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== The Rise of Christianity ==

== The Rise of Christianity ==

'''The ancient world had several founders of great religions, but only one performed miracles:  Jesus of Nazareth.  His resurrection is the single greatest event in the history of the world.  Do we know when it occurred?'''

 

 

:τέξεται δὲ υἱὸν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ '''Ἰησοῦν''' αὐτὸς γὰρ σώσει τὸν λαὸν αὑτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν

 

 

 

 

 

The ancient world had several founders of great religions, but only one performed miracles:  Jesus of Nazareth.  His resurrection is the single greatest event in the history of the world.  Do we know when it occurred?

It is easy to calculate the date of His crucifixion because we know it was during the reign of Pontius Pilate, who served from A.D. 26 to 36, thereby encompassing the entire period of ministry of John the Baptist and Jesus himself.  A Roman historian named Philo described Pilate as inflexible, obstinate and merciless, and Pilate was hated by the Jewish people under his rule.  The Gospels describe the savage retaliation by Pilate against Galileans as follows:  “Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.”  Luke 13:1 (NAS).  Eventually the Romans removed Pilate from power for being too cruel.

It is easy to calculate the date of His crucifixion because we know it was during the reign of Pontius Pilate, who served from A.D. 26 to 36, thereby encompassing the entire period of ministry of John the Baptist and Jesus himself.  A Roman historian named Philo described Pilate as inflexible, obstinate and merciless, and Pilate was hated by the Jewish people under his rule.  The Gospels describe the savage retaliation by Pilate against Galileans as follows:  “Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.”  Luke 13:1 (NAS).  Eventually the Romans removed Pilate from power for being too cruel.

A detailed analysis of the Gospel and historical sources places the date of the Crucifixion at Friday, April 3, A.D. 33, although some historians think it occurred in A.D. 29. You can review the evidence yourself at:

A detailed analysis of the Gospel and historical sources places the date of the Crucifixion at Friday, April 3, A.D. 33, although some historians think it occurred in A.D. 29.<ref>http://www.themoorings.org/apologetics/69weeks/weeks4.html</ref>

http://www.themoorings.org/apologetics/69weeks/weeks4.html

From these dates come the traditional view that Jesus was 33 years old when He rose from the dead.  However, the Gospels do not specify His age and it is not clear exactly when Jesus was born.  We do know from the Gospels that He was less than 50.  Many historians place his birth between 6 and 4 B.C.  The description of Jesus’ birth in the Gospel of Luke refers to King Herod, whose brutal reign was from 37 to 4 B.C.

From these dates come the traditional view that Jesus was 33 years old when He rose from the dead.  However, the Gospels do not specify His age and it is not clear exactly when Jesus was born.  We do know from the Gospels that He was less than 50.  Many historians place his birth between 6 and 4 B.C.  The description of Jesus’ birth in the Gospel of Luke refers to King Herod, whose brutal reign was from 37 to 4 B.C.

The teachings of Jesus are well-known to all of us, and were recorded in the Gospels (Greek for “good news”) by two of His apostles (Matthew and John) and two disciples (Mark and Luke). The Gospels were originally written in Greek, the common lingua franca (common or commercial language among diverse peoples) of the Roman Orient.  No original Gospels have been found in Aramaic; the only discovered Aramaic Gospels are translations from Greek versions.  The general consensus is that the Gospel according to Matthew was written particularly for Jews; the Gospel according to Mark was written particularly for Romans; the Gospel according to Luke was written particularly for Greeks; and the Gospel according to John was written for everyone.  Jesus had emphasized that scribes were part of those He sent forth to proselytize the world.  “I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes ….”  (Matt 23:34 (NAS)).

The teachings of Jesus are well-known to all of us, and were recorded in the Gospels (Greek for “good news”) by two of His apostles (Matthew and John) and two disciples (Mark and Luke). The Gospels were originally written in Greek, the common lingua franca (common or commercial language among diverse peoples) of the Roman Orient.  No original Gospels have been found in Aramaic; the only discovered Aramaic Gospels are translations from Greek versions.  The general consensus is that the Gospel according to Matthew was written particularly for Jews; the Gospel according to Mark was written particularly for Romans; the Gospel according to Luke was written particularly for Greeks; and the Gospel according to John was written for everyone.  Jesus had emphasized that scribes were part of those He sent forth to proselytize the world.  “I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes ….”  (Matt 23:34 (NAS)).

Luke was a Greek physician (see Col 4:14) who accompanied Paul and also wrote the Acts of the Apostles describing the arrival of the Holy Spirit.  Unlike the firsthand Gospels of Matthew and John, the Gospel of Luke records eyewitness accounts of others, much as a doctor asks a patient for his medical history and then writes it down in the medical file.  Due to Luke’s professional nature, his Gospel is very comprehensive about Jesus’ life and resurrection, and it also conveys the great sense of joy that Jesus’ family, friends and followers felt.  In the Battle of the Bulge in World War II (the surprise Nazi counterattack in Dec. 1944), which was one of the worst military defeats in American history, a minister’s son who had memorized Luke’s description of the Nativity recited it for his fellow soldiers on Christmas Eve while together in the trenches.  Many of them died soon afterwards in battle.

Luke was a Greek physician (see Col 4:14) who accompanied Paul and also wrote the Acts of the Apostles describing the arrival of the Holy Spirit.  Unlike the firsthand Gospels of Matthew and John, the Gospel of Luke records eyewitness accounts of others, much as a doctor asks a patient for his medical history and then writes it down in the medical file.  Due to Luke’s professional nature, his Gospel is very comprehensive about Jesus’ life and resurrection, and it also conveys the great sense of joy that Jesus’ family, friends and followers felt.  In the Battle of the Bulge in World War II (the surprise Nazi counterattack in Dec. 1944), which was one of the worst military defeats in American history, a minister’s son who had memorized Luke’s description of the Nativity recited it for his fellow soldiers on Christmas Eve while together in the trenches.  Many of them died soon afterward in battle.

The greatest writing in the history of the world is the Gospel of John, the Apostle whom Jesus loved the most.  John likely revised and perfected this Gospel for decades before releasing it to others.  As was typical for many of the greatest authors in history, such as Copernicus, John’s work was probably not released to the public until he passed away.  Isaac Newton, to take another example, delayed publication of his great mathematical discoveries for decades.  As long as something can be improved and developed further, there may not be any reason to publish it prematurely.

The greatest writing in the history of the world is the Gospel of John, the Apostle whom Jesus loved the most.  John likely revised and perfected this Gospel for decades before releasing it to others.  As was typical for many of the greatest authors in history, such as Copernicus, John’s work was probably not released to the public until he passed away.  Isaac Newton, to take another example, delayed publication of his great mathematical discoveries for decades.  As long as something can be improved and developed further, there may not be any reason to publish it prematurely.