Portal:Christianity/Selected article/April 2010

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Jesus of Nazareth (c. 5 BC/BCE – c. 30 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus Christ or Jesus, is the central figure of Christianity, which views him as the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament, with most Christian denominations believing him to be the Son of God and God incarnate who was raised from the dead.[2] Islam considers Jesus a prophet and also the Messiah.[3] Several other religions revere him in some way. He is one of the most influential figures in human history.

The principal sources of information regarding Jesus' life and teachings are the four canonical gospels, especially the Synoptic Gospels,[4][5] though some scholars argue such texts as the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of the Hebrews [6][7] are also relevant.[8]

Most critical scholars in biblical studies believe that some parts of the New Testament are useful for reconstructing Jesus' life,[9][10][11][12] agreeing that Jesus was a Jew who was regarded as a teacher and healer, that he was baptized by John the Baptist, and was crucified in Jerusalem on the orders of the Roman Prefect of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, on the charge of sedition against the Roman Empire.[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Aside from these few conclusions, academic debate continues regarding the chronology, the central message of Jesus' preaching, his social class, cultural environment, and religious orientation.[8] Critical scholars have offered competing descriptions of Jesus as a self-described Messiah, as the leader of an apocalyptic movement, as an itinerant sage, as a charismatic healer, and as the founder of an independent religious movement. Most contemporary scholars of the historical Jesus consider him to have been an independent, charismatic founder of a Jewish restoration movement, anticipating an imminent apocalypse.[25] Other prominent scholars, however, contend that Jesus' "Kingdom of God" meant radical personal and social transformation instead of a future apocalypse.[25]

Christians predominantly believe that Jesus is the "Son of God" (generally meaning that he is God the Son, the second person in the Trinity) who came to provide salvation and reconciliation with God by his death for their sins.[26]: 568–603  Christians traditionally believe that Jesus was born of a virgin,[26]: 529–532  performed miracles,[26]: 358–359  founded the Church, rose from the dead, and ascended into Heaven,[26]: 616–620  from which he will return.[26]: 1091–1109  While the doctrine of the Trinity is accepted by most Christians, a few groups reject the doctrine of the Trinity, wholly or partly, as non-scriptural.[27] Most Christian scholars today present Jesus as the awaited Messiah[28] and as God.

In Islam, Jesus (Arabic: عيسى, commonly transliterated as Isa) is considered one of God's important prophets,[29][30] a bringer of scripture, and a worker of miracles. Jesus is also called "Messiah", but Islam does not teach that he was divine. Islam teaches that Jesus ascended bodily to heaven without experiencing the crucifixion and resurrection,[31] rather than the traditional Christian belief of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

  1. ^ Sanders (1993).p.11, p 249.
  2. ^ Theologian and bishop Lesslie Newbigin says "the whole of Christian teaching would fall to the ground if it were the case that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus were not events in real history but stories told to illustrate truths which are valid apart from these happenings." Newbigin, J. E. L. (1989). "The Gospel In a Pluralist Society". London: SPCK. p. 66.
  3. ^ Abdulsalam, M. (19 February 2008). "Jesus in Islam". IslamReligion.com.
  4. ^ "The Gospel of John is quite different from the other three gospels, and it is primarily in the latter that we must seek information about Jesus." Sanders (1993), p. 57.
  5. ^ Funk, Robert W.; Seminar, Jesus (1998). "Introduction". The acts of Jesus: the search for the authentic deeds of Jesus. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco. pp. 1–40. ISBN 978-0-06-062978-6.
  6. ^ P. Parker, A Proto-Lukan Basis for the Gospel According to the Hebrews Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 59, No. 4 (Dec., 1940), pp. 471-473
  7. ^ J. R. Edwards, The Hebrew Gospel & the Development of the Synoptic Tradition, Eerdmans Publishing, 2009 pp. 1-376
  8. ^ a b Levine, Amy-Jill (1998). "Visions of Kingdoms: From Pompey to the First Jewish Revolt (63 BCE—70 CE)". In Coogan, Michael D. (ed.). The Oxford History of the Biblical World. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 370–371. ISBN 978-0-19-508707-9.
  9. ^ Funk, Robert W.; Hoover, Roy W.; Jesus Seminar (1993). "Introduction". The Five Gospels. New York: Maxwell Macmillan. pp. 1–30. ISBN 978-0-02-541949-0.
  10. ^ Harris, Stephen L. (1985). Understanding the Bible : a reader's introduction. Palo Alto: Mayfield. pp. 255–260. ISBN 978-0-87484-696-6.
  11. ^ Crossan, John Dominic (1998). The essential Jesus : original sayings and earliest images. Edison, NJ: Castle Books. ISBN 978-0-7858-0901-2.
  12. ^ Examples of authors who argue the Jesus myth hypothesis:
  13. ^ Brown, Raymond E. (1994). The death of the Messiah : from Gethsemane to the grave : a commentary on the Passion narratives in the four Gospels. New York: Doubleday, Anchor Bible Reference Library: Doubleday. p. 964. ISBN 978-0-385-19397-9.
  14. ^ Carson, D. A.; et al. pp. 50–56. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ^ Cohen (1987). pp. 78, 93, 105, 108. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. ^ Crossan. The Historical Jesus. pp. xi–xiii.
  17. ^ Grant, Michael. pp. 34–35, 78, 166, 200. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. ^ Paula Fredriksen (1999). Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 6–7, 105–110, 232–234, 266.
  19. ^ Meier, John P. (1993). Vol. 1:68, 146, 199, 278, 386, 2:726. Sanders. pp. 12–13. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  20. ^ Vermes, Géza (1973). Jesus the Jew. Philadelphia: Fortress Press. p. 37.
  21. ^ Maier, Paul L. (1991). In the Fullness of Time. Kregel. pp. 1, 99, 121, 171.
  22. ^ Wright, N. T. (1998). The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions. HarperCollins. pp. 32, 83, 100–102, 222.
  23. ^ Witherington, Ben III. pp. 12–20. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  24. ^ Though many historians may have certain reservations about the use of the Gospels for writing history, "even the most hesitant, however, will concede that we are probably on safe historical footing" concerning certain basic facts about the life of Jesus; Cruz, Jo Ann H. Moran; Gerberding, Richard (2004). Medieval Worlds: An Introduction to European History. Houghton Mifflin Company. pp. 44–45.
  25. ^ a b Theissen, Gerd and Annette Merz. The historical Jesus: a comprehensive guide. Fortress Press. 1998. translated from German (1996 edition). Chapter 1. Quest of the historical Jesus. p. 1-16
  26. ^ a b c d e Grudem, Wayne (1994). Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. ISBN 0-310-28670-0.
  27. ^ Friedmann, Robert (1953). "Antitrinitarianism". Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
  28. ^ For instance Brown, Raymond E. (1979). The Birth of the Messiah. Garden City, NY: Image Books. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-385-05405-8.
  29. ^ Houlden, James L. (2005). Jesus: The Complete Guide. London: Continuum. ISBN 978-0-8264-8011-8.
  30. ^ Prof. Dr. Şaban Ali Düzgün (2004). "Uncovering Islam: Questions and Answers about Islamic Beliefs and Teachings". Ankara: The Presidency of Religious Affairs Publishing.
  31. ^ "Compendium of Muslim Texts".
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