The life of Jesus Christ

• Son of God


  term for Jesus that emphasises he is God incarnate, one of the three persons of the Trinity
• Liberator 


  general term for someone who frees a people or group
• Rabbi 


  Jewish teacher, often associated with having followers
• Hypostatic Union 


  belief that Christ is both fully God and fully human indivisible two natures united in one person
• Homoousios


  same substance or the same being
• Word


  from the Greek Logos. Another name for the second person of the trinity, used at the beginning of John's Gospel to describe the incarnation which existed from the beginning of one substance with and equal to God the Father
• Redemption 


  action of saving or being saved from sin, error or evil
• Incarnation 


  God born as a human being, in Jesus Christ
• Zealot

  member of the Jewish political/military movement that fought against Rome in he first century AD
• Messiah

  Christianity - associated with Jesus Christ who is believed to be the Son of God and the Saviour

  Judaism - word is associated with individuals who rose up against oppression, the people of Israel
• Can the existence of Jesus be debated:

  • without Jesus existing, Christianity falls apart
  • most knowledge from the Bible -> Church decided what books go into it
  • Jesus lived and died an obscure of the Roman empire - led no army, held no political office and died young (around 33)
  • most controversial figure in history and faith - also the most well known
  • mentioned in 11 historical texts in the first and second centuries
  • Roman Historian Tacitus, Jewish scholar Josephus
• "Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, call Christians by the populace. Christus from whom the name had its origin"


  Roman Historian Tacitus
• "The Sandhedrin brought before them the brother Jesus, who was called Christ


  Josephus' Antiquites of the Jews
• Jesus can be split into three parts:

  • the Son of God
  • The teacher of Wisdom
  • the liberator
• Jesus Authority as the Son of God:

  1. Knowledge of and relationship to God
  2. Miracles
  3. Resurrection - authority over death
• And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes


  Matthew 7:28-29
• Miracles from Jesus: John 2:1-11 (water into wine)

  • controversial as it seems like a menial task and or miracle
  • "Miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory"
  • Mary tells Jesus that they've ran out of wine - indicating she knows that he was special
  • "My time has not yet come" - early in Jesus' ministry
• Miracles from Jesus: John 11: 1-45 (raising Lazarus)

  • controversial
  • proved his power over nature
  • "Jesus said to her your brother, will rise again"
  • "Martha answered, 'I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day"
  • "I am the resurrection and the life"
  • "Lazarus come out"
• Miracles from Jesus: Mark 6:47-52 (miracle of calming the storm)

  • power over nature
  • "disciples straining at the oars"
  • "walking on the lake"
  • "thought he was a ghost"
  • "Don't be afraid"
  • "wind died down" - when he climbed on the boat
  • intended to leave his disciples
• Miracles from Jesus: John 9: 1-41 (healing the blind man)

  • purpose miracle
  • "Rabbi (Jesus), who sinned this man or his parents that they were born blind." "Neither this man nor his parent"
  • "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world"
  • "Spit on the ground made some mud [...] and put it on the mans eyes"
  • "So I went and washed, and then I could see"
  • "Whether he is a sinner or not [...] I was blind now I can see"
  • "We are the disciples of Moses"
  • "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now you claim you can see, your guilt remains"
• What Bible verses show that Jesus thought he was divine?

  John 10:30, John 14:9, John 3:16, Luke 10:18, John 20:28-29
• 'The Father and I are one'


  John 10:30
• 'Anyone who has seen me has seen the father'


  John 14:9
• 'For this is how God loved the world: he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life'


  John 3:16
• 'Yes' he told them, 'I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning'


  Luke 10:18
• "My lord and my God" - said by Peter and Jesus doesn't rebuttal this 


  John 20:28-29
• What Bible verses show that Jesus doesn't think he is divine?

  Mark 10: 18, Mark 14:36, Mark 15:34
• 'Why do you call me God?' Jesus asked 'Only God is truly good'


  Mark 10:18
• 'Abba Father' he cried out 'everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine'


  Mark 14:36
• 'Then at three o'clock Jeus called out with a loud voice, "My God, My God why have you abandoned me"


  Mark 15:34
• And so it was, when Jesus has ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes


  Matthew 7:28-29
• The Bible speaks of the authority of Jesus:

  • Jesus had authority because he was there at the beginning of creation - Genesis 1:26, John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:16
  • Jesus was seen as the instrument of creation
  • no religious or social class authority
• Then God said, “Let us make mankind in OUR image, in OUR likeness


  Genesis 1:26
• In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.


  John 1:1-3
• For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.


  Colossians 1:16
• Jesus the sone of God: relationship to God

  • although all people are children of God in some sense, Jesus is THE son of God
  • seen with Matthew 16: 15-17
  • St John writes of Jesus as Word, and that the Word was God
  • Jesus does not use the word son to describe himself
  • Gospels say Jesus comes into this world through the intervention of the Holy Spirit
  • Jesus is associated with God through text
• “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

  Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.


  Matthew 16: 15-17

  • Jesus doesn't rebuttal Peter when he says that he's the living God
• Jesus is directly associated with God by the text and is believed to be so by Christians:

  • St John wires of Jesus as Word - Word was God
  • Thomas refers to Jesus as my Lord and my God
  • in the letter to the Hebrews a pslam is addressed to Jesus as God
  • God's spirit will come again in Jesus' name
  • Jesus has a saving God like power - Matthew 1:21
  • Jesus is worshipped - something done to God
• She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[a] because he will save his people from their sins


  Matthew 1: 21
• How human was Jesus:

  • Jesus had to be divine as God only had that redemptive power
  • Jesus on the cross suffered - he cried out to God to help him
  • Had to be God as only God can save
  • Resurrection may not be real
  • can't be fully God and can't be fully human
  • can't be fully human - Paul rights about humans being slaves to sin and corrupt
  • Bishop Apollinaris of Laodicea - Word replaced the human mind with a Divine one 'Half Salvation' --> rejected as Heresy