I will speak here about some fundamental biographical facts, starting from the birth of the Nazarene.
You can read here the first part of this historical research article about the The historical figure of Jesus
From the Gospel of Luke (chapter 2) we know that the birth of Jesus coincided with a census announced throughout the land by Caesar Augustus:
In those days Augustus Caesar decreed that a census be taken throughout the Roman Empire.
(This first census was carried out when Quirinius ruled Syria).
So they all went to register, each to his own town.
From what we read in lines VII, VIII and X of the transcription of the Res gestae of Augustus, located in the Ara Pacis, in Rome, we learn that Caesar Octavian Augustus took a census on three occasions, in the years 28 B.C., 8 B.C. and 14 A.D., of the entire Roman population.
In ancient times, conducting a census of that size obviously had to take some time for the procedure to actually be completed. And here is another clarification from the evangelist Luke that gives us a clue: Quirinius was the governor of Syria at the time this "first"census.
Well, Quirinius was governor of Syria probably from 6-7 A.D. On this question there are discordant opinions of historians: some hypothesize, in fact, that Quirinius himself had an earlier term of office. (1) in the years 8-6 B.C.
Others, on the other hand, translate the term ".first" (which in Latin and Greek, being neutral, can also have an adverbial value)as "first" or rather "before Quirinius became governor of Syria". Both hypotheses are admissible, so it is probable what is narrated in the Gospels about the census that took place at the time of Jesus' birth (2).
We add, then, that the practice of these censuses provided that one went to the village of origin, and not to the place where one lived, for registration.It is plausible, then, that Joseph went to Bethlehem to be searched.
Yes, the death of Herod the Great, in 4 B.C., since he died at that time and, from what is narrated in the Gospels, about two years had to pass between the birth of Jesus and the death of the king.which would coincide precisely with 6 BC.
As for the dies nataliswhich is the actual day of Jesus' birthFor a long time it was assumed that this would be fixed on December 25 at a later period, to coincide with the dies Solis Invicti, a feast of pagan origin. (probably associated with the cult of Mithras).and thus replaces the pagan commemoration with a Christian one.
Recent discoveries, from the inexhaustible Qumran, have made it possible to establish that, however, this may not have been the case, and that we have reasons to celebrate Christmas on December 25.
We know, therefore, always from the evangelist Luke (the most richly detailed account of how Jesus was born) that Mary became pregnant when her cousin Elizabeth was already six months pregnant.. Western Christians have always celebrated the Annunciation of Mary on March 25, which is nine months before Christmas..
The Easterners also celebrate the Annunciation to Zechariah on September 23rd. (father of John the Baptist and husband of Elizabeth). Luke goes into even more detail when he tells us that, when Zechariah learned that his wife, already at an advanced age like him, would become pregnant, he was serving in the Temple, being of priestly caste, according to the class of Abijah.
However, Luke himself, writing at a time when the Temple was still in operation and the priestly classes were following their perennial shifts, does not offer, taking it for granted, the time in which the class of Abijah was to serve. Well, numerous fragments of the Book of Jubilees, found at Qumran, have allowed scholars such as the French Annie Jaubert and the Israeli Shemarjahu Talmon, to reconstruct with precision that Abijah's shift took place twice a year:
Corresponding to the last ten days of SeptemberThe festival is in perfect harmony with the oriental festival of September 23rd and six months before March 25th, which would lead us to suppose that the birth of Jesus really took place in the last decade of December: maybe not exactly on the 25th, but around there.
QUMRAN is a city on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, 19 km south of Jericho, located in the foothills of the mountains of the Desert of Judah extending into the plain of the lake from which it is only 2 km away. A torrid and desert-like place (the only source is Ein Feshka, a few kilometers further south). A narrow, steep road, now asphalted, leads to a terrace surrounded by ravines and completely exposed to the torrid and relentless sun; on it are the ruins of Qumran. The site, although never directly mentioned in the Bible, is of great biblical interest because of the important discoveries made there in the years 1947-58.
We continue with the excursus in the life of Jesus of Nazareth.
We have seen that, around 6 B.C., both Elizabeth, wife of the priest Zechariah of the Abijah class, and her cousin Mary, who, according to Christian scripture, was a virgin and betrothed to a man of the house of David named Joseph, became pregnant.
Josédue to the census announced by the emperor Augustus (where men had to return to their family's hometowns to register)., he went to the city of David, Bethlehem, and there his wife Mary gave birth to a son whom he named Jesus.
The Gospels then relate that the Magi came from the East after seeing a star to worship the new king of the world, foretold by the ancient scriptures, and that Herod, having learned that the prophecy about the Messiah, the new king of Israel, was to be fulfilled, decided to kill all male children two years old and under.
Episode of which we find some traces in Flavius Josephus but of which no one else tells; on the other hand, as Giuseppe Ricciotti points out, in a context like that of Bethlehem and its surroundings, sparsely populated, and especially at a time when the life of a child was of little value, it is difficult to imagine that anyone would bother to notice the violent death of some poor infant son of no one important.
Having come to know in some way the intentions of Herod (Matthew's gospel speaks of an angel who warns Joseph in a dream), mother, father and newborn son flee to Egypt, where they remain for a few years.until the death of Herod (therefore, after 4 B.C.).
Except for Luke's reference to Jesus, who, at the age of twelve years, during a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, was lost by his parents who later found after three days of searching while discussing doctrinal matters with the doctors of the Temple, nothing more is known about the childhood and youthful life of the Nazarene., until its effective entry into the public scene in Israel, which can be placed around 27-28 AD..
When he must have been about thirty-three years old, shortly after John the Baptist, who must have begun his ministry a few months or a year earlier, more or less. We can go back to the time of the beginning of the preaching of Jesus thanks to an indication contained in the Gospel of John (the most accurate, from a chronological, historical and geographical point of view):
Disputing with Jesus in the Temple, the Jewish notables object: "This temple was built in forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?
If we calculate that Herod the Great began the rebuilding of the Temple in 20-19 B.C. and consider the forty-six years of the Gospel sentence, we find ourselves right in the year 27-28 B.C.
In any case, it preceded only a little that of Jesus and, according to the evangelists, John represented only the forerunner of the man from Galilee, who was the true messiah of Israel.
John, who is believed to have been, at the beginning of his life, an Essene, certainly separated himself, as demonstrated above, from the rigid elite doctrine of the Qumran sect. He preached a baptism of penitence, by immersion in the Jordan. (in an area not far from Qumran)precisely to prepare for the advent of the deliverer, the messiah king.
Of himself he said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: make straight the way of the Lord." (Gospel of John 1:23). However, he was soon killed by Herod Antipas. (3)tetrarch of Galilee and son of Herod the Great.
John's death did not prevent Jesus from continuing his ministry.. The man from Nazareth preached peace, love of enemies and the coming of a new era of justice and peace, the Kingdom of God.which, however, would not be what his Jewish contemporaries expected of him. (and how anticipated by the same prophecies about the Messiah). That is, an earthly kingdom in which Israel would be delivered from its oppressors and dominate other nations, the Gentiles, but a kingdom for the poor, the humble and the meek.
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To which we will return in more detail in the next paragraph, initially appeared to be very successfulespecially because, the Gospels tell us.
Accompanied by a large number of prodigious signals (multiplication of loaves and fishes by thousands; healings of lepers, the lame, the blind and the deaf; resurrection of the dead; transformation of water into wine). However, after encountered considerable difficulties, when Jesus himself began to suggest that he was much more than a man, or proclaimed himself to be the son of God.
In addition, he clashed harshly with the religious elite of the time. (the Pharisees and scribes, whom he called "vipers" and "vultures"). by proclaiming that man was more important than the Shabbat and the Sabbath rest (and, in the Pharisee conception, the Sabbath was almost more important than God). and that he himself was even more important than the Temple in Jerusalem.
Nor did he like the Sadducees, with whom he was no less harsh, and who, for their part, together with the Herodians, were his greatest adversaries, since they Jesus was loved by the crowds and they feared that the people would rise up against themselves and the Romans.
Three Passovers are mentionedThe first one, on the account of the life of Jesus, by the evangelist John, as we have said, is the most accurate in correcting the inaccuracies of the other three evangelists and in pointing out neglected details, even from the chronological point of view.
After which the Nazarene went up to Jerusalem for the last time to celebrate the Passover. Here, besides a cheering crowd, Pharisees, scribes, Sadducees and Herodians were waiting for him, who conspired to kill him, arrested him, taking advantage of the treachery of one of his disciples. (Judas Iscariot) and handed him over to the Romans. After a summary trial, the procurator or prefect, Pontius Pilate, washed his hands and crucified Him.
All the evangelists agree in fixing the death of Jesus on the cross on a Friday. (the parasceve) within the Easter holidays.
Giuseppe Ricciotti, enumerating a series of possibilities all analyzed by scholars, comes to the conclusion that the exact date of this event, in the Jewish calendar, is the 14th day of the lunar month of Nisan. (Friday, April 7) 30 A.D.
So, if Jesus was born two years before Herod's death and was about thirty years of age (possibly thirty-two or thirty-three) at the beginning of his public life, must have been about 35 years old when he died.
The Gospels tell us that Jesus suffered the most excruciating deathThe "Roman Empire" was reserved for slaves, murderers, thieves and those who were not Roman citizens: the crucifixionHe was then subjected to an equally terrible torture which, in Roman custom, preceded crucifixion: the flagellation (described by Horace as horribile flagellum)inflicted with the terrible instrument called flagrum, a whip with metal balls and bone nails that tore the skin and tore shreds of flesh.
The cross used could be of two types: crux commissa, T-shaped, or crux immissa, dagger-shaped. (4)
From what we read in the Gospels, once condemned, Jesus was forced to carry the cross (most likely the cross beam of the crux immissa, the patibulum) at a height just outside the walls of Jerusalem (Golgotha, exactly where the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher stands today).. In that place, according to Roman procedure, he was stripped.
Other details of the punishment can be learned precisely from the Roman custom of crucifying those condemned to death: they were tied or nailed with their arms extended to the scaffold and raised on the vertical post already fixed to the ground. On the other hand, the feet were tied or nailed to the vertical post, on which a kind of support seat protruded at the level of the buttocks.
Death was slow, very slow and accompanied by unbearable suffering.The victim, raised from the ground no more than half a meter, was completely naked and could hang for hours, if not days, shaken by tetanic cramps and spasms due to the impossibility of breathing properly, as the blood could not flow to the extremities which were strained to the point of exhaustion, as well as to the heart and lungs which could not hatch properly.
We know from the evangelists, however, that Jesus' agony did not last more than a few hours. (from the sixth hour to the ninth hour), probably due to the enormous loss of blood (hypovolemic shock) due to flagellation and that, after death, was placed in a new tomb, excavated in the rock near the site of the crucifixion. (a few meters away).
And here ends the story of the life of the "historical Jesus" and begins that of the "Christ of faith".The Gospels later read that after three days, Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead, appearing first to some women (something unheard of, at a time when a woman's testimony was worthless)The first time that Paul of Tarsus, at the time of his ascension to heaven at the right hand of God, was alive, he was still alive, as Paul of Tarsus specifies, at the time of his ascension to heaven at the right hand of God. (around 50) Paul himself was writing his letters.
The Passion of the Christ. An image from the controversial film
The story of the "historical Jesus" is the story of a failure, at least an apparent one: perhaps, in fact, the greatest failure in history.
Unlike other characters who have marked the course of time and have been engraved in the memory of posterity, Jesus did practically nothing exceptional, from a purely human point of view, or rather macrohistorical: he did not lead armies to conquer new territories, he did not defeat hordes of enemies, he did not accumulate quantities of booty and women, slaves and servants, he did not write literary works, he did not paint or sculpt anything.
Considering, then, the way in which his earthly existence ended, in mockery, in disappointment, in violent death and in anonymous burial, as he did, therefore, to quote a friend who asked me precisely this question, A "bandit killed by the Romans" to become the cornerstone of history? Well, it seems that what was said about him, that he was "the stone rejected by the builders, but which has become the cornerstone." (Acts 4:11)Isn't that a paradox?
If, on the other hand, we look at the course of events in his life from a "..." point of view, we can see that he is a "man of the future".microhistorical"In other words, in terms of the influence he had on the people he came across, on those he would have healed, moved, affected, changed, then it is easier for us to believe in something else that he himself would have told his followers: "you will do even greater things".
It was his disciples and apostles, therefore, who initiated his missionary work and spread his message throughout the world.. When Jesus was alive, his message, the "gospel" (the good news)The fact is that it had not crossed the borders of Palestine and, in fact, from the way its existence ended, it also seemed destined to die.
And at the same time small and hidden, it began to ferment like yeast in that little corner of the East, in a way, I repeat, completely inexplicable, given that, as Paul of Tarsus testifies to us, the difficulty in the propagation of the gospel lies not only in the paradox that it containsthat is, in proclaiming (something unheard of until then) Blessed are the little ones, the lowly, the humble, the children and the ignorant, but also in having to identify the gospel itself with a person who had died in utter ignominy and who later claimed to have risen from the dead.
Paul, in fact, defines this announcement, the cross, "for the Jews indeed a stumbling block, and for the Gentiles foolishness", "for the Jews ask for signs, and the Greeks seek wisdom". (First Letter to the Corinthians 1, 21-22).
As already mentioned, this is not the place to discuss this topic, as the objective of this paper is simply a look at the "Historical Jesus" and not to the "Christ of faith".
However, it can already be stated that one is not understandable without the otherI will therefore only provide a few hints about what was, in fact, the focal point of the message of Jesus of Nazareth, the heart of the Gospel. (εὐαγγγέλιον, euanguélion, literally good news, or good announcement).i.e. the kerigma.
The term is of Greek origin (κήρυγμα, from the verb κηρύσσσω, kēryssō, which is to shout like a crier, to spread an announcement).. And the announcement is this: the life, death, resurrection and glorious return of Jesus of Nazareth, called Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit.
According to Christians, this work constitutes a direct intervention of God in history.God who becomes incarnate in a man, who lowers himself to the level of creatures in order to raise them to the dignity of his children, to free them from the slavery of sin. (a new Easter) and from death and to give them eternal life, by virtue of the sacrifice of his only begotten Son.
This process by which God stoops down to man has been defined κένωσις (kénōsis)also a Greek word that literally indicates a "...".emptying"God lowers himself and empties himself, in practice stripping himself of his own prerogatives and his own divine attributes in order to give them, to share them with man, in a movement between heaven and earth. That presupposes, after the descent, also an ascent, from earth to heaven: the théosis (θέοσις)the elevation of human nature that becomes divine because, in Christian doctrine, the baptized person is Christ himself. (5). In fact, the humiliation of God leads to the apotheosis of man.
The concept of kerygma constitutes, from a historical point of view, a fundamental fact to understand how, from the beginning of Christianity, this proclamation and identification of Jesus of Nazareth with God, and the fact of his identification with God, is a fundamental factor in the development of the Church. was present in the words and writings of his disciples and apostles, constituting, among other things, the very reason for his death sentence by the notables of Judaism at the time.
Its traces are found, in fact, not only in all the Gospels, but also and above all in the Pauline letters. (whose wording is even older: the first Letter to the Thessalonians was written in 52 A.D.[2]).In them, Paul of Tarsus writes Paul himself tells of having previously learned, namely, that Jesus of Nazareth was born, died and rose again for the sins of the world, according to the scriptures.
There is no doubt, therefore, that the identification of the "historical Jesus" with the "Christ of faith" is not at all late, but immediate and derived from the same words used by Jesus of Nazareth to define himself and attribute to himself the prophecies and messianic images of the entire history of the people of Israel.
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Another interesting aspect is the method: it "educa" (etymologically the Latin term educĕre presupposes driving from one place to another and, by extension, taking something out)., and does so as an excellent teacher, as he points to himself as an example to follow.
In fact, from the analysis of his words, his gestures, his actions, Jesus seems almost not only to want to carry out a work by himself, but to want those who decide to follow him to do so with him, to learn to act like him, to follow him in the ascent towards God, in a constant dialogue that is concretized in the symbols used, in the places, in the contents of the scriptures.
It almost seems to mean, and in fact does say: "Learn from me!". The phrase we have just quoted is contained, among other things, in a passage from Matthew's Gospel in which Jesus invites his followers to be like him in meekness and humility (ch. 11:29).
In meekness, in humility, in not reacting with violence or disrespect, his figure remains coherent also from a literary point of view, not only intellectually: firm, constant until death, never in contradiction.
Jesus teaches his followers not only not to kill, but to lay down their lives for others.not only not to steal, but to undress for others; not only to love friends, but also enemies; not only to be good people, but to be perfect like God. And in doing sodoes not indicate an abstract model, someone far away in time and space or a divinity lost in the heavens: he points to himself. He says: "Do as I do!".
It also seems to be an expression of his mission that begins, with the baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, at the lowest point of the Earth. (the banks of the Jordan around Jericho) and culminates in what was considered, in the collective imagination of the Jewish people, the highest point: Jerusalem.
Jesus descends, like the Jordan (whose Hebrew name ירדן, Yardén, means "he who descends"). to the Dead Sea, a deserted, despoiled and low place, to lead upward, where he would have been "lifted up from the earth" and "drawn all to himself." (John 12:32)but in a completely different sense than one would have expected from him.
It is a pilgrimage that finds its meaning in the very idea of the Jewish pilgrimage to the Holy City.The "Songs of Ascents" were sung during the main feasts, while ascending from the plain of Esdraelon or, more frequently, from the road from Jericho to the mountains of Judea.
By extension, this idea of pilgrimage, of "ascension", can be found in the modern concept of "ascent". from עלייה ('aliyah). emigration or pilgrimage to Israel of Jews (but also Christians) going to the Holy Land to visit the country or stay and live there (and define themselves עולים, 'ōlīm - from the same root 'al - i.e., "those who ascend")..
In fact, the name of the Israeli airline, the The Al (אל על)means "to the top". (and with a double meaning: high is the sky, but "high" is also the Land of Israel and Jerusalem in particular).
Finally, the overturning of the very idea of "world dominatorThe "the one that his contemporaries had hoped for, takes place in the so-called Sermon on the Mount, the programmatic discourse on the mission of Jesus of NazarethBlessed are not the rich, but the poor in spirit; not the strong, but the weak; not the mighty, but the humble; not those who wage war, but those who seek peace.
And then, last but not least, the great message of consolation to mankind: God is fathernot a collective father, in the sense of a protector of this or that people against others, but a tender father, a "daddy". (Jesus calls him thus in Aramaic: אבא, abba). for every man, as the biblical scholar Jean Carmignac explains it very well (6) :
For Jesus, God is essentially Father, just as He is Love (1 John 4:8).
Jesus is above all the "Son" of God in a way that no one could have imagined before him, so that God is for him "the Father" in the strictest sense of the term. This paternity of the Father and this filiation of the Son also imply participation in the one divine nature.
This theme occupies such a central place in the preaching of Jesus that the incarnation of the Son is intended to give men "the power to become children of God." (Jn 1:12) and that his message could be defined as a revelation from the Father (John 1:18)to teach men that they are God's children (1 John 3:1).
This truth assumes, through the mouth of Jesus, such importance that it becomes the basis for his teachingThe purpose of good works is the glory of the Father. (Matthew 5:16)The fullness of the moral life consists in being merciful as the Father is merciful (Matthew 6, 14-15; Mark 11: 25-26), the entrance to the kingdom of heaven is reserved for those who do the will of the Father (Matthew 7, 21), the fullness of the moral life consists in being merciful as the Father is merciful (Matthew 6, 14-15; Mark 11: 25-26), the entrance to the kingdom of heaven is reserved for those who do the will of the Father (Matthew 7, 21). (Luke 6:36) and perfect as the Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48).
From this paternity of God an obvious consequence follows.having the same "Father", men are in reality brothers who should love each other and treat each other as such. There is a fundamental principle that inspires all the morality and spirituality of Christianity and that the Gospel had already explicitly proclaimed: "You are all brothers [-] because one is your Father in heaven". (Matthew 23:8-9).
Thus ends our journey in search of the "historical Jesus", with the awareness that, for believers and non-believers alike, his figure will forever remain the greatest and most fascinating mystery of history.
Gerardo Ferrara
BA in History and Political Science, specializing in the Middle East.
Responsible for the student body
University of the Holy Cross in Rome
