what is biography of jesus

Jesus Christ

Who Was Jesus Christ?

Jesus Christ was born circa 6 B.C. in Bethlehem. Little is known about his early life, but his life and his ministry are recorded in the New Testament, more a theological document than a biography. According to Christians, Jesus is considered the incarnation of God and his teachings are followed as an example for living a more spiritual life. Christians believe he died for the sins of all people and rose from the dead.

Background and Early Life

Most of Jesus' life is told through the four Gospels of the New Testament Bible, known as the Canonical gospels, written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These are not biographies in the modern sense but accounts with allegorical intent. They are written to engender faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the incarnation of God, who came to teach, suffer and die for people’s sins.

Jesus was born circa 6 B.C. in Bethlehem. His mother, Mary, was a virgin who was betrothed to Joseph, a carpenter. Christians believe Jesus was born through Immaculate Conception. His lineage can be traced back to the house of David. According to the Gospel of Matthew (2:1), Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great, who upon hearing of his birth felt threatened and tried to kill Jesus by ordering all of Bethlehem’s male children under age two to be killed. But Joseph was warned by an angel and took Mary and the child to Egypt until Herod’s death, where upon he brought the family back and settled in the town of Nazareth, in Galilee.

There is very little written about Jesus' early life. The Gospel of Luke (2:41-52) recounts that a 12-year-old Jesus had accompanied his parents on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and became separated. He was found several days later in a temple, discussing affairs with some of Jerusalem’s elders. Throughout the New Testament, there are trace references of Jesus working as a carpenter while a young adult. It is believed that he began his ministry at age 30 when he was baptized by John the Baptist, who upon seeing Jesus, declared him the Son of God.

After baptism, Jesus went into the Judean desert to fast and meditate for 40 days and nights. The Temptation of Christ is chronicled in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke (known as the Synoptic Gospels). The Devil appeared and tempted Jesus three times, once to turn stone to bread, once to cast himself off a mountain where angels would save him, and once to offer him all the kingdoms of the world. All three times, Jesus rejected the Devil's temptation and sent him off.

Jesus' Ministry

Jesus returned to Galilee and made trips to neighboring villages. During this time, several people became his disciples. One of these was Mary Magdalene, who is first mentioned the Gospel of Luke (8:1–3) and later in all four gospels at the crucifixion. Though not mentioned in the context of the "12 disciples," she is considered to have been involved in Jesus's ministry from the beginning to his death and after. According to the gospels of Mark and John, Jesus appeared to Magdalene first after his resurrection.

According to the Gospel of John (2:1-11), as Jesus was beginning his ministry, he and his disciples traveled with his mother, Mary, to a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The wedding host had run out of wine and Jesus's mother came to him for help. At first, Jesus refused to intervene, but then he relented and asked a servant to bring him large jars filled with water. He turned the water into a wine of higher quality than any served during the wedding. John's gospel depicts the event as the first sign of Jesus's glory and his disciples' belief in him.

After the wedding, Jesus, his mother Mary and his disciples traveled to Jerusalem for Passover. At the temple, they saw moneychangers and merchants selling wares. In a rare display of anger, Jesus overturned the tables and, with a whip made of cords, drove them out, declaring that his Father’s house is not a house for merchants.

The Synoptic Gospels chronicle Jesus as he traveled through Judea and Galilee, using parables and miracles to explain how the prophecies were being fulfilled and that the kingdom of God was near. As word spread of Jesus's teaching and healing the sick and diseased, more people began to follow him. At one point, Jesus came to a level area and was joined by a great number of people. There, at the Sermon on the Mount, he presented several discourses, known as the Beatitudes, which encapsulate many of the spiritual teachings of love, humility and compassion.

As Jesus continued preaching about the kingdom of God, the crowds grew larger and began to proclaim him as the son of David and as the Messiah. The Pharisees heard of this and publicly challenged Jesus, accusing him of having the power of Satan. He defended his actions with a parable, then questioned their logic and told them such thinking denied the power of God, which only further hardened their resolve to work against him.

Near the city of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus talked with his disciples. According to the gospels of Matthew (16:13), Mark (8:27) and Luke (9:18), he asked, "Who do you say that I am?" The question confused them, and only Peter responded, saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus blessed Peter, accepting the titles of "Christ" and the "Son of God," and declared the proclamation was a divine revelation from God. Jesus then proclaimed Peter to be the leader of the church. Jesus then warned his disciples of the Pharisees’ conspiracy against him and of his fate to suffer and be killed, only to rise from the dead on the third day.

Less than a week later, Jesus took three of his disciples to a high mountain where they could pray alone. According to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus's face began shining like the sun and his entire body glowed with a white light. Then, the prophets Elijah and Moses appeared, and Jesus talked to them. A bright cloud emerged around them, and a voice said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." This event, known as the Transfiguration, is a pivotal moment in Christian theology. It supports the identity of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, the week before the holiday of Passover, riding on a donkey. Great numbers of people took palm branches and greeted him at the city's entry. They praised him as the Son of David and as the Son of God. The priests and Pharisees, fearful of the growing public adulation, felt he must be stopped.

All four Gospels describe Jesus's final week in Jerusalem. During this time, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, confronted moneychangers and merchants in the temple, and debated with the high priests who questioned Jesus's authority. He told his disciples about the coming days and that Jerusalem's temple would be destroyed. Meanwhile, the chief priests and elders met with high priest Caiaphas, and set plans in motion to arrest Jesus. One of the disciples, Judas, met with the chief priests and told them how he would deliver Jesus to them. They agreed to pay him 30 pieces of silver.

The Last Supper

Jesus and his 12 disciples met for the Passover meal, and he gave them his final words of faith. He also foretold of his betrayal by one of the disciples and privately let Judas know it was he. Jesus told Peter that before a rooster crowed the next morning, he would have denied knowing Jesus three times. At the end of the meal, Jesus instituted the Eucharist, which in the Christian religion, signifies the covenant between God and humans.

After the Last Supper, Jesus and his disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Jesus asked God if this cup (his suffering and death) might pass by him. He implored a group of his disciples to pray with him, but they kept falling asleep. Then the time had come. Soldiers and officials appeared, and Judas was with them. He gave Jesus a kiss on the cheek to identify him and the soldiers arrested Jesus. One disciple tried to resist the arrest, brandished his sword and cut the ear off one of the soldiers. But Jesus admonished him and healed the soldier's wound.

After his arrest, many of the disciples went into hiding. Jesus was taken to the high priest and interrogated. He was hit and spat upon for not responding. Meanwhile, Peter had followed Jesus to the high priests' court. As he hid in the shadows, three house servants asked if he was one of Jesus' disciples and each time he denied it. After each denial, a rooster crowed. Then Jesus was led out of the house and looked directly at Peter. Peter remembered how Jesus had told him he would deny him and he wept bitterly. Judas, who was watching from a distance, became distraught by his betrayal of Jesus and attempted to return the 30 pieces of silver. The priests told him his guilt was his own. He threw the coins into the temple and later hanged himself.

The Crucifixion

The next day, Jesus was taken to the high court where he was mocked, beaten and condemned for claiming to be the Son of God. He was brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. The priests accused Jesus of claiming to be the king of the Jews and asked that he be condemned to death. At first Pilate tried to pass Jesus off to King Herod, but he was brought back, and Pilate told the Jewish priests he could find no fault with Jesus. The priests reminded him that anyone who claimed to be a king speaks against Caesar. Pilate publicly washed his hands of responsibility, yet ordered the crucifixion in response to the demands of the crowd. The Roman soldiers whipped and beat Jesus, placed a crown of thorns on his head and then led him off to Mount Calvary.

Jesus was crucified with two thieves, one at his left and the other at his right. Above his head was the charge against him, "King of the Jews." At his feet were his mother, Mary, and Mary Magdalene. The Gospels describe various events that occurred during the last three hours of his life, including the taunting by the soldiers and the crowd, Jesus's agony and outbursts, and his final words. While Jesus was on the cross, the sky darkened, and immediately upon his death, an earthquake erupted, tearing the temple's curtain from top to bottom. A soldier confirmed his death by sticking a spear into his side, which produced only water. He was taken down from the cross and buried in a nearby tomb.

Risen from the Dead

Three days after his death, Jesus's tomb was found empty. He had risen from the dead and appeared first to Mary Magdalene and then to his mother Mary. They both informed the disciples, who were in hiding, and later, Jesus appeared to them and told them not to be afraid. During this brief time, he beseeched his disciples to go into the world and preach the gospel to all humanity. After 40 days, Jesus led his disciples to Mount Olivet, east of Jerusalem. Jesus spoke his final words to them, saying that they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit, before he was taken upward on a cloud and ascended into heaven.

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Jesus Christ
• Birth Year: 6
• Birth City: Bethlehem
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Jesus is a religious leader whose life and teachings are recorded in the Bible’s New Testament. He is a central figure in Christianity and is emulated as the incarnation of God by many Christians all over the world.
• Occupations
• Biblical Figure
• Death Year: 30
• Death City: Jerusalem

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Jesus Christ Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/religious-figures/jesus-christ
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: November 30, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 3, 2014
• Put your sword back into its place; for those who live by the sword, die by the sword."[Matthew 26:52]
• Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth ... Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy ... Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."[Matthew 5:5-9]
• But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same."[Luke 6:27-32]
• Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the kingdom of God."[Luke 6:20-21]
• Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me."[Matthew 25:34-36]
• You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and His rule."[Matthew 5:3]
• There's no 'ifs' among believers. Anything can happen."[Mark 9:23]
• Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."[Matthew 11:28-30]
• Embrace this God-life. Embrace it and nothing will be too much for you."[Mark 11:22]
• Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."[Matthew 4:17]
• Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
• And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
• I ask you, if it be lawful on the Sabbath days to do good or to do evil? To save life or to destroy?
• For God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the world: but that the world may be saved by him.

Famous Religious Figures

7 Little-Known Facts About Saint Patrick

Saint Nicholas

Jerry Falwell

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

Saint Thomas Aquinas

History of the Dalai Lama's Biggest Controversies

Saint Patrick

Pope Benedict XVI

John Calvin

Pontius Pilate

Biography Online

Biography Jesus Christ

Early Life of Jesus of Nazareth

Adoration of the Shepherds. Gerard van Honthorst (1622)

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Judea – then part of the Roman Empire, under the rule of Herod. Jesus was born into a Jewish family; his parents were Mary and Joseph of Nazareth. Jesus was born in Bethlehem because his father had to travel to his place of birth to take part in the Roman census. Because of over-crowding due to the census, the family were offered a place in a stable, and hence Jesus was born in the humblest of surroundings – in a manger surrounded by animals.

According to the Gospels, the birth of Jesus was proclaimed to shepherds in nearby fields. Later on, Jesus was visited by three wise men from the east offering gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Shortly after Jesus’ birth, Herod was told a ‘future king of the Jews’ had been born in his kingdom. Feeling his temporal power threatened, he ordered all young Jewish boys to be killed. The Gospels relate how Joseph was warned in a dream and, as a result, took his family to Egypt before returning to Nazareth when it was considered safe.

Not much is known about Jesus’ early life, the Gospels concentrate on the last couple of years when he was active in his ministry. However, Jesus is believed to have followed in his father’s footsteps and trained to be a carpenter. Some have also suggested during this period Jesus travelled to India and Persia where he learned something of India’s spiritual tradition before returning to Nazareth to begin his ministry.

All three synoptic gospels say Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist, in the River Jordan. This symbolic baptism was the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.

Following his baptism, Jesus spent 40 days in the desert where he was tempted by the Devil. However, he passed the test and refused any temptations of wealth or worldly gain.

Sermon On The Mount by Carl Bloch

Jesus’s teachings were characterised by short, pithy statements that used striking imagery to capture the imagination of listeners. His most famous teachings are the sermon on the mount.

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

A key characteristic of Jesus’s teachings is an emphasis on forgiveness and unconditional love. This represented a departure from the old scriptures which emphasised “an eye for an eye.” Jesus taught his followers to ‘love their enemy’ and ‘turn the other cheek.’

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”

– Matthew 5:38-44

Jesus Christ also taught that the Kingdom of Heaven was within. To attain this state he taught, it was important to be willing to give up attachment to the world and maintain humility and simplicity – to be like a child.

“The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, `Lo, here it is!’ or `There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (or “within you”)

Jesus was also known as a healer. The gospels recount many miracles where Jesus was able to heal the sick and even resurrect the dead. (Lazarus)

Jesus entry into Jerusalem. Carl Bloch

In the last months of his life, Jesus entered into Jerusalem and was greeted enthusiastically by crowds who shouted ‘Hosanna’. Jesus then entered the main temple and created controversy by overturning the tables of the money lenders. Jesus criticised them for conducting business in a sacred temple – claiming they had turned the temple into a ‘den of robbers.’ The radical nature of Jesus’ teachings, in addition to his growing following, aroused the concern of the religious authorities, who felt threatened by the message of Jesus.

Caravaggio – the betrayal of Christ.

Later that week Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with his thirteen disciples. He foretold that he would be betrayed by one of his own disciples and turned over to the authorities.

As Jesus had foretold, this occurred. Judas betrayed Jesus to the temple authorities by kissing Jesus. Judas was paid 30 silver coins for his betrayal. But, he later repented of his action and hung himself from a tree.

The Jewish elders asked him if he was the Son of God. Jesus replied ‘It is as you say.’ The Jewish authorities passed him to the Roman authorities with the recommendation he should be charged with blasphemy. It is said that Pontius Pilate was reluctant to have him executed as he didn’t see a crime that Jesus had committed against the Romans. Pilate’s wife had a dream he which she felt Jesus was innocent and his wife tried to persuade Pilate to release Jesus. Pilate ordered Jesus to be flogged in the hope this would appease the Jewish authorities. However, they still wanted to see Jesus executed. On the feast of Passover, it was traditional for the Roman authorities to release one prisoner. However, the crowd chose not Jesus to be released but Barabbas – a convicted criminal. Pilate washed his hands saying it was not his crime.

Crucifixion of Jesus

Jesus was nailed to the cross with an inscription above his head. “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (INRI). He was crucified in between two thieves

As soldiers were dividing up his clothes by casting lots, on the cross Jesus said:

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Jesus died on the cross, with a Roman soldier puncturing his side with a spear to prove that he was dead.

The Gospels relate that on the Sunday following the crucifixion, Mary Magdalene visited the tomb of Jesus to find it empty. His disciples come to realise that Jesus has risen from the dead. Though disciples like Thomas doubted Jesus’ resurrection until he saw Jesus Christ in the flesh.

Nature of Jesus Christ

Due to a lack of accurate historical records, there is some dispute over the exact details of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The most widely used sources are the four canonical gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It is estimated that these were written about 70-200 years after the death of Christ. There are also many other non-canonical gospels such as Thomas, Peter and Mary. Of particular interest was the discovery of the dead sea scrolls, which uncovered texts previously lost.

In the history of early Christianity, there was much debate about the nature of Jesus Christ. Some felt Jesus was a direct incarnation of God; others felt he was both divine and human. There were different branches of Christianity emphasising different aspects. For example, the Gnostics emphasised the immanence of God and the ability for followers to have a direct relationship with God.

In 325 AD, the Nicene Creed formalised the Christian church teachings about Jesus. They accepted four Gospels as canonical and rejected many other gospels. The Nicene Creed also gave great emphasis to the writings and letters of St Paul. St Paul emphasised the divine nature of Jesus Christ and the importance of the crucifixion and resurrection.

Different Views of Jesus Christ

Enlightenment views

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

– Jesus Christ, 13:34–35 KJV

Many key figures in the Enlightenment/Renaissance felt Jesus to be a supreme teacher of moral and religious ideals, but rejected claims to divinity and miracles such as the virgin birth. For example, Thomas Jefferson wrote the ‘Life and Morals of Jesus Christ’ (known as the Jefferson Bible. Benjamin Franklin also looked to Jesus Christ as a great moral teacher, but, didn’t accept all the teachings of the Christian church.

In the Hindu/Indian tradition, Jesus Christ is seen as a realised spiritual Master. A person who has achieved self-realisation or God-realisation. Jesus Christ is also looked upon as an Avatar – a realised soul with a special mission to save innumerable souls. Many Indian spiritual Master view Jesus Christ as divine – ‘an incarnation of God’ but they do not accept that Jesus Christ was alone in achieving this spiritual realisation.

In Islamic tradition, Jesus Christ is seen as an important prophet of God.

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “ Biography of Jesus Christ ”, Oxford, UK – www.biographyonline.net . Published 19th May 2013. Updated 5th March 2018.

Life of Christ

Life of Christ at Amazon

The Life and Times of Jesus

The Life and Times of Jesus at Amazon

Related pages

• Inspirational Christians
• Sayings of Jesus Christ in English and Latin
• Jesus Christ at BBC 
• Jesus Christ at PBS

• BROWSE TOPICS X
• Devotionals
• Newsletters

Who is Jesus?

• Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff Crosswalk.com
• Updated Nov 15, 2023

Christ the Messiah… The Prince of Peace… The Word made Man… Savior and Lord… The King of Kings… The Lion of Judah… The Lamb of God

When Christians answer the question “Who is Jesus Christ?” they build their answer on the Bible – on things Jesus said about Himself, on prophecies from the Old Testament that foretold His coming, and the doctrines laid out about Jesus Christ and His Church through the rest of the New Testament.

There is little historical question that Jesus Christ existed, but people do often wonder about His divine nature, His miracles, and God’s offer of eternal salvation by grace through Jesus Christ “first to the Jew and also to the Gentile” ( Romans 1:16 )… in other words, to all mankind who would believe.

Because the love that Jesus offers comes in the form of a “personal relationship” with Him, many believers have particular definitions about who Jesus Christ is to them. We want to give you the Biblical basics about this amazing, paradoxical Savior who purports to be simultaneously the Son of God and Son of Man.

The gospel of Jesus is literally “good news,” so we hope you enjoy exploring the miracle and wonder of what the God of all creation did for you through His Son.

Table of Contents

Who jesus said he was.

• Old Testament Prophecies About the Messiah
• How the New Testament Answers "Who Is Jesus?"

The Humanity of Jesus

Who killed jesus, who jesus is not, timeline of jesus' life, death, and resurrection, the need for jesus: taking the next step, salvation - the reconnection to god.

Let’s begin our study on the identity of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 16, where the Lord put the very question to His own disciples:

The same questions are being asked to this day: Who does everyone else say Jesus Christ is, but then, who do you say He is? You must ultimately decide. It is the most important question to settle during your lifetime, for reasons we’ll examine shortly.

The Apostle Paul, before his conversion, was known as Saul, a very legalistic Jew who persecuted Christians… until he was confronted with the answer to our question in a most dramatic way, a way that changed his life and the course of history (read about it in Acts Chapter 9). After that, Paul would often refer to himself as a “bond-servant of Christ Jesus,” someone little more than a voluntary slave, but one sharing in the same servitude. In Philippians 1:21 , he expresses his secure devotion to the Lord as well as gives another clue towards answering our question when he writes: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” 

You see, finding the answer can be jarring, topsy-turvy, and life-altering. It can also fill what has always seemed to be missing inside you since the Father sent His Son to reconcile you to your original purpose – communion with a wonderful, holy Creator. So as you pursue knowledge of the Savior, consider yourself joyfully warned.

1. He claimed to be the Son of God, equal with God, and with authority from the Father

“Then they all said, ‘Are You then the Son of God?’ So He said to them, ‘You rightly say that I am’” ( Luke 22:70 ).

“For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother" ( Matthew 12:50 ).

“Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God” ( John 5:17-22 ).

Bear in mind that while a man claiming to be God is a radical thought, Jesus is the only leader of a world religion to have made the claim – not to mention backed it up. How?

2. He claimed to live a sinless life.

“Can any one of you convict me of a single misleading word, a single sinful act? But if I'm telling the truth, why don't you believe me?” ( John 8:46 , The Message).

Jesus had the ability to sin; if He weren’t able to sin, He could not have been tempted genuinely and would be unable to be our sympathetic High Priest ( Hebrews 4:15 ). When He was tempted, He always rebuked the thought with scripture.

Because He didn’t sin, God was able to accept His sacrifice. 1 Peter 3:18 says, “Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.”

3. He claimed to be the one and only way to God.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me” ( John 14:6 ).

It’s also interesting to note that Jesus did not call himself the destination, but the way, indicating that our Christian walk is a journey.

4. He claimed He had the power to forgive sins and provide everlasting life

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” ( John 11:25 ).

“When Jesus saw their faith, He said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, ‘Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’” ( Luke 5:20-21 ).

"For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:40

“I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.” ( John 6:47 ).

5. He predicted his own death and resurrection.

6. he’s said he would come back..

Matthew 24:27-30 "So as the lightening comes from the east and flashes to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man... At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory." 

Mark 14:61-62 "Again the high priest asked him, 'Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?' 'I am,' said Jesus. 'And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.'" 

Jesus clearly knew He was the Lamb of God, the Messiah spoken of in the Old Testament. He knew He had to live a life without sin, no matter what. When He returns, He will judge the sins of the world… except for those who have already acknowledged conviction, entered a plea of guilty, and sought His mercy by believing on Christ. 

Old Testament Prophecies About Jesus Christ

• "He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." ( Isaiah 53:5 , KJV)
• "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone." ( Psalm 118:22 , NAS)
• "He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth." ( Isaiah 25:8 , NAS)

The Old Testament was completed hundreds of years before Jesus was born. A large number of prophecies were made in astonishing detail by many people throughout these books. In fact, fulfilled prophecy is one of the distinguishing marks of the Bible, authenticating its claim to be the inspired Word of God. 

For example, the Old Testament indicated Jesus would be betrayed by someone he trusted. "Even my close friend whom I trusted, he who has shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me" ( Psalm 41:9 ). The New Testament, which records Jesus' life and resurrection, reveals that one of the 12 people Jesus chose to be part of his inner circle betrayed him: "Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them" ( Mark 14:10 ).

More than 300 Messianic prophecies like this were made in the Old Testament and then fulfilled through Jesus' life, death and resurrection. The chances of one person fulfilling a mere eight of these prophecies are one-in-100,000,000,000,000,000. For one person to fulfill 48 of these prophecies, the number becomes staggering – one chance in 10-to-the-157th power. Add to that the 250 other prophecies, and it becomes impossible for any other person except Jesus ever to fit that particular sequence of time and events. Excerpted from  whoisjesus-really.com )

A few examples:

Messiah to be accursed and crucified: Prophesied – Deuteronomy 21:22-23 , Psalm 22 , Psalm 69:21 ; Fulfilled – Matthew 27:34-50 ; John 19:28-30 , Galatians 3:13

Messiah to be raised from the dead: Prophesied – Psalm 16:10 ; Fulfilled – Acts 13:35-37                                                                                                                               

For a more thorough discussion of Messianic prophecies fulfilled by Jesus, visit greatcom.org.

The New Testament Answers "Who Is Jesus?"

“So Jesus tried again. ‘When you raise up the Son of Man, then you will know who I am - that I'm not making this up, but speaking only what the Father taught Me. The One who sent Me stays with Me. He doesn't abandon Me. He sees how much joy I take in pleasing Him’” ( John 8:28-29 , The Message).

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” ( John 1:1-3 , NAS).

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” ( John 3:16 , NLT).

From The Book of Acts

The Book of Acts describes how Christianity moved from being seen as a sect of Judaism into a world religion because the spirit of God moved into the lives of those who had witnessed Jesus and who now carried His message of salvation into all the world.

At Pentecost, Peter preaches, “Let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified” ( Acts 2:22-36 ).

From Paul’s Letters

The Apostle Paul wrote numerous letters to the churches he helped establish in southern Europe and Asia Minor, helping to answer questions or solve disputes over Christian theology.

“Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” ( Romans 5:1 ).

“For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” ( 1 Corinthians 3:11 ).

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free” ( Galatians 5:1 ).

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her” ( Ephesians 5:25 ).

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” ( Philippians 2:5-7 ).

“And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation” ( Colossians 1:15 ).

From The Book of Hebrews

The Book of Hebrews is about the superiority of Christ – over prophets, angels, Moses, and priests. He made Himself our High Priest, so that we can all become priests with our own access to the Father.

“God… has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things” ( Hebrews 1:1-2 ).

From The Book of Revelation

“Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth” ( Revelation 1:5 ).

From Demons

“Suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?" ( Matthew 8:29 , NKJV)

It was one of Jesus’ favorite ways to refer to Himself. He’s quoted 85 times in the King James Version of the New Testament, calling Himself the “Son of Man.” Here are some of His human characteristics:

• Born in Bethlehem into a poor family where the mother, Mary, was a virgin. Both she and Joseph, the “step-father” were of the line of David and the tribe of Judah, fulfilling prophecies from Micah 5:2 , Genesis 3:15 , Isaiah 7:14 , Genesis 49:10 , Psalm 132:11 , Jeremiah 23:5 , and Isaiah 11:10 .
• A Jew who grew up in Nazareth, He learned carpentry from his earthly father, “grew in wisdom & stature, and in favor with God and man,” ( Luke 2:52 ), and began a ministry throughout Israel at age 30. 
• The cousin of John the Baptist, who proclaimed the coming of the Messiah.
• Was baptized by John at the beginning of His ministry, at which point a voice from the heavens proclaimed, “Thou art My beloved Son; in Thee I am well-pleased.” ( Luke 3:22 , NAS)
• He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness for 40 days, at which time He fasted and prayed and resisted temptation by quoting scripture.
• He was misunderstood by His family and those of His hometown.
• The half-brother of James, who authored the Book of James and was a leader of the early church.
• After ministering, healing, and teaching for three years, He was crucified outside Jerusalem during the feast of Passover by the Romans at the demand of Jewish religious leaders.
• He had human needs to eat, drink, and sleep. 
• Showed human emotions of love, happiness, sadness, and anger… but not fear, hatred, or pride.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." ( John 1:14 )

The Significance of Christ’s Humanity

Living on earth for 33 years, Jesus experienced every temptation you and I face, which is why “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation” ( 2 Peter 2:9 ). He also showed us how to model our behavior. 1 Peter 2:21 says, “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.”

So, He knows what we go through. A god-savior could forgive sins but would not be able to relate to the sinners. A man-savior would be able to relate to humanity but would not have the authority or power to forgive sins or return from the dead. It was necessary that Jesus be both.

In doing so, he became “the New Adam.” 

"Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." ( Hebrews 2:14-15 )

With the release of the film The Passion of the Christ, this question again became something of an issue. Was Pilate responsible? Was Rome? Was it the Sanhedrin or the entire Hebrew Nation? Or did you and I kill Jesus?

Yes. And no. First, He’s not dead. Upon His death, He descended into Hell, where He took the keys and ministered to the dead. After three days, He came back to life, and not as a spirit, but with flesh and bones. When, after 40 days, He left His followers again, He ascended into Heaven, where He sits at the right hand of the Father until the time comes when He will return.

Second, Christ offered Himself up as a sacrifice, which is why we are to daily offer up ourselves as “living sacrifices” ( Romans 12:1 ). With armies of angels and the power of the heavens at His command, would it have been possible to hang the Son of God on a cross without His permission? What’s more, how awful would it be for us now had nobody “killed” Jesus? We required His perfect blood to wash our sins away. “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” ( Hebrews 9:22 , HCSB).

Therefore, to blame any individual or group for “murdering” Jesus is incorrect and a dishonor to His sacrifice.

"This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men." ( Acts 2:23 )

Jesus was not simply a good moral teacher.  How, in the name of logic, common sense, and experience, could an impostor -- that is, a deceitful, selfish, depraved man -- have invented and consistently maintained from the beginning to end, the purest and noblest character known in history with the most perfect air of truth and reality? How could He have conceived and successfully carried out a plan of unparalleled beneficence, moral magnitude, and sublimity and sacrificed His own life for it in the face of the strongest prejudices of His people and age? (Philip Schaff, The Person of Christ. New York: American Tract Society, 1913, 94-95)

"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said [about Himself] would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come away with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." (Mere Christianity)

Jesus would have to have been lying or insane (not the qualities of a good moral teacher) to call Himself the Son of God and the Savior of mankind if it weren’t true.

Therefore, to separate what is comfortable about Jesus – His kindness, His message of unconditional love, His healing of the sick – from that which is less comfortable (He was born of a virgin, He claimed to be God, He rose from the dead) isn’t really possible.

There are four options open to a person dealing with Jesus. You may consider Him: a legend, a liar, a lunatic, or Lord and God. 

Jesus was/is not a political deliverer.  This is one reason some Jews of Jesus’ time could not believe He was their Savior – He didn’t deliver them from the oppression of their Roman occupiers. He never actually intended to. The deliverance Christ offered and still offers today is of a spiritual nature, reconciling mankind to God ( Matthew 11:27 ). The peace this Messiah brings is internal. His hope is for each human to be restored to a relationship with God, which sin has broken.

Preparatory Period (4 B.C.-26 A.D.)

• Birth of Jesus (4 B.C.)
• Jesus in the Temple (8 A.D.)
• Life in Nazareth (8-26 A.D.)

Early Ministry, Judea (26-27 A.D.)

• Baptism of Christ, Temptation in the Wilderness , First Disciples.
• Visit and Wedding at Cana and Capernaum.
• First Passover, Nicodemus .

Period of popular favor: Galilee (27-29 A.D.)

• John imprisoned; Samaria; Galilee.
• Rejection at Nazareth.
• Twelve chosen.
• Sermon on the Mount .
• Tours through Galilee; Parables and Miracles.
• Five thousand fed. The Bread of Life.

Period of Opposition; Galilee, Judea, and Perea (29-30 A.D.)

• The Great Confession; the Transfiguration.
• Departure from Galilee; the Seventy sent out.
• Lazarus raised; retirement to Perea.
• Return to Jerusalem; teachings on the way; Jericho, Zacchaeus; arrival at Bethany.

The Final Week; Jerusalem (30 A.D.)

• Triumphal entry .
• Teaching and controversies in the Temple.
• Greeks at the feast; Discourse on the Last Days.
• The Passover; the Last Supper; Gethsemane .
• Arrest; Trial; Crucifixion ; Burial.

Resurrection and Ascension (30 A.D.)

• Resurrection; appearances to the Disciples.
• Meetings with the Disciples in Galilee; forty days.
• The Ascension.

Excerpt taken from A Guide to Bible Study by J. W. McGarvey (public domain).

Christian Terms and Definitions of Christ

CHRIST – Not His last name. It’s a Greek title meaning "Anointed Messiah."

It denotes that He was… consecrated to his great redemptive work as Prophet, Priest, and King of his people… To believe that ‘Jesus is the Christ’ is to believe that He is the Anointed, the Messiah of the prophets, the Savior sent of God, that He was… what He claimed to be. This is to believe the gospel, by the faith of which alone men can be brought unto God. That Jesus is the Christ is the testimony of God, and the faith of this constitutes a Christian ( 1 Corinthians 12:3 ; 1 John 5:1 ). (Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary).

MESSIAH – The deliverer whose coming was foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament. Jews still await the coming of their Messiah today.

SALVATION – The condition of being redeemed by faith, saved by grace from an eternity of damnation. Salvation is also the belief that the death and resurrection of Christ accomplished:

• Substitution – Christ sacrificed Himself in the place of sinners, just for unjust 
• Redemption – He paid the price of sin for each individual who accepts it
• Reconciliation – Man is no longer alienated from God
• Propitiation – God is satisfied with the sacrificial death of His perfect lamb as payment for sin
• The fulfillment/completion of Mosaic Law

The Problem: Holy God and sinful man - "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

"The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23

The word “sin” is used in a lot of ways, but the essential meaning and result of sin is separation from God since it involves pride -- man thinking more highly of his own ways than God’s. Without Jesus, His sacrifice and resurrection, connecting to God is not possible because of sin. We all have sinned, the results of which are death and an eternity separated from God. Since God is Holy, there can be no imperfection in His presence.

But death was not God’s plan for us. Abundant and eternal life ( John 10:10 ) is what Jesus came to bring.

Why? Because even though man was broken and earth given over to evil, God never stopped loving us. Romans 5:8 says, "But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."

However, “God saved you by His special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” ( Ephesians 2:8-9 , NLT). You can’t earn a gift – it’s an unmerited favor. You do, however, have to make the choice to accept it.

So, we all, as sinners, have to turn to God for forgiveness of sin and trust that Jesus died to give us new life so that we may be “born again” ( John 3:3 ; 1 Peter 1:23 ). 

Faith is the key. It’s the cause and effect of our hope for salvation. If there is truly “no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” ( Acts 4:12 ), then your acceptance of God’s gift, your admission that you are a sinner, your repentance (changing mind), and your faith in the real-but-unseen Lord is all that can bring eternal and abundant life.

If knowing about Jesus has stirred your heart to hear even more, receive forgiveness for your sins, renew your Christian walk, or get involved in ministry, pray the following sinner's prayer :

Lord God, thank you for loving me enough to send your one and only Son to die for me. I know I am a sinner, and that Jesus was crucified and raised to life to pay a debt I was unable to pay, in order that I may live with You forever. I want to turn from my way of life and follow Jesus. I invite Jesus into my heart as the Lord of my life. Thank you, Father, for giving me new life in the name of Jesus. Amen!

Related Articles:

What Languages Did Jesus Speak? "Jesus Wept" - True Meaning of John 11:35 How Old Was Jesus When He Died? How and Why Do I Pray 'in Jesus’ Name?' Who Were the 12 Disciples of Christ? 10 Surprising Jesus Movies You Should See

Recently On Who is Jesus?

Editor's picks.

Popular Today

• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• Crosswalk App
• California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information
• California - CCPA Notice

Christianity cookies notice

To give you the best possible experience, this site uses cookies. We have published a cookies policy , which you should read to find out more about how we use cookies. By clicking 'Continue' you agree to allow us to collect information through cookies.

• Help me God

Join our newsletter

• Jesus' Life

Timeline of Jesus' life

It is thought that Jesus Christ was born around 4-6 BC in Bethlehem, about six miles from Jerusalem.

Read time: 7 minutes and 21 seconds

It is thought that Jesus Christ was born around 4 – 6 BC in Bethlehem, about six miles from Jerusalem. His parents, Joseph and Mary, took him to Egypt to avoid a massacre of infant boys ordered by King Herod. The family returned to their home in Nazareth in what is now northern Israel after King Herod’s death.

Jesus lived in Nazareth until he was about 30 when he began travelling around the area teaching people about God and urging them to change the way they lived. He also healed people of a huge range of illnesses. At the start of this period, he recruited 12 men – known as disciples - to follow him. Dozens of other men and women also followed him. Two disciples, Matthew and John, later wrote about what happened. Their eyewitness accounts are in the Bible.

Jesus’ teachings were radical and counter-cultural. Thousands of people heard him speak. He inspired and challenged the people who heard him but antagonised most of the Jewish religious leaders. They conspired with one of Jesus’ closest followers to have him arrested for blasphemy. Jesus was put on trial and executed by crucifixion in around 30AD. Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead. He appeared to more than 500 people in the weeks after his resurrection. He then ascended to heaven, going up into the sky in front of his followers.

Most of the information about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ comes from Bible books known as the gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These accounts are not exhaustive. They are not chronological. They do not have identical accounts of many events and they record them in a different order. This makes piecing together an exact timeline impossible. There are non-Christian sources too, including the historians Flavius Josephus and Tacitus, who was a Roman senator. Academics have used ancient Greek and Roman documents and also studied astronomical calendars to try to work out the chronology of Jesus’ life.

‘ But you Bethlehem… out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel… ’

4 - 6BC approx. Jesus’ birth

Ancient Hebrew writings, dating from hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, foretold the arrival of a Messiah who would lead his people to freedom. The Bible book, Micah, says ‘ But you Bethlehem… out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel… ’

Jesus’ conception was unique. Christianity teaches that his mother, Mary, is a virgin and falls pregnant at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Mary and her husband, Joseph, travel to his family’s home town of Bethlehem to register in a census ordered by the Romans, who occupied the region at the time. Jesus is born while they are in Bethlehem. Shepherds visit the baby and bow down in praise. When he is eight days old, Jesus is circumcised as is traditional for Jewish boys. When he is just over a month old, Mary and Joseph take Jesus to Jerusalem to present him at the temple where they offer sacrifices to God (another tradition).

Continued below...

4 BC approx. Wise men visit and Jesus escapes to Egypt

Wise men arrive in Jerusalem from eastern lands. They are looking for an infant who has been born ‘King of Jews’. King Herod – disturbed at the idea of a rival – asks the wise men to tip him off when they find the boy. The wise men find Jesus and worship him but return home by another route without telling Herod. Furious, Herod orders the massacre of all boys aged two or under in Bethlehem. But, warned in a dream, Joseph, Mary and Jesus flee to safety in Egypt. They stay until Herod dies. Historians believe this was in 4 BC.

8 AD approx. Jesus’ childhood – left behind in Jerusalem

Joseph, Mary and Jesus return from Egypt to their home at Nazareth in Galilee. Aged 12, Jesus goes to Jerusalem with his parents for the Jewish festival of Passover. Mary and Joseph head home mistakenly leaving Jesus behind. They return to look for him. After three days they find him in the temple, talking to the religious teachers. The Bible book, Luke, says ‘ Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers’. When Mary challenges him about his absence, Jesus replies, ‘ Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house ?’ – the first indication he knows of his divinity. This is the only Bible story about Jesus’ childhood, adolescence and early adulthood.

28 AD approx. Jesus is baptised and tempted by the devil

Radical teacher John the Baptist – a relative of Jesus – is attracting crowds out into the desert. He’s urging them to give up their bad behaviour and attitudes. He says he is preparing the way for a greater teacher. Jesus leaves Nazareth and goes out into the desert. John says this is the teacher he’d been talking about. The Bible book, John, quotes John saying, ‘ Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world… this is one I meant… ’ He baptises Jesus in the River Jordan at Bethany. The Bible book, Matthew, says that as Jesus prayed, ‘... heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son whom I love; with you I am well pleased”’ . Immediately Jesus goes into the Judean desert for 40 days without food. The devil tempts him three times but Jesus resists. The devil departs. Jesus returns to Galilee and makes Capernaum his home base.

‘... heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son whom I love; with you I am well pleased”’ .

28 AD approx. Jesus recruits disciples and performs first miracle

Jesus recruits his first followers: Andrew and his brother Simon (who Jesus calls Peter). Then he recruits two more brothers, James and John. All four are fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. Next he recruits Philip and Nathanael. At a wedding in Cana Jesus turns water into wine – his first miracle.

28AD – 30AD approx. Jesus begins teaching and miraculous healings

Jesus clears the temple in Jerusalem of rogue merchants and money-changers. He begins to teach and heal sick people who come to him. He meets a senior Jewish leader, Nicodemus, in secret and tells him he must be ‘ born again’ if he wants to have a close relationship with God.

Jesus teaches in synagogues across Galilee. He is rejected in Nazareth where people threaten to throw him off a cliff. He continues to teach and miraculously heal sick people, including Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. Matthew, a tax collector despised for collaborating with the occupying Romans, becomes a follower. Jesus chooses 12 men to be his closest followers (disciples).

Huge crowds are now following Jesus. Overlooking the Sea of Galilee,Jesus sets out a Christian manifesto, teaching on a range of life’s issues including loving enemies, retaliation, anger, lust, divorce, worry, giving to the needy and criticising others. More healings follow. Samaritans and a Roman centurion believe in his teachings. Jesus raises a widow’s son and a young girl from the dead. He uses simple stories, known as parables, to teach deep spiritual truths.

Religious leaders are antagonised by his teaching and apparent breach of laws about the Jewish Sabbath. They begin to challenge him. Jesus miraculously calms a storm. He sends out the 12 disciples to heal the sick. Jesus begins to predict his death and resurrection. Religious leaders question his authority. Jesus condemns their hypocrisy. They begin to plot to kill him.

Spring 30 AD approx. Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion and resurrection

Jesus and his followers head to Jerusalem for the annual Passover festival. Crowds welcome him as the long-awaited Messiah. Jesus infuriates the religious authorities by overthrowing tables in the temple and condemning the leaders’ hypocrisy. A disciple, Judas, agrees to betray Jesus. After celebrating the Passover meal with his disciples, Jesus is arrested. He goes before Jewish and Roman authorities charged with blasphemy. The Jewish authorities demand the death penalty. Jesus is crucified on (Good) Friday. His body is laid in a tomb. When his followers go to retrieve it on (Easter) Sunday, the body has gone. They are told Jesus has risen from the dead. Jesus appears to his disciples and more than 500 other followers over the next six weeks. Then, on the top of the Mount of Olives, Jesus rises up to heaven in front of his followers and disappears from view.

Read Jesus' life story for yourself, as recorded in the Gospel of Mark , and decide for yourself - who is this Jesus?

Who was Jesus? Was he real?

Jesus Christ was a real person who lived in Palestine about 2,000 years ago. But he is so much more than that...

How do you become a Christian?

Christianity is the world's largest faith. But how exactly do you become a Christian, and what does it mean?

What is God like?

The Bible gives us glimpses of God and tells us about some of his characteristics - his love, compassion, power and creativity.

Chronology of the Birth and Life of Jesus Christ

benedek/Getty Images

• Beliefs and Teachings
• Christianity Origins
• The New Testament
• The Old Testament
• Practical Tools for Christians
• Christian Life For Teens
• Christian Prayers
• Inspirational Bible Devotions
• Denominations of Christianity
• Christian Holidays
• Christian Entertainment
• Key Terms in Christianity
• Catholicism
• A.S., Computer Information Technology, LDS Business College

Learn about important events in the first half of the Christian Savior's life, including his birth, boyhood, and maturity into manhood. This chronology also includes significant events regarding John the Baptist as he prepared the way for Jesus.

Revelation to Zacharias Regarding the Birth of John

Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

Luke 1:5-25

While at the temple in Jerusalem, the priest Zacharias was visited by the Angel Gabriel who promised Zacharias that his wife, Elisabeth, although barren and "stricken in years" (verse 7), would bear him a son and that his name would be John.

Zacharias didn't believe the angel and was struck dumb, unable to speak. After he completed his time at the temple, Zacharias returned home. Soon after his return, Elisabeth conceived a child.

The Annunciation: Revelation to Mary Regarding the Birth of Jesus

Luke 1:26-38

In Nazareth of Galilee, during Elisabeth's sixth month of pregnancy, the Angel Gabriel visited Mary and announced to her that she would be the mother of Jesus, the Savior of the world. Mary, who was a virgin and espoused (engaged) to Joseph, asked the angel, "How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" (verse 34). The angel said the Holy Ghost would come upon her and that it would be through the power of God. Mary was humble and meek and submitted herself to the will of the Lord.

Mary Visits Elisabeth

Luke 1:39-56

​ During the Annunciation, the angel also told Mary that her cousin, Elisabeth, although in her old age and barren, had conceived a son, "For with God nothing shall be impossible" (verse 37). This must have been a great comfort to Mary because soon after the angel's visit she traveled to the hill country of Judea to visit her kinswoman, Elisabeth.

Upon Mary's arrival there follows a beautiful interchange between these two righteous women. When she heard Mary's voice, Elisabeth's "babe leaped in her womb" and she was filled with the Holy Ghost, which blessed her to know that Mary was pregnant with the Son of God. Mary's reply (verses 46-55) to Elisabeth's salutation is called the Magnificat, or the hymn of the Virgin Mary .

John Is Born

Luke 1:57-80

Elisabeth carried her baby to full term (see verse 57) and then bore a son. Eight days later when the boy was to be circumcised, the family wanted to name him Zacharias after his father, but Elisabeth said, "he shall be called John" (verse 60). The people protested and then turned to Zacharias for his opinion. Still mute, Zacharias wrote on a writing tablet, "His name is John" (verse 63). Immediately Zacharias' ability to speak was restored, he was filled with the Holy Ghost, and he praised God.

Revelation to Joseph Regarding the Birth of Jesus

SuperStock/Getty Images 

Matthew 1:18-25

Sometime after Mary's return from her three-month visit with Elisabeth, it was discovered that Mary was pregnant. Since Joseph and Mary were not yet married, and Joseph knew the child was not his, Mary's supposed unfaithfulness could publicly be punishable by her death. But Joseph was a righteous, merciful man and chose to privately sever their engagement (see verse 19).

After making this decision Joseph had a dream in which the Angel Gabriel appeared to him. Joseph was told of the virgin Mary's immaculate conception and the upcoming birth of Jesus and was commanded to take Mary to wife, which he did.

The Nativity: The Birth of Jesus

Dan Lundber/CC BY-SA 2.0/Flickr

Luke 2:1-20

As the birth of Jesus drew near, Caesar Augustus sent out a decree for all to be taxed. A census was put into place, and according to Jewish custom, the people were required to register at their ancestral homes. Thus, Joseph and Mary (who was "great with child" see verse 5) traveled to Bethlehem. With the taxation causing the travel of so many people, the inns were all full, all that was available was a lone stable.

The Son of God, the greatest of us all, was born in the lowest of circumstances and slept in a manger. An angel appeared to local shepherds who were watching over their flocks and told them of the birth of Jesus. They followed the star and worshiped the baby Jesus.

The Genealogies of Jesus

Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38

There are two genealogies of Jesus : the account in Matthew is of the legal successors to the throne of David, while the one in Luke is a literal list from father-to-son. Both genealogies link Joseph (and thus Mary who was his cousin) to King David. Through Mary, Jesus was born in the royal lineage and inherited the right to David's throne.​

Jesus is Blessed and Circumcised

Luke 2:21-38

Eight days after the birth of Jesus, the Christ child was circumcised and he was named Jesus (see verse 21). After Mary's days of purification were complete, the family traveled to the temple in Jerusalem where Jesus was presented to the Lord. A sacrifice was offered and the holy baby was blessed by the priest, Simeon.

Visit of the Wise Men; Flight to Egypt

 PrintCollector/Getty Images

Matthew 2:1-18

After some time had passed, but before Jesus was two years old, a group of Magi or "wise men" came to witness that the Son of God had been born in the flesh. These righteous men were guided by the Spirit and followed the new star until they found the Christ child. They bestowed upon him three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

When searching for Jesus, the wise men had stopped and inquired of King Herod , who became threatened by news of this "King of the Jews." He asked the wise men to return and tell him where they'd found the baby, but being warned in a dream, they did not return to Herod. Joseph, also warned in a dream, took Mary and the baby Jesus and fled to Egypt.

Young Jesus Teaches In the Temple

 SuperStock/Getty Images

Matthew 2:19-23; Luke 2:39-50

After the death of King Herod, the Lord commanded Joseph to take his family and return to Nazareth, which he did. We learn how Jesus "grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him" (verse 40).

Each year Joseph took Mary and Jesus to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. When Jesus was twelve years old he tarried, while his parents left for the return trip home, thinking he was with their company. Realizing he wasn't there, they frantically began to search, eventually finding him at the temple in Jerusalem, where he was teaching the doctors who were "hearing him, and asking him questions" (JST verse 46).

Boyhood and Youth of Jesus

Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

Luke 2:51-52

From His birth and throughout His life, Jesus grew and developed into a mature, sinless man. As a boy, Jesus learned from both of His fathers: Joseph and His real father, God the Father .

From John, we learn that Jesus "received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness" ( D&C 93:13 ). From modern revelation we learn:

• "And it came to pass that Jesus grew up with his brethren, and waxed strong, and waited upon the Lord for the time of his ministry to come.
• "And he served under his father, and he spake not as other men, neither could he be taught; for he needed not that any man should teach him.
• "And after many years, the hour of his ministry drew nigh" (JST Matt 3:24-26).
• Enjoy the Complete Christmas Story of the Birth of Jesus
• Meet Mary: Mother of Jesus
• Who Is the Virgin Mary?
• What Is the Nativity of Jesus?
• Meet Joseph - Earthly Father of Jesus
• When Is Christmas Day?
• Bible Verses About Christmas
• What Is Epiphany Day?
• The Ultimate List of Christmas Bible Verses to Celebrate Jesus' Birth
• 16 Christian Christmas Words
• The Myth of the Nativity Wise Men
• How Long Did Jesus Live on Earth?
• Christmas Quotes From the Bible
• The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Meditations on the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary
• Did Jesus Have Brothers and Sisters?

What Is the Gospel - The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ

While many people use the phrase "the gospel" to mean one or another, it is a specific message within the Bible. What the gospel says has big consequences for our lives, especially when we realize its implications.

"Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. " 1 Corinthians 15:1 - The Gospel of Jesus Christ

Why Is the Gospel Important Today?

Many have commented on the fact that the church in the western world is going through a time of remarkable fragmentation. This fragmentation extends to our understanding of the gospel. For some Christians, "the gospel" is a narrow set of teachings about Jesus and his death and resurrection which, rightly believed, tip people into the kingdom. After that, real discipleship and personal transformation begin, but none of that is integrally related to "the gospel." This is a far cry from the dominant New Testament emphasis that understands "the gospel" to be the embracing category that holds much of the Bible together, and takes Christians from lostness and alienation from God all the way through conversion and discipleship to the consummation, to resurrection bodies, and to the new heaven and the new earth.

Other voices identify the gospel with the first and second commandments—the commandments to love God with heart and soul and mind and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves. These commandments are so central that Jesus himself insists that all the prophets and the law hang on them ( Matthew 22:34-40 )—but most emphatically they are not the gospel.

A third option today is to treat the ethical teaching of Jesus found in the Gospels as the gospel— yet it is the ethical teaching of Jesus abstracted from the passion and resurrection narrative found in each Gospel. This approach depends on two disastrous mistakes. First, it overlooks the fact that in the first century, there was no "Gospel of Matthew," "Gospel of Mark," and so forth. Our four Gospels were called, respectively, "The Gospel According to Matthew," "The Gospel According to Mark," and so forth.

In other words, there was only one gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ, according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This one gospel, this message of news that was simultaneously threatening and promising, concerned the coming of Jesus the Messiah, the long-awaited King, and included something about his origins, the ministry of his forerunner, his brief ministry of teaching and miraculous transformation, climaxing in his death and resurrection. These elements are not independent pearls on a string that constitutes the life and times of Jesus the Messiah. Rather, they are elements tightly tied together. 

Accounts of Jesus' teaching cannot be rightly understood unless we discern how they flow toward and point toward Jesus' death and resurrection. All of this together is the one gospel of Jesus Christ, to which the canonical Gospels bear witness. To study the teaching of Jesus without simultaneously reflecting on his passion and resurrection is far worse than assessing the life and times of George Washington without reflecting on the American Revolution, or evaluating Hitler's Mein Kampf without thinking about what he did and how he died. Second, we shall soon see that to focus on Jesus' teaching while making the cross peripheral reduces the glorious good news to mere religion, the joy of forgiveness to mere ethical conformity, the highest motives for obedience to mere duty. The price is catastrophic.

What Is the Gospel? A Summary and Breakdown of the Gospel Message

There are many biblical texts and themes we could usefully explore to think more clearly about the gospel. But for our purposes, we shall focus primarily on 1 Corinthians 15:1-19 .

I shall try to bring things to clarity by focusing on eight summarizing words (six of which were first suggested by John Stott), five clarifying sentences, and one evocative summary.

What Paul is going to talk about in these verses, he says, is "the gospel": "Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you" ( v. 1 ). "By this gospel, you were saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you" ( v. 2 ). Indeed, what Paul had passed on to them was "of first importance"—a rhetorically powerful way of telling his readers to pay attention, for what he is going to say about the gospel lies at its very center. These prefatory remarks completed, the first word that appears in Paul's summary is "Christ": "I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins" and so forth. That brings me to the first of my eight summarizing words.

1. The Gospel Is Christological

The gospel is not bland theism, still less an impersonal pantheism. The gospel is irrevocably Christ-centered. The point is powerfully articulated in every major New Testament book and corpus. In Matthew's Gospel, for instance, Christ himself is Emmanuel, God with us; he is the long-promised Davidic king who will bring in the kingdom of God. By his death and resurrection, he becomes the mediatorial monarch who insists that all authority in heaven and earth is his alone. In John, Jesus alone is the way, the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father except through him, for it is the Father's solemn intent that all should honor the Son even as they honor the Father. In the sermons reported in Acts, there is no name but Jesus has given under heaven by which we must be saved. In Romans and Galatians and Ephesians, Jesus is the last Adam, the one to whom the law and the prophets bear witness, the one who by God's own design propitiates God's wrath and reconciles Jews and Gentiles to his heavenly Father and thus also to each other. In the great vision of Revelation 4-5 , the Son alone, emerging from the very throne of God Almighty, is simultaneously the lion and the lamb, and he alone is qualified to open the seals of the scroll in the right hand of God, and thus bring about all of God's matchless purposes for judgment and blessing. So also here: the gospel is Christological. John Stott is right: "The gospel is not preached if Christ is not preached."

Yet this Christological stance does not focus exclusively on Christ's person; it embraces with equal fervor his death and resurrection. As a matter of first importance, Paul writes, "Christ died for our sins" ( 1 Cor 15:3 ). Earlier in this letter, Paul does not tell his readers, "I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ"; rather, he says, "I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" ( 2:2 ). Moreover, Paul here ties Jesus' death to his resurrection, as the rest of the chapter makes clear. This is the gospel of Christ crucified and risen again.

In other words, it is not enough to make a splash of Christmas and downplay Good Friday and Easter. When we insist that as a matter of first importance, the gospel is Christological, we are not thinking of Christ as a cipher, or simply as the God-man who comes along and helps us like a nice insurance agent: "Jesus is a nice God-man, he's a very, very nice God-man, and when you break down, he comes along and fixes you." The gospel is Christological in a more robust sense:

Jesus is the promised Messiah who died and rose again.

2. The Gospel Is Theological

This is a shorthand way of affirming two things. First, as 1 Corinthians 15 repeatedly affirms, God raised Christ Jesus from the dead (e.g. 1 Cor 5:15 ). More broadly, New Testament documents insist that God sent the Son into the world, and the Son obediently went to the cross because this was his Father's will. It makes no sense to pit the mission of the Son against the sovereign purpose of the Father. If the gospel is centrally Christological, it is no less centrally theological.

Second, the text does not simply say that Christ died and rose again; rather, it asserts that "Christ died for our sins" and rose again. The cross and resurrection are not nakedly historical events; they are historical events with the deepest theological weight. We can glimpse the power of this claim only if we remind ourselves how sin and death are related to God in Scripture. In recent years it has become popular to sketch the Bible's story-line something like this: Ever since the fall, God has been active to reverse the effects of sin. He takes action to limit sin's damage; he calls out a new nation, the Israelites, to mediate his teaching and his grace to others; he promises that one day he will send the promised Davidic king to overthrow sin and death and all their wretched effects. This is what Jesus does: he conquers death, inaugurates the kingdom of righteousness, and calls his followers to live out that righteousness now in prospect of the consummation still to come.

3. The Gospel Is Biblical

"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, . . . he was buried, . . . he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" ( 1 Cor 15:3-4 ). What biblical texts Paul has in mind, he does not say. He may have had the kind of thing Jesus himself taught, after his resurrection, when "he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself " ( Luke 24:27 ; cf. vv. 44-46 ). Perhaps he was thinking of texts such as Psalm 16 and Isaiah 53 , used by Peter on the day of Pentecost, or Psalm 2 , used by Paul himself in Pisidian Antioch, whose interpretation depends on a deeply evocative but quite traceable typology. Elsewhere in 1 Corinthians, Paul alludes to Christ as "our Passover . . . sacrificed for us" ( 5:5 )— so perhaps he could have replicated the reasoning of the author of the Letter to the Hebrews, who elegantly traces out some of the ways in which the Old Testament Scriptures, laid out in a salvation-historical grid, announce the obsolescence of the old covenant and the dawning of the new covenant, complete with a better tabernacle, a better priesthood, and a better sacrifice. What is in any case very striking is that the apostle grounds the gospel, the matters of first importance, in the Scriptures—and of course he has what we call the Old Testament in mind—and then in the witness of the apostles —and thus what we call the New Testament. The gospel is biblical.

4. The Gospel Is Apostolic

Of course, Paul cheerfully insists that there were more than five hundred eyewitnesses to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Nevertheless, he repeatedly draws attention to the apostles: Jesus "appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve" ( 1 Cor 15:5 ); "he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me" ( 15:8 ), "the least of the apostles" ( 15:9 ). Listen carefully to the sequence of pronouns in 1 Cor 15:11 : "Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed" ( 15:11 ). The sequence of pronouns, "I," "they," "we," "you," become a powerful way of connecting the witness and teaching of the apostles with the faith of all subsequent Christians. The gospel is apostolic.

What is the Biblical Way to Avoid Fake Friendship?

5. The Gospel Is Historical

Here two things must be said.

First, 1 Corinthians 15 specifies both Jesus' burial and his resurrection. The burial testifies to Jesus' death, since (normally!) we bury only those who have died; the appearances testify to Jesus' resurrection. Jesus' death and his resurrection are tied together in history: the one who was crucified is the one who was resurrected; the body that came out of the tomb, as Thomas wanted to have demonstrated, had the wounds of the body that went into the tomb. This resurrection took place on the third day: it is in datable sequence from the death. The cross and the resurrection are irrefragably tied together. Any approach, theological or evangelistic, that attempts to pit Jesus' death and Jesus' resurrection against each other, is not much more than silly. Perhaps one or the other might have to be especially emphasized to combat some particular denial or need, but to sacrifice one on the altar of the other is to step away from the manner in which both the cross and resurrection are historically tied together.

Second, the manner by which we have access to the historical events of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, is exactly the same as that by which we have access to almost any historical event: through the witness and remains of those who were there, by means of the records they left behind. That is why Paul enumerates the witnesses, mentions that many of them are still alive at his time of writing and therefore could still be checked out, and recognizes the importance of their reliability. In God's mercy, this Bible is, among many other things, a written record, an inscripturation, of those first witnesses.

6. The Gospel Is Personal

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are not merely historical events; the gospel is not merely theological in the sense that it organizes a lot of theological precepts. It sets out the way of individual salvation, of personal salvation. "Now, brothers," Paul writes at the beginning of this chapter, "I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved" ( 1 Cor 15:1-2 ). A historical gospel that is not personal and powerful is merely antiquarian; a theological gospel that is not received by faith and found to be transforming is merely abstract. In reality, the gospel is personal.

7. The Gospel Is Universal

If we step farther into 1 Corinthians 15 , we find Paul demonstrating that Christ is the new Adam ( 1 Cor 15:22 , 47-50 ). In this context, Paul does not develop the move from Jew to Gentile, or from the Israelites as a national locus of the people of God to the church as in the international community of the elect. Nevertheless, Christ as the new Adam alludes to a comprehensive vision. The new humanity in him draws in people from every tongue and tribe and people and nation. The gospel is universal in this sense. It is not universal in the sense that it transforms and saves everyone without exception, for in reality, those whose existence is connected exclusively to the old Adam are not included. Yet this gospel is gloriously universal in its comprehensive sweep. There is not a trace of racism here. The gospel is universal.

8. The Gospel Is Eschatological

This could be teased out in many ways, for the gospel is eschatological in more ways than one. For instance, some of the blessings Christians receive today are essentially eschatological blessings, blessings belonging to the end, even if they have been brought back into time and are already ours. Already God declares his blood-bought, Spirit-regenerated people to be justified: the final declarative sentence from the end of the age has already been pronounced on Christ's people, because of what Jesus Christ has done. We are already justified—and so the gospel is in that sense eschatological. Yet there is another sense in which this gospel is eschatological. In the chapter before us, Paul focuses on the final transformation: "I declare to you, brothers," he says in vv. 15:50 and following, "that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory." It is not enough to focus narrowly on the blessings Christians enjoy in Christ in this age: the gospel is eschatological.

So what Paul preaches, as a matter of first importance, is that the gospel is Christological, theological, biblical, apostolic, historical, personal, universal, and eschatological.

(Excerpts are taken from "Eight Summarizing Words on the Gospel" by D.A. Carson. Discover the full article here .)

According to Trevin Wax , there are Three Ways to Define the Gospel:   

The Gospel as Telling the Story for an Individual

Some hear this question and immediately think about how to present the gospel to an unbeliever. Their presentation systematizes the biblical teaching of our sin and  Christ 's provision. They usually begin with God as a holy and righteous judge. Then we hear about man's desperate plight apart from God and how our sinfulness deserves his wrath. But the good news is that Christ has come to live an obedient life and die in our place. We are then called to repent of our sins and trust in Christ. (Greg Gilbert takes this approach in his helpful book,  What Is the Gospel? .)

The Gospel as Telling the Story of Jesus

Others hear "What is the gospel?" and think of how the New Testament authors would define the word, which leads to definitions that zero in on the announcement of Jesus. They focus on Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. The gospel, according to this second group, is telling people who Jesus is and what he has done. ( Martin Luther ,  Graeme Goldsworthy , and  John Piper take this approach.)

The Gospel as Telling the Story of New Creation

Still, others hear the word "gospel" and think of the whole good news of Christianity, how God has acted in Christ to bring redemption to a fallen world. They focus on the grand sweep of the Bible 's storyline and how Jesus comes to reverse the curse and make all things new. ( Tim Keller and Jim Belcher  take this approach.)

 (Excerpted from " 3 Ways to Define the Gospel " by Trevin Wax)

Why Is the Gospel Necessary?

The gospel is necessary because it is the solution to an unavoidable problem: sin. Paul Tripp summarized the problem this way:

"I have a deep and abiding dilemma that I have no ability to escape. My big problem in life doesn't exist outside of me. It exists inside of me. The biggest danger in the universe to me is me. And so God knew that I could not escape my sin. I needed rescue. So God harnessed the forces of nature and controlled the events of humans in history. So at a certain point, his son would come to do what I could not do perfectly. Keep the law to bear the penalty for my sin so that I would receive forgiveness before God. Acceptance with God, righteousness from God. And life eternal. And life eternal begins right now because this dead man becomes a live man. I mean, in essence, that's the gospel."

(Excerpted from "What Is the Gospel?" published on Christianity.com on October 1, 2010)

Photo Credit: Rod Long / Unsplash

How Can I Find Comfort from God After Losing My Job?

Is it Possible to Be a Christian without Going to Church?

4 Things Contentment Is and 4 Things Contentment Is Not

7 Biblical Assurances Your Faith Is Real

10 Verses that Remind Us Who God Says We Are

7 Passages for Struggling Married Couples

9 Things to Learn from the People Jesus Valued When He Walked the Earth

Despite the mistakes, setbacks, and misunderstandings, Chris saw through it all how Jesus had changed my soul from the inside out.

Bible Baseball

Play now...

Saintly Millionaire

Bible Jeopardy

Bible Trivia By Category

Bible Trivia Challenge

Your browser either does not support JavaScript or has it disabled. JavaScript is required for this site.

Attention this site does not support the current version of your web browser. to get the best possible experience using our website we recommend that you upgrade to a newer version or install another browser., the life and mission of jesus christ.

Jesus Christ is the greatest being to be born on this earth—our perfect example. He is Lord of lords, the Creator, our Savior, and He came to Earth so that we could live with God again.

Because of Him

Born in humble circumstances

Jesus was born to the virgin Mary in a small village in a remote corner of the world. That humble birth fulfilled the hopes and dreams of all of us. He was the Son of God with infinite knowledge and power, yet He was also mortal and susceptible to hunger and pain. Jesus Christ fully experienced the challenges and sorrows of this life. He knows each of us and understands us perfectly.

Early preparation

Even as a young man, Jesus was teaching the word of God. At 12 years old, He taught in the temple, and all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding. When Jesus began His ministry, He fasted in the wilderness for 40 days. He was tempted by the devil and overcame that temptation. He was also baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Although Jesus was without sin, He was still baptized by immersion in order to teach us obedience to God. After Jesus’s baptism, God declared, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

Jesus healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and even brought the dead back to life. More importantly, He made these miracles possible. Although His works were considered blasphemous behavior by the Jewish priests, Jesus continually reminded people that His works were aligned with God’s will so “that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13).

Jesus is also the perfect example of love. During His life on the earth, He cared for the poor, He healed the sick (see Luke 17:12–19), and He never turned away little children (see Matthew 19:13–14). His love is endless and available to all of us.

Jesus taught that we must forgive. Even as He died on the cross, Jesus forgave the people who killed Him.

Find guidance and inspiration in the teachings of Jesus Christ. See how missionaries can help.

Jesus’s words—and the blessings from living them—are just as true today. Missionaries can show you how His teachings provide solutions to your problems, strength to deal with challenges, and more joy in your life. Request a visit.

Don’t worry. We do not sell your information. To learn more about our privacy practices, please see our Privacy Notice (Updated 2021-04-06) .

Address Verification

Please confirm:, thank you look for a confirmation message shortly..

You will receive several messages via email and another messaging service (e.g., text or WhatsApp) to confirm your request and help you prepare for your visit.

Missionaries in your area will contact you soon.

We’re excited to talk about Jesus Christ’s teachings with you. We can meet in person or online.

Error: Form could not be submitted at this time. Please try again or refresh the page to start over.

Jesus performed miracles.

Jesus healed the sick, walked on water, raised the dead, calmed the sea, and turned water into wine. Those miracles fulfilled ancient prophecies and demonstrated His divinity. They also show Jesus Christ’s infinite compassion for us. With all this assurance, we can know that He is our God and that He has power over all His creations. We can have faith in Him to perform miracles in our lives today.

The Miracles of Jesus

“Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it” (Matthew 9:27–31).

“And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:12–19).

“And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God” (Luke 13:11–17).

“Behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. … And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. … And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up” (Luke 7:12–15).

“Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. … And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was” (John 2:1–11).

“And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea” (Matthew 14:25).

“And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. And they did all eat, and were filled” (Mark 6:34–44).

Divine teachings

Jesus was the greatest teacher who ever lived. He often used parables, or stories, to teach important lessons that we can still learn from today.

The Parables of Jesus

Jesus taught that all who choose to come unto Him and labor in His work can have the opportunity to receive equal blessings (see Matthew 20:1–16).

Jesus taught us the important lesson of forgiveness by asking, “Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?” (see Matthew 18:33).

Jesus said that we should love our neighbor, and the parable of the good Samaritan teaches us that our neighbors can be anyone, including strangers or foes (see Luke 10:25–37).

As the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ earnestly seeks after all of us—especially those who have been separated from His flock (see Luke 15:3–7).

Every person who turns to Christ will receive His loving acceptance, regardless of what he or she has done (see Luke 15:11–32).

His teachings were far ahead of His time. He taught us to love our enemies. He taught us to forgive. He taught us to see people beyond their race, age, gender, or nationality. He taught us to love God and to love our neighbor. But more importantly, He showed love in everything He did.

Jesus died for us

Throughout His life, many were angry with Jesus because He condemned hypocrisy. He taught unfamiliar truths and showed compassion to sinners. He demonstrated incredible power, and some civic and church leaders felt threatened by His influence.

The night before He was killed, Jesus retreated to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. There, He felt the weight of every sin and pain known to humankind and suffered for every person who has ever lived. Afterward, Jesus was betrayed, arrested, mocked, beaten, and crucified on the cross—all of which He allowed in order to fulfill God’s will. “I lay down my life,” the Lord said, “that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (John 10:17–18). Even as Jesus was being killed by His own people, He cried out that God might have mercy on them.

The Roles of Jesus Christ

“ For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe ”  ( 1   Timothy 4:10).

“ For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth ”  (Job 19:25).

Only Begotten Son of God

“ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son , that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life ”  (John 3:16).

“ My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an  advocate  with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous ”  (1 John 2:1).

Good Shepherd

“ I am the  good shepherd : the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep ”  (John 10:11).

“ And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ , the Son of the living God ”  (Matthew 16:16).

The Prince of Peace

“ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father,  The Prince of Peace ”  (Isaiah 9:6).

“ For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you ”  (John 13:15).

Jesus rose from the grave

Three days after His death, Jesus rose from the the tomb and appeared to His friends and followers. Because Jesus lives again, we too will be resurrected one day. He broke the bands of death when he arose from the tomb that first Easter morning. Because of His sacrifice and resurrection, we can meet our daily challenges with faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We can know that there are no lost causes, there are no endings, and none of us are beyond His perfect love and infinite power to save.

Come closer to Jesus Christ. Meet with missionaries.

Become the best version of yourself through Jesus. Start your journey today. Request a visit.

Draw Closer to Jesus Christ

Following Jesus Christ

Walk with Christ Email Series

Does Jesus Christ Really Understand How I Feel?

Watch Videos of Jesus’s Life

Learn What’s Possible Because of Him

Belong to a Caring Community

Learn about God’s Love

Meet with Missionaries

How to go to Heaven

How to get right with god.

What was Jesus like as a person?

For further study, related articles, subscribe to the, question of the week.

Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox!

• NONFICTION BOOKS
• BEST NONFICTION 2023
• BEST NONFICTION 2024
• Historical Biographies
• The Best Memoirs and Autobiographies
• Philosophical Biographies
• World War 2
• World History
• American History
• British History
• Chinese History
• Russian History
• Ancient History (up to 500)
• Medieval History (500-1400)
• Military History
• Art History
• Travel Books
• Ancient Philosophy
• Contemporary Philosophy
• Ethics & Moral Philosophy
• Great Philosophers
• Social & Political Philosophy
• Classical Studies
• New Science Books
• Maths & Statistics
• Popular Science
• Physics Books
• Climate Change Books
• How to Write
• English Grammar & Usage
• Books for Learning Languages
• Linguistics
• Political Ideologies
• Foreign Policy & International Relations
• American Politics
• British Politics
• Religious History Books
• Mental Health
• Neuroscience
• Child Psychology
• Film & Cinema
• Opera & Classical Music
• Behavioural Economics
• Development Economics
• Economic History
• Financial Crisis
• World Economies
• Investing Books
• Artificial Intelligence/AI Books
• Data Science Books
• Sex & Sexuality
• Death & Dying
• Food & Cooking
• Sports, Games & Hobbies
• FICTION BOOKS
• BEST NOVELS 2024
• BEST FICTION 2023
• New Literary Fiction
• World Literature
• Literary Criticism
• Literary Figures
• Classic English Literature
• American Literature
• Comics & Graphic Novels
• Fairy Tales & Mythology
• Historical Fiction
• Crime Novels
• Science Fiction
• Short Stories
• South Africa
• United States
• Arctic & Antarctica
• Afghanistan
• Myanmar (Formerly Burma)
• Netherlands
• Kids Recommend Books for Kids
• High School Teachers Recommendations
• Prizewinning Kids' Books
• Popular Series Books for Kids
• BEST BOOKS FOR KIDS (ALL AGES)
• Ages Baby-2
• Books for Teens and Young Adults
• THE BEST SCIENCE BOOKS FOR KIDS
• BEST KIDS' BOOKS OF 2023
• BEST BOOKS FOR TEENS OF 2023
• Best Audiobooks for Kids
• Environment
• Best Books for Teens of 2023
• Best Kids' Books of 2023
• Political Novels
• New History Books
• New Historical Fiction
• New Biography
• New Memoirs
• New World Literature
• New Economics Books
• New Climate Books
• New Math Books
• New Philosophy Books
• New Psychology Books
• New Physics Books
• THE BEST AUDIOBOOKS
• Actors Read Great Books
• Books Narrated by Their Authors
• Best Audiobook Thrillers
• Best History Audiobooks
• Nobel Literature Prize
• Booker Prize (fiction)
• Baillie Gifford Prize (nonfiction)
• Financial Times (nonfiction)
• Wolfson Prize (history)
• Royal Society (science)
• Pushkin House Prize (Russia)
• Walter Scott Prize (historical fiction)
• Arthur C Clarke Prize (sci fi)
• The Hugos (sci fi & fantasy)
• Audie Awards (audiobooks)

Make Your Own List

History Books » Historical Figures

The best books on jesus, recommended by robert morgan.

Jesus was a 1st century Jew from Galilee who had a ministry of teaching and healing. He gathered disciples around him, but was eventually arrested and executed by the Roman governor of Judaea from 26 to 36CE, Pontius Pilate. But what else do we know about Jesus and what is his significance in an increasingly secular age? New Testament scholar Robert Morgan talks us through his favourite books on Jesus.

Interview by Sophie Roell , Editor

Jesus and the Word by Rudolf Bultmann

The Quest of the Historical Jesus by Albert Schweitzer

The Shadow of the Galilean by Gerd Theissen

The Birth of the Messiah by Raymond Brown

Born of a Virgin? by Andrew Lincoln

1 Jesus and the Word by Rudolf Bultmann

2 the quest of the historical jesus by albert schweitzer, 3 the shadow of the galilean by gerd theissen, 4 the birth of the messiah by raymond brown, 5 born of a virgin by andrew lincoln.

W hat’s the significance of Jesus in an increasingly secular age?

Broadly, both sides and all centuries have agreed that he is a historical figure , a 1st century Jew from Galilee, that he was baptized by John the Baptist, that he had a ministry of teaching and healing. He gathered disciples around him and spoke to crowds of God—and so how to live—through parables and wisdom sayings, emphasizing the nearness of God and the imminence of God’s rule already operative in his messianic activity, transforming the world, mending the broken and soon to be consummated by the Creator God who loves this good creation. It is also generally agreed that he was arrested and executed by the Roman governor from 26 to 36CE, Pontius Pilate. That’s common ground whether one is a believer or not.

In terms of how Christians see him, that historical way of looking at things has now affected how they too see him. Some see him in a traditional, stained-glass sort of way, others as a remarkable human being. The important thing is whether or not you think he reveals God. That’s the real dividing line, not whether he performed miracles or even how far his moral teaching is useful today, or how Christians can understand the central mystery of their faith: his vindication by God and risen presence with and in God, and by his Spirit, in the world.

I was going to ask you who he was, but perhaps you’ve already answered that?

Yes and no. Who was he and who is he? He was that historical figure about whom we know a certain amount. For believers, he is a living presence through whom they believe themselves to be in relationship to God. So his relationship to God, which was important for him, is also important for those who call themselves his followers today. The question ‘Who was he?’ puts the emphasis on the historical question. That’s a natural way of looking at it, for us, today, in a way that it wasn’t a few hundred years ago, but for Christians it remains subordinate to the question of God which they abbreviate by the doctrine of his divinity.

He has a lot of names: Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, the Galilean, the Messiah, Christ. What does Christ mean?

Christ is the Greek for Messiah. The Hebrew word ‘mashiach’ means anointed. So ‘Christ’ means the one anointed by God. It’s one way that his followers said he was God’s special agent, more than a prophet and teacher, which he also clearly was.

But did he call himself the Messiah?

He probably didn’t call himself the Messiah, perhaps because that could easily be misunderstood in a political way. He wasn’t trying to be a revolutionary—overthrowing the Romans —which is what some Jews of the time wanted. So he may have avoided the word. Whether in his lifetime or immediately afterwards, it’s clear that around the time he died, some of his people thought of him as Messiah, come at the end of the present age as the representative or agent of God. Then, within a very short time, a few months or years, it had become another name. We say Jesus Christ. But Jesus also remains ‘the Christ (of Israel)’ a designation showing his religious significance.

So if he had called himself ‘Messiah’ that would have denoted he wanted to overthrow the Romans?

No, because the word Messiah has a range of meanings. Many Jews were expecting a son of David—that is to say, a royal figure—who would rescue the nation from Roman imperialism. Others understood that prophets and priests were anointed by God. Contemporaries saw Jesus as a prophet, and he accepted that description while claiming a greater initimacy with God his father, or Abba. Some Christians also thought of him as a priest, even though he wasn’t of priestly descent like Caiaphas. They saw him as a mediating figure, bringing them into relationship with God.

So the Romans wouldn’t have objected to the word Messiah?

The Romans would have seen crowds welcoming him as Messiah as a political threat. So the notice on the cross, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews’ meant Messiah, a warning to the population about where power lay.

What about Nazareth versus Galilee?

Nazareth is the village where he was brought up in Galilee, Galilee being the whole area.

And Bethlehem?

Bethlehem is down south, near Jerusalem, where, the legend has it, he was born, because it was expected, by some of the prophets, that the Messiah would be born in that city of David. David was a thousand years earlier, the greatest Israelite king. He was later expected to have a successor of his line.

Let’s get on to these books you’ve chosen. You mentioned as we were walking here that you’ve read more than 200 books about Jesus.

That’s a guesstimate. There are scores of historical books about Jesus and thousands of articles, hundreds of theological books, and thousands of religious books. There are also scores of scholarly books on each of the four gospels. In my lifetime I’ve read quite a lot . . .

Why is Jesus important to you?

Shall we start with the book by Rudolf Bultmann? This is quite a short one, so if people don’t have much time it could be a good choice. Its English title is Jesus and the Word , and it dates from 1926.

Rudolf Bultmann was the greatest New Testament theologian of the 20th century. He was an exegete, a Classicist and a historian, but also a theologian. He was a professor of theology relating what he knew as a historian to what he believed as a Christian. The reason I picked him out—in a book that is now 90 years old and therefore in some ways out of date (it was written before the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947)—is that he was writing after 60-odd years of people writing lots of lives of Jesus. What he is saying is, ‘That’s not the point.’ A positivistic historical picture of Jesus misses the main point about him, and misses the main point about history too. History is about an encounter with the past, it’s not just a description. It’s about our own relationship to the past, our identity. So when he was asked to write yet another historical book about Jesus, he agreed, but he thought he would try and write one which communicated some sense of why Jesus was important to him.

He saw his own history writing as a dialogue with history, and his own apprehension of Jesus as confronting him with a decision about the meaning of his life, God and the world. So he’s written a book that has included what we know about Jesus’s history, but somehow gives it a sense of what it all means for him.

What does it mean for him?

He’s not interested in the brute facts of Jesus’s life. Of course Jesus was crucified and that’s at the centre of things, but Bultmann sidesteps the whole dogmatic structure of Christian belief. He’s saying, ‘Here is someone or something that confronts me with a decision about my life and how I understand myself.’ To be a believer is to understand oneself in a particular way, in relationship to the transcendent. Jesus’s proclamation of God or the kingdom of God and the will of God, about how we should live, communicates something of that and says ‘It’s about you: are you going to go along with this and become a disciple or a follower? Or are you just going to look at it in the historical distance and say, “That’s interesting”.’

Here’s a passage from the book that I found intriguing: “We are accustomed to distinguish between the physical or sensuous and the mental or spiritual life. The life of the spirit is the meaning of existence…this is completely alien to the teaching of Jesus.” In translation, ‘soul’ or ‘spirit’ just means life. So when Jesus says, “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?” (Mark 8:36) all that is meant by ‘loses his soul’ is ‘dies’.”

A lot of Bultmann’s remarks are gunning against the people who have written before him. That particular saying of Jesus—one of the ones he probably said—is an interesting one. The Greek word that we translate as soul—namely psyche— comes up 500 to 600 times in the Greek Old Testament as a translation of ‘nefesh,’ which means life. So you could read it as Jesus saying, ‘What’s the use if you’ve got everything and then drop dead?’ That’s a common sense interpretation. But then, when that got translated into the Greek as ‘soul’, it acquired new levels of meaning. You’ve got all these material possessions but you lose your personal integrity or your real ‘self.’ It’s worthless and pointless. That secondary meaning is also true, and more profound. It shows what happens to some of Jesus’s sayings as they are handed down in people’s reflection about God and the world.

So does the distinction between body and soul come in only with Descartes? Or was it always part of the Christian tradition?

It’s part of the Greek tradition and therefore comes into Christianity fairly early on. With Descartes and the modern world you again get a sharp mind/body dualism. Some people think that has messed up the whole of modern philosophy, and therefore a lot of modern theology as well. Going back to the Bible is partly a way of getting away from that the kind of sharp dualism, and saying, ‘No, the Greek idea that the body is just a tomb and the real self is the soul, is bad.’ We are bodies and to understand ourselves we have to recognize that. That’s much closer to Biblical ways of thinking about it.

Looking at Jesus as a historical figure, one of the books mentioned that the first mention of him in the secular literature comes only in the second century, in Tacitus. So all our knowledge of him comes from?

Believers. Tacitus, Pliny the younger and Suetonius all reflect what is widely known through the existence and witness of his followers.

You mentioned the Dead Sea Scrolls. What did they add in terms of our knowledge of Jesus? Do they mention him?

No, they don’t. They add hugely to our knowledge of one branch of sectarian Judaism at the time. Some people think John the Baptist may have had some contact with this monastic sect at Qumran, near the Dead Sea. But they were down in the south, so it’s unlikely that Jesus, in the north, in Galilee, would have had much contact with them, and his teaching was different. They had their own founder, the ‘teacher for righteousness’ who died 150 years earlier. Their community, at Qumran, by the Dead Sea, was wiped out by the Romans in the Jewish War. But there were a lot of Essenes living elsewhere and some of them probably became followers of Jesus. For example, some people think that the writer of the fourth Gospel may have been an Essene.

“Christ is the Greek for Messiah. The Hebrew word ‘mashiach’ means anointed. So ‘Christ’ means the one anointed by God.”

We know a lot about Judaism from the Old Testament and later Jewish writing. All the New Testament is written in Greek, and it contains our main sources of historical knowledge of Jesus. Having some Hebrew and Aramaic writings, some from that sect, enables us to know more about the Judaisms of Jesus’s time, and helps us construct historical pictures of Jesus. That’s what’s so good, when we come to it, about Gerd Theissen’s book, the use he makes of these. Bultmann couldn’t offer so much here because he was writing 20 years before the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, and his focus was different.

Was Judaism breaking up into different sects at that time?

Not breaking up. There were just different points of view, and different sects and groupings — Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots. Some became followers of Jesus, seeing him as Messiah.

And Christians?

The followers of Jesus became first a Messianic sect within Judaism. Looking for a Messiah they think they’ve found him. Other Jews were looking for a Messiah but didn’t think they’d found him.

Islam was founded some 600 years later.

Also what I found interesting was that ‘Love to God and to one’s neighbour’ was part of rabbinical teaching at that time. I associated it more uniquely with Jesus.

Let’s go on to the second book you’ve chosen, The Quest for the Historical Jesus by Albert Schweitzer. This is from 1906.

Yes, this book is nearly 120 years old, but I would put it top of my list of the classics. The reason I chose it is because it’s mainly about what other people have made of Jesus. I think to get at Jesus through what other people have made of him is the best way of going about it. If I were writing a book on Jesus, that’s how I would go about it, and the way Schweitzer did it is marvelous. Then he gives his own account of Jesus, which is partly wrong, I think. But that doesn’t matter. It’s still brilliant and stimulating and exciting. And he’s also a childhood hero: He was the missionary doctor in Africa from 1913 to 1965. We were brought up to admire him.

So he goes through the historiography, looking at how some 19th century scholars looked at Jesus.

Yes, and one rather earlier. Reimarus died in 1768 and was part published by Lessing in 1774-8. Liberal theologians disliked dogma or the doctrine, even though the Gospels are themselves interpretations. They wanted to get behind them to Jesus as he really was. But they can only give their own interpretations. Even their own historical accounts of how they think he really was, are interpretations. Schweitzer argued they were reading a lot of their own 19th century perspectives into Jesus’s teaching. Schweitzer says, ‘No. Jesus was totally and utterly and completely different. He was more like Nietzsche’s superman. He was expecting the end of the world and he was completely wrong.’ That’s an oversimplification about what Jesus thought about the future. Schweitzer’s accounts of all the other people are wonderful but I don’t buy his own reconstruction. Somebody has to do a Schweitzer on Schweitzer himself.

And your Schweitzer on Schweitzer would focus on Jesus saying the end of the world was nigh…

It’s what that might mean that’s difficult to get your hands on. I think Schweitzer was over-influenced by some newly discovered apocalyptic writings in the 19th century, and said, ‘Jesus must have been like that.’ It’s pretty clear to my mind that Jesus wasn’t like that. Even though one or two sayings do sound a bit like that, on the whole Jesus is much more of a prophet and a wisdom teacher. This nightmare scenario, of an apocalyptic end of the world like you get in the book of Revelation is really rather removed from my mental picture of Jesus. But that may be because I imagine the Jesus I love and want to follow.

So for you, Jesus is someone who teaches what?

He points us to God. Jesus was all about God. Being about God means being about the meaning of life, about how the world is and our moral responsibilities, to save the planet and to love our neighbours. It’s got a very strong ethical or moral dimension. It’s also got a strong future hope, because what we think about the world and God has to do with how we think about the future.

Does Jesus prophesy a lot?

Yes, he does a bit. Schweitzer picks up on him saying—which I don’t think Jesus actually said—in Matthew 10, “You will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Kingdom of God comes.” Like a number of sayings in the Gospels, I think that reflects a slightly later perspective of some people who did expect that end very soon, as Paul did. The reason historical pictures of Jesus differ is that we disagree to some extent about which sayings he actually said, and which ones he didn’t.

That’s what I found fascinating in a number of these books, the author going ‘Jesus is quoted as saying X. He would never have said that!’ The authors seem to have a strong opinion on what he did and didn’t say.

Yes, and of course it’s only probability judgments. We can’t be certain. Like the rest of them, I have opinions about what he did say, and what he probably didn’t say.

What’s the most meaningful saying for you, of the ones he did say?

I would find it very difficult to pick one. I would pick about 30-40, among them the ones you picked out. The love commandment is certainly central. Attitudes to material possessions are important. The Sermon on the Mount contains a whole lot of things that he did say and one or two things that he probably didn’t. I’d include most of the Sermon on the Mount. Although we haven’t got much information about his personality, we get a sense of the human figure that has been an icon for Christians ever since. Most people agree he was a good man, and that he was unjustly executed. I think he probably saw his execution as following through what God was wanting of him. His self-giving love inspired others to live that way.

I’m still not clear on why he was executed. The Romans felt threatened by him?

Probably, or by people getting excited.

And the Jews didn’t have much to do with it.

The Jews as a whole didn’t, no. But how much the high priest, Caiaphas did, is a nice question. I think he probably was helped by one of the inner group of 12 disciples to make the arrest possible away from the crowds. You’ve got a Roman occupying army with a very volatile people who think they shouldn’t be there. They’re always having to monitor the political situation and they’re relying on the local stooges—like the high priest, the aristocracy—to keep a lid on things. Hundreds of thousands of people come to Jerusalem at Passover, there’s a risk of riots. You can read all about it in Josephus’s history of the Jewish war. They would naturally be nervy and what St. John’s Gospel says Caiaphas thought—We need to get him removed otherwise we’ll be in trouble with the Romans—might actually be how it was. But clearly his crucifixion was a Roman decision and carried out by Romans. The idea that the Jews killed Jesus is a grotesque defamation.

You hear that people normally end up believing what their parents believe, so someone born in Syria is likely to be Muslim, Brits are likely to be Church of England. I’m Dutch so maybe it’s predictable I’ve come to think of myself as humanist. What I find interesting about Jesus is that there is much in this teaching that is attractive to a non-believer.

Yes, I agree. I thought you were going to say being Dutch you were Calvinist. I would say the Church of England has plenty of humanism in it and Jesus has a lot of humanism in his teaching. Thomas Jefferson’s Bible—which is the bits he liked—is generally good humanism. So, yes there has got to be common ground in terms of moral values between Christianity and a lot of other people. But, at the end of the day, it’s what you make of God that is the ultimate decider and what you make of God is also what you make of yourself and the world, at least if the believer is well-informed about what the tradition means.

So it’s not about the ethics.

Your third choice of book is yet again by a German. Why are there so many Germans on your list?

It’s because I’ve gone for classics and up until quite recently the Germans have been the great pioneers.

How did that happen?

It was the 18th century Enlightenment. In France, it was often anti-religious, or anti-Catholic. In Germany, the Enlightenment was quite religious and quite Protestant and therefore German theology, like German philosophy, took on board the Enlightenment early on, and a big strand in German academic theology was infused with Enlightenment beliefs and values. In the early 18th century, English Deists were pioneers in criticism of the Bible and dogma, but in the 19th century all the leaders were German or German influenced. That remained roughly true till about 1970. With some exceptions, it’s only in the last 40 years that the Roman Catholics and Americans have made major contributions.

Were German theologians not in danger of getting into trouble?

Some did, but generally no. Unlike Roman Catholicism there was no mechanism for chucking you out if you were a Bible critic. The conservative side of the German church was hostile to Biblical criticism. But the German theological faculties in state universities had some independence while closely tied to the provincial churches. Theologians were able to follow the evidence as they saw it. They divided into different schools but the radicals were allowed to publish books and teach students who then became clergy. So the German church as a whole was open to Biblical criticism sooner than the Church of England.

To be a New Testament scholar do you need to read German? What other languages?

If you don’t read German, you miss out on a lot that hasn’t been translated which is very good. Greek is your starting point, because the New Testament is written in Greek. But the Old Testament is written mainly in Hebrew, so you’ve got to know Hebrew as well. Aramaic is tricky, because we don’t know all that much about 1st century Aramaic, and the experts sometimes disagree.

Aramaic being what Jesus himself spoke?

Yes, probably. Most people in Palestine at that time would be speaking Aramaic. Jesus may have understood some Greek, and he would have understood Hebrew. But it was the Hellenistic age, Greek was the lingua franca and a few miles from Nazareth there were Greek towns. So Jesus would have heard Greek spoken and a couple of his disciples have Greek names: Andrew and Philip. Latin, not so much: The Roman authorities would have spoken Greek as well as Latin.

OK, so this book number 3. It’s called The Shadow of the Galilean and it’s by Gerd Theissen. I’m in the middle of it, I haven’t finished it yet, but I’m completely hooked. I’m constantly flicking to the back to read what’s in the footnotes, which is a definite first for me for any book on anything.

I’ve chosen this book by a contemporary. I knew him even before he was a professor, when he was teaching in a school and writing this book. He’s the most creative Biblical scholar of my generation, so he had to be on this list. The particular book I’ve chosen is amazing. Jesus never appears, it’s just the shadow of the Galilean. It’s getting at the truth of Jesus through a novel. But it’s absolutely loaded with scholarship and theological reflection. Some of the scholarship you’ll see in the footnotes. But those who know what to look for will see layers of theological reflection in there as well. It’s a wonderful book that one can go back to, and read at different levels. It’s a book I put in everyone’s hand when I get the chance.

Tell me more about what it’s about.

It’s a short novel about someone made to spy on Jesus by the Roman authorities, to see whether he really is a danger to them. In the course of that, it says a lot about the Judaism of that period and of the political situation between the Romans and the Jews. Theissen also manages to feed in some of the apocalyptic, the nightmare stuff.

It’s the indirectness I like. Anyone who gives a direct portrait of Jesus is likely to be partly looking in the mirror. To try and get at him through an indirect method, of which this book is the clearest example, actually catches some things that a straight biography might miss. Everything Theissen writes is creative.

What might a biography miss?

Biographies vary, but they do try to give the meaning of the person. Where the meaning of the person is essentially religious, it’s very hard to describe directly. A picture of the outer history of Jesus doesn’t get at the inwardness of it all. Attending to someone else reflecting on him can get more of the inwardness of what is going on in Jesus, which Christians call God. Of the outward picture, a number of important facts are pretty clear. But even when all agree that a central theme was Jesus proclaiming the Kingdom of God, God ruling, God in charge, how Jesus understands that remains elusive. So I like to get different people’s perspectives on that and then make up my own mind. But you’ve got to be historically informed to do that responsibly. The thing about Gerd Theissen is that he’s a very good historian. He’s also a brilliant preacher. The book originated in a teacher entertaining the kids as well as informing them.

Is that why you haven’t yet written a book about Jesus, because it’s hard to write?

To write something really good, yes. Any New Testament scholar can write a book about Jesus, it goes with the turf. You wouldn’t be competent if you couldn’t. But to write a good book about Jesus is difficult. I’m still trying. I’ve always been interested in the history of the interpretation of the Bible as a way of getting at what it’s all about.

In a way, for me, reading these books you’ve chosen the other night, it felt like I was interacting with 2000 years of history.

Let’s talk about your fourth choice, Raymond Brown’s The Birth of the Messiah.

I put Raymond Brown in for two little reasons and one big reason. The little reasons are that it would be monstrous not to have a Roman Catholic, because there are now many good biblical scholars. I also needed to have an American, because in the last 40 years, Americans have been the most productive in writing about Jesus. I wish he’d been a woman because then I’d have a woman writer as well: I’m afraid these books are all by white males, and three of them are dead. But, more importantly, I wanted to include a commentary. The reason I wanted a commentary is that the four best books on Jesus are called Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Support Five Books

Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. If you're enjoying this interview, please support us by donating a small amount .

Of the hundreds of commentaries, I chose this one because it’s Christmas time, the story that’s told at the beginning of Matthew and Luke’s Gospel. This book is a commentary on those two chapters in Matthew and two chapters in Luke. Brown was an exegete. That means he’s trying to say what the texts are saying. He’s not so much saying, ‘We can’t know what happened: there’s hardly any history in the birth narratives,’ he’s trying to get at the meanings of the text. That’s the important thing.

Why is it important to include a commentary?

A commentary addresses the difficulties that a reader is likely to find in the biblical text, difficulties that are not only historical but also hermeneutical and to do with religious or theological meaning—what it’s all about. Some commentaries don’t give you very much on that, but Ray Brown does give quite a lot.

Just to clarify: he’s grappling with the fact that the stories of the birth of Jesus—which only appear in Matthew and Luke—are often ignored by theologians because they consider them silly in a post-Enlightenment age, with their exotic magi, a birth star, angelic messages and a Virgin birth. He writes, “The stories do not have the same historical value as the stories of Jesus’s Ministry.” But he still thinks they have enormous value doesn’t he?

There’s very little history in there, except that Jesus was born. Somewhere. And his mother was Mary. Not sure about his father, we don’t know. Joseph was presumably dead by the time Jesus was grown up, as he doesn’t appear. Nevertheless, these stories are fraught with both religious and deep theological meaning. They are important for that reason. Also, they’ve fed into the tradition in a lot of different ways. A lot of Christians have thought they were a straightforward matter of fact, which can’t be right, given the contradictions between Matthew and Luke. But they’re there in the creed, so they’re part of Christian doctrine, and therefore important to reflect on.

As a Catholic priest, Brown wants to say how these texts relate to Catholic doctrine, especially what Catholics believe about Mary. What actually happened, I don’t suppose he knows, but he’s very cautious and reverently agnostic about it. He isn’t wanting to be upset people by saying, ‘It’s a load of rubbish!’ He doesn’t think it is a load of rubbish. Nor do I.

Christmas is a huge part of the way people participate in Christianity!

That’s the Christmas story. How much of that depends on the historical reality? Except that Jesus was born and that Jesus was important. All the stuff—say the ox and ass in the stable—they’re not there in Matthew or Luke. It’s a detail taken from Isaiah. As is the crib.

Don’t tell me there was no ‘no room at the inn’…that’s in there isn’t it?

Yes, that’s in Luke. That’s the main Christmas story, in Luke, plus the wise ones, the Magi, in Matthew. That’s a nice story, because it has Jesus becoming a refugee.

He had to flee to Egypt?

According to Matthew’s account, they fled from Herod to Egypt. It’s important to me, when we think about refugees today, to remember that about Jesus. I doubt if it’s historically accurate, but Jesus did say, ‘Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ In my sermons over Christmas I’ll have that in mind. The Christmas story is vital, but not much of it is history, which doesn’t matter.

Brown is also focusing on the fact that the Christmas story has been put in there by Luke—and to some extent Matthew—for a reason, it was important to them, it signified their way of interpreting what had happened.

Exactly. So Matthew’s short birth narrative has a lot of quotations from the Old Testament. His main point is that all this happened to fulfill what the Old Testament prophets said was going to happen. It’s the story of Israel and the Messiah . . . and God. In Luke, which is a much longer one, he talks about John the Baptist’s birth as well as Jesus’s. He sees the spirit of God is at work in all this.

So you can have all these wondrous things happening…

Yes, Luke knew he wasn’t writing history. Luke wanted to write history when he wrote the Acts of the Apostles. It’s not a modern critical history, but it’s history of a sort. In the story of Jesus’s ministry and arrest and death there’s quite a lot of history too. But in the birth narrative Luke knows perfectly well that he is telling a story to bring out the real meaning, and he even does it in Biblical language. His style in chapters one and two is different from the rest of the Gospel, it’s echoing the style of the Greek translation of his Hebrew scriptures.

Brown mentions that the celebration of Jesus’s birth at Christmas dates from the 4th century.

We’re now on to your final book, by British theologian Andrew Lincoln. The title is a question: Born of a Virgin?

Yes, it’s nice to have one Brit and a recent book — the most recent I’ve read on the subject. He’s one of our two best New Testament theologians in England. The reason I included it was the sheer theological seriousness of it. This is a heavyweight book of theology on a subject I wouldn’t have thought it was still possible to write a major treatise. He’s saying, ‘Here’s something which some Christians think is absurd to think happened. Others think it’s really important that it’s historically accurate—fundamentalists really do think that—so let’s try and understand both sides and see all the different layers of meaning.’ What matters is what it means, but to unpack that, you have to get at why some people think it’s important that it happened, and to get the two sides to able to talk to each other — so that you don’t have the absurd situation where some Christians are not talking to other Christians because they think the others have got it all wrong.

He could have written a commentary on this like the Ray Brown book, but actually to have a big theological reflection on it, including what the greatest 19th century theologian—there is a chapter on Schleiermacher, the founder of modern of theology in the book—made of it all, is an amazing achievement

How does he pull it off?

He says all the things an exegete is going to say by looking at the text. But he also explains how it’s been understood in the subsequent Christian tradition, ancient as well as modern. And a certain amount about what it means to be a Christian today, which is to be loyal to the tradition but also critical of it. If you’re an intelligent Christian you need to see how you understand the tradition and he makes it clear how he does. I find it persuasive, right across the board. It’s a little theological education in itself, this book: you understand what it means to be a New Testament theologian by seeing him reflecting on these texts.

He’s goes into the mystery of the Virgin Birth in a very practical way doesn’t he? He says there are three possibilities: 1. Joseph was the father, 2. God was the father, but that’s a problem given what we now know about DNA. 3. Jesus was illegitimate.

That’s just level one. Is it historical? Now, for those of us for whom it isn’t historical that’s just mentioned to be got out of the way. Questions of DNA or the biological issue are a total non-issue for us. But they might be for someone who thinks these things actually happened. Lincoln realizes that a lot of Christians still think it is historical, so you’ve got to engage with those questions, and give reasons why others think it’s not historical. That has to do with the kind of writing we’ve got here. It’s more a story than a history.

Then, going into what people have thought and why they’ve thought it. Joseph doesn’t appear in the rest of the gospels. There’s a reference to Jesus in Matthew as the son of the carpenter, but Mark’s earlier account says ‘Is not this the carpenter?’ Presumably Joseph had died. But whether or not Joseph or somebody else is the father—and there’s all sorts of guesswork, even somebody saying Mary was raped by a Roman solider and goodness knows what—Christians would still say he is the revelation of God. Or that he is the son of God, meaning the revelation of God. It’s not an either/or between son of Joseph or son of God.

I found it surprising, the way he was willing to go into it.

Lincoln is more generous towards conservative views than many, but he’s a critical theologian too. In the introduction, he mentions how he said what he believed when he’d applied for a job at a conservative institution once. They wrote back saying, ‘Don’t bother to turn up for your interview!’ He’s a very impressive man, and has written a great commentary on St John’s Gospel as well.

The authors of these books, starting with the Germans, were never scared where their critical investigations of Jesus’s life would lead them?

I don’t know but I think they strongly believed that, ‘God is truth.’ So they weren’t scared to use their heads. Also, Christianity is a religion of the person, rather than a religion of the book. It centers on the person of Jesus. That means that we can challenge even something that the New Testament—which bears witness to Jesus—says. The decisive thing for modern, rational people is that religion can be self-critical and in the last 300 years, and earlier with Erasmus and others, Christianity has been very good at being self-critical and self-reforming. That is exemplary for religion in a pluralist world.

December 24, 2015

Five Books aims to keep its book recommendations and interviews up to date. If you are the interviewee and would like to update your choice of books (or even just what you say about them) please email us at [email protected]

Robert Morgan

Robert Morgan was Reader In New Testament theology at the University of Oxford and is vicar of Sandford-on-Thames. He has published books on Biblical Interpretation , The Epistle to the Romans  and The Nature of New Testament Theology. He is also the author of many articles and has translated various essays from German classics.

We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand seven hundred interviews, or eight thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

Five Books participates in the Amazon Associate program and earns money from qualifying purchases.

© Five Books 2024

• History Classics
• Your Profile
• Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window)
• This Day In History
• History Podcasts
• History Vault

The Bible Says Jesus Was Real. What Other Proof Exists?

By: Christopher Klein

Updated: March 18, 2024 | Original: February 26, 2019

While billions of people believe Jesus of Nazareth was one of the most important figures in world history, many others reject the idea that he even existed at all. A 2015 survey conducted by the Church of England, for instance, found that 22 percent of adults in England did not believe Jesus was a real person.

Among scholars of the New Testament of the Christian Bible , though, there is little disagreement that he actually lived. Lawrence Mykytiuk, an associate professor of library science at Purdue University and author of a 2015 Biblical Archaeology Review article on the extra-biblical evidence of Jesus, notes that there was no debate about the issue in ancient times either. “Jewish rabbis who did not like Jesus or his followers accused him of being a magician and leading people astray,” he says, “but they never said he didn’t exist.”

Archaeological evidence of Jesus does not exist.

There is no definitive physical or archaeological evidence of the existence of Jesus. “There’s nothing conclusive, nor would I expect there to be,” Mykytiuk says. “Peasants don’t normally leave an archaeological trail.”

“The reality is that we don’t have archaeological records for virtually anyone who lived in Jesus’s time and place,” says University of North Carolina religious studies professor Bart D. Ehrman , author of Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth . “The lack of evidence does not mean a person at the time didn’t exist. It means that she or he, like 99.99% of the rest of the world at the time, made no impact on the archaeological record.”

Questions of authenticity continue to surround direct relics associated with Jesus, such as the crown of thorns he reputedly wore during his crucifixion (one possible example is housed inside the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris), and the Shroud of Turin , a linen burial cloth purportedly emblazoned with the image of his face.

Archaeologists, though, have been able to corroborate elements of the New Testament story of Jesus. While some disputed the existence of ancient Nazareth, his biblical childhood home town, archaeologists have unearthed a rock-hewn courtyard house along with tombs and a cistern. They have also found physical evidence of Roman crucifixions such as that of Jesus described in the New Testament.

Documentary evidence outside of the New Testament is limited.

The most detailed record of the life and death of Jesus comes from the four Gospels and other New Testament writings. “These are all Christian and are obviously and understandably biased in what they report, and have to be evaluated very critically indeed to establish any historically reliable information,” Ehrman says. “But their central claims about Jesus as a historical figure—a Jew, with followers, executed on orders of the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, during the reign of the Emperor Tiberius—are borne out by later sources with a completely different set of biases.”

Within a few decades of his lifetime, Jesus was mentioned by Jewish and Roman historians in passages that corroborate portions of the New Testament that describe the life and death of Jesus.

Historian Flavius Josephus wrote one of the earliest non-biblical accounts of Jesus.

The first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, who according to Ehrman “is far and away our best source of information about first-century Palestine,” twice mentions Jesus in Jewish Antiquities , his massive 20-volume history of the Jewish people that was written around 93 A.D.

Thought to have been born a few years after the crucifixion of Jesus around A.D. 37, Josephus was a well-connected aristocrat and military leader in Palestine who served as a commander in Galilee during the first Jewish Revolt against Rome between 66 and 70. Although Josephus was not a follower of Jesus, “he was around when the early church was getting started, so he knew people who had seen and heard Jesus,” Mykytiuk says.

In one passage of Jewish Antiquities that recounts an unlawful execution, Josephus identifies the victim, James, as the “brother of Jesus-who-is-called-Messiah.” While few scholars doubt the short account’s authenticity, says Mykytiuk, more debate surrounds Josephus’s lengthier passage about Jesus, known as the “Testimonium Flavianum,” which describes a man “who did surprising deeds” and was condemned to be crucified by Pilate. Mykytiuk agrees with most scholars that Christian scribes modified portions of the passage but did not insert it wholesale into the text.

Tacitus connects Jesus to his execution by Pontius Pilate.

Another account of Jesus appears in Annals of Imperial Rome , a first-century history of the Roman Empire written around A.D. 116 by the Roman senator and historian Tacitus. In chronicling the burning of Rome in A.D. 64, Tacitus mentions that Emperor Nero falsely blamed “the persons commonly called Christians, who were hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius.”

As a Roman historian, Tacitus did not have any Christian biases in his discussion of the persecution of Christians by Nero, says Ehrman. “Just about everything he says coincides—from a completely different point of view, by a Roman author disdainful of Christians and their superstition—with what the New Testament itself says: Jesus was executed by the governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, for crimes against the state, and a religious movement of his followers sprang up in his wake.”

“When Tacitus wrote history, if he considered the information not entirely reliable, he normally wrote some indication of that for his readers,” Mykytiuk says in vouching for the historical value of the passage. “There is no such indication of potential error in the passage that mentions Christus.”

Additional Roman texts reference Jesus.

Shortly before Tacitus penned his account of Jesus, Roman governor Pliny the Younger wrote to Emperor Trajan that early Christians would “sing hymns to Christ as to a god.” Some scholars also believe Roman historian Suetonius references Jesus in noting that Emperor Claudius had expelled Jews from Rome who “were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus.”

Ehrman says this collection of snippets from non-Christian sources may not impart much information about the life of Jesus, “but it is useful for realizing that Jesus was known by historians who had reason to look into the matter. No one thought he was made up.”

HISTORY Vault: Jesus: His Life

The story of Jesus Christ through a unique lens—the people in his life who were closest to him.

Sign up for Inside History

Get HISTORY’s most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Networks. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details : Privacy Notice | Terms of Use | Contact Us

• What’s New at the Probe Site
• Probe Answers Your Questions
• Probe Radio Programs
• 2024 Radio Podcasts
• Head & Heart Podcasts
• Subscribe to the Probe Podcasts
• 2023 Radio Podcasts
• 2022 Radio Podcasts
• Miscellaneous Probe Lectures and Sermons
• Mind Games Camp 2024
• Mind Games Camper Forms
• Online Mind Games Notebook
• Up Periscope E-Newsletter
• Probe Videos
• Kerby Anderson Booklets
• Cultural Research by Steve Cable
• Redeeming the Culture
• Probe PowerPoint Presentations
• Kerby Anderson Commentaries
• Sue Bohlin Blog Posts
• Subscribe to Probe’s RSS Feed
• Christian Worldview Links
• How to Get to Heaven
• About Probe
• What Others Are Saying About Probe
• Probe Staff
• Doctrinal Statement
• Your shopping bag is empty. Go to the shop

5 Things You Need to Know About Jesus

Tom Davis provides an overview of 5 extremely important aspects of Jesus’ life: his birth, baptism, claims to deity, death and resurrection, and ascension.

The Birth of Jesus

Knowing about Jesus, who he was, what he did, and what he taught is essential for Christian discipleship. By studying Jesus, we know how we ought to live and what the redemption that he provides for us means. In this article we discuss five things you need to know about Jesus, starting with the meaning of the birth of Jesus.

When the angel appeared to Joseph the angel told him that Jesus will “save his people from their sins.” {1} Jesus left heaven to come down to His people at His birth.

In order for His people to be saved from their sins Jesus must come to His people. The virgin birth of Jesus is directly linked to His death and resurrection.

The first prophecy is, “See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel.” {2} This prophecy comes from Isaiah 7:14. In Isaiah this prophecy is a promise to King Ahaz of Judah that God will defeat His enemies. Immanuel is an important name because it means “God with us.” Matthew is telling us that through the virgin birth of Jesus God is with us, and is a sign that sin and death will be defeated.

In Luke, the praise of a man named Simeon and the proclamation of the heavenly host helps tell us what Jesus’ birth means.

When Simeon saw Jesus in the temple he prayed, “For my eyes have seen your salvation. You have prepared it in the presence of all peoples-a light for revelation to the Gentile and glory to your people Israel.” {3} Simeon tells us that Jesus will reveal God to all people. God’s salvation is for all people, not only for the Jews.

When the heavenly hosts appeared to the shepherds out in the fields they proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!” {4} The proclamation of the angels tells us that the people Jesus favors, those who follow and trust Him, will have peace.

To recap, we see that the birth of Jesus is God coming down to be with us, and to save us from our sins. This salvation is not only for the Jews, but is for all people.

Jesus’ Baptism

Matthew, Mark, and Luke mention that when Jesus was baptized the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove. {5} A voice from heaven said, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.” {6}

Jesus was sinless, so why does he receive baptism from John? Jesus told John it was to fulfill righteousness. Jesus is identifying with Israel, and all mankind, and fulfilling righteousness for our sake. Because Jesus identifies with us and our sins, His baptism is the beginning of His ministry of atonement that is accomplished at His crucifixion. {7}

All the gospels mention that the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove. Have you ever wondered why in the form of a dove? In Genesis when God created the heavens and the earth the Spirit of God hovered over the waters. This signifies God’s presence at creation. Some biblical scholars think that Noah sending the dove out from the ark signifies a kind of new creation after God destroyed the world with a flood. In the same way, the Spirit appearing in the form of a dove and descending on Jesus means that Jesus is the beginning of new creation. {8}

At Jesus’ baptism the Father pronounced, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.” {9} What does this mean? Most Bible scholars think this statement references Psalm 2:7 {10} and Isaiah 42:1. {11} Psalm 2 is a Psalm that was used at the coronation of a new king. Isaiah 42 is about God’s suffering servant who will bring “justice to the nations.” Biblical Scholar Craig Blomberg concludes, “Therefore it would appear that God is forthrightly declaring Jesus to be both kingly Messiah and suffering servant.” {12}

Jesus’ baptism means that Jesus identifies with us. Jesus is the beginning of new creation and begins His ministry of atonement for our sins. God’s voice from heaven also declares that Jesus is the kingly Messiah and the suffering servant.

Jesus’ Claims to Deity

Jesus claimed to be God in several ways. He not only used words to make these claims, but His actions also made a claim to deity.

Jesus’ actions showed that he had authority over evil spirits by repeatedly casting out demons. Jesus commanded the weather. This is something mortal men do not do, but God and heavenly beings do. Jesus was a man, but this event shows that he was more than a man, he was God in human flesh.

But let’s look specifically at how Jesus claimed to be the divine Son of Man during His trial by the Jewish authorities. The night before His trial Jesus was arrested and tried by the Jewish authorities. There were many who accused Jesus of various things. The problem was that the testimony of the witnesses who were accusing Jesus did not match. This led to the high priest asking, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus answered, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming with clouds of heaven.” The Jewish authorities then condemned him for blasphemy. {13} Why?

Jesus was condemned because he identified himself with the Son of Man in Daniel 7. In this chapter the Ancient of Days, God the Father, is sitting in judgment when the Son of Man comes with the “clouds of heaven” and approaches the Ancient of Days. The Son of Man is given dominion, glory, and a kingdom that will not be destroyed. The Son of Man is a human and divine figure who seems to sit in judgment alongside the Ancient of Days. When Jesus claims to be the Son of Man he is claiming to be a human and divine figure. Jesus is claiming that he will be vindicated and that the Jewish authorities will be condemned by God. {14}

Jesus claimed to be God by casting out demons, calming a storm, and by claiming to be the Son of Man in Daniel 7.

Jesus’ Death and Resurrection

Jesus’ death and resurrection is the foundation of Christianity. The death and resurrection of Jesus is a climactic confrontation between God and Satan that involves forgiveness of sin, the abolition of death, and the defeat of evil.

The narratives of this event are found in all four gospels. However, the most important passage that helps us understand the meaning of the resurrection is not in one of the Gospels; it is in one of Paul’s letters, 1 Corinthians 15.

In verse 3, Paul states that “Jesus died for our sins.” In Hebrews 9 and 10, the author explains that in the Old Testament sacrificial system bulls, goats, and sheep had to be sacrificed every year to purify the people. However, Jesus only had to die once to cover the sins of all people. Therefore, the death of Jesus for our sins is superior to the sacrificial system and makes it obsolete.

Paul states, “For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” {15} We live life knowing that someday we will die. We live in the shadow of death’s approach. Jesus confronts death on the cross, then returns from the grave three days later. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, death has been abolished. New Testament scholar Craig Keener states, “As death in every case is established in Adam, so life in all cases is established in Christ.” {16}

In Colossians 2:15 Paul is addressing the implications of Jesus’ resurrection. He writes, “He (Jesus) disarmed the rulers and the authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.” The rulers and authorities that Paul mentions are Satan and his demons. {17} Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, Satan and his demons are defeated publicly. When Christians proclaim the resurrection, these rulers and authorities are humiliated publicly for everyone to see.

The death and resurrection of Jesus cleanses us of our sins, pays the penalty for our sins, abolishes death, and defeats Satan and the forces of evil.

Jesus’ Ascension

Jesus’ return to heaven is described in Acts 1:9-11. After His resurrection Jesus spent forty days with His disciples. After forty days the disciples watched Jesus ascend into heaven in a cloud. But what does this mean?

In John chapter 16 Jesus told His disciples that he will be leaving them. Jesus said, “It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you.” {18} The Counselor that Jesus referred to is the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ promise to the disciples is fulfilled on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Jesus told His disciples “When the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.” {19} When Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit to us. The Holy Spirit does not only counsel us; he guides us to truth and intercedes for us.

Jesus’ ascension has other implications as well. Paul tells us, “Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also sits at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.” {20} There are two things to pay attention to in this verse. First, Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father. Jesus is on His throne, which means he is ruling now. Second, Jesus also prays for us. There are many other things that could be mentioned in a discussion of things we need to know about Jesus. One example is Jesus’ temptation in the desert. When Adam and Eve were tempted in the Garden of Eden, they failed to resist Satan’s temptation. Jesus succeeded in resisting Satan.

When we consider Jesus’ birth, baptism, claims to deity, temptation, casting out evil spirits, death, resurrection, and ascension, we have an image of a God that became man. God rescues us from our sin and from the evil powers and principalities that are active in this world. Jesus will return and make all things new with the new creation and new Jerusalem in Revelation 20 and 21. The first Christians saw all of this. New Testament scholar N. T. Wright sums things up this way, “The first Christians saw the message and accomplishment of Jesus as the long-awaited arrival of God’s kingdom, the final dealing-with sin that would undo the powers of darkness and break through to the ‘age to come.’” {21}

Notes 1. Matthew 1:21 2. Matthew 1:23 3. Luke 2:30-32 4. Luke 2:14 5. Jesus’ baptism is found in Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22, and is alluded to in John 1:29-34. 6. Mark 1:11 CSB 7. Keener, Craig S., Matthew (Downers Grove, InterVarsity Press,1997), 85. 8. Evens, Craig A., The Bible Knowledge Background Commentary: Matthew-Luke , (Colorado Springs, Victor, 2003) 78. 9. Mark 1:11 CSB 10. I will declare the Lord’s decree. He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father. — Psalm 2:7 (CSB) 11. This is my servant; I strengthen him, this is my chosen one; I delight in him. I have put my Spirit on him; he will bring justice to the nations. — Isaiah 42:1 (CSB) 12. Blomberg, Craig L. Jesus and the Gospels (Nashville, Broadman & Holman Press, 1997), 222. 13. Matt. 26:62-65; Mark 14:60-6 14. Quarles, Charles L. “Lord or Legend: Jesus as the Messianic Son of Man,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society Vol. 62, No. 1 (2019) 103-124. Heiser, Michael S. The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (Bellingham: Lexham Press), 249-151. 15. 1 Corinthians 15:22 CSB 16. Keener, Craig S., The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament 2nd ed. (Downers Grove, IVP Academic 2014) 494. Gilbrant, Thoralf Ed. The Complete Biblical Library: The New Testament Study Bible Romans-Corinthians (Springfield, World Library Press 1986) 465. 17. Ibid., 574. 18. John 17:7 CSB 19. John 16:3 CSB 20. Romans 8:34 CSB 21. Wright, N. T. The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus’s Crucifixion (San Francisco, HarperOne, 2016), 280.

©2024 Probe Ministries

Share this:

Related posts.

Dr. Michael Gleghorn examines evidence from ancient non-Christian sources for the life of Jesus, demonstrating that such sources help confirm the historical reliability of the Gospels. Evidence from Tacitus Although…

Don Closson explains the five lines of evidence that Jesus is God from the book Putting Jesus in His Place. Jesus Shares the Honor Given to God Defending the deity…

Probe's founder Jimmy Williams provides a compelling set of reasons to believe that Jesus is in fact the Son of God.  By asking questions one would expect of God on…

Sue Bohlin answers the question about Jesus claims to be God by reviewing the major scripture passages where Jesus did so. This study clearly shows that Jesus was God and…

Rusty Wright presents a compelling case for the historicity of Jesus' resurrection.  Looking a four outcomes of the resurrection, he presents a brief case supporting a Christian worldview understanding that…

Tom Davis is a research associate with Probe Ministries. Before joining Probe, he served as an intern with the Baptist Student Ministries and a Chapter Director with Ratio Christi. Tom studied philosophy at Collin College and Dallas Baptist University, where he earned an A.S. and a B.A.S. He earned an M.A. in Christian Apologetics from Biola University. Tom’s research interests are in Christology, Historical Jesus studies, and philosophy of religion. He loves the outdoors and his hobbies are football, basketball, and good movies.

What is Probe?

Probe Ministries is a non-profit ministry whose mission is to assist the church in renewing the minds of believers with a Christian worldview and to equip the church to engage the world for Christ. Probe fulfills this mission through our Mind Games conferences for youth and adults, our 3-minute daily radio program, and our extensive Web site at www.probe.org .

Further information about Probe's materials and ministry may be obtained by contacting us at:

Probe Ministries 2001 W. Plano Parkway, Suite 2000 Plano TX 75075 (972) 941-4565 [email protected] www.probe.org

Copyright/Reproduction Limitations

This document is the sole property of Probe Ministries. It may not be altered or edited in any way. Permission is granted to use in digital or printed form so long as it is circulated without charge, and in its entirety. This document may not be repackaged in any form for sale or resale. All reproductions of this document must contain the copyright notice (i.e., Copyright 2023 Probe Ministries) and this Copyright/Limitations notice.

Jesus Christ Superstar

Kanye West vs. John Lennon “Who do men say that I am?” (Matt 16:16) In 1966, rock star John...

Is Jesus the Only Way?

Paul Rutherford explains why Jesus is the only way to know God. I was sitting in my car at...

The Resurrection: Fact or Fiction? – A Real Historical Event

Dr. Pat Zukeran presents strong evidence discounting the most common theories given against a historical resurrection. The biblical account...

The Jesus Seminar

Jimmy Williams provides analysis of the Jesus Seminar findings in light of five critical areas: Identify purpose of  the...

Friendship with Jesus

Dr. Michael Gleghorn draws on a work by Dr. Gail R. O’Day, “Jesus as Friend in the Gospel of...

Cruci-Fiction and Resuscitation

A paid advertisement in a campus newspaper declaring Christ’s resurrection a hoax was deeply disturbing to its readers. This...

Jesus: The Divine Xerox – Reasons to Believe

Probe’s founder Jimmy Williams provides a compelling set of reasons to believe that Jesus is in fact the Son...

In His H.A.N.D.S.: How We Can Know That Jesus is God

Don Closson explains the five lines of evidence that Jesus is God from the book Putting Jesus in His...

Leave a reply Click here to cancel the reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

• Jesus and the Resurrection
• Reliability of the Bible
• Responding to Critics
• Reasons to Believe/Apologetics Emails
• Angels/Demons Emails
• Bible Emails
• Christian Life Emails
• Cults/World Religions Emails
• Education Emails
• Gender Issues Emails
• Homosexuality Emails
• Marriage/Family Emails
• Origins/Science Emails
• Personal Development/Relationships Emails
• Sexuality Emails
• Society/Culture Emails
• Theology Emails
• Philosophy Emails
• Atheism / Satanism
• Eastern & New Age
• Survey / Other
• Current Issues
• Society and Culture
• Government & Public Policy
• Environment
• General Science
• Gender Issues
• Homosexuality
• Marriage and Family
• Personal Development/Relationships
• Holidays | Quizzes
• Angels | Demons | Satan
• Christian Life
• Church | Missions
• General Theology
• Sin | Salvation
• God | Trinity
• Worldview & Philosophy
• Founder’s Corner

©2024 Probe Ministries | Designed and Managed by Adquest Creative

We're not around right now. But you can send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap.

Log in with your credentials

Forgot your details.

The ‘Secret’ Gospel and a Scandalous New Episode in the Life of Jesus

A Columbia historian said he’d discovered a sacred text with clues to Jesus’s sexuality. Was it real?

Listen to this article

Listen to more stories on curio

I n the summer of 1958, Morton Smith, a newly hired Columbia University historian, traveled to an ancient monastery outside Jerusalem. In its library, he found what he said was a lost gospel. His announcement made international headlines. Scholars of the Bible would spend years debating the discovery’s significance for the history of Christianity. But in 1975, one of Smith’s colleagues went public with an extraordinary suggestion: The gospel was a fake. Its forger, the colleague believed, was Smith himself.

The manuscript, in handwritten Greek, ran two and a half pages, but one passage drew outsize attention. It depicted Jesus spending the night with a young man he’d raised from the dead. “The youth, looking upon [Jesus], loved him and began to beseech him that he might be with him,” it read. “And after six days Jesus told him what to do and in the evening the youth comes to him, wearing a linen cloth over his naked body. And he remained with him that night, for Jesus taught him the mystery of the kingdom of God.”

Explore the April 2024 Issue

Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.

To devout Christians, the homoerotic subtext was obvious blasphemy. But Smith argued the opposite: His discovery, he believed, was part of an unknown, longer version of the Gospel of Mark, containing lost stories from about 50 C.E., making them the oldest known account of Jesus’s life—and, in Smith’s view, the truest.

Smith theorized that “Secret Mark,” as the text came to be called, portrayed a private baptism that Jesus reserved for his closest disciples: One by one and at night, he contended, Jesus hypnotized male followers into believing they’d risen to heaven and been freed from the laws of Moses. Smith argued that Jesus and his initiates may have concluded this liberation with a sexual act—a “completion of the spiritual union by physical union.”

Smith knew that orthodox believers would wholly reject his claims. To suggest that the central figure of Christianity—by tradition celibate—used gay sex as a path to God was an outrage. His academic colleagues were only slightly less aghast, but they couldn’t fully dismiss him. By the time Smith published his find—in a 454-page volume from Harvard University Press , with deeply erudite footnotes and appendixes, and in a popular book called The Secret Gospel —he’d been tenured by Columbia and Secret Mark had made the front page of The New York Times . Several major scholars had accepted the text as genuine.

None, however, bought Smith’s intimations of a gay Jesus, and almost none thought the text originated in the first century. They called his exegesis “science fiction,” “awash in speculation,” and “simply absurd.”

But a theologian named Quentin Quesnell went further: He believed that Smith had fabricated Secret Mark, as a “game,” to expose his field’s enormous blind spots. So little is known about the historical Jesus that one could paint “bizarre and scandalous” portraits of him, Quesnell wrote, without contradicting any of the established facts.

Peter Jeffery, a Princeton professor emeritus and MacArthur-genius-grant recipient, called Smith’s alleged forgery of Secret Mark “the most grandiose and reticulated ‘Fuck You’ ever perpetrated in the long and vituperative history of scholarship.”

Still, the debate over whether the manuscript is a fake—and Smith its forger—remains unsettled, and one of the bitterest in biblical studies. Over the past 50 years, it has inspired at least two conferences, seven scholarly books, and dozens of academic articles . Experts have scrutinized the manuscript’s language and the handwriting . They’ve compared it with authentic variants of Mark. They’ve puzzled over why no one before Smith—not even the early bishops who made exhaustive lists of heretical texts—had ever mentioned Secret Mark.

From the July/August 2016 issue: Ariel Sabar on the unbelievable tale of Jesus’s wife

One subject, however, has gone almost completely unexamined: Smith’s life outside the university. In the summer of 1991, several weeks after turning 76, Smith got a call from his friend Lee Avdoyan, an academic librarian whose Ph.D. Smith had supervised. Avdoyan was planning a trip to New York. He’d just finished writing a book and was eager for Smith’s feedback on some new research ideas. He also wanted Smith to meet his partner, Jim.

But Smith, whose health was declining, said he wasn’t up for a visit. He urged Avdoyan to forget research and to go into the world, have fun, live his life with Jim. “I have so many regrets,” Smith said.

Avdoyan, who’d come out years earlier, had long suspected that Smith was gay too. Had Smith realized only now how much of life he’d missed? He didn’t say, and Avdoyan didn’t press.

A week later, on July 11, 1991, two Columbia colleagues entered Smith’s Upper West Side apartment and found him dead. Beside Smith’s body were a bottle of vodka and a glass flecked with the powdery residue of what appeared to be pills. A plastic bag covered his head, its opening cinched around his neck; the New York City medical examiner’s office told me it ruled Smith’s death a suicide by asphyxiation. Smith’s will ordered his personal papers destroyed—“at once without being read.”

Outwardly, Morton Smith had been a proper, almost Victorian gentleman. Trim and prematurely bald, he spoke with a patrician accent, had a stiff gait, and wore three-piece suits, a Phi Beta Kappa key glinting from his vest pocket. His politics were similarly conservative. Yet when it came to religion, Smith was, in a colleague’s description, like “a little boy whose goal in life is to write curse words all over the altar in church, and then get caught.”

Smith had denied the forgery allegations but had relished—and stoked—the controversy. A provocateur who saw himself as an intellectual giant in a field of pious fools, he had for years sought opportunities to humiliate colleagues who promoted faith under the cover of scholarship. His caustic takedowns of their work, in prestigious journals and in face-to-face bullying at conferences, made him especially intimidating. He was “the kind of critic,” the Princeton professor Anthony Grafton once noted , “who makes grown scholars tear off their own heads for fear of reading his reviews.”

Smith cast the forgery claims as one more symptom of his field’s parochialism. “One should not suppose a text spurious,” he wrote, “simply because one dislikes what it says.” But Smith’s zealotry for his own reading of Secret Mark made colleagues wonder whether his stakes might also be more than academic.

Smith struck most people as a wry atheist. But before becoming a professor, at age 35, he had spent four years as a parish priest. Before turning the full force of his intellect against the dupes who believed in God, that is, Smith had, in a sense, been one of them.

Scholars who knew him well suspect that whatever triggered his break with the Church was the key to understanding his life and work, even if—perhaps especially if—Smith never spoke of it. The historian Albert Baumgarten, who was one of Smith’s first doctoral students at Columbia, believes that “something took place in Smith’s life that shook his certainty.”

Smith’s literary executor, the Harvard religion scholar Shaye Cohen, told me that he’d never ruled out the possibility of a “secret Morton,” a part of his past he’d hidden from even his closest colleagues.

Was there a secret Morton? I began my search with a visit to a pair of Texas scholars who had a new theory about Secret Mark. Not because their theory was fully convincing—it wasn’t—but because their analysis of the text pointed to why Secret Mark might be something other than early Christian scripture.

Brent Landau was teaching a religion seminar at the University of Texas at Austin in 2019 when he invited his colleague Geoffrey Smith to the class’s discussion of Secret Mark. The conversation inspired them to reexamine the evidence, a project that culminated in their 2023 book, The Secret Gospel of Mark .

Both men felt that the debate over the manuscript’s authenticity had become unmoored, an emotional proxy for broader fights among historians of Christianity. On one side were conservatives who saw the Church-authorized collection of Christian books—the New Testament—as divinely inspired. On the other were generally liberal scholars, who gave equal—or greater—historical weight to early Christian texts outside the New Testament canon.

As if to sell Secret Mark to their conservative colleagues—and help prove it authentic—liberals tended to deny the text’s sensuality. Its homoeroticism, many claimed, was nothing more than Morton Smith’s misreading. But to Landau and Geoffrey Smith, there was no escaping it: The text depicts Jesus spending the night with a desperate, lovestruck young man.

The circumstances of the discovery were admittedly complicated. What Morton Smith claimed to find at the monastery wasn’t some first edition of Secret Mark on papyrus. It was a copy of a letter that quotes Secret Mark. The letter’s author appeared to be the second-century Church father Clement of Alexandria . It had been transcribed, in an 18th-century Greek hand, onto the end pages of a printed 17th-century book. Smith had discovered those end pages, he said, while cataloging books in the monastery’s library.

From the June 2020 issue: Ariel Sabar on an Oxford professor, a Hobby Lobby collector, and a missing Gospel of Mark

Addressed to an unknown man named Theodore, the letter calls out Secret Mark’s sexual innuendo. Some early Christians may have seen the gospel as portraying “naked man with naked man,” Clement writes, but Clement condemns such views as false and “utterly shameless.”

Morton Smith gave them more credit. In a baffling passage in the Christian Bible’s Gospel of Mark, he noted, a nameless young man drops his linen garment and “flees naked” when Jesus is arrested at night in Gethsemane. If you spliced Secret Mark into canonical Mark, Morton Smith thought, you had an explanation: Jesus and his young follower had been caught in the act.

Brent Landau and Geoffrey Smith, the Texas scholars, immersed themselves in early Christian literature—looking at word choices, storylines, theological debates—to see where Secret Mark might fit. They concluded that it didn’t. It appeared, Landau told me, “as if somebody had gone through the Gospels and found all these instances where Jesus seemed to be in some sort of intimate or erotic relationship,” then “meshed them all together.”

A possibly larger problem was that the letter of “Clement” appeared to crib distinctive language from a Church history composed a century after Clement’s death. “Anyone who has ever caught a clever student cheating on an essay or during an exam will find the pattern familiar,” Smith and Landau write.

But who was this clever student? The answer, they suspected, might lie in the Greek Orthodox monastery where Smith claimed to find the manuscript, the only place ever known to possess it.

Mar Saba clings to a cliff in a desolate valley between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. It was founded in 483 C.E. by a man named Sabas , who as a boy had fled an unhappy family in Cappadocia, in what is now Turkey. According to a sixth-century biography, the young Sabas “begged with tears” to join a small community of monks in Palestine, but an abbot sent him away. Monastic leaders worried that boys’ “feminine” faces would lead older monks astray. Sabas evidently came to agree. When he opened Mar Saba a few years later, he forbade admission to any adolescent “who had not yet covered his chin with a beard, because of the snares of the evil one.”

But communities of holy men faced other earthly temptations. Byzantine scholars, Landau discovered, had begun finding evidence, from as early as the fourth century, of same-sex couples: monks who shared a cell, traveled as a pair, and supported each other’s lifelong quest for spiritual perfection.

Hagiographies depict these relationships as a form of chaste, virtuous romance. When an Egyptian abbot praised the partnership of the fourth-century monks Cassian and Germanus, Cassian reports in one work, it “incited in us an even more ardent desire to preserve the perpetual love of our union.” Faced with separation, the sixth-century monks Symeon the Fool and John “kissed each other’s breast and drenched them with their tears,” according to a medieval text. Even Sabas’s own mentors, Euthymius and Theoctistus, an ancient biographer writes, were “so united … in spiritual affection that the two became indistinguishable.”

Whether these unions had a physical dimension is hard to know. But scholars suspect that at least some did, in part because of human nature, and in part because abbots took pains to separate and punish monks who they feared might cross a line. Horsiesios, a fourth-century head of Egypt’s Pachomian monasteries, warned the men in his charge against “evil friendship.” “You anxiously glance this way and that … then you give him what is (hidden) under the hem of your garment,” he wrote, in his “Instructions” to monks. “God himself, and his Christ Jesus, will pour out the wrath of his anger on you and on him.”

Horsiesios, like Sabas and other abbots, seemed to be drawing a boundary between holy and unholy unions among men of faith. And that got Landau and Smith thinking: Wasn’t whoever wrote the Clement letter doing the same thing, by urging readers not to mistake Jesus’s night with the young man for anything so “blasphemous and carnal” as “naked man with naked man”?

According to Sabas’s ancient biographer, 60 of his own monks once revolted against him, filled with such “fierce rage” that they used axes and shovels to destroy the tower he lived in. Their grievances are left vague; the monks had grown “bold in wickedness” and “shamelessness, not bearing to walk in the humble path of Christ but alleging excuses for their sins and inventing reasons to justify their passions.”

Was same-sex love—or lust—one of those sins? Ancient sources don’t say. But Landau and Smith theorize that the Clement letter was written by a Mar Saba monk during some “in-house” debate over the propriety of such unions.

If Sabas or his successors had enforced too hard a line on same-sex unions, might some monks have pushed back? Might one of them have faked a letter from two unimpeachable authorities—Clement and God—that presented Jesus himself as the model for intimate but still-sacred unions between men?

The text, Landau and Smith suspect, was composed between the fifth century, when the monastery opened, and the eighth century, when the Greek Orthodox Church adopted prayers for adelphopoiesis , or “ brother making ,” which blessed committed friendships between men. These new blessings, they argue, gave a kind of license to monastic couples, ending the need for subterfuge or protest.

After meeting Landau and Smith, I called Derek Krueger, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and an expert on sexuality in Byzantine monasticism. “It’s plausible,” he said, with some hesitation, when I asked about Smith and Landau’s theory. In monasteries, which isolate men from the world, the line between spiritual and erotic love could certainly blur: As Krueger put it in a 2011 article , “One monk’s agape might be another monk’s eros .” Still, no ancient stories defending the virtue of monk couples—none he knew of, anyway—took the guise of a lost gospel.

The Texas scholars grant the roughness of their theory. They have no evidence of any such debate at Mar Saba, and no explanation for why a monk there would have felt compelled to copy such a letter in the 18th century. Nor can they rule out the text being a better fit for later eras, in which they have less expertise.

The one person their book seems determined to exonerate is Morton Smith. Their case for ending all discussion of him as a possible forger—a case that leans heavily on ad hominem attacks against his critics and on reflexively charitable interpretations of his motives—is their least convincing. Their eagerness to clear Smith also conflicts with what they acknowledge is a giant evidentiary hole: No one, to public knowledge, has ever scientifically tested the physical manuscript. (The manuscript is thought to remain in the archives of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, a notoriously cloistered institution that rarely admits scholars for any reason and did not respond to Smith and Landau’s—or my—requests for comment. No one has reported seeing the manuscript since the early 1980s.)

Another source of potentially significant evidence, scholars suspect, is the part of Smith’s life he kept from the world. Over three months, in visits to the churches where Smith had once sought a home, I pieced together the story of a priest whose crises of faith and identity prefigure his discovery of a secretly gay Jesus.

Robert Morton Smith (he went by his middle name) was born in 1915, the only child of an older, well-to-do couple in the Philadelphia suburb of Bryn Athyn. The town is the American headquarters of the conservative branch of the New Church, a Christian movement inspired by the 18th-century mystic Emanuel Swedenborg. Smith’s mother was a fervent follower. His father manufactured stained glass for churches across the mid-Atlantic.

Smith was a star student at a New Church high school, and he internalized a view of men and women as incomplete—each “a divided or half person,” as Swedenborg put it—until perfected by marriage. Swedenborg’s invocations of “foul liaisons,” “unmentionable sexual unions,” and “a foulness that is contrary to the order of nature” have been read as explicit condemnations of homosexuality.

The world beyond the Church was nearly as unforgiving. Doctors deemed homosexuality a mental illness, and state laws criminalized sodomy. In 1920, Harvard University formed a “secret court” to investigate —and expel—students suspected of homosexual conduct. Two of the men convicted by the court would take their own life.

Smith eventually left his family’s Church, but he was not yet ready to abandon Christianity. In 1938, after graduating from Harvard College and entering Harvard Divinity School, he abruptly joined the Episcopal Church. The Christian leader who set Smith on a path to the Episcopal priesthood, I discovered, was a gay Marxist revolutionary.

Frederic Hastings Smyth was a successful, MIT-trained chemist when he decided, in his mid-30s, to give up his career. He became an Anglican priest and developed a complex theology that saw communism as a precondition for the kingdom of heaven on Earth. (He believed that Marxists could be talked out of their atheism after the revolution.)

In 1936, Hastings Smyth opened a kind of monastery steps from Harvard’s campus, calling it the Oratory of St. Mary and St. Michael. He hoped to recruit brilliant students as leaders of a proletarian overthrow of capitalism. The oratory, where he lived with a few young male disciples, was decorated with Baroque Italian furniture and scented with liturgical candles, incense, and the gourmet meals he cooked for students who dropped in for political discussion and Mass. Smith was a committed traditionalist, but something about Hastings Smyth must have so compelled him that he was willing to overlook the priest’s insurrectionary politics. In December 1938, six days after Hastings Smyth baptized him, Morton Smith was admitted to Holy Communion at the oratory.

Hastings Smyth didn’t live with a boyfriend in Cambridge, as he’d done as a layman in Europe. But the oratory was nonetheless stigmatized as “homosexual”—and surveilled by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI. Within a few years, Hastings Smyth began to worry that some students weren’t coming for Marxist revolution, as he’d hoped, but to work out their sexuality. “It is dangerous for us,” he wrote to a friend, in a letter I found in a Toronto archive. “We are too exciting for them.”

Harvard Divinity School came to see the renegade priest as a menace to students, having “done none of these men any good” and “one or two of them some harm,” Willard Sperry, the school’s dean, wrote in an April 1940 letter. Sperry was particularly concerned about one divinity student, “a rather unstable fellow emotionally, who has given us all a good deal of anxiety for fear he will have some kind of nervous break-down. I have the Hygiene Dept. watching him.” Sperry doesn’t name the student, but in hundreds of pages of archival records I could find no Harvard divinity student more closely associated with Hastings Smyth in the late 1930s than Morton Smith.

Just five months after his baptism, Smith took his first step toward ordination, applying in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. I asked Paul Corby Finney—an art historian who maintained a long correspondence with Smith and spent late nights drinking with him in the 1980s—what had initially attracted Smith to the priesthood. “He said he was very much in love with the idea of a community of men worshipping God.”

Smith sought contacts in the Episcopal Church’s Anglo-Catholic, or “high church,” wing, with which Hastings Smyth had identified. Though free of the doctrinal strictures and hierarchies of the Roman Catholic Church, it retained much of Catholicism’s drama: its elaborate ceremonies; its vestments, bells, and candles—and its veneration of celibacy.

Scholars of sexuality have portrayed Anglo-Catholicism as a pre-1950s refuge for highly educated queer clergy, a “stained-glass closet” that permitted coded displays of femininity and homoeroticism among male priests “as long as they remained chastely celibate or at least avoided scandal,” the historian Timothy W. Jones has written. According to the scholar David Hilliard , Anglo-Catholicism, as a fringe of the Episcopal Church, was “both elitist and nonconformist, combining a sense of superiority with a rebellion against existing authority … It provided an environment in which homosexual men could express in a socially acceptable way their dissent from heterosexual orthodoxy.”

In 1940, Smith traveled to Jerusalem on a two-year research fellowship. He ended up staying until 1944, unable to recross the Atlantic during the world war. In Jerusalem’s Old City, he befriended a Greek Orthodox clergyman, who invited him to Mar Saba. Smith traveled to the monastery by donkey in 1942 and lived with its monks for a month. (It was on a later visit, in 1958, that he’d say he found Secret Mark.)

In the candlelit darkness of its church, where the brothers prayed for six hours each night, Smith gained a “new understanding of worship as a means of disorientation,” he recalled in his book The Secret Gospel , “dazzling the mind and destroying its sense of reality.”

“I knew what was happening,” he wrote, “but I relaxed and enjoyed it.”

When Smith returned to America in 1944, his quest for ordination was in trouble.

Pennsylvania’s Episcopal bishop wanted Smith to enroll at the Episcopal Divinity School, but its dean told the bishop that Smith had a reputation as “cynical, skeptical, lacking in convictions, highly cantankerous.” The faculty’s unanimous opinion was that “for all his brilliant academic qualifications,” Smith was “not otherwise fitted to serve in the ministry.”

The bishop got no more assuring a report from Father David Norton Jr., the rector of a working-class Boston church where Smith had run a boys’ club. “He’s interested in such questions as: ‘What other basis is there for deciding the morality of an action than the ultimate pleasure or pain it will bring to the doer?’ ” Norton wrote. “I often feel that he takes a line of argument and follows it as an intellectual game rather than for the purpose of coming at the truth.”

But in March 1946, for reasons the record doesn’t reflect, the Pennsylvania bishop ordained Smith anyway, then quickly transferred him out of state. After 18 months at a Baltimore church, Smith moved back to Massachusetts, where he saw firsthand what became of people who tried to hide their true self in the Church.

In September 1948, while serving at St. Luke’s Church, in blue-collar Boston, Smith officiated the marriage of a restaurant hostess and a bartender. A month later, headlines appeared in the Boston newspapers: The hostess was still married to another man. A judge convicted her of polygamy and gave her a suspended six-month prison sentence and a year’s probation.

Her lawyer told the court that she’d married the bartender “only to protect the baby she had thought was coming,” a pregnancy that apparently ended in miscarriage. The woman, a relative told me, was no believer. But she’d entered a church—and lied—to give her forbidden relationship and baby the appearance of respectability.

News articles name Smith as the priest who sanctified the marriage, but don’t say how much he knew of the woman’s past. The episode can’t have helped his already precarious standing in the Massachusetts diocese, where one church had declined to make him vicar, despite desperately needing one, and where the bishop, Norman Nash, never licensed him to minister, making his 17 months in pulpits there a possible canonical violation.

Church archives show that Smith had exactly one backer in Massachusetts: the Right Reverend Raymond Heron, who as suffragan bishop was second in command to Nash.

Around the time Smith performed the polygamous marriage, Heron began appearing in a horrifying string of front-page stories. The 62-year-old priest, who’d never married, had for years befriended troubled boys and invited them to live with him, on his farm, as paid “chore boys.” On August 5, 1948, one of Heron’s former chore boys, Frederick Pike, 19, returned, intending to rob Heron. When Pike entered the farmhouse and found one of his successors—a 17-year-old who’d lived with Heron since he was 10—Pike shot the boy twice in the head, went to a shed for an axe, and then bludgeoned the boy’s body with its blunt end, taking a 15-minute break between drubbings.

When Heron came home, Pike fired wild shots at him but missed. He briefly held the bishop hostage, stole his wallet, and escaped in Heron’s car before police captured him in Providence, Rhode Island. A jury convicted Pike of first-degree murder, and a judge sentenced him to death. (The penalty was later commuted, and Pike was released from prison in the 1970s.)

The Living Church , a prominent Episcopal magazine, regretted the death of Heron’s 17-year-old “protégé” but praised Heron’s farm as “a means of healthy life and wage earning for boys in whom the Bishop has taken an interest.” With Pike’s appeals keeping the story in the news, Heron married his new, Church-appointed secretary. The Boston papers prominently covered the “private” and “surprise morning ceremony.”

A few months later, in the spring of 1949, Smith published a bristling journal article. Titled “Psychiatric Practice and Christian Dogma,” it cast Christianity as incompatible with mental health. All of Smith’s examples were sexual: a girl who compulsively masturbates; a young “homosexual” who as an adolescent had “helpful” friendships with older men; a divorcée who wants a new husband “tied down before the progress of her infirmity … becomes obvious.”

Unlike a good psychiatrist, who guides such people to self-acceptance, Smith wrote, the good pastor has to condemn them as sinners. The Church, that is, requires a man to sacrifice this world for the next, regardless of “his happiness or his health or his very life.” In Smith’s view, there was no midpoint between sin and salvation. Which meant one thing: “Ecclesiastics who do not believe the teachings of their Church should have the decency to leave it.”

On September 18, 1949, Smith led his last service as an active priest.

Over the next few years, Smith tried to figure out, as a scholar, how faith seduces and deludes. He had earned a Ph.D. from Hebrew University in Jerusalem and was working on a second doctorate, from Harvard Divinity School, when Brown University hired him in 1950 as an instructor in biblical literature.

One of his first research ideas there was for a “psychiatric study” of what spiritual training does to the minds of monks. Next he began an obsessive hunt for pagan sources for the canonical Gospel of Mark. But neither of these projects bore out: A mentor cautioned against “psychoanalytical fantasies,” and scholars found his arguments about Mark’s paganism unconvincing, derailing a book he’d been close to finishing.

These intellectual rejections were compounded by professional ones. Near the start of 1954, Brown told Smith that it wasn’t renewing his contract. And despite recommendations from renowned scholars, he was passed over for jobs at Yale, Cornell, and the University of Chicago.

No less painful, perhaps, was that Smith’s washout at Brown separated him from his best friend. Atanas Todor Madjoucoff was a handsome Arabic interpreter, born in Palestine to Greek Orthodox parents. He and Smith had met in Jerusalem, apparently in the 1940s, and reunited in 1951, when Smith took a year’s research leave from Brown. Madjoucoff accompanied Smith to monastery libraries around Greece, and in August 1952, according to passenger manifests, they boarded the SS Excambion together, in Piraeus, for an 18-day voyage to Boston.

In Providence, Smith found Madjoucoff an apartment around the corner from his. But shortly after Brown told Smith that his time there was up, Madjoucoff changed his last name, married a woman he’d met through his church, and moved to the suburbs.

In the 1950s, nothing was going the way Smith wanted it to. He’d failed at the priesthood, and now he was failing at academia. Off campus, gay and lesbian people faced a brutal new wave of persecution , with President Dwight Eisenhower effectively banning them from government employment and a U.S. Senate subcommittee calling “homosexuals and other sex perverts” security risks who “must be treated as transgressors and dealt with accordingly.”

Smith floundered for three years before a job offer came from Columbia. It wasn’t in religion—the field he’d long aspired to join—but in ancient history. Smith accepted, and used his very first summer there, in 1958, to return to Mar Saba. He waited more than two years—until Columbia gave him tenure—to announce his “accidental discovery,” as he called it, of a surreptitiously gay Jesus.

After settling in New York, Smith paid regular visits to Rhode Island to see Madjoucoff. Their relationship was filled with private outings, personal confidences, and gifts to Madjoucoff’s children from a man they called “Uncle Morton.”

“There were secrets they kept among themselves,” Madjoucoff’s daughter told me, secrets her father didn’t even share with her mother. (“No one really knows” whether the men were lovers, she said; she and her eldest brother told me they had no evidence that their father was anything but straight.) Madjoucoff’s obituary (he died in 2019) called Smith his “lifelong friend.”

In the late 1970s, Smith had a brief relationship with an openly gay Columbia student. But not until after retirement did Smith attempt to come out.

In February 1989, an NYU dean published a screed against student protesters who had demanded classes on “gay, lesbian and bisexual issues.” The dean lamented that any campus would treat homosexuality as “an acceptable form of normative behavior.”

The article appeared in an obscure journal published by a group of conservative professors opposed to campus activism. Smith had long supported the group, but the dean’s words got to him. “Homosexuality is a way of life followed by millions of adult Americans,” Smith typed, in a letter to the journal’s editors. “Attempts to require adherence to a norm from which figures so various as King David, Socrates, Michael Angelo, Shakespeare, and Frederick the Great happily deviated, should disturb a Dean with even a rudimentary knowledge of cultural history.

“The most shameful thing,” Smith continued, was that students had to protest “to get an honest and complete course on a subject of legitimate concern to many students, faculty members, and administrators.” Equally worrisome, Smith wrote, was that the dean, as an administrator, had the power to discriminate against gay job seekers.

“I must ask that you publish this letter,” he wrote.

Smith didn’t identify his own sexual orientation, but he’d stood up for himself in a public way. On a copy of the letter he mailed to Lee Avdoyan, his friend and former student, Smith wrote, “Herewith my ‘coming-out’ article. I never expected to write one, but I’m getting old and irritable, and [the dean’s article] was just too much.” The journal never published the letter.

After Smith’s suicide, associates opened his briefcase and found an incongruous, plastic-cased ID among the workaday address books and pocket calendars. “This is to certify,” it said, “that The Reverend Robert M. Smith is a priest.” He’d held on to it until his dying day.

Smith left Madjoucoff nearly $320,000, a sum many times greater than every other beneficiary’s. His will also left something more personal: any three belongings Madjoucoff desired.

As they walked through Smith’s apartment, Madjoucoff   ’s wife noticed a photograph of her husband. Something about its intimacy surprised her, their eldest son told me. It wasn’t the sort of portrait that men she knew kept of other men.

“You can take that,” she told her husband.

But Madjoucoff choked up. He couldn’t bring himself to do it.

If Smith saw Christianity as threatening his health, happiness, and “very life,” as he’d suggested in that 1949 essay, how far might he have gone to discredit the faith?

In an era of rampant homophobia, Christian leaders such as Frederic Hastings Smyth and Raymond Heron had inspired dreams of liberty—of new life—in vulnerable boys and young men. But they could no sooner save others than save themselves. The celibate priesthood was less a sanctuary for gay men than a treacherous hiding place.

The parallels between Smith’s disillusioning years in the Church and the peculiar Jesus he found at Mar Saba are hard to miss: Smith’s Jesus is a manipulator whose baptisms foster the illusion of sexual freedom among psychologically fragile men. But Jesus is arrested at Gethsemane, and the young man who flees naked—a seeker of “the mystery of the kingdom of God”—winds up exposed and alone.

Smith had more than enough motive to forge Secret Mark. As a polymath scholar with contacts across the Mediterranean, he almost certainly had the means. For as long as he’d been a professor, he had taken a childlike, at times sadistic, glee in making the world of religion squirm. A hoax on the Church that betrayed him would have surpassed anything else he had done, but it wouldn’t have been out of character.

Nor would it have been his only work of fiction. Smith’s personal papers were destroyed, as he’d instructed, but his professional ones were donated to the Jewish Theological Seminary. Among them I found an unpublished short story, undated but bearing his New York address.

If Secret Mark was a youthful fantasy of salvation through forbidden sex, this other tale was, in a sense, the reality Smith found.

“Once upon a time,” in a “golden age,” the story begins, a young man carried on a “clandestine affair” with a lover he visited “by way of the back stairs.” But the relationship was doomed: Not only was the “young lady” betrothed to someone else; her mother shunned the man because of his “total inacceptability.”

When one day the mother nearly caught them in the act, the man grabbed his fallen clothes and “took refuge in the closet,” only to have the mother cluelessly pull it shut.

“The latch clicked,” Smith wrote. “There was no knob on the inside.”

The story stops mid-sentence, in the middle of its second page. The man is trapped and alone, and outside it’s beautiful and radiant, and then nothing. The story’s title—“The Skeleton in the Closet”—is the only clue Smith leaves to the part he’s left unwritten.

This article appears in the April 2024 print edition with the headline “The Secret Gospel.” When you buy a book using a link on this page, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic.

What does it mean to really live for Jesus as a young adult? Living for Jesus means to glorify Him in everything. Your relationship with Jesus is not reserved for the really great moments in life or for the really bad ones. Instead, Jesus is your whole life. This is true for Christians of all ages, but on Up and at 'Em, Isabella Blevins, a young college student, is specifically dedicated to challenging Christian young adults, who dream of something greater, to truly live for God's glory in all they do.

Up and at 'Em: Living for Jesus Daily Isabella Blevins

• Religion & Spirituality
• 5.0 • 5 Ratings
• APR 25, 2024

A Heavenly Perspective

During a flight home from Dallas, Isabella looked out her window and was blown away by the pretty lights. Who knew a short plane ride would lead to a big lesson?

• APR 18, 2024

Rocks in Your Way

Isabella shares how a little rock tripped her up big time.

• © Isabella Blevins

Customer Reviews

Good advice.

It’s great to hear a young person so in love with Jesus. And a great reminder to keep our minds focused on God’s plan and not the rocks in life. ❤️

Top Podcasts In Religion & Spirituality

In Memoriam: Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye

Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye was an eight-leaf clover. Rare in every field she graced, yet tenacious and humble, she brought a spirit of pragmatic peace-making into seminar rooms, hospital rooms, and (figurative) war rooms. A scholar of Chinese history, Melissa turned her clear eyes to the global dynamics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the community that nurtured and challenged her from birth and that elicited her best thinking. Melissa hardly slackened the energy of her writing and speaking over many years of treatment and illness with cancer, continuing to spearhead projects and address audiences until the end of her life.

Melissa’s passionate faith and incisive thinking made her one of the Maxwell Institute’s most valued associates. She lent her vision of a globally-inclusive latter-day Zion to numerous Institute projects over more than a decade. She sat for many years on the Maxwell Institute’s advisory and imprint boards, where she advocated for an inclusive approach that would showcase and speak to an ever-wider swath of global Latter-day Saints. She was a founding editor of the Mormon Studies Review , briefly housed at the Institute. She authored a lively memoir for the Institute’s Living Faith series, the memorably-titled Crossings: A Bald Asian American Latter-day Saint Woman Scholar’s Ventures through Life, Death, Cancer, and Motherhood (Not Necessarily in that Order). With Kate Holbrook, she co-edited the Institute’s Living Faith anthology Every Needful Thing: The Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Lives of Latter-day Saint Scholars , the product of the editors’ extraordinary efforts to identify, assemble, and nurture a globally-representative group of Latter-day Saint women scholars. And with Kate Holbrook, she proposed and implemented the Living Faith Author Initiative for Women, which supported women authors in producing gospel writing for a broad readership. The first volume to result from that initiative, Heather Chesnut’s book Counsel, Please Rise , will appear from the Maxwell Institute later this year.

In addition, Melissa was a featured participant at countless Institute events, lectures, and podcasts. On every occasion, she spoke with compassion, wisdom, and faith to call her listeners to a more expansive vision of Church belonging. With her historian’s training, Melissa was able to identify root drivers of the institutional and cultural dynamics that shape Latter-day Saint experience. She was often brilliant in clarifying sources of energy, growth, and contradiction. At the same time, Melissa was shaped from the cradle by the warm embrace of Latter-day Saint wards around the world. She knew both personally and academically what a rare and precious resource is the trust shared between covenant-knit Saints, and she fed that living fire with the best she had to give. Every ward she lived in was a microcosm of Zion because she made it so.

Especially notable among Melissa’s speeches is her 2019 Maxwell Institute Living Faith lecture, “Making Zion,” where she said:

What I see the Church offering me is the opportunity to learn to follow Christ and participate in the redeeming processes of error, repentance, and growth, by engaging with my sisters and brothers in the gospel. It is the opportunity to think globally and act locally, to think locally and act globally. These networks of human bonds and collective action are as close at hand as my own home and neighborhood, and as far flung as the entire world. That is cool. We, the Latter-day Saints, are weird and small enough to really try to be sister and brother to each other, in our diverse and often contradictory circumstances around the world.

In the last years of her life, Melissa’s faith in Jesus Christ was refined in the crucible of prolonged physical suffering. She fought with extraordinary courage to continue living for her family and for her community and for her sheer joy in creation. Her suffering did not diminish her delight in children, in nature, in good company, and in Chinese street food. But it did give her a profound understanding of all those who labor under the many forms of pain and grief that mark this world. She found solace in her suffering from the truths of the restored gospel and its teachings that, through Christ, our sorrow may be redeemed and consecrated for the common good. Her life demonstrated that miraculous transformation.

The Maxwell Institute joins with many in mourning the loss of Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye’s irreplaceable voice in our community. We are grateful that she worked so hard to stay so long and give so much while she had breath. Her heart strained day and night with an urgent, ardent love for the Zion of the Restoration. Her life and work have immeasurably enriched the mission of the Institute and the intellectual life of Latter-day Saints. We cherish her memory and honor her legacy of faith and service.

Subscribe to our Monthly Newsletter

Rookie police officer has 'surreal' reunion with retired lieutenant who saved his life when he was a baby

A retired Indiana police lieutenant got the shock of his life when one of the officers he served with previously alerted him of a new recruit's identity .

"He said, 'Well, you're not going to believe this.' I said, ‘What?’ He says, 'He's sitting next to me,'" Gene Eyster, retired lieutenant from the South Bend Police Department in the Hoosier State, told "Fox & Friends Weekend."

"I said, ‘Who is?’ [He replied with] 'Baby Jesus. He's sitting next to me. He's my rookie,'" he continued. "It was surreal."

HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR IS FINALLY REUNITED WITH THE FAMILY THAT SAVED HIS LIFE

Eyster went on to explain the "Baby Jesus" name given to the unnamed baby was a nod to rescuing him after three students found him in a box just days before Christmas.

"We didn't want to degrade him by calling him John Doe. Baby Jesus came up."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

That baby was Matthew Hegdus-Stewart, the now all-grown-up rookie police officer sitting beside Eyster's former colleague 24 years later. After being rescued by the same department he now serves, he received medical care and was taken to Child Protective Services before being put up for adoption.

MICHIGAN HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEARTS REUNITED AFTER 73 YEARS: ‘I FELL FOR HER ALL OVER AGAIN’

"It was a blessing," Hegdus-Stewart said of meeting Eyster. "I mean, I wondered my whole life, ‘Hey, who found me? What happened?’ And more or less, it's a kind of closure for Gene."

"Like he said, for 20-something years, he's wondered what happened to ‘Baby Jesus,’ but here we are. We made it."

Eyster said he had no information about Hegdus-Stewart beyond what transpired that day. 

For Hegdus-Stewart, his information was limited. He said his adoptive parents had access to the police report , but not much beyond it.

VIRGINIA WOMAN'S EMOTIONAL REUNION WITH DOG THAT WENT MISSING 7 YEARS AGO: VIDEO

When asked if knowing about the rescue led him into his new line of work, he said the factor wasn't consciously considered, but it could have played an unconscious role in his decision to venture into law enforcement.

"I guess subconsciously, yes, that's probably why I ended up where I am now," he said.

Original article source: Rookie police officer has 'surreal' reunion with retired lieutenant who saved his life when he was a baby