1. Jesus of Nazareth The Founder of the Christian Religion Created by Ms. Darlene Tempelton, August, 2012

2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

3. Jesus was born during the reign of the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus (ruled 27 BCE to 14 CE) At the time, Rome had ruled Judea indirectly since 60 BCE

4. The Roman Empire under Augustus

5. Rome preferred to rule its territories through client kings The client king in Judea was Herod, later called Herod the Great, who ruled from 37 BCE until his death in 4 BCE

6. Herod was a cruel but effective ruler During his reign he was responsible for the deaths of many members of the previous royal families of Israel, especially the Hasmoneans and the descendants of King David On the positive side, he kept the peace, he rebuilt much of Jerusalem, including the Temple, and introduced Roman language and culture into Israel

7. Herod’s Temple

8. JESUS

9. Jesus’ Birth According to the Gospels, in about the year 4 BCE the angel Gabriel appeared to a young women named Mary and told her that God had chosen her to become the mother of his son Mary said “yes”

10. Jesus’ Birth Mary was betrothed to a carpenter named Joseph After initially questioning Mary’s story of the angelic visitation, Joseph accepted it and took Mary into his home as his wife Jesus would later be known as Joseph’s son

11. Jesus’ Birth Tradition says that Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem, about six miles from Jerusalem At his birth angels sang to shepherds and a bright star guided Persian Magi to the child’s home

12. Jesus was raised in the Galilean city of Nazareth He was taught the trade of a tekton or worker in wood by his father, Joseph Joseph also would have taught Jesus to read the Torah and the basics of the Jewish faith

13. At the age of 13 Jesus would have become a bar mitzvah = “Son of Commandment” He would then have been allowed to read the Torah portion on Sabbath and preach in the synagogue – just as any other Jewish male could do

14. Jesus and John the Baptist Around the year 30, John the Baptist began to preach a baptism of repentance and called the Jewish people to renounce their sinful ways and prepare for the coming of the Messiah According to Luke’s Gospel, John was Jesus’ cousin

15. Jesus briefly became a disciple of John John baptized Jesus This led to a deep religious experience which caused Jesus to understand that God was calling him to something greater than following John

16. Jesus’ Temptations in the Desert After his baptism, Jesus went into the Judean desert to fast and pray and to ascertain what it was God was calling him to do During this time, he experienced a series of temptations to become a political or social Messiah He overcame these

17. Jesus’ Disciples Jesus gathered Twelve Disciples to help in his ministry These disciples were: – Simon Peter & Andrew, sons of Jonah – James and John, sons of Zebedee – Philip – Thomas – Matthew (Levi), a tax collector – James, the son of Alpheus

18. – Thaddeus – Simon the Zealot – Nathanael Bar Talmai (Bartholomew) – Judas Iscariot The Calling of the Disciples Peter and Andrew

19. Jesus Teaching After choosing his disciples, Jesus began a ministry as a wandering teacher/rabbi Much of what he taught was within the tradition of the Jewish religion Some of his teachings were unique

20. Jesus’ Teachings The “Great Commandment”: Love of God and love of neighbor Love your enemies, do good to those who curse you and pray for those who persecute you Do not resist evil; if someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the left cheek

21. No one can serve two masters – you cannot serve both God and money Do not judge others Forgive others God is our Father (abba) who loves us and forgives us our sins if we are truly contrite

22. Jesus’ Teachings Jesus taught using parables – stories taken from daily life with a message Jesus’ parables: – Described the coming Kingdom of God and how we should live to become a part of that Kingdom – Told us how we should treat one anther

23. Good Shepherd The Sower The Wedding Banquet The Prodigal Son Good Samaritan

24. Jesus’ Teachings Jesus treated women as equals in a society that considered them to be less than men and unable to fully participate in many religious rituals Many of Jesus’ closest friends and followers were women

26. Jesus’ Teachings Jesus reached out to groups considered “sinners” or “outsiders” by the Jewish religion – Tax collectors – prostitutes – the poor – Roman collaborators – Non-Jews

27. Jesus’ Miracles Sources, both biblical and extra-biblical, refer to Jesus as a miracle worker and healer Traditionally, Jesus performed his first miracle – turning water into wine at a wedding – because his mother requested it of him

28. Jesus’ Miracles Jesus’ miracles fell into three categories, all of which show the power of God: – Healing miracles – Nature miracles – Raising the dead

29. Healing Miracles:

30. Nature Miracles:

31. Raising the Dead:

32. JESUS’ DEATH AND RESURRECTION

33. As was his custom, in the third year of his ministry Jesus traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover As he entered the city, his followers proclaimed him as the “Son of David” and the Messiah Christians today call this “Palm Sunday”

34. Jesus went first to the Temple, where he chased out the money changers and sellers of animals for sacrifice from the Court of the Gentiles

35. These actions brought Jesus to the attention of both the Jewish and the Roman authorities, who began to see him as a potential revolutionary They began to plan for his arrest

36. The Last Supper Jesus celebrated the first night of the Passover in the upper room of a Jerusalem home with his twelve Disciples

37. The Last Supper Before the dinner began, Jesus washed the feet of each of his disciples This was usually done by a servant His message was that they should be willing to serve one another

38. The Last Supper During the meal, Jesus took bread, said the blessing over it and passed it to his disciples saying: “This is my body.” Later he blessed the wine, saying, “This is my blood.” Then he asked his disciples to share the blessed bread and wine in his memory whenever they came together.

39. The Last Supper

40. After dinner, Jesus and his disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane, outside of Jerusalem, to pray It was here that Jesus was arrested by authorities from the Jewish Temple

41. Jesus’ Trials Jesus was taken to the house of the Jewish High Priest Here he was convicted of the Jewish crime of blasphemy Blasphemy included: – Calling oneself God – Claiming to do something (such as forgive sins) that only God could do

42. Jesus’ Trials Jesus was then sent to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate Here he was convicted of treason – claiming to be king He was sentenced to death by crucifixion

43. Jesus’ Death

44. The Resurrection Jesus’ followers buried him in a new tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea Because it was Sabbath eve, the women did not have time to completely prepare the body, so they planned to return on Sunday morning When they returned on Sunday, they found the stone before the tomb rolled away and the tomb was empty

45. The Resurrection Jesus’ followers believe that God rose Jesus from the dead Many of his followers experienced Jesus’ presence after the Resurrection

47. About forty days after the Resurrection, Jesus’ disciples experienced him ascending into heaven They believed that he would return one day to fully establish the Kingdom of God on earth

48. CHRISTIAN BELIEFS ABOUT JESUS

49. What do Christians today believe about Jesus? The basic beliefs are found in the Nicene Creed, which many Christians recite weekly during Sunday church services Jesus is:  The Messiah, the Christ, promised by the Old Testament prophets  The Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary through the action of the Holy Spirit  Part of the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit

50. Jesus taught:  Love of God  That God is a loving Father  Love of our fellow human being, even our enemies  Non-violence  To forgive others, no matter what  Absolute trust in God, who will take care of us

51. Jesus  Was arrested and executed by the Jewish and Roman leaders  died for our sins  Rose form the dead on the third day – this was a resurrection, not a resuscitation  Ascended into heaven  Will come again in glory to bring about the Last Judgment and the establishment of the Kingdom of God