Historical Jesus

This article concerns critical reconstructions of the Historical Jesus. Other related articles present different descriptions and perspectives of Jesus.

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The term "Historical Jesus" refers to the field of study which attempts to determine the life, beliefs, and teachings of Jesus, based on a historical analysis of all available evidence. It is distinguished from the study of the "Biblical Jesus," which is a theological analysis of the Gospels, and any other texts the scholar in question considers canonical. It can also be distinguished from what some scholars have termed the "Gospel portraits" of Jesus, in which each individual Gospel is examined for its presentation of Jesus.

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The existence of Jesus has been a subject of controversy among scholars for the past two centuries. Most historical reference to Jesus comes from the Gospels, which have a great margin of difference in historical dates that range from 30 years after his death to over a hundred. Reference to the historical Jesus presumes the historicity of Jesus, that is, that he existed. See Historicity of Jesus for further discussion of this issue.

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The description of Jesus, also called the Christ, in the Gospels focuses on the last years, especially the last week of his life. They tell of a virgin birth and a brief ministry prior to the final weeks of his life. He was in conflict with both the Roman and Jewish political authorities of the time which resulted in his crucifixion and claimed resurrection, which according to his followers, the Christians, provided an atonement for the sins of all mankind, and paved the path so that every person on earth will be resurrected.

Related Topics:
Christ - Gospels - Virgin birth - Crucifixion - Resurrection - Christians - Atonement

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Other texts, often called "Infancy Gospels", describe events before the time of Jesus' ministry; however, most of them were written centuries after the events they describe, making their value as histories of Jesus negligable.

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