Jesus is considered the originator or Christianity; Christianity came from Judaism. Before Jesus was born, the land of Israel has been taken over by powerful neighbors. After Jesus’ birth, Israel was called Palestine by the Romans and was part of the Roman Empire (unwillingly). There was much feud and the religion was full of unrest. Patriots, later known as Zealots, wanted to expel the Romans. The Sadducees accepted the Roman occupation but kept Jewish temple rituals. The Pharisees, a lay movement of devout Jews, continuously and meticulously kept the Jewish law and practice.
Many Jews in Jesus’ time thought that they were living in the “end times”. During this time, they expected a period of suffering, ending with a final great battle, when God would then destroy all enemies of pious Jews. After the world was cleansed, they believed that God would then implement a new age of justice and love. Some expectations included a new Garden of Eden, a place where good people remained after Judgement would eat from year-round fruit trees and women would no longer suffer during childbirth. Jews were waiting for the Messiah (meaning “anointed”) to appear. Most had the idea that the Messiah had been foretold in some of their sacred books including: Isaiah, Micah, and Daniel; they expected him to rule the new world.
Jesus was born into this hectic time period (4 BCE to 29 CE). Jesus is the son of God and Virgin Mary. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a town close to Jerusalem. Jesus also had a step father, Joseph, who was a carpenter. Jesus’ life and stories are found in the four gospels of the New Testament - most of the information regards his later life (20s), when he gathered twelve disciples and moved from place to place to orally teach about the coming of the Kingdom of God. These gospels are written by later believers. They go on to say that Jesus was later arrested in Jerusalem by authorities because they considered him a threat to the public. The Sadducees considered Jesus dangerous because they were afraid he would began an anti-Roman riot. Romans considered Jesus as a potential source of political arrest - so much so that the arrest would seem fair. After the arrest, he was whipped, nailed to the cross, and crucified. This was all done in front of the public eye. Jesus then died from shock, suffocation, and loss of blood. After dying on Friday, Jesus was buried - two days later, the followers who cared for his body, found his tomb empty. Some followers believe that he returned to life.
Sources:
World Religions Textbook
http://groundreport.com/born-again/untitled-jesus-crucified-2/
Many Jews in Jesus’ time thought that they were living in the “end times”. During this time, they expected a period of suffering, ending with a final great battle, when God would then destroy all enemies of pious Jews. After the world was cleansed, they believed that God would then implement a new age of justice and love. Some expectations included a new Garden of Eden, a place where good people remained after Judgement would eat from year-round fruit trees and women would no longer suffer during childbirth. Jews were waiting for the Messiah (meaning “anointed”) to appear. Most had the idea that the Messiah had been foretold in some of their sacred books including: Isaiah, Micah, and Daniel; they expected him to rule the new world.
Jesus was born into this hectic time period (4 BCE to 29 CE). Jesus is the son of God and Virgin Mary. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a town close to Jerusalem. Jesus also had a step father, Joseph, who was a carpenter. Jesus’ life and stories are found in the four gospels of the New Testament - most of the information regards his later life (20s), when he gathered twelve disciples and moved from place to place to orally teach about the coming of the Kingdom of God. These gospels are written by later believers. They go on to say that Jesus was later arrested in Jerusalem by authorities because they considered him a threat to the public. The Sadducees considered Jesus dangerous because they were afraid he would began an anti-Roman riot. Romans considered Jesus as a potential source of political arrest - so much so that the arrest would seem fair. After the arrest, he was whipped, nailed to the cross, and crucified. This was all done in front of the public eye. Jesus then died from shock, suffocation, and loss of blood. After dying on Friday, Jesus was buried - two days later, the followers who cared for his body, found his tomb empty. Some followers believe that he returned to life.
Sources:
World Religions Textbook
http://groundreport.com/born-again/untitled-jesus-crucified-2/