CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3

The Life
of Jesus
Martyr
Martyr is a Greek
word that means
“witness.” It was
first ascribed to
Christians to
designate those
who bore witness
to their faith by
dying for it.

God Enters History in the Person of Jesus Christ

Where did Jesus Live?
Bethlehem: Jesus was born
when Mary and Joseph traveled
to the hometown of Joseph
Nazareth: the boyhood home
of Jesus located in Galilee
Jerusalem: the holy city of the
Jews where the Temple was
located and where Jesus spent
much of his public ministry
God Enters History in the Person of Jesus Christ
When in Time did Jesus Live?

God Enters History in the Person of Jesus Christ

GOSPEL
Preached by
Jesus

Proclaimed by
the Apostles
The proclamation of the “Good News of
salvation,” that God has sent his beloved
Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem sinners so
that they might receive adoption as sons Written as four
and daughters of God. This Good News records

was preached by Jesus, proclaimed by the

Apostles and written as four records of
Jesus’ life.
Events of Jesus’ Life
Major Events in Jesus’ Life
1. Jesus’ Jewish name was given to Mary by the angel Gabriel at the time of the
Annunciation.
2. Jesus’ hometown was Nazareth. However, because of a census ordered by the Roman
government, Jesus’ birth took place in Bethlehem, the place of origin of Joseph, his
foster father.
3. After being baptized by the prophet John the Baptist, likely between AD 27 and 30,
Jesus began his own public ministry.
4. Jesus’ manner of preaching and his actions led some people to think of him as a great
prophet.
5. Eventually, the Jewish religious leaders handed Jesus over to the Roman officials for
arrest. He was found guilty of blasphemy. Pontius Pilate sentenced him to the cruelest
form of capital punishment: crucifixion.

Events of Jesus’ Life

 Journal
Reflection
What evidence of
Christ’s historical life
do you find most
compelling? Why?
How has this
evidence impacted
your faith?

Events of Jesus’ Life

 Written Recordings Outside of the Bible
Person Main Source Evidence
Tacitus Annals Mentions Christians in connection with Nero and the great fire in Rome/executed
by Pontius Pilate
Suetonius Lives of the Caesars Connects “Chrestus” (Christ) with Jewish riots in Rome
Pliny the correspondence with Emperor Christians met together to worship, sang hymns, recited a creed, and promised
younger Trajan to live morally and worship Jesus Christ.
Josephus Jewish Antiquities John the Baptist was a good man. Annas the Younger put James the Just to death
in AD 62. James was the “brother of Jesus who is called Christ.”
Thallus quotations in historical Thallus wrote about the earthquake and darkness that descended on the land
documents when Jesus died.
Mara bar letter to his son Jews (Jewish leaders) killed their wise King and afterwards were ruined and
Serapion driven from their land. The wise King lived on in the teaching that he had given.
Lucian of work of satire He mocked the Christian faith in the Resurrection and said that Christians follow
Samosata the teaching of that one who is their founder and lawgiver who was crucified.
Celsus Against Celsus by Origen Celsus made these claims: Jesus’ father was a Roman soldier; Jesus went to Egypt
contains some of Celsus’ charges to learn sorcery.
against Christianity
Babylonian Babylonian Talmud More
There is a mention of Jesus who Evidence
practiced magicofand
theled
Historical Life
Israel away oftrue
from Jesus
Talmud Jewish worship; he had disciples, and he was “’hanged on the eve of Passover.”
What the Gospels Reveals about the Life of Jesus
 Four Gospels
• Authentic
testimonies of faith
in Jesus Christ
• Inspired writings
• Written sources
• Expression of the
Church’s faith in
Jesus

Matthew Mark Luke John

What the Gospels Reveals about the Life of Jesus

 Abba means “father” or
“dad.” Jesus used Abba to
reveal “that God is Father in
an unheard-of sense”
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the
Father in my name he will
give you” (Jn 16:23).
Good Samaritan

The Prodigal Son

Who but God

alone can forgive
sins? (Mk 2:7)

What the Gospels Reveals about the Life of Jesus

What the Gospels Reveals about the Life of Jesus
Early Christian Persecution
YEAR –AD Event or Era of Persecution for Early Christians
64 Nero deflects blame for great fire in Rome—blames first Jews then Christians
95-96 Domitian Empire (much persecution)
98-117 Trajan’s Empire (Pliny encountered Christians and immediately condemned them to death
sparing those who claimed to be reformed
124-125 Cases against Christians must have misdeeds named or serious consequences for accusers
125-160 Period of relative tolerance
161 Marcus Aurelius came to power. Polycarp sentences Christians to death
175 Christians property seized
193 Severan Dynasty—church became stronger, consolidated in cities, grew.

202-210 Anti Christian sentiments grew

235-238 Persecution agaisnt church leaders grew
249-251 Severe test for Christians
258-259 Bloodiest persecution
260-303 Peaceful time for Christians
303 The Great Persecutions
The Witness of Early Martyrs to the Life of Jesus
Journal Reflection
Describe a time when
you have felt
compromised or
threatened by your
religious beliefs.

The Witness of Early Martyrs to the Life of Jesus