WHO WAS JESUS?
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The Star of Bethlehem
We cannot be certain of all the facts about the birth of Jesus Christ. We know that in Egypt there was a census every fourteen years. This may also have been the case in Palestine [ as Israel was called then]. A census is known to have taken place in Palestine in 6 AD, so the one referred to in the gospels of Luke and Matthew may have been held in about 8 BC. This census would have taken some time as it was the custom for each family to return to its birthplace. This means that Jesus was probably born in about 6 BC [ BCE], a date accepted by most New Testament scholars. It is known that King Herod the Great died in 4 BC, so a date of 6 BC for the birth of Jesus would tie-in with that historic event. He was almost certainly born before 1 AD  [ the year '0' did not exist] and this means that our calendar is wrong. It was worked out by a monk in the 6th century AD whose calculations we now know were out by at least six years.
The Birth of Jesus
The world into which Jesus was born
[ see map on right ] was dominated by the
' super power ' of that time, the Roman
Empire. This Empire was centred on Rome       
in Italy, and at that time the Romans ruled
most of the known world, from northern
England to North Africa.


The Romans had occupied Palestine for
sixty years by the time that Jesus was born
in Bethlehem in Judea. It is possible that
the Romans had been invited into the country to restore order by the Pharisees, a Jewish religious group who soon regretted their hasty action. The Romans allowed the Jews to keep their old religious laws and customs provided that they also kept the peace and paid their taxes to the Emperor. The Emperor at the time of Jesus' birth was Caesar Augustus. The official language of the Roman Empire was Greek, and the language of the Common Jewish people, like Jesus, was Aramaic, a form of Hebrew. Roman soldiers would have been a common sight on the roads of Palestine.














We are told little about the early years of Jesus, apart from one visit to Jerusalem when he was 12 years old. On that occasion Jesus went to the Temple where he listened to the teachers and asked and answered questions: "Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers." [Luke 2:v47]

We learn nothing more for nearly 20 years, when Jesus was baptised in the River Jordan by his cousin, John the Baptist. At his baptism the New Testament tells us that a voice from heaven declared, "This is my Son, whom I love. with him I am well pleased." [Matthew 3v17]. Then Jesus was led by God's spirit into the desert where he fasted and wrestled with the devil for 40 days. This time the temptation was to fashion the shape of his ministry. Now he was ready.

After spending a night in prayer Jesus called 12 disciples and set out on his travels around his small country. He began his ministry in his home area in the north, in the towns and villages and countyside around the Se
Why do only two of the four Gospels contain these stories?

Why are these two accounts so different: one focusing on Mary, and the other on Joseph?

Are we intended to read these accounts of the birth of Jesus as history?

Or are they a particular kind of story, intended to tell readers that this child is very special indeed?
THE BIRTH STORIES RAISE QUESTIONS
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The baptism of Jesus
The four Gospels record some of his deeds and words. Jesus healed a people with a wide range of diseases: a paralysed man, a man with leprosy, a woman suffering with bleeding and a man who was possessed by a demon. He even raised the dead
[ Luke 7v15; John 11v43].

He also had power over nature; for example, he stilled   a storm, and fed a huge crowd with five loaves and two fish. Jesus became known as a powerful and controversial teacher, who was willing to challenge the established traditions of his time. All this made him famous and popular. Time for rest, solitude and prayer were limited, but he often went to quiet places to pray.
Christianity is based not only on ideas, but on events. At its centre we do not find a theory, but a person, Jesus Christ. Many people have a sentimental picture of Jesus. They view him as more interested in flowers, birds and children than in the harsh world of adult reality. In fact, the historical Jesus was a rather different character, as we will see on the next page.