Jesus
of Nazareth, a 1st-century Jewish teacher who was crucified
by the Romans, is believed by Christians to be the Christ or
Messiah through whom God was revealed to the world and whose
death reconciles the world to God.
Knowledge of Jesus (Yeshua or Joshua) as an historical person is provided mainly by the New Testament (especially the Gospels). From this source and a few references in other works of the 1st and 2d centuries, the following consensus can be drawn. Jesus was born in Roman-ruled Palestine during the reign of the Roman emperor Augustus (27 BC-AD 14) and grew up in the Galilean village of Nazareth. Associated early in his career with John The Baptist, he gathered around him a group of disciples attracted by his interpretation of Jewish law and his miracles, especially his exorcisms and healing of the sick. Jesus' criticisms of Jewish religious leaders, coupled with the political rhetoric he used in announcing that God's rule was about to replace human rule, led to mounting opposition toward him in both the Jewish and Roman establishments. Arrested in Jerusalem, he was tried, condemned, and executed as a claimant to Jewish kingship. This death by Crucifixion - a form of execution used by the Romans to punish non-Roman citizens who threatened Roman authority - took place when Pontius Pilate was Roman governor of Judea (AD 26-36). Jesus' followers subsequently claimed that God had raised him from the dead, and Christianity, the movement launched in his name, quickly spread throughout the Mediterranean world. The Roman emperors Claudius and Nero took actions to suppress Christianity in the middle of the 1st century, and by the end of the century, Jewish authorities in Palestine had adopted policies aimed at sharply differentiating Christians from Jews.
(illustration shows Jesus of Nazareth preaching the Sermon on the Mount in a 15th Century fresco by Fra Angelico)
