Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah prophesied in Hebrew Scripture, our Old Testament of the Bible. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem (Luke 2). St. Joseph took his wife Mary and the infant Jesus on the Flight to Egypt to avoid Herod (Matthew 2). Upon their return, the Holy Family settled in Nazareth of Galilee where Jesus grew and spent his childhood and early years as an adult. Hardly anything is known of his life at that time except that he was called a Nazarene (Matthew 2:23) and that at age 12 he was found among teachers in the Temple of Jerusalem (Luke 2:46). All four Gospels record Jesus the Christ calling himself the Son of Man, reminding us that he fulfills the destiny of the Messianic figure in the Book of the Prophet Daniel.
Early Jewish and pagan historians, such as Flavius Josephus, Tacitus, and Pliny the Younger, provided independent witness to Christ's existence.
Christianity is the Resurrection Faith. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Word made flesh. Following his death on the Cross, God raised him from the dead on the third day (Acts 10:40, Romans 1:4, First Corinthians 15:4); he ascended into Heaven (Luke 24:51) and sat at the right hand of God (Hebrews 12:2). He is the Authority on Scripture (Luke 24:25-27, Galatians 1:11-12, 2 Timothy 3:15-17).
The New Testament writers each offer a unique picture of Jesus. All convey his great love for mankind. The life of Christ is best described in the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, while his teachings are presented by all the New Testament writers.
The Apostle Matthew stresses that Jesus is the Messiah foretold in Hebrew Scripture. He is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, for example, the Messiah will be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), and that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). There are elements to Matthew's Gospel that are unique to it alone, such as the appearance of an angel to Joseph in a dream, the Star of Bethlehem, the visit of the Magi, the Slaughter of the Innocents, and the Flight to Egypt in the Infancy Narrative; the complete Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer, and the Golden Rule (Matthew 5-7); and the Final Judgement (25:31-46). The Gospel ends with a reference to the mystery of the Trinity, when Jesus called for the Great Commission of his Apostles to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).
Early Jewish and pagan historians, such as Flavius Josephus, Tacitus, and Pliny the Younger, provided independent witness to Christ's existence.
Christianity is the Resurrection Faith. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Word made flesh. Following his death on the Cross, God raised him from the dead on the third day (Acts 10:40, Romans 1:4, First Corinthians 15:4); he ascended into Heaven (Luke 24:51) and sat at the right hand of God (Hebrews 12:2). He is the Authority on Scripture (Luke 24:25-27, Galatians 1:11-12, 2 Timothy 3:15-17).
The New Testament writers each offer a unique picture of Jesus. All convey his great love for mankind. The life of Christ is best described in the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, while his teachings are presented by all the New Testament writers.
The Apostle Matthew stresses that Jesus is the Messiah foretold in Hebrew Scripture. He is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, for example, the Messiah will be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), and that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). There are elements to Matthew's Gospel that are unique to it alone, such as the appearance of an angel to Joseph in a dream, the Star of Bethlehem, the visit of the Magi, the Slaughter of the Innocents, and the Flight to Egypt in the Infancy Narrative; the complete Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer, and the Golden Rule (Matthew 5-7); and the Final Judgement (25:31-46). The Gospel ends with a reference to the mystery of the Trinity, when Jesus called for the Great Commission of his Apostles to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).
