Jesus (born c. 6–4bce, Bethlehem—died c. 30ce, Jerusalem) was a religious leaderrevered inChristianity, one of the world’s majorreligions. He is regarded by most Christians as theIncarnation of God. The history of Christian reflection on the teachings and nature of Jesus is examined in the articleChristology.

Name and title

AncientJews usually had only one name, and, when greater specificity was needed, it was customary to add the father’s name or the place of origin. Thus, in his lifetime Jesus was called Jesus son of Joseph (Luke 4:22; John 1:45, 6:42), Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 10:38), or Jesus the Nazarene (Mark 1:24; Luke 24:19). After his death he came to be called Jesus Christ.Christ was not originally a name but a titlederived from theGreek wordchristos, which translates theHebrew termmeshiah (Messiah), meaning “the anointed one.” This title indicates that Jesus’ followers believed him to be the anointed son ofKing David, whom some Jews expected to restore the fortunes ofIsrael. Passages such asActs of the Apostles 2:36 show that some early Christian writers knew thatthe Christ was properly a title, but in many passages of theNew Testament, including those in the letters of theApostle Paul, the name and title are combined and used together as Jesus’ name: Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus (Romans 1:1; 3:24). Paul sometimes simply used Christ as Jesus’ name (e.g., Romans 5:6).

Summary of Jesus’ life

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Although born inBethlehem, according toMatthew andLuke, Jesus was a Galilean fromNazareth, a village near Sepphoris, one of the two major cities ofGalilee (Tiberias was the other). He was born toJoseph andMary sometime between 6bce and shortly before the death ofHerod the Great (Matthew 2; Luke 1:5) in 4bce. According to Matthew and Luke, however, Joseph was only legally his father. They report that Mary was a virgin when Jesus wasconceived and that she “was found to be with child from theHoly Spirit” (Matthew 1:18;cf. Luke 1:35). Joseph is said to have been a carpenter (Matthew 13:55)—that is, a craftsman who worked with his hands—and, according to Mark 6:3, Jesus also became a carpenter.

Luke (2:41–52) states that Jesus as a youth was precociously learned, but there is no other evidence of his childhood or early life. As a young adult, he went to be baptized by the prophetJohn the Baptist and shortly thereafter became an itinerant preacher and healer (Mark 1:2–28). In his mid-30s Jesus had a short public career, lasting perhaps less than one year, during which he attracted considerable attention. Sometime between 29 and 33ce—possibly 30ce—he went to observePassover inJerusalem, where his entrance, according to theGospels, was triumphant and infused witheschatological significance. While there he was arrested, tried, and executed. Hisdisciples became convinced that he rose from the dead and appeared to them. They converted others to believe in him, which eventually led to a newreligion, Christianity.