Love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus of Nazareth (c. 4 BCE – c. 30/33 CE), known to billions as **Jesus Christ** (“the Anointed One”), is the central figure of **Christianity**, the world’s largest religion. Described in the **New Testament** as the **Son of God**, **Messiah**, and **incarnate Word**, he preached a radical message of love, forgiveness, and the **Kingdom of God**. His life, teachings, death by crucifixion, and reported resurrection have shaped Western civilization, global ethics, art, law, and calendar systems. Beyond Christianity, Jesus is revered as a prophet in Islam, a teacher in the Baháʼí Faith, and a moral exemplar in secular humanism.
Jesus was born in **Bethlehem** (Judea) during the reign of **Herod the Great**, to **Mary** (a virgin, per Gospel accounts) and **Joseph**, a carpenter from Nazareth. The family fled to Egypt to escape Herod’s massacre of infants, returning after the king’s death to settle in **Nazareth**, Galilee.
Little is recorded of his childhood. At age 12, he astonished rabbis in the Jerusalem Temple with his questions and insight (Luke 2:41–52). He likely worked as a **tekton** (builder/carpenter) alongside Joseph, spoke **Aramaic**, and was literate in **Hebrew** and possibly **Greek**.
Around age 30, Jesus was baptized by **John the Baptist** in the Jordan River. A voice from heaven declared, *“You are my beloved Son”* (Mark 1:11). He then retreated to the wilderness for **40 days** of fasting and temptation by Satan.
Returning to Galilee, he began a **three-year itinerant ministry**, proclaiming:
> “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)
He gathered **12 apostles** (symbolizing Israel’s tribes) and taught in synagogues, homes, hillsides, and boats. Crowds followed for healings, exorcisms, and parables.
| Concept | Summary |
|--------|---------|
| **Kingdom of God** | Present and future reality; entered through childlike faith, not power |
| **Love Commandment** | *“Love God with all your heart… and love your neighbor as yourself.”* (Mark 12:30–31) |
| **Golden Rule** | *“Do to others as you would have them do to you.”* (Luke 6:31) |
| **Sermon on the Mount** | Beatitudes (“Blessed are the poor in spirit…”); ethics of nonviolence, purity, generosity |
| **Forgiveness** | *“Forgive seventy times seven”; Lord’s Prayer includes “forgive us… as we forgive”* |
| **Parables** | Prodigal Son, Good Samaritan, Sower—stories revealing divine mercy and human responsibility |
Jesus challenged religious hypocrisy, ate with tax collectors and sinners, and elevated women and marginalized groups.
On **Good Friday** (c. April 3, 33 CE), Jesus was crucified at **Golgotha** outside Jerusalem, bearing a sign: *“Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”* (INRI). He died after six hours, crying, *“It is finished.”*
Buried in a rock-hewn tomb by **Joseph of Arimathea**, the tomb was found empty on Sunday. Multiple appearances followed—to Mary Magdalene, disciples on the Emmaus road, and over 500 others (1 Corinthians 15). Forty days later, he **ascended** to heaven.
Jesus lived under **Roman occupation**; Galilee was a hotbed of messianic expectation. Non-Christian sources (Josephus, Tacitus, Pliny the Younger) confirm his existence, baptism by John, crucifixion under Pilate, and the rapid spread of his followers’ belief in his resurrection.
The **apostles**—led by **Peter** (rock of the Church) and **John**—spread the **kerygma** (proclamation): *Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised on the third day.* **Paul**, a converted persecutor, carried the message to Gentiles, founding churches across the Roman Empire.
Archaeological sites—**Church of the Holy Sepulchre**, **Capernaum synagogue**, **Nazareth Village**—draw millions of pilgrims annually.
Whether viewed as divine Savior, ethical genius, or apocalyptic prophet, Jesus remains the most influential life in history—a Galilean carpenter whose words *“Love your enemies”* continue to challenge empires and hearts alike.