Jesus

Overview

Jesus, also called Jesus Christ, was a Jew of the late Second Temple period, born in connection with the family of Mary and Joseph and associated especially with Nazareth in Galilee. The New Testament presents him as proclaiming the kingdom of God, teaching in parables, performing healings and exorcisms, gathering disciples, disputing with other Jewish authorities, entering Jerusalem at Passover, being crucified under Pontius Pilate, and being raised from the dead. In Christian theology he is confessed as the Messiah of Israel, the eternal Word made flesh, true God and true human, whose death and resurrection bring forgiveness, reconciliation, and new creation. Historical study examines Jesus within first-century Judaism and Roman imperial rule, while ecclesial interpretation reads him through Israel’s Scriptures, the apostolic witness, and the creeds of the church.

Biblical shape

Jewish teacher, prophet, healer, exorcist, proclaimer of the kingdom of God, Messiah in Christian confession, and Lord in apostolic proclamation. Genealogy and birth traditions: Matthew and Luke locate Jesus within Israel’s story, Davidic expectation, and divine initiative, presenting his birth in relation to Mary, Joseph, Bethlehem, Nazareth, angelic announcements, and scriptural fulfillment. Baptism by John: Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist, and the Synoptic accounts describe the descent of the Spirit and a heavenly declaration identifying him as Son; the Fourth Gospel presents John as witness to Jesus as Lamb of God and Spirit-bearer. Temptation in the wilderness: Jesus is tested in the wilderness, evoking Israel’s wilderness story and portraying his obedience to God in contrast to idolatrous or self-serving uses of power. Proclamation of the kingdom of God: Jesus announces the nearness of God’s reign, calls hearers to repentance and faith, and frames his ministry as the fulfillment of Israel’s hopes for divine deliverance. Calling of disciples: Jesus gathers followers, including the Twelve, whose number symbolically evokes Israel and who become witnesses to his ministry, death, and resurrection.

Key passages

• Matthew 1:1-28:20
• Mark 1:1-16:8
• Luke 1:1-24:53
• John 1:1-21:25
• Acts 1:1-11
• Romans 1:1-6
• 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
• Philippians 2:5-11
• Colossians 1:15-20
• Hebrews 1:1-4

Theological significance

The New Testament presents Jesus as a Galilean teacher and healer who proclaims the kingdom of God, gathers disciples, confronts authorities, is crucified under Pontius Pilate, and is confessed as risen and exalted. Within early Judaism and the first Christian communities, he was interpreted through Israel’s Scriptures as Messiah, Son of Man, Lord, and Wisdom or Word made flesh, a reading already reflected in Paul and the Gospel traditions. Origen (c. 185–253), especially in his Commentary on John and Contra Celsum, developed the Logos Christology and argued that Jesus fulfilled the prophetic and philosophical hopes of both Jews and Greeks. Athanasius, in On the Incarnation (c. 318–325), made Jesus’ divinity and saving embodiment central to Christian doctrine, while Augustine in The Trinity and Sermons on the Psalms read the Gospels as the drama of the humble and exalted Christ. Ecumenical Consensus: The major Christian traditions confess Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, the incarnate Son and Word of God, truly divine and truly human, crucified under Pontius Pilate, risen bodily from the dead, exalted as Lord, and… Comparative Jewish: Jewish interpretations generally locate Jesus within the diversity of Second Temple Judaism but do not accept Christian claims that he is the divine Son, Messiah in the full eschatological sense, or risen Lord.

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