Jesus
· Jesus was born c. 4 BCE (Before the Common Era), near the time of the death of Herod the Great, in the town of Bethlehem.
· He spent his childhood and early adult years with his parents in the small village of Nazareth, a Galilean village. During Jesus’ life, Herod Antipas was the ruler of Galilee.
· When Jesus was in his late twenties, John the Baptist began preaching near Galilee. Jesus heard his preaching and felt called to accept his baptism. All four gospels point to this as an event that transformed Jesus’ life. According to the gospels, Jesus “saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove”; he also heard a voice saying, “You are my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Mark I.9-11)
· Jesus began calling disciples to follow him. They traveled together through the towns, villages and countryside of Galilee (apparently not the cities) while Jesus preached about “the kingdom of God.” It is possible that all of Jesus’ ministry, except the last two or three weeks, took place in Galilee. Jesus not only preached to the people of Galilee but also healed the sick. People heard about this and began amassing to see Him. Soon Jesus had to begin preaching in large, open areas because of the sizable crowds.
· Around the year 30 AD (Anno Domini) he and the apostles went to Jerusalem for Passover. While there, Jesus created a disturbance in the Temple area.
· He was arrested and interrogated by Jewish authorities, specifically the high priest. The apostles fled in fear.
· Jesus was executed on the orders of the Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate.
· After his crucifixion, Jesus began appearing to the disciples. Because of this, the disciples believed that Jesus would return to found a new kingdom on earth. They formed a community to await his return and sought to win others to faith in him as God’s Messiah.
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Miracles
Jesus' Miracles of Healing
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