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Jesus of Nazareth

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The world of Jesus

Herod the Great ruled Palestine from 37 B.C.E. to sometime shortly after Jesus was born.

Palestine was part of the Roman Empire when Jesus was born.

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Palestine

Idumea

Judea

Samaria

Galilee(Herod Antipas)

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The Messianic Hopes

The Israelites hoped for a messiah –

the anointed one.

A political messiah

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Jesus was born sometime between 6 and 4 B.C.E. in Bethlehem (called City of David), a town in Judea [Mt 2:1].

He was raised in Nazareth, a town in the region of Galilee.

Birth of Jesus:

Lk 2:1-14; Mt 1:18-25

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Gospel accounts say Mary, his mother, was a virgin and her conception of Jesus was by the power of the Holy Spirit (Mt 1:18).

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Very little is recorded about Jesus’ childhood.

There was a story about his being in the temple when he was 12 y.o. (Lk 2:41-47)

Profession: no explicit record. Probably a carpenter like his father Joseph.

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The Infancy NarrativesMt 1-2 & Lk 1-2

Luke (not found in Mt):

- appearance of Angel Gabriel

- trip to Bethlehem

- birth in a stable

- visit by shepherds

Matthew (not found in Lk):

- Angelic appearance to Joseph in a dream

- visit of the magi

- Massacre of infants – Herod’s attempt on Jesus’ life

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The Infancy NarrativesMt 1-2 & Lk 1-2

What they have in common:

Jesus is conceived when Joseph and Mary are engaged, but before living together.

Mary is a virgin during conception.

Appearance of an angel.

Jesus is born in Bethlehem.

Truth: God has visited his people and brought them salvation.

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Jesus was a Jew.

• Like any ordinary Jewish male, he was circumcised,

• prayed in the synagogue,

• attended the annual Passover feast,

• worshipped in the temple, and

• studied the Hebrew Scripture.

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Since his family was poor, he had the same education and religious training as other poor Jewish children.

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The ministry of Jesus

Jesus was about 30 y.o. when he was baptized by John in the Jordan River.

John the Baptizer was Jesus’ second cousin.

When he was baptized, the heavens opened and the Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove.

His baptism marked the beginning of his ministry.

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His ministry draw people toward him and he taught with authority.

People were all the more filled with expec-tations of the messiah.

Until religious leaders in Jerusalem deemed it necessary to investigate him.

Messianic attribute to Jesus enraged the priests and scribes, and they plotted to kill him.

Their plan materialized when Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, betrayed him for 30 pieces of silver.

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Jesus was crucified for what he taught and believed. He was crucified around 29 or 30 C.E.

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On the third day after he was crucified, he resurrected from the dead.

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The mission of Jesus

Jesus’ vision – to see Israel as one nation united with God in the covenant of love.

Jesus’ mission – to gather the whole nation of Israel (12 tribes) as one, and to restore the cove-nant between Yahweh and his people.

Jesus performed and accomplished his mission by proclaiming the good news of God’s kingdom.

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Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God in two ways: by words and deeds.

His lessons were usually delivered in parables.

His deeds include his healings and miracles.

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Jesus of Nazareth