Transcript 36.3 Writings about the Life of Jesus

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• Christians are followers of Jesus Christ, who was put to
death on a Roman cross in the first century A.D. Christians
believe that Jesus was the Son of God and rose from the
dead.
• Christians read about the life and teachings of Jesus in
the gospels written by four of his followers: Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John. The gospels were written 30 to 70
years after Jesus died.
• The gospels were statements of faith in Jesus as the
Messiah, a savior that Jews believed had been promised to
them by God.
• The gospels describe Jesus as working miracles, healing
the sick, and befriending the friendless. They also tell
about his preaching of God’s mercy and love, and urged his
followers to love one another.
What are the gospels?
The gospels are accounts of Jesus’ life and
teachings written by four of his followers.
Who wrote the gospels and when did they write them?
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote the
gospels. They were written 30 to 70 years
after Jesus died.
•According to the gospels, an angel appeared to Jesus’ mother,
Mary, to tell her that she would bear God’s son.
•Mary and her husband, Joseph traveled to Bethlehem in
Judea around 6 B.C. to be counted in the census ordered by
King Herod.
•Mary had Jesus during that time in Bethlehem which was
called “the city of David”.
•It is likely that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and learned
carpentry, his father’s trade. Like other boys, he probably
spent long hours studying Jewish law and religious writings.
•When Jesus was about 30, Jesus was baptized by John the
Baptist who identified Jesus as the savior the Jews had been
waiting for.
•After spending 40 days praying in the wilderness, he returned
to Galilee and began to preach.
According to the Gospels, where was
Jesus born?
Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
What did Jesus learn about and study
as a child?
Jesus studied and learned about
Jewish law and religious writings, and
carpentry.
Why was Jesus baptism a turning
point in his life?
John the Baptist identified him as
the savior the Jews had been
waiting for.
•As Jesus began preaching, he called 12 men to follow him
called his disciples. They were simple fisherman and
laborers. Jesus taught his information by telling stories,
performing miracles and giving sermons.
•Of all the Jewish laws, Jesus said the two greatest
commandments were “You shall love your God with all your
heart and all your soul. The second was, “You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.”
•Jesus preached that God’s kingdom was not an earthly
kingdom of power and riches, but a kingdom when people
would live according to God’s will and would know his love.
•While the Jews focused attention on the law, Jesus
focused on what was in people’s hearts. Some Jews worried
that this way of thinking was wrong and dangerous. Others
worried that Jesus’ followers would stir up trouble with the
Romans.
According to the gospels, what did Jesus say
were the most important of all the Jewish
laws?
The most important Jewish laws were “You shall
love your God with all your heart and all your
soul.” and “You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.”
Why did Jesus’ teachings upset some Jews?
Jesus’ teachings upset some Jews because
Jesus seemed to care more about what was in
people’s hearts than about people’s obedience
to Jewish law. Also, some feared that his
followers would stir up trouble with the
Romans.
How did Jesus spread his message?
By telling stories, performing miracles and giving sermons.
•After much teaching, Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of
Passover.
•After supper with his disciples, Jesus went to a garden to pray. Judas
told some Jewish leaders where Jesus could be found. Jesus was led away
under guard .
•Brought before the Jewish council, the high priest accused him of claiming
to be the Son of God. Under Jewish law, the penalty for blasphemy was
death.
•The Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate had to approve the penalty and could
find no fault with Jesus. Eventually Pilate was convinced and sentenced
Jesus to death by crucifixion.
•Jesus was buried. According to the gospels, Jesus rose the third day
from the dead. He appeared to the disciples, convincing them that he is
the Son of God. He then joined his Father in Heaven.
•The disciples then began spreading the news of his life and teaching.
According to the gospels, why was
Jesus sent to die on the cross?
Jesus was condemned to die on the
cross because he claimed to be king
of the Jews and their Messiah.
Why was belief in Jesus’ resurrection
so important to his disciples and
other followers?
The resurrection was important because it convinced them that he was the Son
of God.
•A time after Jesus’ death, a Jewish tax collector named Saul became a
leader in the early persecution of Christians. He was a Greek-speaking
Jew and a Roman citizen.
•One day he was traveling to a city called Damascus. He was blinded by a
light from Heaven and heard Jesus’ voice calling, “Saul, why do you
persecute me?”
•He was blinded and taken by his followers to a Christian who healed him.
•From that point on, he was convinced that Jesus was the promised
Messiah and the Son of God. He became a tireless missionary for Jesus
Christ.
•As an educated man who spoke Greek, Saul made it his mission to convert
non-Jews, known as Gentiles. He was called Paul; his name in Greek.
•Paul stressed the need to believe in Jesus as the Son of God. He taught
that all people are God’s children and that they did not have to adopt such
Jewish customs as not eating pork or shellfish.
•Paul wrote many letters to churches in the Roman empire. Tradition says
that the Romans cut off his head in about 65 A.D. after being jailed in
Rome.
What caused Paul to
stop persecuting
Christians and become
a missionary?
Saul stopped
persecuting Christians
and became a missionary
because he believed he
had heard the voice of
the risen Jesus.
How did Paul’s work help
spread Christianity?
Paul helped spread
Christianity by traveling
through the empire
preaching. While in jail,
he wrote letters to other
Christians.
•By the 60’s A.D., the Christians were beginning to attract the attention of
the Romans. Rome was tolerant of other religions as long as the conquered
people worshipped Roman gods and emperors as well.
•Christians refused to worship Roman gods or admit that the emperor was
a god. Many Christians refused to serve in the army. These ideals were
insulting to the Romans. Eventually, Christianity was declared illegal.
•Christians who refused to honor the Roman gods were sentenced to die.
Some were crucified, some were burned to death, others were hauled into
arenas where they were devoured by wild animals.
•Persecution failed to destroy the new religion. Instead Christians won
new admirers by facing death bravely. Christianity offered many people in
the empire a sense of purpose and hope.
•As time went on, people of all classes were won over to the new faith. By
the early 300’s, the emperor Constantine became a Christian and allowed
Christians to worship freely. In 395, Christianity became the official
Roman religion.
Why were Christians considered a
threat to Rome?
Christians were a threat to Rome
because they refused to worship
Roman gods, would not admit the
emperor was a god, preferred a
life of simplicity, and refused to
serve in the army.
How did Rome’s persecution of Christians help Christianity grow and spread?
People admired the bravery of the Christians who faced death. Also, Christianity
offered hope to the poor and slaves and offered all people a sense of purpose.