Early Christian Writings

Christian writings about the life and teachings of Jesus were known as gospels. The word gospel means “good news,” and these works were intended to celebrate the good news that Christians felt that Jesus brought to humanity. The gospels tell the story of the life of Jesus, describing and interpreting the events of his birth, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. They also include reported miracles that he performed, discussions with his disciples, and passages that appear to be records of his sermons.

There were many gospels produced after the death of Jesus during the first and second centuries CE. Councils were eventually convened to determine which books were authoritative. Some of the writings and their authors were found to be in error​ by these councils. Writings that were deemed to be illegitimate were left out of the collection of official Christian writings. This process of selection helped establish the Christian canon. A ​ canon​ is a group of approved texts in a religious tradition. The ​New Testament​ of the Bible is the main collection of texts that were ultimately approved. The term “New Testament” refers to the idea that God renewed His covenant with His people through Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection and ascension.

Three of the gospels are very similar in content: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These three gospels,known as the synoptic gospels, were all written between 70 CE and 110 CE. Synoptic is related to the word “synopsis,” which means a summary of the main points. These gospels are meant to be viewed together because of their similar content.

As Christianity spread over the first and second centuries CE, it was influenced by different cultures. Greek philosophy and religion were reflected in Christian writings about the life and teachings of Jesus. The Gospel of John reflects that influence. John presents Jesus in a somewhat different way than in the synoptic gospels. The Gospel of John was also the last gospel to be written, around the year 110 CE, and is not considered to be a synoptic gospel.

Also included in the New Testament are the earliest Christian writings: the letters of Paul. Remember, Paul was the apostle to the gentiles who established many Christian communities throughout the Mediterranean region. He wrote many letters to these communities to settle problems or to answer questions about proper Christian practice. These letters were written between the years 50 and 60 CE, only a few decades after the life of Jesus. A selection of these letters is included in the New Testament.

In one of his epistles, Paul argues that the disobedience of Adam was an original sin that would affect all future generations:

Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned. …Death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam. (Romans 5:12-13; New Revised Standard Version [NRSV])

Later in the passage, Paul explains that Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection and ascension redeemed Adam’s sin for all humanity:

Just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all… For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:18-19; NRSV)

These interpretations about the meaning of the life of Jesus helped to broaden the support of Christianity in the early period and expand it beyond the Jewish groups of his followers.

Life of Jesus

The story of the life and teachings of Jesus is derived from the four gospels and the letters of Paul of Tarsus. Some of the events appear to be miraculous. How do these events contribute to a religious understanding of the life of Jesus?

Miraculous Conception and Birth

According to the Christian narrative, Jesus was miraculously conceived. The gospels of Matthew and Luke report that Mary, engaged to Joseph, a carpenter from Galilee, was visited by an angel named Gabriel. The angel told Mary that she had conceived a child by the Holy Spirit. Joseph was also visited by an angel who told him that Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit. The account in Matthew makes this clear:

Now the Birth of Jesus, the Messiah, took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:18-2:12 NRSV

This narrative supports the idea the male seed was contributed by God, not by a human, and that Jesus was born from a woman who was (miraculously) still a virgin. For an alternate version that does not include this miraculous action of the Holy Spirit, see Luke 2:1-20. The account in Luke simply states that Joseph was engaged to Mary who was expecting a child.

The gospels describe how Mary and Joseph left their homes in Galilee and went to the village of Bethlehem for the census conducted by the Roman authorities. When they arrived in Bethlehem, Mary was ready to give birth. However, there was no room for them to stay anywhere in the town, so an innkeeper let them stay in his barn. That night, Mary gave birth to Jesus and laid him in a manger, meaning a feed trough for animals.

Nearby, there were shepherds in a field who saw a vision of angels, telling them that the messiah had been born. They went to see the baby and rejoiced at what they saw. According the Gospel of Matthew, wise men from another country interpreted the stars and saw that a great king had been born to the Jews. They reportedly went to King Herod, the Roman ruler of Judea, to ask about the baby. He told them to go and find him. They were guided miraculously by a star to the manger where Jesus lay. Once they found Jesus, the wise men gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. However, they were warned in a dream that King Herod meant to kill the baby, so they did not return to tell Herod where Jesus was.

In this part of the narrative, we see Joseph and Mary obeying the demands of the government. Their lives are humble: they are forced to seek shelter in a stable. But supernatural and natural events alert others that an unusual event has occurred. Both the lower parts of society (shepherds) and the upper ranks of society (kings) come to recognize the baby Jesus.

Baptism and Vocation

According to the gospels, Mary and Joseph returned to Nazareth, where they raised Jesus. The gospels describe Jesus as listening to the local rabbis and teaching in the temple. Once a Jewish boy reached puberty, around the age of 13, he began participating in the annual fast and taking responsibilities at the temple. Jesus showed a keen interest in these matters.

When Jesus was around thirty years old, he encountered a wandering preacher called John the Baptist, who specialized in baptizing people in the Jordan River. In the Gospel of Matthew, John recognized the divinity of Jesus, and was reluctant to baptize him, but Jesus persuaded him to perform the ritual. When John baptized Jesus, a voice was heard saying “You are my Son, the Beloved. With you I am well pleased” (Mark 1: 9-11; NRSV). Luke adds that the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove. This narrative suggests that Jesus had a natural religious vocation, showing his interest in temple learning. It also emphasizes the participation of God through the Holy Spirit.

After being baptized by John, Jesus then went into the wilderness for forty days and forty nights. This part of the narrative supports the later ascetic movements in Christianity. Ascetics would see the account of Jesus struggling with Satan as a period of testing and refining his spiritual intentions through physical and mental challenges. While in the wilderness, Jesus fasted and was tested by Satan in a variety of ways. For instance, Satan told Jesus to turn rocks into bread to prove that he was the Son of God. He also tempted Jesus with riches and splendor if he would worship him. Jesus refused, and emerged from the wilderness having conquered temptation.

Returning to society, Jesus then traveled through Judea and Galilee, gathering disciples as he went. Many of Jesus’ teachings focused on ethics. He instructed his followers to care for widows, orphans, the poor, and foreigners. One of his famous sermons (lectures) where he gave these instructions is called the Sermon on the Mount. You can read the record of the Sermon on the Mount, including the Beatitudes, or ethical instructions, in the primary text section of this chapter.

Three themes emerge from this description of the spiritual vocation of Jesus. First, that he displayed an early interest in religion and a talent for asking penetrating questions about it. Second, that he was attracted to ascetic practices and sought spiritual experiences. Third, that as he matured, he developed a charismatic message of ethical concern for others, especially the marginalized members of society.

Ministry and Last Supper

Jesus is said to have performed many miracles throughout his ministry by healing the sick and the blind, even bringing the dead back to life (e.g. Lazarus of Bethany). All of this activity brought him under the scrutiny of the local Jewish leaders, the Pharisees, who sought to put an end to his ministry. They challenged him many times, but Jesus did not stop publicly teaching and attempting to reform Jewish practices. For example, he criticized and turned over the tables of money changers who were working within the temple in Jerusalem. He did this because he was enraged that they had turned the temple, the most sacred of Jewish places, into a place of business.

Around the sacred time of Passover, Jesus and his followers entered the Jewish temple in Jerusalem and began preaching. The temple hierarchy was disturbed by this action, and leaders of the temple planned to arrest Jesus. On the night before his arrest, Jesus had a meal with his disciples, which is known to Christians as the Last Supper. Jesus took a loaf of bread and broke it apart, giving it to his disciples and saying “this is my body, broken for you.” Then he took wine and gave it to the disciples saying “this is my blood, poured out for you.” Christians celebrate this occasion in a ritual known as the Eucharist, or communion.

Jesus told his disciples that one of them would betray him to the authorities. Following the betrayal, he said that another disciple would deny him three times before the rooster crowed. After the Last Supper, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He told his disciples to keep watch, but they fell asleep. He prayed, asking God to take away the burden of the ensuring arrest and crucifixion.

When he was done praying, he left the Garden and was met by Roman soldiers sent to arrest him. Judas, one of his disciples, had been bribed by authorities to betray Jesus. As Jesus was being arrested, another disciple, Peter, defended Jesus by cutting off the ear of one of the guards. Jesus chastised Peter, healed the guard’s ear, and went with them peacefully.

Jesus was taken to be judged by the Roman official, Pontius Pilate. At first, Pilate found that Jesus had not broken any laws. An angry crowd had gathered, though, and demanded that Jesus be punished. Pilate sent Jesus to King Herod to decide his fate. When Jesus went before Herod, he was mocked for being the Son of God and sent back to Pilate for a second time. Pilate still found no crime committed, and was even warned by his wife not to do anything to Jesus because she had a dream that he was innocent. In the end, Pilate decided to sentence Jesus to death by crucifixion to appease the angry crowd.

In this part of the narrative, we see Jesus challenging worldly authority in order to reform Judaism and restore the covenant relationship with God. He resisted current practices, such as handling money in the temple, declaring that it damaged the sacred character of the temple. On a Jewish holiday, Jesus boldly attempted to take the place of established authorities by entering the temple with his followers to preach. This move alienated the temple leadership. Finally, the hours praying in the garden remind Christians that Jesus was in intimate communication with God. Up to this point in the story, Jesus acted and talked like other prophets in the Jewish tradition. He attempted to reform current practices and was met with resistance. He trusted his own understanding of the will of God and challenged the Jewish people to restore their ethical guidelines.

Crucifixion and Resurrection

Jesus was crucified alongside two criminals. One of them mocked Jesus, saying that if he was truly the Son of God, he would be able to save himself. The man on the other side defended Jesus, recognizing his divinity. Jesus told him that he would go to heaven that day. When Jesus died, he was taken to be buried in a tomb with a stone rolled in front of it. It was a Friday, and the body had to be dressed and buried before the Sabbath, when no work could be performed.

On Sunday after the Sabbath, a follower of Jesus named Mary Magdalene and two other women came to anoint Jesus’ body with oils. However, when they got there, they found that the stone had been rolled away and Jesus’ body was gone. They were stunned and panicked when they ran into a man outside the tomb. He asked them what was wrong. They told him that the body they came to dress had been stolen. He asked them if they recognized him. Instantly they recognized the man they were talking to as Jesus and ran back to tell the other disciples. The disciples didn’t believe the women until Jesus appeared to them as well. All of them except the doubting Thomas believed. Thomas had to touch Jesus’ wounds before he was convinced that it was Jesus.

Jesus stayed with his disciples for forty days. Afterwards, Jesus ascended, rising into heaven. He left his disciples to spread his message to every nation. His disciples believed that Jesus would return to earth sometime in the future. The implications of the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension will be discussed in the next section.