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Jesus

Jesus Christ (c. 6-4 BC - 3 April 33 AD), also known as Yeshua Bar-Yosef in Hebrew was a Jewish rabbi and religious leader whose teachings became known as Christianity. Christians believe that he is the son of God and the awaited Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament, and they believe that, after he was crucified by the Romans (after being betrayed to the Romans by the Jewish authorities), he died and was resurrected. Christianity and Islam believe that he will return to Earth during the end times to judge the living.

Biography[]

Jesus Christ (Yeshua Bar-Yosef)was born in the city of Bethlehem, in Judea between 6-4 BC. He was the son of Mary, and Christian Scriptures proclaims that he was conceived through God The Holy Spirit, and that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus; Joseph Bar-Jacob Mary's Husband was Jesus' foster father. (Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem to register for the Roman Census)Jesus was born in a house stable because there was no guest room available. Eight days after His birth He was circumcised according to the Law of Moses, and given the name Jesus (Yeshua "God Saves"), and forty days after His birth His parents brought Him to Jerusalem for the ordinance of Redemption of the first-born, and was blessed by an old man named Simeon. During this time either immediately following the visit to Jerusalem to up to two years after His birth, a group of Wise Men, also called Magi, discovered through the writing of the ancient Jewish prophets that the king of the Jews was being born, found him by following a star to the house where Joseph, Mary and the young child Jesus lived and brought to him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. After the Magi being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, left Bethlehem avoiding Herod to inform him of the young child's whereabouts, an Angel of the Lord warned Joseph in a dream that King Herod the Great would attempt to kill Jesus, so Joseph, Mary, and the young child Jesus fled to Egypt, remaining in Sais, Lower Egypt until Herod died in 4 B.C. When Herod discovered that he had been outwitted by the Magi, Herod was furious and ordered his soldiers to go to Bethlehem and the surrounding areas and put to death any male children two years old and under. Afterwards after Herod died in Jericho in 4 B.C, they returned to Galilee, settling in their hometown of Nazareth.

Ministry[]

Jesus

Jesus during his ministry

When Jesus was twelve, he went missing on a family trip to Jerusalem, and he was found in a temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. Years later, Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan by John the Baptist, and it is said that God told John that Jesus was his son. Jesus went on to become a public minister himself, appointing twelve apostles at the start of his ministry: Simon Bar-Jonah (Peter), Andrew Bar-Jonah, James, son of Zebedee, John, son of Zebedee, Philip, Bartholomew also known as Nathaniel, Matthew (Levi son of Alpheus), James, son of Alpheus, Thomas called "The Twin", Simon the Zealot , Judas the son of James a.k.a Thaddeus, and Judas of Kerioth. Jesus became a rabbi and preached his message orally, and he forbade those who recognized him as Messiah to speak of it. He called on people to repent their sins and devote themselves completely to God, and he also told his followers to adhere to Jewish law, and his teachings included loving your enemies, refraining from hatred and lust, turning the other cheek, and forgiving other people who have sinned against you. He devoted a large portion of his ministry to performing miracles, His first miracle where He turned water into wine at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. During His ministry, He fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish, calmed a storm in the Sea of Galilee, resurrected a widow's only son in the village of Nain, raised the daughter of a Synagogue leader named Jairus from the dead, cured numerous blind people, drove out demons, healed lepers and walked on water.

A key event in Jesus' life was Saint Peter confessing that Jesus was the Messiah, the son of the living God, and Jesus later transfigured after taking Peter and two other apostles to a mountaintop. After Jesus raised his dear friend Lazarus from the dead in Bethany, Jesus knew that His time has finally came and His earthly ministry was drawing to an end, Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem on a donkey (fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah), and people along the way laid cloaks and palms in front of him. Jesus expelled money chargers from the Second Temple, just as He did three years earlier at the start of His ministry. Jesus later came into conflict with the Jewish elders when they questioned his authority, trying to get Jesus to say something that will get Him in trouble with the Romans. The Jewish Religious Leaders along with the Herodians tried to trap Him with thequestion of paying Taxes to Caesar. Jesus responds "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God." he criticized them and called them hypocrites and a "Brood of vipers", Judas during this week offers to betray Jesus to them for 30 silver coins.

Last Supper and betrayal[]

Jesus crown

Jesus wearing the crown of thorns

During what came to be known as the "Last Supper", Jesus shared a final Passover meal with his apostles, telling them that one of them would betray him. He took bread, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, telling them that it was his body, which was given to them. He then had his disciples drink wine, telling them that it was his blood. After the meal, Jesus washed his disciples' feet, and he predicted that Peter would deny knowledge of him three times before the next morning. Jesus then went to the Gethsemane garden, where Judas of Kerioth and an armed mob which included Jewish Religious Leaders, Temple guards and a large group of Roman soldiers arrives. Judas kissed Jesus to identify him to the crowd, who then arrested him. Peter attempted to stop Jesus' arrest by slashing off the ear of a servant of the High Priest named Malchus, but Jesus performed another miracle, placing the ear back on the servant. When questioned, Peter thrice denied knowledge of Jesus, fulfilling Jesus' prophecy.

After his arrest, Jesus was first taken to Annas the father in law of the High Priest Caiaphas for preliminary questioning. Afterwards Jesus was brought before an illegal meeting of a limited Sanhedrin judicial body of 23 members, and he was mocked and beaten at the house of high priest Caiaphas. During his trial, Jesus spoke very little, mounted no defense, and gave infrequent and indirect answers to questions. Jesus was accused of blasphemy when he called himself the "Son of God". In the morning Jesus was brought before the entire 71 member body of the Sanhedrin at the Hall of Hewn Stone for a brief "legal" trial and was found unanimously guilty. Afterwards, Jesus was then taken to the court of Prefect Pontius Pilate. The charge of blasphemy would not stick in a Roman court, so Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin had to create charges that Roman law would accept. "We found this fellow subverting our nation, forbidding the payment of taxes to Caesar, and claiming that He is the Messiah. A King." Pilate interrogated Jesus in private wanting to know if Jesus actually claimed to be King of the Jews. Jesus proclaimed that "My Kingdom is not of this world," and also claimed to "Bear witness to the truth." To which Pilate responds "What is truth?" Pilate brought Jesus back out and declared "I find Him not guilty at all." When Pilate realized that Jesus came under the jurisdiction of tetrarch Herod Antipas, and Herod and his soldiers mocked Jesus before sending him back to Pilate. Pilate announced again that he had not found Jesus guilty, Pilate was willing to give Jesus a token flogging and let Him go. Knowing that the Jews had a custom allowing for one prisoner to be released during Passover: Pilate then offered the crowd a choice. The crowd can choose either the violent criminal Jesus Barabbas or Jesus "who is called Christ". The crowd chose to release Barabbas and crucify Jesus, and he was whipped, tortured with a Crown of Thorns, and forced to carry his crossbeam to Golgotha (THE SKULL). On the way there Jesus was too weak to carry the transverse part of His cross, so the Roman soldiers pulled a bystander named Simon of Cyrene from the crowd, and compelled him to carry Jesus's crossbeam behind Jesus.

Crucifixion[]

Jesus crucified

A crucified Jesus

When they arrived at Golgotha, He was offered wine mixed with a painkiller, and he refused to drink it after He tasted it. At 9:00 A.M. Jesus was nailed to his cross between two criminals. One on His right hand, the other on His left. Pilate placed a written charge of Jesus's crime written in Greek, Latin and Hebrew "THIS IS JESUS OF NAZARETH KING OF THE JEWS." Jesus asked God to forgive those who condemned him to death, saying that they knew not what they were doing.  Jesus promised one of the criminals who was crucified alongside Him, "Truly, Truly I say unto you, Today, you will be with Me in Paradise." Jesus also entrusted the care of his mother Mary to his disciple John the Beloved . According to the Gospel accounts, At noon, darkness fell across the land until 3:pm. At Three o clock in the afternoon, Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani?" "My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?" After asking for a drink, He cried "It Is Finished!" "Father, into your hands, i commit My Spirit!" Jesus dies on the cross and a violent earthquake rocks the area and the massive curtain in the Temple is torn right down the middle from top to bottom. A Roman soldier according to tradition (Longinus) stabbed Jesus in the side with a spear to ensure that he was dead. Joseph of Arimathea later removed Jesus' body from the cross and buried him in a rock-hewn tomb. Upon knowing that Jesus was buried, the Jewish Authorities asked Pilate to place a guard of Roman soldiers at the tomb to prevent the followers of Jesus from stealing His body and claim "resurrection" Pilate gave them a guard. According to the Gospel accounts, early on Sunday morning, Jesus rose from the dead and appeared first to Mary of Magdala, and other women who followed Him from Galilee. He also appeared to two other followers on the road to Emmaus, and appeared to the 10 grieving disciples behind locked doors. A week later Jesus appeared before the disciples including Thomas to deal with Thomas's doubts once and for all. Thomas refused to believe unless he was able to touch the wounds of the nails in His hands, and place his fingers into the scar wound in Jesus' side. Another time Jesus appeared to His disciples in Galilee while they were fishing. During that time Jesus caused a miracle where they caught 153 fish, Jesus cooked them breakfast, and reinstated Peter as lead Apostle. During the 40 days after His resurrection, Jesus appeared to over 500 people at one time, including His brothers one of them named James (also called the just). At the end of the 40 days, Jesus took His disciples to the Mount of Olives, blessed them, and ascended into Heaven and sat down at the Right hand of God the Father.

Gallery[]

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