Christianity : Introduction To The Region

Christianity began in Palestine with the followers of one man: Jesus. The Jesus of history and critical interpretation of the Gospels differs from the Jesus Christ of faith and literal interpretation. The most significant sources on the life of Jesus are the Gospels. Scholars agree that the “synoptic gospels” of Mark, Matthew, and Luke were written in that order sometime after 70 AD, drawing on a “saying source” which recorded the words of Jesus; they were followed by the Gospel of John (after 100 AD, but having older roots). John deviates from the synoptic gospels, and the three also represent often-conflicting traditions. The sources provide a history informed by belief in Jesus Christ, rather than a purely objective history.

Various datings of historical events put the birth of Jesus, the man regarded by millions as their savior, between 4 BC and 6 AD. In Matthew, Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus, and Mary andjoseph move to Nazareth to protect him; in Luke, Jesus’ parents are only temporarily in Bethlehem; and in Mark and John, the birth is not even mentioned. The Bible states Jesus was conceived and brought forth by Mary, a virgin, making him a product of God’s creative power and free from humanity’s original sin. Catholics believe additionally in the Immaculate Conception, which holds that Mary conceived without sin.

Jesus was baptized (ritually washed) in the Jordan River as a young man by John the Baptist, a religious leader later hailed as the herald of the Messiah. Afterwards, Jesus began preaching in the Galilee, speaking passionately for the poor and the righteous, most notably in the Sermon on the Mount, and called twelve disciples.

After about a year of preaching, Jesus went to Jerusalem, where the Passion, the story of his death, was enacted. The Gospels give slightly differing accounts, but key events in the story are Jesus throwing the money-changers out of the Temple, eating the Last Supper, being betrayed by Judas, being arrested in the Garden of Gethse-mane, and being condemned to death by Pontius Pilate and the Romans at the urging of the Pharisees. On Good Friday, he carried his cross down the Via Dolorosa, stopping at what became known as the Stations of the Cross, until he reached Golgotha (or Calvary; now marked by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre). There he was crucified, a common Roman method of execution.