Editing Jesus (section)

{{Short description|Central figure of Christianity}}
{{Redirect-several|Jesus|Christ|Jesus Christ|Jesus of Nazareth}}
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{{Infobox person
<!---
   Note: Please do not expand this infobox. See the FAQ on the talk page.
 --->| name          = Jesus
| image              = Spas vsederzhitel sinay (cropped1).jpg
| caption            = {{longitem|The [[Christ Pantocrator (Sinai)|Christ Pantocrator]] of [[Saint Catherine's Monastery]] at [[Mount Sinai]], 6th century AD{{efn|Christ's features on his right side (the viewer's left) are theorized to represent the qualities of his human nature, while his left side (the viewer's right) represents his divinity.<ref>Weitzmann, ''Sinai, the Icons'', p. 15.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1-first=Manolis |author1-last=Chatzidakis |author1-link=Manolis Hatzidakis |translator1-first=Gerry |translator1-last=Walters |language=en |date=1967 |title=An encaustic icon of Christ at Sinai |journal=The Art Bulletin |volume=47 |issue=3 |pages=199 |doi=10.2307/3048469 |quote=The two great eyes are not, themselves, completely identical either in dimension or in shape. They are not placed on the same level, and through the difference in movement of the eyebrows, each acquires a slightly different nuance of expression: the right eye is more calm, while the left, larger, is more lively.}}</ref>}}}}
| birth_date         = {{circa}} [[Date of the birth of Jesus|6 to 4 BC]]{{efn|[[John P. Meier]] writes that Jesus's birth year is {{circa|7 or 6&nbsp;BC|lk=no}}.{{sfn|Meier|1991|p=407}}<!--
       --> [[Karl Rahner]] states that the consensus among Christian scholars is {{circa|4 BC|lk=no}}.{{sfn|Rahner|2004|p=732}} <!--
       -->[[E.&nbsp;P. Sanders]] also favours {{circa|4 BC|lk=no}} and refers to the general consensus.{{sfn|Sanders|1993|pp=10–11}} <!--
       -->[[Jack Finegan]] uses the study of early Christian traditions to support {{circa|3 or 2&nbsp;BC|lk=no}}.<ref name=Finegan>{{harvnb|Finegan|1998|page=[https://archive.org/details/handbookbiblical00fine/page/n350 319]}}</ref> <!--
 -->}}
| birth_place        = <!--Note: No scholarly consensus for any more precise a location than Judea:-->[[Herodian kingdom]], [[Roman Empire]]{{sfn|Brown|1977|p=513}}
| death_date         = AD 30 or 33 (aged 33 or 38)
| death_place        = [[Jerusalem]], [[Judaea (Roman province)|Judaea]], Roman Empire
| known_for          = *Central figure of [[Jesus in Christianity|Christianity]]
*[[Manifestation of God (Baháʼí Faith)|Manifestation of God]] in [[Baháʼí Faith]]
*Major prophet [[Jesus in Islam|in Islam]] and [[Druze Faith]]
| death_cause        = <!---Note: No (further) comments required here; the scholarly consensus that the cause of Jesus's death was crucifixion is given in the article text:--->[[Crucifixion of Jesus|Crucifixion]]<!--
 -->{{efn|[[James Dunn (theologian)|James Dunn]] writes that the baptism and crucifixion of Jesus "command almost universal assent" and "rank so high on the 'almost impossible to doubt or deny' scale of historical facts" that they are often the starting points for the study of the historical Jesus.{{sfn|Dunn|2003|p=339}} <!--
       -->[[Bart D. Ehrman]] states that the crucifixion of Jesus on the orders of Pontius Pilate is the most certain element about him.{{sfn|Ehrman|1999|p=101}} <!--
       -->[[John Dominic Crossan]] and Richard G. Watts state that the crucifixion of Jesus is as certain as any historical fact can be.{{sfn|Crossan|Watts|1999|p=96}} <!--
       -->Paul R. Eddy and [[Gregory A. Boyd]] say that non-Christian confirmation of the crucifixion of Jesus is now "firmly established".{{sfn|Eddy|Boyd|2007|p=173}} <!--
 -->}}
<!----
  Note: Please do not expand this infobox. See the FAQ on the talk page.
 ----->| parents            = [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Mary]], [[Saint Joseph|Joseph]]{{efn|Traditionally, Christians believe that Mary conceived her son miraculously by the agency of the Holy Spirit. Muslims believe that she conceived her son miraculously by the command of God. Joseph was from these perspectives and according to the canonical gospels the acting adoptive father of Jesus.}}
}}
{{Jesus |right |width=22.0em<!--should match width of preceding infobox-->}}
<!----
  The following paragraph was created by consensus after considerable discussion by a variety of editors. Out of courtesy for this process, please discuss any proposed changes on the talk page before editing it.
 ----->

'''Jesus'''{{efn|{{langx|grc|Ἰησοῦς}}, {{small|romanized:}} {{transliteration|grc|Iēsoús}}, probably from {{langx|he|יֵשׁוּעַ|label=[[Hebrew]] or [[Aramaic]]}}, {{small|romanized:}} {{tlit|und|[[Yeshua|Yēšūaʿ]]}} }} ({{circa|6 to 4 [[Before Christ|BC]]}}<!-- "By collating the gospel accounts with historical data and using various other methods, most scholars arrive at a date of birth between 6 and 4 BC for Jesus, though scholarly arguments for a date of birth between 7 and 2 BC have been made" in 'Chronology' section -->{{snd}}[[AD]] 30 or 33), also referred to as '''Jesus Christ''',{{efn|[[Coptic language|Coptic]]: {{lang|cop|Ⲓⲏⲥⲟⲩⲥ Ⲡⲓⲭ́ρⲓⲥτⲟⲥ}}; [[Geʽez]]: {{lang|gez|መሲህ ኢየሱስ}}; [[Koine Greek|Greek]]: {{lang|grc|Ἰησοῦς Χριστός}}; [[Classical Hebrew|Hebrew]]: {{lang|hbo|ישוע המשיח}}; [[Latin]]: {{lang|la|Iesus Christus}}; [[Church Slavonic|Slavonic]]: {{lang|cu|І҆исоу́съ Хрїсто́съ}}; [[Classical Syriac|Syriac]]: {{lang|syc|ܝܫܘܥ ܡܫܺܝܚܳܐ}}}} '''Jesus of Nazareth''', and many [[Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament|other names and titles]], was a 1st-century [[Jewish]] preacher and religious leader.{{sfn|Vermes|1981|pp=20, 26, 27, 29}} <!-- Do not merge these. Jesus is — not was — the central figure of Christianity.  -->He is the [[Jesus in Christianity|central figure]] of [[Christianity]], the [[Major religious groups|world's largest religion]]. Most [[Christians]] consider Jesus to be the [[Incarnation (Christianity)|incarnation]] of [[God the Son]] and awaited [[Messiah#Christianity|messiah]], or [[Christ (title)|Christ]], a descendant from the [[Davidic line]] that is prophesied in the [[Old Testament]].<!----
  The following paragraph was created by consensus after considerable discussion by a variety of editors. Out of courtesy for this process, please discuss any proposed changes on the talk page before editing it.
 ----><!--
  PLEASE READ THIS FIRST.
  The following references are WP:RS sources that are used per WP:RS/AC guideline.
  The issue has been discussed on the talk page at length
  See the "talk page FAQ" about it; it may answer your question.

  The main source says "scholars of antiquity", other sources say "scholars", "biblical scholars and classical historians" and "historians".

  Sources do not say "X scholars" or "Christian scholars", so do not modify it as such, for that will make it deviate from what the sources state.
  The source says "virtually all", so do NOT change it to "most", "several", "many", etc.

  Thank you.
 ----> Virtually all modern scholars of [[classical antiquity|antiquity]] agree that [[Historicity of Jesus|Jesus existed historically]].{{efn |name=exist|In a 2011 review of the state of modern scholarship, [[Bart D. Ehrman]] wrote, "He certainly existed, as virtually every competent scholar of antiquity, Christian or non-Christian, agrees."{{sfn|Ehrman|2011|p=[https://archive.org/details/forged_ehrm_2011_000_10544376/page/n298 285]}} [[Richard A. Burridge]] states: "There are those who argue that Jesus is a figment of the Church's imagination, that there never was a Jesus at all. I have to say that I do not know any respectable critical scholar who says that any more."<ref>{{cite book |title=Jesus Now and Then |first1=Richard A. |last1=Burridge |first2=Graham |last2=Gould |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-8028-0977-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/jesusnowthen0000burr/page/34 34] |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans |url=https://archive.org/details/jesusnowthen0000burr/page/34}}</ref> [[Robert M. Price]] does not believe that Jesus existed but agrees that this perspective runs against the views of the majority of scholars.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |first=Robert M. |last=Price |title=Jesus at the Vanishing Point |encyclopedia=The Historical Jesus: Five Views |editor-last1=Beilby |editor-last2=Eddy |year=2009 |publisher=InterVarsity |isbn=978-0-8308-7853-6 |editor-first=James K. |pages=55, 61 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O33P7xrFnLQC&pg=PA55 |editor2-first=Paul R. |access-date=14 August 2015 |archive-date=7 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907112540/https://books.google.com/books?id=O33P7xrFnLQC&pg=PA55 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[James D. G. Dunn]] calls the theories of Jesus's non-existence "a thoroughly dead thesis".<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Paul's understanding of the death of Jesus |encyclopedia=Sacrifice and Redemption |first=Stephen W. |last=Sykes |year=2007 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-04460-8 |pages=35–36}}</ref> [[Michael Grant (author)|Michael Grant]] (a [[classicist]]), "In recent years, 'no serious scholar has ventured to postulate the non historicity of Jesus' or at any rate very few, and they have not succeeded in disposing of the much stronger, indeed very abundant, evidence to the contrary."<ref>{{cite book |first=Michael |last=Grant |title=Jesus|publisher=Phoenix |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-684-14889-2 |page=200}}</ref> [[Robert E. Van Voorst]] states that biblical scholars and classical historians regard theories of non-existence of Jesus as effectively refuted.{{sfn|Van Voorst|2000|p=16}} Writing on ''[[The Daily Beast]]'', [[Candida Moss]] and Joel Baden state that, "there is nigh universal consensus among biblical scholars&nbsp;– the authentic ones, at least&nbsp;– that Jesus was, in fact, a real guy."<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/so-called-biblical-scholar-says-jesus-a-made-up-myth |title=So-Called 'Biblical Scholar' Says Jesus a Made-Up Myth |newspaper=The Daily Beast |date=5 October 2014 |last1=Baden |first1=Candida Moss |access-date=14 July 2021 |archive-date=5 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205210029/https://www.thedailybeast.com/so-called-biblical-scholar-says-jesus-a-made-up-myth |url-status=live}}</ref>}} Accounts of [[Life of Jesus|Jesus's life]] are contained in the [[Gospel]]s, especially the [[four canonical Gospels]] in the [[New Testament]].  Since the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]], [[Quest for the historical Jesus|academic research]] has yielded various views on the [[historical reliability of the Gospels]] and how closely they reflect the [[historical Jesus]].{{sfn|Powell|1998|pp=168–173}}{{efn|Ehrman writes: "The notion that the Gospel accounts are not completely accurate but still important for the religious truths they try to convey is widely shared in the scholarly world, even though it's not so widely known or believed outside of it."<ref>Bart D. Ehrman. [http://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/historical-jesus.html Historical Jesus. 'Prophet of the New Millennium']. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190123155853/https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/historical-jesus.html |date=23 January 2019 }} Course handbook, p. 10 (Lecture Three. V. B.), The Teaching Company, 2000, Lecture 24</ref><br />Sanders writes: "The earliest Christians did not write a narrative of Jesus' life, but rather made use of, and thus preserved, individual units—short passages about his words and deeds. These units were later moved and arranged by authors and editors. ... Some material has been revised and some created by early Christians."{{sfn|Sanders|1993|p=57}}}}<ref>{{cite book |title=Jesus, Skepticism & The Problem of History: Criteria and Context in the Study of Christian Origins |date=2019 |publisher=Zondervan |isbn=978-0-310-53476-1 |editor1-last=Komoszewski |editor1-first=J. Ed |pages=22–23 |quote=...a considerable number of specific facts about Jesus are so well supported historically as to be widely acknowledged by most scholars, whether Christian (of any stripe) or not:...(lists 18 points)...Nevertheless, what can be known about Jesus with a high degree of confidence, apart from theological or ideological agendas, is perhaps surprisingly robust. |editor2-last=Bock |editor2-first=Darrell}}</ref><ref>Craig Evans, [https://theologicalstudies.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/54.1.1.pdf "Life-of-Jesus Research and the Eclipse of Mythology"], Theological Studies 54 (1993) pp. 13–14, "First, the New Testament Gospels are now viewed as useful, if not essentially reliable, historical sources. Gone is the extreme skepticism that for so many years dominated gospel research. Representative of many is the position of E. P. Sanders and Marcus Borg, who have concluded that it is possible to recover a fairly reliable picture of the historical Jesus."</ref>

According to Christian tradition, as preserved in the Gospels and the [[Acts of the Apostles]], Jesus [[Circumcision of Jesus|was circumcised]] at eight days old, [[Baptism of Jesus|was baptized]] by [[John the Baptist]] as a young adult, and after 40 days and nights of fasting in the wilderness, began [[Ministry of Jesus|his own ministry]]. He was an [[itinerant teacher]] who interpreted the [[Biblical law|law of God]] with divine authority and was often referred to as "[[rabbi]]". Jesus often debated with his fellow Jews on how to best follow [[God in Christianity|God]], engaged in healings, taught in [[Parables of Jesus|parables]], and gathered followers, among whom twelve were appointed as his [[Apostles in the New Testament|apostles]]. He was arrested in [[Jerusalem]] and tried by the [[Sanhedrin|Jewish authorities]],{{sfn|Sanders|1993|p=11}} handed over to the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] government, and [[crucified]] on the order of [[Pontius Pilate]], the [[Roman governor|Roman prefect]] of [[Judaea (Roman province)|Judaea]]. After his death, his followers became convinced that he [[Resurrection of Jesus|rose from the dead]], and following his ascension, the community they formed eventually became the [[early Christian Church]] that expanded as a [[Spread of Christianity|worldwide movement]].{{sfn|Sanders|1993|pp=11, 14}}

[[Christian theology]] includes the beliefs that Jesus was conceived by the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]], was [[Virgin birth of Jesus|born of a virgin]] named [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Mary]], performed [[Miracles of Jesus|miracles]], founded the [[Christian Church]], [[Crucifixion of Jesus|died by crucifixion]] as a sacrifice to achieve [[Atonement in Christianity|atonement for sin]], rose from the dead, and [[Ascension of Jesus|ascended]] into [[Heaven in Christianity|Heaven]] from where he [[Second Coming|will return]]. Commonly, Christians believe Jesus enables people to be reconciled to God. The [[Nicene Creed]] asserts that Jesus will [[Last Judgment|judge the living and the dead]], either [[Intermediate state (Christianity)|before]] or [[Christian mortalism|after]] their [[Resurrection of the dead#Christianity|bodily resurrection]], an event tied to the Second Coming of Jesus in [[Christian eschatology]]. The great majority of Christians worship Jesus as the incarnation of God the Son, the second of three [[prosopon|persons]] of the [[Trinity]].{{efn|A small minority of Christian denominations reject trinitarianism, wholly or partly, as non-scriptural.}} The [[birth of Jesus]] is celebrated annually, generally on 25 December,{{efn|Most Christians and [[Alawites]] celebrate Christmas. Part of the [[Eastern Christian]] churches celebrate Christmas on 25 December of the [[Julian calendar]], which currently corresponds to 7 January in the [[Gregorian calendar]]. In many countries, Christmas is celebrated on 24 December.}} as [[Christmas]]. His crucifixion is honoured on [[Good Friday]] and his resurrection on [[Easter Sunday]]. The world's most widely used [[calendar era]]—in which the current year is AD {{CURRENTYEAR}} (or {{CURRENTYEAR}} [[Common Era|CE]])—is based on the approximate [[date of the birth of Jesus]].<ref>{{cite dictionary |year=2003 |title=anno Domini |dictionary=Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary |url=http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/Anno%20Domini |access-date=3 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222112520/http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/anno%20domini |archive-date=22 December 2007 |quote=Etymology: Medieval Latin, in the year of our Lord |url-status=live}}.</ref>

[[Jesus in Islam]]{{efn|Often referred to by his Quranic name, {{transliteration|ar|ISO|[[Isa (name)|ʿĪsā]]}}}} is considered the [[Messiah#Islam|messiah]] and a [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|prophet]] of [[God in Islam|God]], who was sent to the [[Israelites]] and [[Second Coming#Islam|will return to Earth]] before the [[Judgement Day in Islam|Day of Judgement]]. [[Muslims]] believe Jesus was born of the virgin [[Mary in Islam|Mary]] but was neither God nor a son of God. Most Muslims [[Islamic views on Jesus's death|do not believe that he was killed or crucified]] but that God [[Entering heaven alive|raised him into Heaven while he was still alive]].{{efn|Some medieval Muslims believed that Jesus was crucified, as do the members of the modern Ahmadiyya movement; see {{slink||Islamic perspectives}}.}} Jesus is also revered in the [[Baháʼí Faith]], [[Druze]] and [[Rastafari]]. In contrast, [[Jewish views on Jesus|Judaism rejects the belief]] that Jesus was the awaited messiah, arguing that he did not fulfil [[Messiah in Judaism|messianic prophecies]], was not [[Anointing|lawfully anointed]] and was neither divine nor resurrected.
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