2. Bethlehem
Birth Place: According to
Nativity Church
tradition
The Christian Bible is made up of two parts; the Old Testament—
largely the Hebrew Bible, and the
New Testament—an account of
Jesus and early history Christianity.
No one knows what date Jesus was actually born, it has been
celebrated on December 25 since the 200s. It is commonly stated that Jesus’ birth was 4
B.C. The "B.C." and "A.D." system was not created until many centuries after the birth of
Jesus. There was also a 4 year miscalculation when the Roman calendar was converted into
the A.D. calendar by Roman Abbott Dionysus Exiguus. That is the reason the birth is not year
0 or year 1. Jesus has to have been born by “4 B.C.” because the Gospel of Matthew places it
within the lifetime of Herod the Great, whom we know from sources died in 4 B.C.
3. Galilee, Nazareth in Northern
Jesus was Jewish, and some of Israel
his teachings reflect Jewish
beliefs.
The New Covenant =
Redemption and Saving; it
established that the death of
Jesus marked the salvation of
Galilee; Nazareth
Galilee; Nazareth
Galilee; Nazareth
all men who faith in God.
God in the form of a man,
Jesus, began the New
Covenant (Book of Jeremiah,
Matthew, I Corinthians, and
Hebrews).
4. Gospel: a written account that describes the life,
death, and Resurrection of Jesus. In a more general
sense the term "gospel" may
refer to the message
of the New Testament (an anthology of twenty-seven
books written at different times
by various authors). The saving acts
of God, centered upon Jesus. Christianity emphasizes
the Good News of salvation in Jesus--the Messiah for
the faithful, an
echo of a prophecy from the Old Testament (Torah).
5. Christian: A person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic
(Abraham: descendant of Noah's son Shem), monotheistic religion
based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth (town where
Jesus lived). "Christian" derives from the Greek word Christ, a
translation of the Hebrew term Messiah. The Greek word
Χριστιανός (christianos)—meaning "follower of Christ"--—comes
from Χριστός (christos)—meaning "anointed one" (to be sanctified,
set apart for a task or a position by God.). Early Christians were the
first Jews that believed Jesus was the Son of God, believe Jesus rose
from the dead and told disciples to spread the gospel, believe that
people are saved by faithing in God.
6. Jesus’ The Sermon on the Mount is for the most part Law and sets a standard for all
Christians.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they
who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess
the earth. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be
satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure of heart, for
they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice sake, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven”, (Matthew 5-7)
7. Jesus’ “The Parable of the Good Samaritan”
(Parable: a story or extended metaphor that teaches, or illustrates a lesson)
The priest and the Levite were trapped
by their
rule-book to pass the
“unclean” man. Jesus raises the possibility
that although they would be legally unclean, there are things that come before
man made rules. At the center of that story is compassion expressed in
compassionate actions. Jesus paraded both the priest and a Levite as models of
indifference, lacking any evidence of mercy, being totally loveless. It is in the
actions of the Samaritan that we see a true neighbor giving the gifts of mercy,
healing, and life.
8. Jesus sometimes used metaphors,
comparisons, to teach.
Matthew 7:13-14
13 `Go ye in through the strait gate, because wide
[is] the gate, and broad the way that is leading to
the destruction, and many are those going in
through it;
14 how strait [is] the gate, and compressed the
way that is leading to the life, and few are those
finding it!
9. Political Rebel
Herod the Great's three-tiered palace cascades down the north face of Masada
It is generally agreed that Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem
shortly before Herod the Great’s death, probably around 5 B.C. Jesus lived
most of his life under the rule of Herod Antipas (Roman appointed king).
During Jesus’ life, the tension between the Jews and Roman rulers
remained high. Jews believed they were God’s chosen people, and were
not meant to be captives or subjects of another authority, and resented
Roman rule. For example, because Herod Antipas viewed John the
Baptist as a threat to the existing order, he executed him. John the Baptist
was Jesus’ close friend and mentor. It was John who had baptized Jesus
around 27 A.D.
10. Jesus was critical of the Pharisees (the Jewish sect that extended
and elaborated Jewish laws), and caused a disturbance in the
Temple (“Do not make My Father's house/temple a house of
merchandise/shopping!”), and was eventually arrested and brought
before the Sanhedrin (supreme court of Israel). There Jesus was
charged and convicted of blasphemy/lack of respect for
authorities, and they decided to take him to the Roman governor
Pontius Pilate, asking him for Jesus' death. Pilate, after some
debate, rejected their religious justifications; however, accepted
the political ones, and sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion.
11. Middle Ages: Christianity
Pope: from Latin: papa; from Greek: πάππας
(pappas), a child's word for father; is the Bishop
of Rome
Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor of
Peter, one of Twelve Apostles (a messenger for
Jesus),
chosen by Jesus from his first disciples (Jesus’
students)
Pope Leo III, 750-816 A.D.
12. A schism (split) arose with the Pope's claim to
universal jurisdiction, total authority over the
Church (congregation/Christians).
Catholics recognize
the Pope as a successor to Peter. Protestants
(Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists, etc.) contend that
the New Testament offers no
proof that Jesus established the papacy (pope).
13. Christendom
By the later Middle Ages, the gods of the Romans,
Greeks, and Celts had long since been forgotten, and
Christianity became the universal faith of almost all of
the people of Europe.
People did not think of Europe as a distinct place until
the Middle Ages had passed. Instead they spoke of
“Christendom”.
