Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth, also known as Jesus Christ, was a Jewish teacher and reformer of religion who has become the central figure of Christianity. Christians follow the example of Jesus, accept his words to be true, and worship him as God. He is one of the most famous, most recognized, and most influential persons in the history of the world.[1][2][3][4]

Most historians agree that he was a Jew from a place called Judea, in a town called Nazareth, in what is now Israel. They also agree that he was thought of as a teacher and a healer, and that he was baptized by John the Baptist. He was crucified in Jerusalem on the orders of Pontius Pilate.[5][6][7][8][9] The Quran claims that Jesus was a Muslim.[10]

Jesus taught mainly love and forgiveness for others, as well as being humble about one's religion. He said that one must be mild, like a child, and never boast. He taught that people who ignore God and other people do not deserve his blessing, but God would still forgive them if they repented. Jesus opposed the other Jewish priests because they used religion to boast. This led to other Jewish leaders hating Jesus, because Jesus was trying to stop them. Jesus also opposed human authority, leading to the Roman authorities executing him because of his threat to their power.

There are stories about the life of Jesus by different writers. The best known are the four Christian books called the Gospels. They form the beginning of the New Testament, a part of the Bible. The word "gospel" means "good news". They tell a little about his birth and hidden early life, but mostly about his public life: his teachings, miracles, ministry, death, and resurrection (return from death). The four Gospels are named after their respective writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.[11]

Several Jewish and Roman historians, such as Flavius Josephus, Tacitus,[note 1] Pliny the Younger, and Suetonius include Jesus in their writings. They usually only tell of his execution or problems between the Roman government and his followers; they do not talk about his life, since his life was not a problem they had with Jesus.