Jesus of Nazareth

It is generally accepted that Jesus had a real historical existence-historians writing close to his time mention him.

· Jesus lived in Palestine in the Middle East.

· At the time of Jesus' birth the Jewish people were hoping for the arrival of a Messiah. Those who followed Jesus later came to believe that he was that predicted Messiah. Jews do not believe that, and continue to expect the coming of the Messiah.

· Jesus was born around the year 4 BCE, in Bethlehem, but was brought up in the town of Nazareth.

· The biblical accounts of Jesus life are heavily influenced by the theological views of the early Christian church. They do not cover the period between his childhood and the last three years of his life.

· The story of Jesus' birth at Bethlehem is probably the most widely known story in the whole world.

· Christians' believe that Jesus was both human and divine - that although Jesus was God, his divinity did not prevent him also being fully human. This is as difficult a concept as it sounds, and a number of variations on the concept have been proposed in the past, but denounced as heresies.

· Jesus' mother, Mary, was a human woman. Christians believe that she conceived Jesus through the action of the Holy Spirit. This belief is attacked by some modern theologians, who regard the concept as purely poetic.

· Jesus was born Jewish and lived all his life as a Jew - historians disagree as to which group of Jews he belonged to.

· Jesus spent the key period of his life as an itinerant teacher in the area known as Galilee. The New Testament describes Jesus' ministry in depth, from his Baptism by John, his work in Caesarea Phillipi and his Ministry in Galilee after his temptation in the desert by the devil. Jesus' teaching centres on the Kingdom of God, the Works of the Kingdom and the citizens of the Kingdom. He taught a lot of the time through parables. The transfiguration is an important aspect showing the divinity of Christ prior to the journey and arrival in Jerusalem before his death. He was put on trial by the Romans after the Sanhedrin had found him guilty of blasphemy on an account of insurrection (for detailed information on the key periods of his life - click here to go to the Powerpoint presentation).

· Jesus was executed by crucifixion (suspended by nails from a vertical cross until he died) around 30 CE. Crucifixion was a painful and degrading form of execution, reserved for criminals.

· Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead (The Resurrection) after his execution, and was seen by many people before he returned to be with God in heaven.

· Christians believe that Jesus' death by crucifixion was an act of atonement - but they differ as to what "atonement" actually means. The most common understanding of atonement is that by dying on the cross, Jesus made it possible for those who believed in him to overcome the separation from God that sin and death cause.

· Jesus told his followers during his lifetime that he would be with them even after his death