Jesus Christ
From Encyclopediak
Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity. The personal name Jesus is the same as the Hebrew Jehoshua, Joshua or Jeshua, and means "Jehova is salvation." The word Christ, the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew word Messiah, is a title added later, meaning "the Anointed." The full name, therefore, would be Jesus, the Christ, or lesus, the Messiah. The sources of our knowledge concerning the life of Jesus are mainly the four Gospels of the New Testament, together with incidental references in the Epistles. See GOSPELS, THE.
Jesus was born of Jewish ancestry, of the royal line of David, and he delivered his message first of all to the lews. His life thus has Judaism for its background and some understanding of the latter is important See JUDAISM. The Jews were at this time subject to Rome and were ruled by a Roman king or governor. For a people whose patriotism was a part of their religion, this was an exceedingly irksome situation and in the midst of their loss of independence their prophetic hopes of the coming of the Messiah, who should reestablish the nation along the lines of the Davidic Kingdom, had become very ardent. For his appearing they were ever on the watch. There were many parties among the people. The most popular of these were the Pharisees, the religious party, whose activities took the form of trivial and external observances of the Hebrew law. Belonging chiefly to their number were the scribes, who had charge of the official religious life centering in the synagogues and schools. The most serious rivals of the Pharisees were the Sadducees, composed largely of the priestly nobility, and in alliance with the existing government. Among the minor parties, the Herodians were committed to the political interests of the Herod family the Zealots were the political firebrands of the Pharisees right wing and the Essenes were strict separatists in politics and religion. These parties created an atmosphere keenly alive to the issues of the day. See PHARISEES SCRIBE SADDUCEES.
EARLY LIFE OF JESUS. These were the conditions into which. Jesus was born about the year 5 B. C., shortly before the death of Herod the Great, King of Judea. The Christian Era and reckoning of time date from his birth but when the calendar was established in 556 an error was made which put the point of beginning about five years too late. The mother of Jesus was Mary, and her husband was Joseph, a carpenter of Nazareth, in Galilee. The child was born in Bethlehem of Judea, the native town of Joseph and Mary. The stories connected with his birth alarmed Herod, who sought the child's life, and the family fled to Egypt, where they remained until the King's death. They then returned to their home in Nazareth, where the childhood, youth and early manhood of Jesus were passed. Of this entire 30 years we have only the most meager information Luke ii, 40-52. From this brief account we naturally infer that he lived with his parents, amid the same influences and subject to the same training as other Jewish boys. We learn also that at the age of 12 years he accompanied Joseph and Mary in their pilgrimage to Jerusalem to participate in one of the customary religious feasts. Some other things we know by inference. He was well versed in the Old Testament Scriptures. All Jewish children began the study of these at an early age. How thoroughly they influenced his thinking and life is also apparent from his teachings. These teachings likewise reveal an appreciative knowledge of nature and of men.
OPENING OF HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY IN JUDEA. About the year 26 A. D John the Baptist appeared in Judea declaring that the kingdom of heaven wa.s at hand and that one mightier than he was coming to establish it. Jesus himself, now ready to begin his public ministry, was baptized by John in the River Jordan and was pointed out by him as the expected Messiah. He then retired to the solitude of the wilderness, where he completed his preparation for his great task. At first he identified himself with John's work, and some of the latter's disciples, with their master's encouragement, became his earliest followers. Jesus now returned to Galilee, where he began his own ministry, soon making his headquarters at Capernaum. The spring of the following year 27 A. D. he went up to Jerusalem to attend the Passover and seems to have remained there and in Jndea for some months, perhaps until December. During this period, known as the early Judean ministry, it became evident that the leaders of the people, the Pharisees and scribes, would not accept the teachings of Jesus, which were of a pronounced spiritual and unconventional character and ignored the national aspirations of the people. He therefore decided to go back to Galilee.
MINISTRY IN GALILEE. This decision was confirmed by Herodt imprisonment 1504 of John the Baptist, which took place at this time. The ministry of Jesus thereupon began to stand out more distinctly on its own merits. His reputation as a teacher and worker of miracles had been constantly growing, and his fame at once spread throughout the whole region. The ministry in Galilee constitutes the chief part of the public work of Jesus, both in length of time and in central importance. These years are characterized by the organization of the kingdom, including the choosing of his disciples by the ministry of evangelization, accomplished by means of his teaching and works, and including a number of preaching tours by the instruction of his disciples and by the growing hostility of the scribes and Pharisees. While these characteristics are present throughout the entire period, yet a difference of emphasis is apparent. In the earlier part he gradually gathers a circle of disciples about him as the result of his teaching and his deeds of mercy. First those who had earlier been attracted from John's company are called by him more definitely. Others follow and about the middle of the period he chooses the Twelve who are to constitute the inner circle of disciples. This is followed by the Sermon on the Mount, in which he sets forth the organic ideas, or constitution, of his proposed kingdom. The instruction of his disciples is more prominently emphasized as this period draws to a close. During its last few months Jesus withdraws with them into northern Palestine, where they will be more by themselves, and here he tries to bring them into a fuller realization of the spiritual character of his kingdom, mvolving unselfish service for the good of others, and how it can come only through his own death. But he declares also that such death for others is the road to life, and that he will demonstrate this by his own return from the grave.
THE CLOSING MINISTRY. Realizing that conditions were ripe for the culmination of his work, Jesus takes his disciples and sets out for Jerusalem, probably late in the year 29 A. D. In stead of taking the most direct route, however, he goes through Perea, to the east of the Jordan, occupying five or six months in the journey and continuing his work in all of its characteristic features in what is known as the Perean Ministry. Thus he arrives at Jerusalem at the time of the Passover in the spring of 30 A D., with the issues clearly drawn. Making his home at Bethany, Jesus goes into the city each day but one, during what is known as the passion week, and returns at night. On Thursday night of Passover week, he gathers his disciples in an upper room to observe the supper, and tells them of the end and of the future. On this very nighl, Judas, one of his own inner circle, betrays him. to the Jewish leaders. He is taken before the highest Jewish tribunal and condemned to death because of his religious claims. Early in the morning he is taken before Pilate, the Roman governor, for he alone had the power of life and death. Pilate finds no fault in him, but finally condemns him to death by crucifixion in response to the clamors and threats of the populace. Bearing his own cross to Golgotha, the place of execution outside the city walls, he is there crucified between two thieves. They put his dead body in a new rock-hewn tomb and the third day, Sunday morning, some of the women went to anoint it with spices. But it was not there. On their way back Jesus appeared to them alive and told them that he would meet his disciples in Galilee. During the next 40 days he appeared to certain of their number at different times, then to all of them, then to a still larger company and finally met the eleven on an appointed mountain in Galilee, from which he finally disappeared from their sight, after charging them to make his gospel known to the ends of the earth. Various interpretations have been put upon the story of the Resurrection. It is certain, however, that the disciples, whom the death of Jesus had plunged into black hopelessness, became so thoroughly convinced that he was alive and with them in spiritual presence and power, that their despair was turned into exuberant and enthusiastic rejoicing, in the strength of which they entered with absolute courage and faith upon the task which he had assigned them, undaunted by the opposing power of the Roman Government and the vast inertia of heathenism. This faith has also been the animating inspiration of Christianity throughout its course in history. See CHRISTIANITY RELIGION.
