The
historical Jesus is
Jesus of
Nazareth as reconstructed by historians using
historical methods. These historical methods use
critical analysis of gospel texts as the primary source for the biography of Jesus, along with non-biblical sources to reconstruct the
historical context of first-century Judea. These methods do not include
theological or
religious axioms, such as
biblical infallibility. Though the reconstructions vary, they generally agree on these basic points Jesus was a Jewish teacher
[2] who attracted a small following of Galileans and, after a period of ministry, was crucified by the Romans in the
Iudaea Province during the governorship of
Pontius Pilate. The
quest for the historical Jesus began with the work of
Hermann Samuel Reimarus.
[3]Historians have developed a number of methods to critically analyze historical sources
According to the Gospels and other early sources[5], Jesus was active in Galilee and Judea (modern day Israel, Palestine, and Jordan) during the first half of the first century. Following the break-down of earlier Jewish kingdoms the partially-Hellenized territory was under Roman imperial rule, but there were ongoing hopes of a revival of sovereignty. The Roman Prefect’s first duty to Rome was to maintain order, but although the land was mostly peaceful, there was an ongoing risk of rebellion, riots, banditry, and violent resistance (see also Zealotry). Four decades after Jesus’ death the tensions caused by Jewish hopes for a restoration of the kingdom of David culminated in the first Jewish-Roman War and the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Given the historical context in which the Gospels took their final form and during which Christianity first emerged, historians have struggled to understand Jesus' ministry in terms of what is known about first century Judaism. According to scholars such as Geza Vermes and E.P. Sanders, Jesus seems not to have belonged to any particular party or movement; Jesus was eclectic (and perhaps unique) in combining elements of many of these different – and for most Jews, opposing – positions. Most critical scholars see Jesus as healing people and performing miracles in the prophetic tradition of the Galilee, and preaching God's desire for justice and righteousness in the prophetic tradition of Judea. (According to Geza Vermes, the fact that Jesus' followers addressed him as "lord" indicates that they likened him to notable miracle workers and scribes. see Names and titles of Jesus)
