role of Jesus

• the name Christ comes from the Greek 'Christos' meaning 'anointed one' or 'messiah' - saviour of the Jewish people who will bring about peace for all


  the term 'messiah' isn't explicitly used in the Old Testament to refer to a specific figure - though there are various prophetic passages in the Old Testament often interpreted as referring to a future messianic figure - e.g. 2 Samuel 7:12-13 where a descendant of David would rule, bring peace, and fulfil God's promises to the people of Israel
• the historicity of Jesus (existence of Jesus as a historical figure) has been a topic of debate among scholars and historians for centuries

  
  

  primary sources for information about Jesus' life are the New Testament Gospels written 30-70 years after Jesus' death - by believers they're considered to be religious and spiritual in nature but some scholars have approached them with varying degrees of historical scrutiny


  outside of the New Testament, there are limited references to Jesus in other ancient historical sources - it's generally accepted that Jesus may have existed as a historical figure
• in the centuries following the writings of the New Testament, there were debates and disagreements about the nature and role of Jesus

  leaders of the church (relatively newly established) and theologians hoped to arrive at a definitive understanding of Jesus


  though many churches broke away from one another, forming different denominations of Christianity, meaning there are differing interpretations and beliefs about the significance of certain ideas about Jesus - including his divinity, his role in his life, and the significance of the crucifixion
• for Christians, Jesus is the incarnation of God on earth - Christians believe God chose to reveal himself as a human to spread his teaching (how to live good lives by following his laws) and offer the chance of salvation


  very early centuries of Christianity were marked by theological debates surrounding Jesus' nature - a prominent figure being Arius of Alexandria who asserted that Jesus wasn't equal to God the Father as he was a created being and lacked the same omnipotence of God the Father
• Arianism became popular throughout the Roman Empire during the fourth century AD and led to a schism within the Christian Church - this was resolved through the Council of Nicaea which declared Jesus to be coeternal with God the Father and consubstantial with him
• Jesus' teachings include love your neighbour as yourself, turn the other cheek, forgive those who wrong you, do not judge others, treat others how you want to be treated, etc.
• Jesus' miracles include healing the sick, raising Lazarus from the dead, feeding thousands with just a few loaves of bread and fish, calming stormy seas, turning water into wine, walking on water, etc.