thumb|280px|The [[Maestà (Duccio)|Maestà by Duccio (1310), depicting the life of Christ, with 26 central scenes devoted to the Passion and Resurrection]]
The life of Jesus is primarily recorded in the four canonical gospels, which outline the genealogy and nativity of Jesus, describe his public ministry and prophetic works, and conclude with his passion, resurrection and ascension. and which include references to key episodes in the life of Jesus, such as the Last Supper, and the Acts of the Apostles (1:1–11), which includes more references to the Ascension episode than the canonical gospels While Luke traces the genealogy upwards towards Adam and God, Matthew traces it downwards towards Jesus. Both gospels state that Jesus was begotten not by Joseph, but conceived miraculously in the womb of Mary, mother of Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Both accounts trace Joseph back to King David and from there to Abraham. These lists are identical between Abraham and David (except for one name), but they differ almost completely between David and Joseph. Matthew gives Jacob as Joseph's father and Luke says Joseph was the son of Heli. Attempts at explaining the differences between the genealogies have varied in nature. Much of modern scholarship interprets them as literary inventions.
The Luke and Matthew accounts of the birth of Jesus have a number of points in common; both have Jesus being born in Bethlehem, in Judea, to a virgin mother. In the Luke account Joseph and Mary travel from their home in Nazareth for the census to Bethlehem, where Jesus is born and laid in a manger. Angels proclaim him a savior for all people, and shepherds come to adore him; the Holy Family then returns to Nazareth. In Matthew, The Magi follow a star to Bethlehem, where the family are staying, to bring gifts to Jesus, born the King of the Jews. King Herod massacres all males under two years old in Bethlehem in order to kill Jesus, but Jesus' family flees to Egypt and later settles in Nazareth. Over the centuries, biblical scholars have attempted to reconcile these differences, while modern scholarship mostly views them as legendary, though conservative scholars maintain historicity. Generally, they consider the issue of historicity as secondary, given that gospels were primarily written as theological documents rather than chronological timelines.
Ministry
thumb|300px|Calling of the Apostles by [[Domenico Ghirlandaio (1481) depicts Jesus commissioning the Twelve Apostles.]]
The five major milestones in the New Testament narrative of the life of Jesus are his Baptism, Transfiguration, Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension.
In the gospel accounts, the ministry of Jesus begins in the countryside of Roman Judea and Transjordan, near the Jordan River, and ends in Jerusalem, following the Last Supper with his disciples. A chronology of Jesus typically has the date of the start of his ministry estimated at 27–29 and the end in the range 30–36.
Jesus' early Galilean ministry begins after his Baptism when he returns to Galilee from his time in the Judaean Desert. Jesus then begins preaching in Galilee and recruits his first disciples, or apostles. They travel with him and ultimately become the core of the early Church,
After the proclamation of Jesus as Christ, three of the disciples (Peter, James, and John) witness his Transfiguration. After the death of John the Baptist and the Transfiguration, Jesus starts his final journey to Jerusalem, having predicted his own death there.
In his later Judean ministry Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem through Judea. As Jesus travels towards Jerusalem, in the later Perean ministry, about one third the way down from the Sea of Galilee (actually a fresh water lake) along the River Jordan, he returns to the area where he was baptized. The final ministry in Jerusalem, called the Passion Week or Holy Week, begins with Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As he enters Jerusalem to public acclaim, there friction with the Pharisees increases and one of his disciples agrees to betray him for 30 silver coins. In the gospel accounts, towards the end of the final week in Jerusalem, Jesus has the Last Supper with his disciples, and the next day is betrayed, arrested and tried. The trial ends in his Crucifixion and death. Three days after his burial, he is Resurrected and appears to his disciples and a multitude of his followers (numbering around 500 in total) over a 40-day period (1 Corinthians 15) after which he ascends to Heaven. The first disciples of Jesus encounter him near the Sea of Galilee and his later Galilean ministry includes key episodes such as the Sermon on the Mount (with the Beatitudes) which form the core of his moral teachings. His ministry in the Galilee area draws to an end with the death of John the Baptist.]]
The baptism of Jesus marks the beginning of his public ministry. This event is recorded in the Canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. In John 1:29–33, rather than a direct narrative, John the Baptist bears witness to the episode.
In the New Testament, John the Baptist preached a "baptism with water", not of forgiveness but of penance or repentance for the remission of sins (), and declared himself a forerunner to one who would baptize "with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (). In so doing he was preparing the way for Jesus. Jesus came to the Jordan River where he was baptized by John. The baptismal scene includes the Heavens opening, a dove-like descent of the Holy Spirit, and a voice from Heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased."
Most modern scholars view the fact that Jesus was baptized by John as a historical event to which a high degree of certainty can be assigned. James Dunn states that the historicity of the baptism and crucifixion of Jesus "command almost universal assent". Along with the crucifixion of Jesus most scholars view his baptism as one of the two historically certain facts about him, and often use it as the starting points for the study of the historical Jesus. Mark, and Luke. In these narratives, after being baptized, Jesus fasted for forty days and nights in the Judaean Desert. During this time, Satan appeared to Jesus and tempted him. Jesus having refused each temptation, Satan departed and angels came and brought nourishment to Jesus.
Calling the disciples and early Ministry
thumb|Calling of the disciples and the [[miraculous catch of fish, by Raphael, 1515]]
The calling of the first disciples is a key episode in the gospels which begins the active ministry of Jesus, and builds the foundation for the group of people who follow him, and later form the early Church. It takes place in , and on the Sea of Galilee. reports the first encounter with two of the disciples a little earlier in the presence of John the Baptist. Particularly in the Gospel of Mark the beginning of the ministry of Jesus and the call of the first disciples are inseparable.
In the Gospel of Luke (), the event is part of the first miraculous catch of fish and results in Peter as well as James and John, the sons of Zebedee, joining Jesus vocationally as disciples. The gathering of the disciples in follows the many patterns of discipleship that continue in the New Testament, in that who have received someone else's witness become witnesses to Jesus themselves. Andrew follows Jesus because of the testimony of John the Baptist, Philip brings Nathanael and the pattern continues in where the Samaritan Woman at the Well testifies to the town people about Jesus.
This early period also includes the first miracle of Jesus in the Marriage at Cana, in the Gospel of John where Jesus and his disciples are invited to a wedding and when the wine runs out Jesus turns water into wine by performing a miracle.
Ministry and miracles in Galilee
Jesus' activities in Galillee include a number of miracles and teachings. The beginnings of this period include The Centurion's Servant (8:5–13) and Calming the storm (Matthew 8:23–27) both dealing with the theme of faith overcoming fear. In this period, Jesus also gathers disciples, e.g. calls Matthew. The Commissioning the twelve Apostles relates the initial selection of the twelve Apostles among the disciples of Jesus.
In the Mission Discourse, Jesus instructs the twelve apostles who are named in Matthew 10:2–3 to carry no belongings as they travel from city to city and preach.
thumb|left|300px|[[Jesus' walk on water|Walking on water, by Veneziano, 1370]]
After hearing of John the Baptist's death, Jesus withdraws by boat privately to a solitary place near Bethsaida, where he addresses the crowds who had followed him on foot from the towns, and feeds them all by "five loaves and two fish" supplied by a boy. Following this, the gospels present the Walking on water episode in Matthew 14:22–23, Mark 6:45–52 and
John 6:16–21 as an important step in developing the relationship between Jesus and his disciples, at this stage of his ministry. The episode emphasizes the importance of faith by stating that when he attempted to walk on water, Peter began to sink when he lost faith and became afraid, and at the end of the episode, the disciples increase their faith in Jesus and in Matthew 14:33 they say: "Of a truth thou art the Son of God".
Major teachings in this period include the Discourse on Defilement in Matthew 15:1–20 and Mark 7:1–23 where in response to a complaint from the Pharisees Jesus states: "What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean..
Following this episode Jesus withdraws into the "parts of Tyre and Sidon" near the Mediterranean Sea where the Canaanite woman's daughter episode takes place in Matthew 15:21–28 and Mark 7:24–30. This episode is an example of how Jesus emphasizes the value of faith, telling the woman: "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted."
In the Gospel of Mark, after passing through Sidon Jesus enters the region of the Decapolis, a group of ten cities south east of Galilee, where the Healing the deaf mute miracle is reported in Mark 7:31–37, where after the healing, the disciples say: "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak." The episode is the last in a series of narrated miracles which builds up to Peter's proclamation of Jesus as Christ in Mark 8:29.
Proclamation as Christ
thumb|240px|[[Pietro Perugino's depiction of the "Giving of the Keys to Saint Peter" by Jesus, 1481–82]]
The Confession of Peter refers to an episode in the New Testament in which in Jesus asks a question to his disciples: "Who do you say that I am?" Apostle Peter proclaims Jesus to be Christ — the expected Messiah. The proclamation is described in the three synoptic gospels: Matthew 16:13–20, Mark 8:27–30 and Luke 9:18–20.
Peter's Confession begins as a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples in which Jesus begins to ask about the current opinions about himself among "the multitudes", asking: "Who do the multitudes say that I am?"
In Matthew 16:17 Jesus blesses Peter for his answer, and later indicates him as the rock of the Church, and states that he will give Peter "the keys of the kingdom of heaven".
In blessing Peter, Jesus not only accepts the titles Christ and Son of God which Peter attributes to him, but declares the proclamation a divine revelation by stating that his Father in Heaven had revealed it to Peter. In this assertion, by endorsing both titles as divine revelation, Jesus unequivocally declares himself to be both Christ and the Son of God. While some of this passage may well be authentic, the reference to Jesus as Christ and Son of God is likely to be an addition by Matthew.
Transfiguration
thumb|right|The [[Transfiguration of Jesus, depicted by Carl Bloch, 19th century]]
The Transfiguration is an episode in the New Testament narrative in which Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant upon a mountain.
The Transfiguration is one of the miracles of Jesus in the gospelsl accounts. This miracle is unique among others that appear in the Canonical gospels, in that the miracle happens to Jesus himself. Thomas Aquinas considered the Transfiguration "the greatest miracle" in that it complemented baptism and showed the perfection of life in Heaven. The Transfiguration is one of the five major milestones in the gospel narrative of the life of Jesus, the others being Baptism, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension.
Final journey to Jerusalem
thumb|left|150px|Sixth-century mosaic of the [[Raising of Lazarus, church of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy]]
After the death of John the Baptist and the Transfiguration, Jesus starts his final journey to Jerusalem, having predicted his own death there. The Gospel of John states that during the final journey Jesus returned to the area where he was baptized, and John 10:40–42 states that "many people believed in him beyond the Jordan", saying "all things whatsoever John spake of this man were true". Scholars generally assume that the route Jesus followed from Galilee to Jerusalem passed through Perea. It includes the parables of The Lost Sheep and The Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18 which also refer to the Kingdom of Heaven. The general theme of the discourse is the anticipation of a future community of followers, and the role of his apostles in leading it.
At the end of this period, the Gospel of John includes the Raising of Lazarus episode in John 11:1–46 in which Jesus brings Lazarus of Bethany back to life four days after his burial. It is also a pivotal episode which starts the chain of events that leads to the crowds seeking Jesus on his triumphal entry into Jerusalem — leading to the decision of Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin to plan to kill Jesus.
Final week in Jerusalem
thumb|240px|The [[Last Supper has been depicted by many artistic masters. This Last Supper is by Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret (1896).]]The description of the last week of the life of Jesus occupies about one third of the narrative in the canonical gospels.
The last week in Jerusalem is the conclusion of the journey which Jesus had started in Galilee through Perea and Judea.
Towards the end of the week, Jesus has the Last Supper with his disciples, during which he institutes the Eucharist, and prepares them for his departure in the Farewell Discourse. After the supper, Jesus is betrayed with a kiss while he is in Agony in the Garden, and is arrested. After his arrest, Jesus is abandoned by most of his disciples, and Peter denies him three times, as Jesus had predicted during the Last Supper. The final week that begins with his entry into Jerusalem, concludes with his crucifixion and burial on that Friday.
Passion
Betrayal and arrest
thumb|200px|[[Kiss of Judas (Giotto)|Kiss of Judas (1304–1306), fresco by Giotto, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, Italy]]
In Matthew 26:36–46, Mark 14:32–42, Luke 22:39–46 and John 18:1, immediately after the Last Supper, Jesus takes a walk to pray, Matthew and Mark identifying this place of prayer as Garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus is accompanied by Peter, John and James the Greater, whom he asks to "remain here and keep watch with me." He moves "a stone's throw away" from them, where he feels overwhelming sadness and says "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have it." Jesus is tried by the Sanhedrin, mocked and beaten and is condemned for making claims of being the Son of God. He is then taken to Pontius Pilate and the Jewish elders ask Pilate to judge and condemn Jesus—accusing him of claiming to be the King of the Jews. Although the Gospel accounts vary with respect to various details, they agree on the general character and overall structure of the trials of Jesus. However, Jesus says nothing in response to Herod's questions, or the vehement accusations of the chief priests and the scribes. Herod and his soldiers mock Jesus, put a gorgeous robe on him, as the King of the Jews, and sent him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate become friends with each other that day: for before they were at enmity. After questioning Jesus and receiving no replies, Herod sees Jesus as no threat and returns him to Pilate.
After Jesus' return from Herod's court, Pilate publicly declares that he finds Jesus to be innocent of the charges, but the crowd insists on capital punishment. The universal rule of the Roman Empire limited capital punishment strictly to the tribunal of the Roman governor and Pilate decided to publicly wash his hands as not being privy to Jesus' death. Pilate thus presents himself as an advocate pleading Jesus' case rather than as a judge in an official hearing, yet he orders the crucifixion of Jesus.
Crucifixion and burial
thumb|right|180px|The Crucifixion (1622) by [[Simon Vouet; Church of Jesus, Genoa]]
Jesus' crucifixion is described in all four canonical gospels, and is attested to by other sources of that age (e.g. Josephus and Tacitus), and is regarded as a historical event.
After the trials, Jesus made his way to Calvary (the path is traditionally called Via Dolorosa) and the three synoptic gospels indicate that he was assisted by Simon of Cyrene, the Romans compelling him to do so. Each gospel has its own account of Jesus' last words, comprising the seven last sayings on the cross. In John 19:26–27 Jesus entrusts his mother to the disciple he loved and in Luke 23:34 he states: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do", usually interpreted as his forgiveness of the Roman soldiers and the others involved.
In the three synoptic gospels, various supernatural events accompany the crucifixion, including darkness of the sky, an earthquake, and (in Matthew) the resurrection of saints. The tearing of the temple veil, upon the death of Jesus, is referenced in the synoptic.
Following Jesus' death on Friday, Joseph of Arimathea asked the permission of Pilate to remove the body. The body was removed from the cross, was wrapped in a clean cloth and buried in a new rock-hewn tomb, with the assistance of Nicodemus.
Resurrection and Ascension
thumb|upright|left|Resurrection of Jesus by [[Lucas Cranach the Younger|Lucas Cranach, 1558]]
The gospels state that the first day of the week after the crucifixion (typically interpreted as a Sunday), the followers of Jesus encounter him risen from the dead, after his tomb was discovered to be empty. The New Testament does not include an account of the "moment of resurrection" and in the Eastern Church icons do not depict that moment, but show the Myrrhbearers, and depict scenes of salvation.
The resurrected Jesus then appears to his followers that day and a number of times thereafter, delivers sermons and has supper with some of them, before ascending to Heaven. The gospels of Luke and Mark include brief mentions of the Ascension, but the main references to it are elsewhere in the New Testament. the turning of the stone that had closed the tomb, the visit of the women on "the first day of the week;" that the risen Jesus chose first to appear to women and told them to inform the other disciples; the prominence of Mary Magdalene in the accounts. Variants have to do with the precise time the women visited the tomb, the number and identity of the women; the purpose of their visit; the appearance of the messengers—angelic or human; their message to the women; and the response of the women. In the Miraculous catch of 153 fish Jesus appears to his disciples on the Sea of Galilee, and thereafter Jesus encourages the Apostle Peter to serve his followers.
The canonical gospels include two brief descriptions of the Ascension of Jesus in Luke 24:50–53 and Mark 16:19, in which it takes place on Easter Sunday. A more detailed account of Jesus' bodily Ascension into the clouds is given in the Acts of the Apostles (1:9–11) where the narrative starts with the account of Jesus' appearances after his resurrection and describes the event as taking place forty days later.
Acts 1:9–12 specifies the location of the Ascension as the "mount called Olivet" near Jerusalem. Acts 1:3 states that Jesus: "showed himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing unto them by the space of forty days, and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God". After giving a number of instructions to the apostles
Acts 1:9 describes the Ascension as follows: "And when he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight." Following this two men clothed in white appear and tell the apostles that Jesus will return in the same manner as he was taken, and the apostles return to Jerusalem.
See also
Gospels, chronology and historicity
- Baptism of Jesus
- Chronology of Jesus
- Gospel harmony
- Historical Jesus
- Jesus in Christianity
- Life of Christ in art
- Life of Christ Museum
- Ministry of Jesus
- Timeline of Christianity
- Timeline of the Bible
Associated sites
- Ænon
- Al Maghtas
- Bethabara
- New Testament places associated with Jesus
- Qasr el Yahud