kinsman.[171]
Luke 2:41–52 includes an incident in the childhood of Jesus, where he was found teaching in the temple by his parents after being lost. TheFinding in the Temple is the sole event between Jesus’ infancy and baptism mentioned in any of the canonical gospels.
In Mark 6:3 Jesus is called a tekton (τέκτων in Greek), usually understood to mean carpenter. Matthew 13:55 says he was the son of atekton.[48]:170 Tekton has been traditionally translated into English as "carpenter", but it is a rather general word (from the same root that leads to "technical" and "technology") that could cover makers of objects in various materials, even builders.[172][173]
Beyond the New Testament accounts, the specific association of the profession of Jesus with woodworking is a constant in the traditions of the 1st and 2nd centuries and Justin Martyr (d. ca. 165) wrote that Jesus made yokes and ploughs.[174]
Baptism and temptation
In the gospels, the accounts of the Baptism of Jesus are always preceded by information about John the Baptist and his ministry.[135][176][177] In these accounts, John was preaching for penance and repentance for the remission of sins and encouraged the giving of alms to the poor (as in Luke 3:11) as he baptized people in the area of the River Jordan around Perea about the time of the commencement of the ministry of Jesus. The Gospel of John (1:28) specifies "Bethany beyond the Jordan", i.e. Bethabara in Perea, when it initially refers to it and later John 3:23 refers to further baptisms in Ænon "because there was much water there".[178][179]
The four gospels are not the only references to John's ministry around the River Jordan. In Acts 10:37-38, Peter refers to how the ministry of Jesus followed "the baptism which John preached".[114] In theAntiquities of the Jews (18.5.2) 1st century historian Josephus also wrote about John the Baptist and his eventual death in Perea.[180][181]
In the gospels, John had been foretelling (as in Luke 3:16) of the arrival of a someone "mightier than I".[182][183] Apostle Paul also refers to this anticipation by John in Acts 19:4.[113] In Matthew 3:14, upon meeting Jesus, the Baptist states: "I need to be baptized by you." However, Jesus persuades John to baptize him nonetheless.[184] In the baptismal scene, after Jesus emerges from the water, the sky opens and a voice from Heaven states: "This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased". The Holy Spirit then descends upon Jesus as a dove in Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-23.[182][183][184] InJohn 1:29-33 rather than a direct narrative, the Baptist bears witness to the episode.[183][185] This is one of two cases in the gospels where a voice from Heaven calls Jesus "Son", the other being in the Transfiguration of Jesus episode.[186][187]
After the baptism, the synoptic gospels proceed to describe the Temptation of Jesus, but John 1:35-37 narrates the first encounter between Jesus and two of his future disciples, who were then disciples of John the Baptist.[188][189] In this narrative, the next day the Baptist sees Jesus again and calls him the Lamb of God and the "two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus".[190][191][192] One of the disciples is named Andrew, but the other remains unnamed, and Raymond E. Brown raises the question of his being the author of the Gospel of John himself.[185][193] In the Gospel of John, the disciples follow Jesus thereafter, and bring other disciples to him, and Acts 18:24-19:6portrays the disciples of John as eventually merging with the followers of Jesus.[185][188]
The Temptation of Jesus is narrated in the three synoptic gospels after his baptism.[189][194] In these accounts, as in Matthew 4:1-11 andLuke 4:1-13, Jesus goes to the desert for forty days to fast. While there, Satan appears to him and tempts him in various ways, e.g. asking Jesus to show signs that he is the Son of God by turning stone to bread, or offering Jesus worldly rewards in exchange for worship.[189][195]Jesus rejects every temptation and when Satan leaves, angels appear and minister to Jesus.[189][194][195]
Ministry
Main articles: Ministry of Jesus and Twelve Apostles
Luke 3:23 states that Jesus was "about 30 years of age" at the start of his ministry.[4][6] The date of the start of his ministry has been estimated at around 27-29 AD/CE, based on independent approaches which combine separate gospel accounts with other historical data.[4][6][74][75][82][83][84] The end of his ministry is estimated to be in the range 30-36 AD/CE.[4][5][6][7]
The three synoptic gospels refer to just one passover during his ministry, while the Gospel of John refers to three passovers, suggesting a period of about three years.[176][196] However, the synoptic gospels do not require a ministry that lasted only one year, and scholars such asKöstenberger state that the Gospel of John simply provides a more detailed account.[135][176][197]
The gospel accounts place the beginning of Jesus' ministry in the countryside of Judaea, near the River Jordan.[177] Jesus' ministry begins with his Baptism by John the Baptist (Matthew 3, Luke 3), and ends with the Last Supper with his disciples (Matthew 26, Luke 22) in Jerusalem.[176][177] The gospels present John the Baptist's ministry as the pre-cursor to that of Jesus and the Baptism as marking the beginning of Jesus' ministry, after which Jesus travels, preaches and performs miracles.[135][176][177]
The Early Galilean ministry begins when Jesus goes back to Galilee from the Judaean desert after rebuffing the temptation of Satan.[198] In this early period Jesus preaches around Galilee and inMatthew 4:18-20 his first disciples encounter him, begin to travel with him and eventually form the core of the early Church.[177][199] This period includes the Sermon on the Mount, one of the major discourses of Jesus.[199][200]
The Major Galilean ministry which begins in Matthew 8 refers to activities up to the death of John the Baptist. It includes the Calming the storm and a number of other miracles and parables, as well as the Mission Discourse in which Jesus instructs the twelve apostles who are named in Matthew 10:2-3to carry no belongings as they travel from city to city and preach.[201][202]
The Final Galilean ministry includes the Feeding the 5000 and Walking on water episodes, both inMatthew 14.[203][204] The end of this period (as Matthew 16 and Mark 8 end) marks a turning point is the ministry of Jesus with the dual episodes of Confession of Peter and the Transfiguration - which begins his Later Judaean ministry as he starts his final journey to Jerusalem through Judaea.[205][206][207][208]
As Jesus travels towards Jerusalem, in the Later Perean ministry, about one third the way down from the Sea of Galilee along the Jordan, he returns to the area where he was baptized, and in John 10:40-42 "many people believed in him beyond the Jordan", saying "all things whatsoever John spake of this man were true".[209][210][211] This period of ministry includes the Discourse on the Church in which Jesus anticipates a future community of followers, and explains the role of his apostles in leading it.[212][213] At the end of this period, the Gospel of John includes the Raising of Lazarus episode.[214]
The Final ministry in Jerusalem is sometimes called the Passion Week and begins with the Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.[214] In that week Jesus drives the money changers from the Temple, and Judas bargains to betray him. This period includes theOlivet Discourse and the Second Coming Prophecy and culminates in the Last Supper, at the end of which Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure in the Farewell discourse. The accounts of the ministry of Jesus generally end with the Last Supper.[135][214][215] However, some authors also consider the period between the Resurrection and the Ascension part of the ministry of Jesus.[216]
Teachings and preachings
Main articles: Sermon on the Mount and Parables of Jesus
In the New Testament the teachings of Jesus are presented in terms of his "words and works".[140][141] The words of Jesus include a number of sermons, as well as parables that appear throughout the narrative of the synoptic gospels (the Gospel of John includes no parables). The works include the miracles and other acts performed during his ministry.[141] Although the canonical gospels are the major source of the teachings of Jesus, the Pauline epistles, which were likely written decades before the gospels, provide some of the earliest written accounts of the teachings of Jesus.[110]
The New Testament does not present the teachings of Jesus as merely his own preachings, but equates the words of Jesus with divine revelation, with John the Baptist stating in John 3:34: "he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God" and Jesus stating in John 7:16: "My teaching is not mine, but his that sent me" and again re-asserting that in John 14:10: "the words that I say unto you I speak not from myself: but the Father abiding in me doeth his works."[144][217] In Matthew 11:27 Jesus claims divine knowledge, stating: "No one knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father except the Son", asserting the mutual knowledge he has with the Father.[218][219]
The gospels include a number of discourses by Jesus on specific occasions, such as the Farewell discourse delivered after the Last Supper, the night before his crucifixion.[220] Although some of the teachings of Jesus are reported as taking place within the formal atmosphere of a synagogue (e.g. in Matthew 4:23) many of the discourses are more like conversations than formal lectures.[221]
The Gospel of Matthew has a structured set of sermons, often grouped as the Five Discourses of Matthew, which present many of the key teachings of Jesus.[222][223] Each of the five discourses has some parallel passages in the Gospel of Mark or the Gospel of Luke.[224] The five discourses in Matthew begin with the Sermon on the Mount, which encapsulates many of the moral teaching of Jesus and which is one of the best known and most quoted elements of the New Testament.[200][221] The Sermon on the Mount includes the Beatitudes which describe the character of the people of the Kingdom of God, expressed as "blessings".[225] The Beatitudes focus on love and humility rather than force and exaction and echo the key ideals of Jesus' teachings on spirituality and compassion.[226][227][228] The other discourses in Matthew include the Missionary Discourse in Matthew 10 and the Discourse on the Church in Matthew 18, providing instructions to the disciples and laying the foundation of the codes of conduct for the anticipated community of followers.[213][229][230]
Parables represent a major component of the teachings of Jesus in the gospels, the approximately thirty parables forming about one third of his recorded teachings.[142][143] The parables may appear within longer sermons, as well as other places within the narrative.[221] Jesus' parables are seemingly simple and memorable stories, often with imagery, and each conveys a teaching which usually relates the physical world to the spiritual world.[231][232]
The gospel episodes that include descriptions of the miracle of Jesus also often include teachings, providing an intertwining of his "words and works" in the gospels.[141][145] Many of the miracles in the gospels teach the importance of faith, for instance in Cleansing ten lepers andDaughter of Jairus the beneficiaries are told that they were healed due to their faith.[233][234]
Proclamation as Christ and Transfiguration
Main articles: Confession of Peter and Transfiguration of Jesus
At about the middle of each of the three synoptic gospels, two related episodes mark a turning point in the narrative: the Confession of Peter and the Transfiguration of Jesus.[205][206] These episodes begin inCaesarea Philippi just north of the Sea of Galilee at the beginning of the final journey to Jerusalem which ends in the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus.[235] These episodes mark the beginnings of the gradual disclosure of the identity of Jesus to his disciples; and his prediction of his own suffering and death.[186][187][205][206][235]
Peter's Confession begins as a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples in Matthew 16:13, Mark 8:27 andLuke 9:18. Jesus asks his disciples: But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answers him: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.[235][236][237] In Matthew 16:17 Jesus blesses Peter for his answer, and states: "flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven." In blessing Peter, Jesus not only accepts the titles Christ and Son of God which Peter attributes to him, but declares the proclamation a divine revelation by stating that his Father in Heaven had revealed it to Peter.[238] In this assertion, by endorsing both titles as divine revelation, Jesus unequivocally declares himself to be both Christ and the Son of God.[238][239]
The account of the Transfiguration of Jesus appears in Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28-36.[186][187][187][206] Jesus takes Peter and two other apostles with him and goes up to a mountain, which is not named. Once on the mountain, Matthew (17:2) states that Jesus "was transfigured before them; his face shining as the sun, and his garments became white as the light." At that point the prophets Elijah andMoses appear and Jesus begins to talk to them.[186] Luke is specific in describing Jesus in a state of glory, with Luke 9:32 referring to "they saw his glory".[240] A bright cloud appears around them, and a voice from the cloud states: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him".[186]
The Transfiguration not only supports the identity of Jesus as the Son of God (as in his Baptism), but the statement "listen to him", identifies him as the messenger and mouth-piece of God.[241] The significance is enhanced by the presence of Elijah and Moses, for it indicates to the apostles that Jesus is the voice of God, and instead of Elijah or Moses, he should be listened to, by virtue of his filial relationship with God.[241] 2 Peter 1:16-18, echoes the same message: at the Transfiguration God assigns to Jesus a special "honor and glory" and it is the turning point at which God exalts Jesus above all other powers in creation.[242]
At the end of both episodes, as in some other pericopes in the New Testament such as miracles, Jesus tells his disciples not to repeat to others, what they had seen - the command at times interpreted in the context of the theory of the Messianic Secret.[243] At the end of the Transfiguration episode, Jesus commands the disciples to silence about it "until the Son of man be risen from the dead", relating the Transfiguration to the Resurrection episode.[244][245][246]
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