Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ (Gk. Iesous Christos, the first word being a transliteration of the Hebrew Jehoshua, Jeshua, or Joshua, "Jehovah is salvation," the second with the signification "anointed" expressing the sense of the Hebrew Messiah) was born at Bethlehem, a town of Judaea, towards the end of the reign of Herod the Great. The authorities for the facts of his life are almost entirely biblical, and as in this work criticism would be out of place, a brief summary is here given of these authorities. The date of the event cannot be absolutely fixed, but the best authorities place it early in the 4th year before the commonly accepted Christian Era. Of the annunciation and the conception the only record is preserved in Matthew's Gospel. Warned, according to the biblical narrative, by an angel of the massacre into which Herod's jealous fear was driving him, Joseph, taking Mary and the babe, fled into Egypt, where their stay must have been brief. On their return after Herod's death, they settled with a view to concealment at Nazareth, a distant and despised town of Galilee, of which, however, Joseph and Mary were natives. Here Jesus apparently was brought up to his father's trade of carpenter, "was subject to his parents," and "advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man." At the age of twelve he was taken by his parents for the first time to Jerusalem, where occurred the discussion with the doctors in the Temple. For the next eighteen years Christ's career is to us a blank. Luke distinctly states (iii. 23) that Christ's age at the time of his baptism by John the Baptist was thirty, and authorities are generally agreed that his ministry lasted for three years at least, covering three, if not four, passovers. The crucifixion would thus coincide with the Paschal Feast of A.D. 30, and the testimony of John the Baptist must have been given early in the year 27. There is some difficulty, no doubt, in arranging the incidents of the intervening period in strict chronological succession, but the following may be accepted as a near approach to accuracy: --

First Year. The temptation in the wilderness, lasting forty days, was succeeded by a second visit to Jordan, when John repeated his witness in the hearing of Andrew and John, who forthwith attached themselves to Jesus as his disciples, and were joined soon after by Simon, Andrew's brother - named Cephas or Peter by his new master - Philip, Nathaniel, and others. The little group set off into Galilee, and halted at Cana for the celebration of a marriage-feast, at which the first miracle was performed, Mary being also present. After a brief stay at Capernaum, they journeyed to Jerusalem to keep the Passover, where occurred the cleansing of the Temple and the interview with Nicodemus.

Second Year. Jesus for a third time visited the north-eastern part of Judaea where the Baptist was still preaching, and again received from him full acknowledgment. Within a few weeks John was cast into prison by Herod, and Jesus was on his way through Samaria to Galilee. In the course of this passage occurred the meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob, and during a visit to Cana the son of the nobleman at Capernaum was healed from a distance. Christ went up to Jerusalem this year for the feast of Purim, the cure of the paralytic man at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath provoking the resentment of the Pharisees. We next hear of his appearance as an expounder of Isaiah in the synagogue at Nazareth, whence he was driven by the threats of the Jews to fly to Capernaum. Here at his bidding Simon made the miraculous draught of fishes; James and John were added to the list of disciples, a devil was cast out in the synagogue, and Simon's mother-in-law was cured of a fever. In a progress through Galilee Christ cleansed a leper by the touch of his hand, restored the paralytic sufferer, and called Matthew, the tax-gatherer. We now first hear of definite schemes against his life on the part of the Jewish bigots. The next event is the choice and appointment of the twelve apostles, and the sermon on the mount. At its conclusion Christ moved to Capernaum, healing there the centurion's servant, and going on to Nain, where the widow's son was brought to life. Next occurs the episode of the anointing at the house of Simon the Pharisee by the penitent woman. The cure of a deaf and dumb demoniac stimulated the enemies of truth to accuse Jesus of complicity with Beelzebub; and they were severely rebuked. A long series of parables preceded the stormy night voyage across the lake. On the further side, in the country of the Gadarenes, Christ fell in with the man possessed of many devils, who were at their own prayer allowed to enter into and destroy a herd of swine. The party recrossed the lake, and amongst those awaiting their return was the woman with an issue of blood, and Jairus, whose daughter was at the point of death. The tidings of the murder of the Baptist now induced Jesus to move to Bethsaida, where the second Passover was observed amongst his disciples.

Third Year. Almost synchronous with the great festival was the miracle of feeding the five thousand. During the night following, a storm arose, in the midst of which Christ appeared walking upon the waters. Once more in Capernaum he foreshadowed to his disciples the mystery of the Eucharist. He passed thence to the neighbourhood of Tyre and Sidon, seeking seclusion, but was pursued by a Syrophenician woman with earnest entreaties for her daughter's welfare, and her prayer was answered. In the region of Decapolis a deaf and dumb sufferer was healed, and this attracted numbers of afflicted persons, for whose benefit the feeding of the four thousand ensued. The scene is soon after changed to the opposite coast of Magdala, where the Sadducees sought a sign and received a rebuff. Crossing the lake once more to Bethsaida, Christ restored sight to a blind man by anointing his eyes with clay, and then journeyed to the confines of Caesarea Philippi. The transfiguration followed. After this we hear of the expulsion of the evil spirit from the lunatic child, on whom the apostles had tried their powers in vain. Capernaum being revisited, Jesus spoke more freely of his approaching death and resurrection, and Peter by his orders took from the lake a fish which held in its mouth money to pay the tax for the Temple. Jesus was then urged by his unbelieving brethren to go up to Jerusalem, and there give proof at the Feast of Tabernacles of his supernatural claims. Though his "hour was not yet come," be set out for the holy city. Christ now openly taught in the Temple, and his discourse on the living water so incensed the Sanhedrim that they resolved on laying hands on him, and this resolve was strengthened by the pardon given to the woman taken in adultery, and by the restoration to sight and the conversion of a man blind from his birth. Jesus, however, retired for a time to some unknown place in Judaea, whence he sent out seventy disciples, two and two, as messengers of the Word. At the Feast of Dedication he was once more in the Temple, and was threatened with stoning, so that he was again constrained to take refuge near Bethany. The grief of Martha and Mary at the death of their brother Lazarus summoned him to Bethany, where the miracle of raising the dead was again performed. The news of this event inspired Caiaphas and the Sanhedrim with the determination to take his life, their designs being for the moment frustrated by his departure to Ephraim. Whilst wandering thence towards Peraea, he fell in with ten lepers, all of whom were made whole. The Passover was now approaching, and Jesus, knowing that his hour was near, set out for the last time to Jerusalem by way of Jericho, healing two blind men on the road. Bethany was reached six days before the feast, and as he sat at meat in the house of Simon the leper, Mary anointed him with spikenard. Christ began now his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, seated in fulfilment of prophecy upon an ass, which two of his disciples by his order had procured at Bethphage. He returned at night to Bethany, and on the following morning again went to the Temple, cursing the barren fig tree by the way. Then occurred the second cleansing of the Temple, where he taught and ministered to the people, spending that night as the previous one at Bethany. The Temple was once more visited on the morrow, and in the court of women he saw the poor widow bringing her mites to the treasury. On quitting the Temple he prophesied its speedy deduction. Meanwhile the priests and rulers, seeking some means to compass his death, were approached by Judas Iscariot, who covenanted to betray his master for thirty pieces of silver. The time for the celebration of the Passover being now close at hand, Christ sent Peter and John to find and prepare the guest-chamber, himself following from Bethany in the evening, when took place the Last Supper. The meal over, they all went forth to the Mount of Olives as though to return to Bethany. On reaching the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ entered it with Peter, James, and John only. Judas coming into the garden with soldiers, pointed out his master by a kiss. Jesus surrendered himself to his enemies, and when Peter smote off the ear of Malchus with a sword, restored it at once. He was led by his captors before Annas, and whilst he underwent questionings and bufferings, Peter, standing outside among the servants, thrice denied Christ. Jesus was then brought before the Sanhedrim. The court proounced him guilty of death, and remitted him to Pilate, who alone could give effect to the sentence. Then ensued two interviews with Pilate, first in the public praetorium, afterwards in a private chamber, after which the governor decided to submit the matter to Herod Antipas, who sent him back to Pilate. The latter would gladly have released him, convinced as he was of his innocence, and warned by his wife's dream, but the Jews clamored for the extreme penalty, and preferred to see mercy extended to Barabbas rather than to Christ. Pilate caused Jesus to be scourged, crowned with thorns, arrayed in a purple robe, and adorned with a reed as a sceptre. The Jews, however, overcame the procurator's final scruples by casting a suspicion on his loyalty to Caesar. So the judgment was passed, and he was led forth to Golotha bearing his cross, until Simon of Cyrene was forced to assist him. He was nailed to the cross, a malefactor on either side of him, and the inscription, "This is Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews," fixed above his head. Mary, his mother, stood near with her sister, Mary Magdalene, and the apostle John also stood near and heard his last words. With Pilate's sanction the body of Christ was given to Joseph of Arimathaea, who, aided by Nicodemus, conveyed it that same night to a rock sepulchre hard by. Early next morning the women returned to complete the embalming, and an angel rolling away the stone for them, they found the tomb empty. Peter and John were summoned, and verified the report of the women. Christ's first appearance was to Mary Magdalene a few hours later, and then he was seen by other women. Towards evening he spoke to Cleopas and another disciple on the road to Emmaus, and entered their dwelling. After that he revealed himself to Simon, to the ten when he ate in their presence, to the eleven when the doubts of Thomas were dissipated. Some time later he manifested himself to seven of the apostles, who had now gone back to their fishing on the Sea of Galilee. Again upon a mountain in Galilee he became visible to many, and finally, just before Pentecost, he joined the company of believers then going up to Jerusalem, and led them to a hill near Bethany, where he "vanished out of their sight."