The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002.
Jesus
A prophet of the first century of our era; to Christians, Jesus Christ, the son of God, a person who was both God and man, the Messiah sent by God to save the human race from the sin it inherited through the Fall of Man.
The story of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem is called the Nativity. He was conceived by the Virgin Mary (seeMary, the mother of Jesus) through the power of the Holy Spirit of God, laid in a manger after his birth in Bethlehem, and raised by Mary and her husband, Joseph (seeJoseph, the husband of Mary), in Nazareth. As a boy of twelve, he went to the Temple in Jerusalem, where he astonished the teachers of the Mosaic law with his knowledge. As a man, he chose the Twelve Apostles, with whom he traveled throughout his native Palestine teaching the word of God (seeSermon on the Mount), healing the sick, and performing miracles (seeloaves and fishes). He attracted many followers and also made many enemies for claiming to be the Messiah and for failing to observe all Jewish laws. He was eventually betrayed by Judas Iscariot, condemned by Pontius Pilate, and crucified by the Roman authorities who ruled his country. Christians believe that he rose again from the dead and that his Resurrection makes salvation possible. Christians also expect a Second Coming of Jesus. (See Crucifixion, gospel, and Gospels.)
