The story of the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ biography

The main essence of the Christian faith is this. When Adam and Eve, our first parents, who lived in paradise, and had everything according to the will and love of God, sinned, going against the will of God, at the instigation of the tempting serpent, they lost their immortality and were cast out of paradise by God. Since then, their descendants have been forced to live and die. Because God loves us, He sent His only begotten Son, who became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary (the most worthy one, chosen by God for this great purpose), and was born as a man, while retaining his divine essence.

The purpose of this incarnation was to save people from original sin, defeat death, and enable people again (like Adam and Eve) to gain immortality. At the same time, people who live according to the commandments of God will be able, after death, to enter the Kingdom of God, created by Jesus Christ, and live there with him forever in prosperity and joy. People who were given such an opportunity, but did not take advantage of it, did not behave with dignity, did not follow the commandments, will be deprived of such an opportunity, and will forever be in hell, far from the Lord. They will forever regret their earthly life, during which they could have done everything for their eternal life in paradise, but neglected this opportunity.

For many millennia (this is for human life, but for eternity it is just a moment), God prepared humanity for this event, sending prophets to earth who told people about the coming of the Savior of the world.

How it all happened

Having chosen the most pure Virgin Mary, an orphan from the royal family of David, under the care of her elderly distant relative Joseph from Nazareth, for the birth of the Savior, the Lord sent the Archangel Michael to inform the girl that she had been chosen for such a great purpose. Mary was excited, but immediately meekly informed the Archangel of her consent. Mary was a very religious girl, devoted to the Lord with all her soul, and she worthily accepted into her womb the child born of the Holy Spirit. She was given in marriage to Joseph, to whom an Angel in a dream revealed the meaning and essence of Mary’s pregnancy, and Joseph was made guardian of Mary, her virginity, and the baby born from her until the time determined by the Lord.

Jesus grew up like an ordinary baby until he reached the age of 30. However, He showed His Divine essence already at the age of 12. When His Mother was looking for Him and found Him in the temple, where He was sitting with learned men and talking, and they were amazed at His intelligence and amazed at His answers, His mother reproached Him for worrying about where He had gone. to this the boy replied:

Why did you look for me, or did you not know that I should be in what belongs to My Father?

At the age of thirty, Jesus came to the Jordan River and was baptized there by Prophet John, thereby sanctifying the waters of the river. During the baptism, the heavens opened and a loud voice was heard from there: “Behold my beloved Son, in him I am well pleased,” then the heavens opened and John saw the Spirit of God descending from heaven on Jesus in the form of a dove. So God showed people that Jesus is the Son of God, and he is the Savior awaited by the people.

Before public service

Before embarking on his mission, Jesus Christ, being both God and man, went into the desert. There he spent 40 days in fasting and prayer, during which Satan tried in every possible way to tempt Him, and after that He set off to realize his goal.
The Lord began his ministry in Galilee, where he chose 12 of his disciples, the apostles, who were to accept His teaching, and after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and His ascension into heaven, continue to bring the teaching to people, so that they would accept the Christian faith and follow His word and example, and were able to receive eternal life in the Kingdom of God. During Jesus' ministry, many miracles were shown (such as turning water into wine, raising the dead, healing lepers, the blind, the lame and dumb, the Transfiguration before His disciples when they heard a voice from heaven confirming that He was the Son of God and to them one must obey Him.

The purpose of the Savior's coming

Jesus Christ had to accept death on the cross in order to be resurrected three days later and ascend into heaven, thereby defeating death and giving us immortal life, which happened three years after the start of the public ministry of Jesus Christ. He laid the foundation for our immortality and resurrection from the dead. Upon His second coming into the world, this will happen, and each person will answer to the Lord about his life at the Last Judgment, after which his place will be determined - either in heaven for a pious life and following the commandments of the Lord, or in hell for an unworthy life.

A film based on the Gospel of John, shot by a British director, telling about the life and teachings of Christ from His baptism to the appearance of the apostles.

Discussion: 4 comments

Having found myself here by chance and having seen what topic is being discussed, I cannot help but mention another interesting book in which, it seems to me, the historical existence of Jesus is proven - the book “The Party of Jesus” (available on Ozon and liters).

Answer

Jesus Christ is considered the founder of the Christian religion. The Gospels tell about his earthly life (from the Greek evangelion - good news). The birth of Jesus Christ (Christmas) marks the beginning of a new era. About events that happened before the birth of Jesus Christ, they say: before the Nativity of Christ, or BC. Jesus lived almost his entire life in Palestine, in the Middle East.

At the time of Jesus, Palestine occupied approximately the territory where the State of Israel is located, which is bordered on the west by the Mediterranean Sea, on the south by the border with Egypt, on the east on Jordan, on the north on Lebanon, and on the northeast on Syria. The Bible, however, does not mention the word "Palestine" because the area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River only became so called in 135 by order of the Roman emperor. Palestine included several provinces. Jesus' life was associated with the provinces of Galilee (the land west of the Jordan River) and Judea (west of the Dead Sea).

According to legend, Jesus Christ was born in the city of Bethlehem, in Judea, in the family of the carpenter Joseph and his wife Mary. They had to go to Bethlehem, despite the fact that they lived in the village of Nazareth in Galilee, since the emperor announced a census of his subjects and everyone had to register in their hometown. There was not enough space at the inn, so Mary found shelter in a cave, where she gave birth to the Baby Jesus. The parents took the newborn to Egypt, but later returned to Nazareth, where Jesus lived and spent his childhood and youth. When he was 30 years old, he was baptized by the preacher John, nicknamed “the Baptist,” because he washed—“baptized”—those who came to listen to his sermons. The baptism ceremony was performed in the waters of the Jordan River, which originates from Mount Hermon on the border of Lebanon and Syria, passes through Lake Tiberias and then flows into the Dead Sea, located between modern Israel and Jordan.

After his baptism, Jesus withdrew into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights in order to prepare in solitude, fasting and prayer for the mission with which he came to earth - the salvation of mankind. Having returned, Jesus gathered his disciples (apostles) and began to preach his teachings, wandering through the land of Galilee, performing miracles and healing the hopeless sick. Every time on Easter he came to Jerusalem. The glory of Christ grew, and the number of his followers multiplied. This caused hatred among the Jewish priests.

During the days of Easter, Christ appeared in Jerusalem for the last time, although he knew that he was in danger of death. The Romans captured Christ and took him into custody. The court of the Sanhedrin recognized him as a blasphemer and a rebel, and the Roman procurator (ruler) of Judea, Pontius Pilate, confirmed the verdict. Christ was sentenced to death and crucified near the city on a hill called Golgotha. The Gospel says that three days after the execution, Jesus was resurrected. The place where Jesus was born, preached, and died on the cross is called the Holy Land, and the land attracts many pilgrims.

about the life of Jesus

Among those holy places for which pilgrims flock to the Holy Land, the most important are the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, built around the cave where, according to legend, Jesus was born and lived, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, inside of which is the Hill of Golgotha and a tomb. The body of Jesus taken from the cross was placed in this tomb (Holy Sepulcher), which was in it until the Resurrection of Christ.

The founder of one of the world's greatest religions - Christianity, the central character of the Christian religious-mythological and dogmatic system and the object of Christian religious cult.

The main version of the life and work of Jesus Christ emerged from the depths of Christianity itself. It is presented primarily in the unique testimonies about Jesus Christ - a special genre of early Christian literature called “gospels” (“good news”). Some of them (the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) are recognized by the official church as authentic (canonical), and they therefore form the core of the New Testament; others (the Gospel of Nicodemus, Peter, Thomas, the First Gospel of James, the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, the Gospel of Childhood) are classified as apocrypha (“secret texts”), i.e. inauthentic.

The name “Jesus Christ” reflects the essence of its bearer. "Jesus" is the Greek variant of the common Hebrew name "Yeshua" (Joshua), meaning "God help/salvation." “Christ” is a translation into Greek of the Aramaic word “meshiya” (messiah, i.e. “anointed one”).

The Gospels present Jesus Christ as an extraordinary person throughout his life's journey - from his miraculous birth to the amazing end of his earthly life. Jesus Christ is born (Nativity of Christ) during the reign of the Roman emperor Augustus (30 BC - 14 AD) in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem in the family of Joseph the Carpenter, a descendant of King David, and his wife Mary. This answered the Old Testament prophecies about the birth of the coming messianic king from the line of David and in the “city of David” (Bethlehem). The appearance of Jesus Christ is predicted by the angel of the Lord to his mother (Annunciation) and her husband Joseph.

The child is born miraculously - not as a result of the carnal union of Mary with Joseph, but thanks to the descent of the Holy Spirit on her (immaculate conception). The setting of the birth emphasizes the exclusivity of this event - the baby Jesus, born in a stable, is glorified by a host of angels, and a bright star lights up in the east. Shepherds come to worship him; the Magi, whose path to his home is indicated by the Star of Bethlehem moving across the sky, bring him gifts. Eight days after his birth, Jesus undergoes the rite of circumcision (Circumcision of the Lord), and on the fortieth day in the Jerusalem temple - the rite of purification and dedication to God, during which the righteous Simeon and the prophetess Anna glorify him (The Presentation of the Lord). Having learned about the appearance of the Messiah, the wicked Jewish king Herod the Great, in fear for his power, orders the extermination of all babies in Bethlehem and its environs, but Joseph and Mary, warned by an angel, flee with Jesus to Egypt. The Apocrypha tells of numerous miracles performed by two-year-old Jesus Christ on his way to Egypt. After a three-year stay in Egypt, Joseph and Mary, learning of the death of Herod, return to their hometown of Nazareth in Galilee (Northern Palestine). Then, according to the apocrypha, over the course of seven years, Jesus’ parents moved with him from city to city, and the glory of the miracles he performed followed him everywhere: at his word, people were healed, died and were resurrected, inanimate objects came to life, wild animals were humbled, waters The Jordan parted. The child, showing extraordinary wisdom, baffles his mentors. As a twelve-year-old boy, he amazes with his unusually deep questions and answers from the teachers of the Law (the laws of Moses), with whom he enters into conversation in the Jerusalem Temple. However, then, as the Arabic Gospel of Childhood reports (“He began to hide His miracles, His secrets and sacraments, until He was thirty years old.”

When Jesus Christ reaches this age, he is baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist (Luke dates this event to the “fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius,” i.e., 30 AD), and the Holy Spirit descends on him, which leads him into the desert. There, for forty days, he fights the devil, rejecting three temptations one after another - hunger, power and faith. Upon returning from the desert, Jesus Christ begins preaching work. He calls his disciples to him and, wandering with them throughout Palestine, proclaims his teaching, interprets the Old Testament Law and performs miracles. The activities of Jesus Christ unfold mainly in the territory of Galilee, in the vicinity of Lake Gennesaret (Tiberias), but every Easter he goes to Jerusalem.

The meaning of the preaching of Jesus Christ is the good news of the Kingdom of God, which is already close and which is already being realized among people through the activity of the messiah. The acquisition of the Kingdom of God is salvation, which became possible with the coming of Christ to earth. The path to salvation is open to all who reject earthly goods for spiritual ones and who love God more than themselves. The preaching activity of Jesus Christ takes place in constant disputes and conflicts with representatives of the Jewish religious elite - the Pharisees, Sadducees, “teachers of the Law”, during which the Messiah rebels against the literal understanding of the Old Testament moral and religious precepts and calls for comprehending their true spirit.

The glory of Jesus Christ grows not only through his preaching, but also through the miracles he performs. In addition to numerous healings and even resurrections of the dead (the son of a widow in Nain, the daughter of Jairus in Capernaum, Lazarus in Bethany), this is the transformation of water into wine at a wedding in Cana in Galilee, miraculous fishing and taming of a storm on Lake Gennesaret, feeding five thousand with five loaves man, walking on water, feeding four thousand people with seven loaves of bread, discovering the divine essence of Jesus during prayer on Mount Tabor (Transfiguration of the Lord), etc.

The earthly mission of Jesus Christ is inevitably moving towards its tragic outcome, which is predicted in the Old Testament and which he himself foresees. The popularity of the preaching of Jesus Christ, the growth in the number of his followers, the crowds of people following him along the roads of Palestine, his constant victories over the zealots of the Law of Moses arouse hatred among the religious leaders of Judea and the intention to deal with him. The Jerusalem finale of the story of Jesus - the Last Supper, the night in the Garden of Gethsemane, the arrest, trial and execution - is by far the most heartfelt and most dramatic part of the Gospels. The Jewish high priests, “teachers of the Law” and elders form a conspiracy against Jesus Christ, who arrived in Jerusalem for Easter; Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples of Jesus Christ, agrees to sell his teacher for thirty pieces of silver. At the Easter meal in the circle of the twelve apostles (Last Supper), Jesus Christ predicts that one of them will betray him. Jesus Christ’s farewell to his disciples takes on a universally symbolic meaning: “And he took the bread and gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them, saying: This is my body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. Likewise the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the New Testament in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:19-20); This is how the rite of communion is introduced. In the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives, in sorrow and anguish, Jesus Christ prays to God to deliver him from the fate that threatens him: “My Father! if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). At this fateful hour, Jesus Christ remains alone - even his closest disciples, despite his requests to stay with him, indulge in sleep. Judas comes with a crowd of Jews and kisses Jesus Christ, thereby betraying his teacher to the enemies. Jesus is grabbed and, showered with insults and beatings, taken to the Sanhedrin (a meeting of Jewish high priests and elders). He is found guilty and handed over to the Roman authorities. However, the Roman procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, finds no guilt behind him and offers to pardon him on the occasion of Easter. But the crowd of Jews raises a terrible cry, and then Pilate orders water to be brought and washes his hands in it, saying: “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man” (Matthew 27:24). At the demand of the people, he condemns Jesus Christ to crucifixion and releases the rebel and murderer Barabbas in his place. Together with two thieves, he is crucified on the cross. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ lasts six hours. When he finally gives up the ghost, the whole earth is plunged into darkness and shakes, the curtain in the Jerusalem temple is torn in two, and the righteous rise from their graves. At the request of Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin, Pilate gives him the body of Jesus Christ, which he, wrapped in a shroud, buries in a tomb carved into the rock. On the third day after the execution, Jesus Christ resurrects in the flesh and appears to his disciples (Resurrection of the Lord). He entrusts them with the mission of spreading his teachings among all nations, and he himself ascends to heaven (the Ascension of the Lord). At the end of time, Jesus Christ is destined to return to earth to carry out the Last Judgment (Second Coming).

As soon as it arose, the doctrine of Christ (Christology) immediately gave rise to complex questions, the main ones of which were the question of the nature of the messianic feat of Jesus Christ (supernatural power and the agony of the cross) and the question of the nature of Jesus Christ (divine and human).

In most New Testament texts, Jesus Christ appears as the messiah - the long-awaited savior of the people of Israel and the whole world, a messenger of God who works miracles with the help of the Holy Spirit, an eschatological prophet and teacher, a divine man. The idea of ​​the Messiah itself undoubtedly has Old Testament origins, but in Christianity it acquired a special meaning. Early Christian consciousness faced a difficult dilemma - how to reconcile the Old Testament image of the messiah as a theocratic king and the Gospel idea of ​​the messianic power of Jesus Christ as the son of God with the fact of his death on the cross (the image of the suffering messiah)? This contradiction was partly resolved by the idea of ​​the resurrection of Jesus and the idea of ​​his future Second Coming, during which he would appear in all his power and glory and establish the thousand-year reign of Truth. Thus, Christianity, offering the concept of two Comings, significantly departed from the Old Testament, which promised only one Coming. However, the early Christians were faced with a question: if the Messiah was destined to come to people in power and glory, why did he come to people in humiliation? Why do we need a suffering messiah? And what then is the meaning of the First Coming?

Trying to resolve this contradiction, early Christianity began to develop the idea of ​​the redemptive nature of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ - by submitting himself to torment, the Savior makes the necessary sacrifice to cleanse all humanity mired in sins from the curse imposed on it. However, the grand task of universal redemption requires that the one who solves this task must be more than a man, more than just an earthly agent of the will of God. Already in the messages of St. Paul places particular emphasis on the definition of “son of God”; thus the messianic dignity of Jesus Christ is associated with his special supernatural nature. On the other hand, the Gospel of John, influenced by Judeo-Hellenistic philosophy (Philo of Alexandria), formulates the idea of ​​Jesus Christ as the Logos (Word of God), the eternal mediator between God and people; The Logos was with God from the very beginning, through it all living things came into being, and it is consubstantial with God; at a predetermined time, he was destined to be incarnated for the sake of atonement for human sins, and then return to God. Thus, Christianity began to gradually master the idea of ​​​​the divinity of Jesus Christ, and Christology from the doctrine of the Messiah turned into an integral part of theology.

However, recognition of the divine nature of Jesus Christ could call into question the monotheistic nature of Christianity (monotheism): speaking about the divinity of the Savior, Christians risked coming to the recognition of the existence of two gods, i.e. to pagan polytheism (polytheism). All subsequent development of the teaching about Jesus Christ followed the line of resolving this conflict: some theologians leaned towards the apostle. Paul, who strictly distinguished between God and his Son, others were guided by the concept of St. John, who closely connected God and Jesus Christ as his Word. Accordingly, some denied the essential unity of God and Jesus Christ and emphasized the subordinate position of the second in relation to the first (modalist-dynamists, subordinationists, Arians, Nestorians), while others argued that the human nature of Jesus Christ was completely absorbed by the divine nature (Apollinarians, Monophysites), and there were even those who saw in him a simple manifestation of God the Father (modalist monarchians). The official church chose a middle path between these directions, combining both opposing positions into one: Jesus Christ is both god and man, but not a lower god, not a demigod, and not a half-man; he is one of the three persons of the one God (the dogma of the Trinity), equal to the other two persons (God the Father and the Holy Spirit); he is not without beginning, like God the Father, but also not created, like everything in this world; he was born of the Father before all ages, as true God from true God. The incarnation of the Son meant the true union of the divine nature with the human (Jesus Christ had two natures and two wills). This form of Christology was established after the fierce struggle of church parties in the 4th–5th centuries. and was recorded in the decisions of the first ecumenical councils (Nicaea 325, Constantinople 381, Ephesus 431 and Chalcedon 451).

This is the Christian, certainly apologetic, point of view of Jesus Christ. It is based on the gospel story about the life and work of Jesus Christ, which for Christians is beyond doubt. Are there, however, documents independent of the Christian tradition that can confirm or refute its historical authenticity?

Unfortunately, Roman and Judeo-Hellenistic literature of the 1st century. AD practically did not convey to us information about Jesus Christ. The few pieces of evidence include fragments from the Antiquities of Josephus (37–c. 100), the Annals of Cornelius Tacitus (c. 58–117), the Letters of Pliny the Younger (61–114), and the Lives of the Twelve Caesars by Suetonius Tranquillus (c. 70–140). ). The last two authors say nothing about Jesus Christ himself, mentioning only groups of his followers. Tacitus, reporting on the persecution of the Emperor Nero against the Christian sect, notes only that the name of this sect comes “from Christ, who during the reign of Tiberius was put to death by the procurator Pontius Pilate” (Annals. XV. 44). The most unusual is the famous “testimony of Josephus,” which speaks of Jesus Christ, who lived under Pontius Pilate, performed miracles, had many followers among Jews and Greeks, was crucified following the denunciation of the “first men” of Israel, and was resurrected on the third day after his execution (Jewish Antiquities. XVIII. 3. 3). However, the value of this very meager evidence remains questionable. The fact is that they came to us not in the originals, but in copies of Christian scribes, who could well have made additions and corrections to the text in a pro-Christian spirit. On this basis, many researchers have considered and continue to view the messages of Tacitus and especially Josephus as a late Christian forgery.

Judaic and Islamic religious literature shows much more interest in the figure of Jesus Christ than Roman and Judeo-Hellenistic writers. Judaism's attention to Jesus Christ is determined by the harsh ideological confrontation between two related religions, challenging each other's Old Testament heritage. This attention is growing in parallel with the strengthening of Christianity: if in Jewish texts of the second half of the 1st - beginning of the 3rd centuries. We find only scattered messages about various heresiarchs, including Jesus Christ, but in texts of later times they gradually merge into a single and coherent story about Jesus of Nazareth as the worst enemy of the true faith.

In the early layers of the Talmud, Jesus Christ appears under the name Yeshua ben (bar) Pantira (“Jesus, son of Pantira”). Note that in Jewish texts the full name “Yeshua” is given only twice. In other cases, his name is shortened to “Yeshu” - a sign of extreme disdain towards him. In the Tosefta (3rd century) and the Jerusalem Talmud (3rd–4th centuries), Yeshu ben Pantira is presented as the head of a heretical sect, whom his followers considered a god and in whose name they healed. In the later Babylonian Talmud (III–V centuries), Jesus Christ is also called Yeshu ha-Nozri (“Jesus of Nazareth”): it is reported that this sorcerer and “seducer of Israel,” “close to the royal court,” was tried in compliance with all legal norms (within forty days they called witnesses in his defense, but they were never found), and then he was put to death (on the eve of Easter he was stoned and his body was hanged); in hell he suffers terrible punishment for his wickedness - he is boiled in boiling feces. In the Babylonian Talmud, there is also a tendency to identify Jesus Christ with the heresiarch Ben Stada (Soteda), who stole magical art from the Egyptians by carving mysterious signs on his body, and with the false teacher Biliam (Balaam). This trend is also recorded in the Midrashim (Judaic interpretations of the Old Testament), where Balaam (= Yeshu) is spoken of as the son of a harlot and a false teacher who pretended to be God and claimed that he would leave, but would return at the end of time.

A complete Jewish version of the life and work of Jesus Christ is presented in the famous Toldot Yeshu (5th century) - a real Jewish anti-gospel: here all the main events of the gospel story are consistently discredited.

According to Toldot, Yeshu’s mother was Miriam, the wife of the teacher of the law Jochanan from a royal family known for its piety. One Saturday, the criminal and libertine Joseph ben Pandira deceived Miriam, and even during her menstruation. Thus, Yeshu was conceived in a triple sin: adultery was committed, menstrual abstinence was violated, and the Sabbath was profaned. Out of shame, Johanan leaves Miriam and goes to Babylon. Yeshu is sent to study as teachers of the Law. The boy, with his extraordinary intelligence and diligence, shows disrespect for his mentors and utters wicked speeches. After the truth about Yeshu’s birth is discovered, he flees to Jerusalem and there he steals the secret name of God from the temple, with the help of which he is able to perform miracles. He proclaims himself the messiah and gathers 310 disciples. The Jewish sages bring Yesha to Queen Helen for trial, but she lets him go, amazed by his abilities as a miracle worker. This causes confusion among the Jews. Yeshu goes to Upper Galilee. The wise men convince the queen to send a military detachment after him, but the Galileans refuse to hand him over and, having seen two miracles (the revival of clay birds and swimming on a millstone), they worship him. To expose Yesha, the Jewish sages encourage Judas Iscariot to also steal the secret name of God from the temple. When Yeshu is brought before the queen, he rises into the air as proof of his messianic dignity; then Judas flies over him and urinates on him. The defiled Yeshu falls to the ground. The sorcerer, who has lost his power, is arrested and tied to a column as a laughing stock, but his followers free him and take him to Antioch. Yeshu goes to Egypt, where he masters the local magical art. Then he returns to Jerusalem to again steal the secret name of God. He enters the city on the Friday before Easter and enters the temple along with his disciples, but one of them, named Gaisa, betrays him to the Jews after bowing to him. Yeshu is arrested and sentenced to hang. However, he manages to make all the trees speak; then he is hanged on a huge “cabbage trunk”. On Sunday he is buried, but soon Yeshu's grave is empty: the body is stolen by Yeshu's supporters, who spread the rumor that he had ascended to heaven and that he was therefore undoubtedly the messiah. Confused by this, the queen orders the body to be found. In the end, the gardener Judas finds out where the remains of Yeshu are, kidnaps them and gives them to the Jews for thirty pieces of silver. The body is dragged through the streets of Jerusalem, showing the queen and the people “the one who was about to ascend to heaven.” The followers of Yeshu are scattered throughout all countries and spread everywhere the slanderous rumor that the Jews crucified the true Messiah.

In the future, this version is supplemented with various and incredible details and facts. So, for example, in the Aramaic “History of Yeshu bar Pandira,” which has come down to us in a 14th-century transcription, it is told that Yeshu is brought to court before the Emperor Tiberius, where with one word he makes the emperor’s daughter pregnant. When he is led to execution, he rises into the sky and is transported first to Mount Carmel, and then to the cave of the prophet Elijah, which he locks from the inside. However, Rabbi Judah Ganiba (“Gardener”), who is pursuing him, orders the cave to open, and when Yeshu tries to fly away again, he catches him by the hem of his clothing and takes him to the place of execution.

Thus, in the Jewish tradition, Jesus Christ is not a god, not a messiah, but an impostor and a sorcerer who performed miracles with the help of magic. His birth and death were not of a supernatural nature, but, on the contrary, were associated with sin and shame. He whom Christians honor as the Son of God is not just an ordinary man, but the worst of men.

The Muslim (Koranic) interpretation of the life and work of Jesus (Isa) appears completely different. It occupies an intermediate position between the Christian and Judaic versions. On the one hand, the Koran denies Jesus Christ divinity; he is not god and not the son of god; on the other hand, he is in no way a sorcerer or a charlatan. Isa is a man, a messenger and prophet of Allah, similar to other prophets, whose mission is addressed exclusively to the Jews. He acts as a preacher, miracle worker and religious reformer, establishing monotheism, calling people to worship Allah and changing some religious precepts.

The Koranic texts do not provide a coherent biography of Isa, dwelling only on individual moments of his life (birth, miracles, death). The Koran borrows from the Christians the idea of ​​the virgin birth: “And We breathed into her [Maryam] from Our spirit and made her and her son a sign for the worlds” (21:91); “When Maryam was seventeen years old, Allah sent Gabriel (Gabriel) to her, who breathed into her, and she conceived the messiah, Isa ben Maryam” (Al-Masudi. Golden Meadows. V). The Koran reports some of the miracles of Isa - he heals and resurrects the dead, revives clay birds, and brings down a meal from heaven to earth. At the same time, the Koran gives a different interpretation of the death of Jesus from the Gospels: it denies the reality of the crucifixion (it was only imagined by the Jews; in fact, Jesus was taken alive into heaven) and the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day (Isa will rise only in the last days of the world along with all other people), as well as the possibility of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ: in the Koran, Isa foreshadows not his imminent return, but the coming of the main prophet - Muhammad, thereby acting as his forerunner: “I am the messenger of Allah, confirming the truth of what was sent down before me in the Torah, and the one who brings good news about a messenger who will come after me, whose name is Ahmad” (6:6). True, in the later Muslim tradition, under the influence of Christianity, the motive of the future return of Isa arises for the sake of establishing the kingdom of justice.

Jesus Christ as an object of Christian cult belongs to theology. And this is a matter of faith, which excludes any doubt and does not require investigation. Nevertheless, attempts to penetrate into the spirit of the Gospels and understand the true essence of Jesus Christ never stopped. The entire history of the Christian Church is full of fierce battles for the right to possess the truth about Jesus Christ, as evidenced by the ecumenical councils, the identification of heretical sects, the division of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, and the Reformation. But, in addition to purely theological disputes, the figure of Jesus Christ became the subject of discussion in historical science, which was and continues to be interested primarily in two problems: 1). the question of the real content of the gospel story, i.e. whether Jesus Christ was a historical figure; 2). question about the image of Jesus Christ in early Christian consciousness (what is the meaning of this image and what are its origins?). These problems were at the center of discussions of two scientific directions that arose back in the 18th century - mythological and historical.

The mythological direction (C. Dupuy, C. Volney, A. Dreve, etc.) completely denied the reality of Jesus Christ as a historical figure and considered him exclusively as a fact of mythology. In Jesus they saw the personification of either the solar or lunar deity, or the Old Testament Yahweh, or the Qumranite Teacher of Righteousness. Trying to identify the origins of the image of Jesus Christ and “decipher” the symbolic content of the Gospel events, representatives of this trend did a great job of searching for analogies between the motives and plots of the New Testament and earlier mythological systems. For example, they associated the idea of ​​​​the resurrection of Jesus with ideas about a dying and resurrecting deity in Sumerian, ancient Egyptian, West Semitic and ancient Greek mythologies. They also tried to give a solar-astral interpretation of the Gospel story, which was very common in ancient cultures (the path of Jesus Christ with the 12 apostles was represented, in particular, as the annual path of the sun through 12 constellations). The image of Jesus Christ, according to adherents of the mythological school, gradually evolved from the initial image of a pure deity to the later image of a god-man. The merit of mythologists is that they were able to consider the image of Jesus Christ in the broad context of ancient Eastern and ancient culture and show its dependence on previous mythological development.

The historical school (G. Reimarus, E. Renan, F. Bauer, D. Strauss and others) believed that the gospel story has a certain real basis, which over time, however, became increasingly mythologized, and Jesus Christ from a real person (preacher and religious teachers) gradually turned into a supernatural personality. Proponents of this trend set the task of liberating the truly historical in the Gospels from later mythological processing. For this purpose, at the end of the 19th century. it was proposed to use the method of rationalistic criticism, which meant the reconstruction of the “true” biography of Jesus Christ by excluding everything that cannot be rationally explained, i.e. in fact, a “rewriting” of the Gospels in a rationalistic spirit (Tübingen School). This method caused serious criticism (F. Bradley) and was soon rejected by most scientists.

The cornerstone thesis of mythologists about the “silence” of sources of the 1st century. about Jesus Christ, which they believed proved the mythical character of this figure, prompted many supporters of the historical school to shift their attention to a careful study of the New Testament texts in search of the original Christian tradition. In the first quarter of the 20th century. a school of studying the “history of forms” (M. Dibelius, R. Bultmann) emerged, the goal of which was to reconstruct the history of the development of the tradition about Jesus Christ - from oral origins to literary design - and to determine the original basis, clearing it of the layers of subsequent editions. Textual studies have led representatives of this school to the conclusion that even the original Christian version of the mid-1st century isolated from the Gospels. does not make it possible to recreate the real biography of Jesus Christ: here he also remains only a symbolic character; The historical Jesus Christ may have existed, but the question of the true events of his life is hardly resolvable. The followers of the school of studying the “history of forms” still constitute one of the leading trends in modern biblical studies.

Due to the lack of fundamentally new documents and given the limited information content of archaeological material, it is still difficult to expect any significant breakthrough in solving the problem of the historical Jesus Christ.

Where is our Lord Jesus Christ at the present time, and what is He doing? Christians know that every sincerely repented sin is forgiven to a believer, because once on Calvary the Son of God atoned for the sins of people with His death. But what is the mission of the Savior after His ascension into Heaven?

When contemplating our salvation, where should we turn our attention? Many Christians look to where Jesus Christ is no longer there. Worshipers of icons look at the baby Jesus Christ in the arms of Mary, while He has long grown up. And many look at Calvary, although Jesus Christ has not been there for a long time. Jesus Christ rose again and is seated at the right hand of God in heaven.

An ancient proverb says: “Of everything you need to choose the main thing.” What is the most important thing for us at the moment?

We read from the Apostle Paul: “Now this is the chief thing of which we speak: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and [is] a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man” (Hebrews 8:1, 2 ). Paul goes on to say: “If He had remained on earth, He would not have been a priest” (Hebrews 8:4).

Should we only remember what the Lord has done for us in the past? Has our salvation already been accomplished?

If we are saved, then why do we need a Priest in heaven? How does Scripture describe what Jesus Christ is doing today? We read: “He bore the sin of many and became an intercessor for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12). “My children! I write this to you so that you will not sin; and if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; He is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for [the sins] of the whole world” (1 John 2:1).

It turns out that Jesus Christ is still busy saving us. Currently, our Intercessor, or Intercessor before God the Father, continues the ministry of propitiation for our sins. The Bible says: “Therefore He is the mediator of the new covenant, so that through [His] death, which was for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant, those who are called may receive the promise of an eternal inheritance” (Hebrews 9:15).

In the Middle Ages, Catholics, selling indulgences to their parishioners, seemed to “forgive” their sins “on credit.” But the Bible teaches differently. Whenever we commit a sin, we must come to God in repentance and in prayer in the name of Jesus Christ confess our sin to Him. And then the Risen and Living High Priest, Jesus Christ, will appear as an intercessor for us to atone for our sins before the Heavenly Father.

“My children! I write this to you so that you will not sin; and if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; He is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the [sins] of the whole world. And we know that we have come to know Him by keeping His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and there is no truth in him; and whoever keeps His word, in him is truly the love of God perfected: by this we know that we are in Him. Anyone who says that he abides in Him must walk as He walked” (1 John 2:1–6).

He introduces a new calendar 500 years (!) after the birth of Christ, discarding the previous dating of time according to the years of the Roman emperor Diocletian, the persecutor of Christians.

It is usually assumed that he followed the instructions of the evangelist Luke (3: 1-2), where Jesus was “about thirty years old” in the 15th year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius (from the conventionally accepted age of 29 years, we subtract the 15th year and get the 14th year - the beginning of the reign of Augustus's stepson who came to power).

Thus, the birth of Jesus Christ can be attributed to the 1st year of the new era, corresponding to the 44th year of the reign of Augustus or the 754th year from the founding of Rome.

For a long time, the innovation of Dionysius the Less was not recognized by the authorities and the church itself, until, 1000 years later (!), it was officially approved under Pope Eugene IV (1431)

The Gregorian calendar (taking the beginning of the Christian era as a starting point), by which most of the globe compares life, is, figuratively speaking, the pulse of our time. In today's world, with the modern development of science and technology, it is offensive and absurd to operate with temporary categories like “approximately”, “about that”.

The entire history of mankind was divided by the coming of Jesus into the world into the periods “before the birth of Christ” and “after the birth of Christ.” His appearance on Earth is considered a turning point in human history. This means that it is important to know the truth when the son of God lived among mere mortals.

Another Herod

Let's try, as far as possible, to more accurately determine the course of the clock that measures earthly time. First of all, let's turn to the Gospels - stories about the life of Jesus Christ.

Each task is determined by a primary condition. In our study, this will be a certain postulate or, in biblical terms, the cornerstone of unchangeable data. Its construction is based on the ancient evangelical tradition.

Point 1. Jesus, coming to John the Baptist at the Jordan (15th year of Tiberius), was about 30 years old (Luke 3: 21-23).

Point 2. From the moment of his baptism, Jesus preached the kingdom of God for one (1) year (Luke 4:19).

The early church fathers Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria (2nd century) confirm that Christ's preaching lasted less than a year, and that he was executed in the 12th month of his ministry. For the first three evangelists, the period of Jesus' preaching activity is determined by one year. From this it follows: a) The death of John the Baptist and the crucifixion of Christ followed within one year; b) The founder of Christianity was barely thirty years old.

Point 3. The arrest and death of John the Baptist did not occur before the marriage of Herod Antipas to the wife of his brother Philip. Herodias, unable to bear the preacher’s accusations, achieved his execution (Matt 14:1-14; Mark 6:14-28; Luke 3:19-20, 9:7-9).

So, let's start our investigation with the first of the New Testament evangelists: “Jesus was born... in the days of King Herod” (Matt. 2:1). We know the reign of the vain, cruel and despotic king of Judea Herod the Great - (37 BC - 4 BC). Matthew's version does not pass on point 1. If we adhere to it, then the birth of Jesus should be pushed back at least 2-3 years ago, to the 7th year BC. e. (this period of time includes the flight to Egypt, the expectation of the death of King Herod, the return of the family to Nazareth). In this case, by the year 30 AD. Jesus will be about forty, not about thirty years old (points 1 and 2).

Perhaps Mary's son was born during the time of another Herod - Antipas (4 BC - 39 AD), tetrarch, ruler of Galilee. Tetrarch (tetrarch) - ruler of the fourth part of the country. Typically, powerful Rome assigned this title to subordinate princes who ruled their destinies and regions.

The fact that the evangelists usually confused the king (Herod the Great) and the tetrarch (Herod Antipas) is a well-known fact. So Mark, in the tragic scene with the beheading of the prophet, unexpectedly gives the husband of Herodias the supreme power in the country: “King Herod... said: “It is John the Baptist who has risen from the dead”... The king said to the girl: “Ask of me whatever you want... even up to half of my kingdom.” ... The king was saddened ... The king commanded that his head be brought” (6:14-28).

Matthew, it seems, does not make this mistake; he knows that he is talking about Antipas: “At that time Herod the tetrarch... said to those serving with him: “This is John the Baptist, he has risen from the dead” (14: 1-2). But in the final line of his story, Matthew suddenly makes a reservation like Mark: “And the king was saddened... and sent to cut off John’s head in prison” (14:9-10).

This means that even in the oral Aramaic (Jewish) tradition, which Mark and Matthew used in their work, for some reason Herod the tetrarch was endowed with the attributes of the king of the Jews. From this we can assume that in other cases, when “King Herod” appears in the gospel stories, we are talking about the son, and not about the father with whom he is identified.

From the canonical Gospel, let us now turn to the Apocrypha, where the Galilean Antipas, active in the 30s of our era, is also mentioned: “And it happened in the days of Herod, king of Judea, that John came and baptized with baptism...” (Gospel of the Ebionites). 3Here the Palestinian or Judeo-Christian tradition, coming from ancient oral tradition, begins the story, like the earliest of the evangelists - Mark, with the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan.

This most important moment in the life of the son of Mary and Joseph, which determined his future fate and destiny, is marked with the name of the king of the Jews. The ancient rite of baptism in water meant new birth and life for the initiate. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the baby in Matthew, like the future messiah among the Ebionites, pass under the same dating formula: “In the days of King Herod.”

Another apocrypha, attributed to the first disciple of Jesus, names the tetrarch as the main character in the pronouncement and execution of the sentence over Christ: “Then King Herod ordered the Lord to be taken, saying to them (the judges): “What I commanded you to do to Him, do it” (Gospel of Peter) .

In Luke, Antipas is also named among the participants in the trial (23:6-11): Pilate, having learned that Jesus was a Galilean, that is, from Galilee, sent him to the tetrarch, as one of the subjects of Herodias’ husband. And in this Gospel the son of Herod the Great is again named as the supreme ruler of Judea - what’s the matter?

The strange metamorphosis and replacement of one historical figure with another cannot be explained by the absent-mindedness or ignorance of any of the evangelists. In all these cases, a certain pattern is visible: the figure of the “King” (Antipas) appears every time at key moments in the life biography of Jesus: baptism in the Jordan, the death of the Forerunner, trial and crucifixion. In other words, the gospel “King Herod” dates the entire life path of Jesus from birth (baptism) to death.

It can be assumed that the upper limit of the chronology of Christ - the Bethlehem birth of Matthew - was originally recorded by the same ruler from Galilee. In confirmation, let us quote the statement of the famous Celsus - the author of the “Truthful Word” - the most famous of the critics of the early church (2nd century). An extraordinary philosopher, writer and publicist, he was a great expert in ancient and Christian literature.

Thus, denouncing the Jewish prophecies about the appearance of the son of God, Celsus calls the murderer of the Bethlehem children not the king of the Jews, as one would expect, but the tetrarch: “The Chaldeans, prompted by his birth, came to worship him, still a baby, as God; that they reported this to the tetrarch Herod (!); the latter sent to kill all those born at the same time (with Jesus), hoping to destroy him along with them, so that he, having come to the right age, would not become king” (1:58).

To suspect Celsus of poor knowledge of the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew and the well-known story of the Star of Bethlehem and King Herod is groundless. The “grossest” mistake of a critic and connoisseur of Christian literature surprisingly corresponds to the rule of historical hyperbole we noted for canonical and apocryphal writings.

All this suggests that at the origins of the Gospel tradition, Jesus of Nazareth was opposed not by the strong and powerful ruler of the country - Herod the Great, but by the small and insignificant ruler of the region - Herod Antipas.

The appearance of folklore subjects in the Gospels is largely due to their relatively late creation (compared to other books of New Testament literature). The time of their design dates back to the end of the 1st century AD. e., but not before the end of the first Jewish revolt (73).

The situation in Judea in the 30s AD. e. depicted by the evangelists as close to the real thing. They also mention a circle of people active in that period and historically attested - P. Pilate, I. Baptist, Herodias, Caiaphas, I. Antipas.

But the events of a hundred years ago are already ancient times for them - a mythical time. Therefore, relying in calculations when compiling the chronology of the founder of Christianity on the folklore “killer of babies” is clearly unjustified.

History itself proves this. Soon after the death of Herod the Great, a Jewish embassy of 50 people arrived in Rome - representatives of all segments of the population (4 BC). Emperor Augustus was given a list of all the iniquities and crimes committed by the king during his reign in Judea. But what’s surprising is that no one even remembered the bloody atrocity in Bethlehem and its environs against defenseless babies, carried out on the orders of Herod. This is understandable: the dramatic plot about the beating of all newborn children in the city overnight is not a historical fact.

The “Herod phenomenon” in the past and present (the main witness of the birth of Christ) is determined by his role as a negative hero - an “evil king”. By the time the gospel stories were recorded in writing, the expression “King Herod” became a common noun, as a generalized, collective and artistic-folklore image of a cruel and treacherous ruler.

In turn, in the “Acts of the Apostles” (12:1), under the “impersonal” mask of a picture villain, it is no longer Herod the Great’s son Antipas, but his grandson Agrippa: “At that time, King Herod raised his hands against some of those belonging to the church, so that to harm them, and killed James the brother of John with the sword.”

One thing is certain: in the gospel tales, an insignificant local ruler - Herod Antipas (during whose reign, in Galilee under his control, Jesus was born) - is endowed with the title of a great king and embodies the later Antichrist, Satan and the “Prince of this world”, whom Christ must overthrow in a mortal struggle .

Consulting the census

Luke, unlike other evangelists, at the beginning of his book gives three (!) dates for the birth of Christ. We have already discussed one of them “in the days of Herod king of Judea” (1:5). The second date, according to the census, is given below (2:1-5). And again in the opening lines, but already of the third chapter, we encounter another option about the age of Christ: “in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius...” (3:1-2).

The task now is to determine which of the last two dates is more likely to indicate the expected year of birth. First, let us cite a passage from Luke that raises doubts in the edition that has come down to us. "1. In the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius-Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governing in Judea, Herod was tetrarch in Galilee; Philip, his brother, was tetrarch in Ituraea and the Trachonite region, and Lysanias was tetrarch in Abilene. Under the high priests Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. And he passed by... preaching baptism... Jesus, beginning (his ministry) was about thirty years old...” (3:1-23).

It is not clear whether Luke misunderstood the Hebrew (Aramaic) document at his disposal, or, more accurately, corrected the text at his own discretion. But one way or another, the mention of two high priests - Anna (6-15 AD) and Caiaphas (19-36 AD) at John's baptism is an impossible thing. In Judea, only one person could be elected to the highest position of priest.

Beginning with their ancestor Aaron, the legendary brother of Moses, the Jerusalem high priests formed an unbroken dynastic line. Already under the Persian Achaemenids (Cyrus P, Darius I) and especially during the time of the Hasmoneans (Maccabees 167 - 37 BC), the priestly family of rulers concentrated in their hands not only religious and political, but even military power. Usually, in the absence of royal power in the country, the chronology of Jewish history was counted by the names of the Jerusalem high priests.

It was in the first third of the new era that such a political situation occurred - from the exile by the Romans of Archelaus, the son of Herod the Great (6 AD) to the accession of the latter’s grandson, Agrippa I (37 AD). Therefore, it is quite natural for the names of the Jerusalem high priests, who headed the state at this time, to appear in the Aramaic document. Annas took office in the year 6, and in the year 36 Caiaphas resigned. This is how someone’s life span of 30 years appeared before us, dated by the names of two high priests.

In most countries of the Ancient World, chronology was carried out according to the years of reign of local rulers: the Egyptian Ptolemies, the Syrian Seleucids, the Athenian archons, etc. In the Roman Empire itself, there were two eras in use: from the founding of Rome and the “list of consuls.”

The second chronology was very popular. Thus, the “Chronograph of 354” reports that the Lord Jesus Christ was born under the consuls Gaius Caesar to Emilia Paulus, and “suffered” under the consuls Fufia Gemina and Rubellia Gemina.

This dating is accepted in the passage from Luke that interests us by the “father of church history” Eusebius himself (III century). True, following the Gospel shortened chronology, he refers it only to the last period of Jesus’ life: “According to the Holy Scriptures, the time of his (Christ’s) teaching fits into the years when Annas and Caiaphas were high priests. It began during the high priesthood of Annas and continued until the high priesthood of Caiaphas.”

As an option, we can offer the approximate text of the “historical information” that came to Luke: “In the 15th year of the reign of Caiaphas, when Pontius Pilate was in charge of Judea... Jesus was baptized by John, who appeared into the world under the high priests Annas and Caiaphas.”

However, both dates of the birth of Jesus given by the evangelist (the census of Quirinius and the 15th year of Tiberius) do not coincide with each other. The difference between both dates is five years (1 AD and 6 AD). It can be assumed that for some reason the evangelist “shifted” the chronological milestone of Christ one five years ago (34 - 5 = 29). That is, “the 15th year of the reign…” for Luke was actually equal to the 34th year, and not of Tiberius, but of someone else.

In the analyzed list of rulers for a given period of time, from the Roman emperor to the Jewish tetrarch, only one person had the year 34 as the fifteenth of his reign. This man is the Jerusalem hierarch Caiaphas - the first person in Judea at that time and the main culprit in the death of Christ (John 11:47-53; Mark 15:63; Matt 26:65).

We will not vouch for the accuracy of the original text of the third evangelist. Another thing is more important: Anna’s name was not mentioned by chance. It indicates the year of Jesus' birth and coincides with the beginning of the census. According to the Jewish collection of stories about Christ (Leipzig manuscript, “Toldot Yeshu” - “The Origin of Jesus”), Miriam (Mary) gave birth to a son during the years of the high priesthood of Elchanan (Anan - Anna? - “Jesus Christ in the documents of history.” Village B.G. , St. Petersburg, 1998).

It is curious that in the Proto-Gospel of Jacob, the scribe Anna, a character descended from the Jerusalem high priest, is the first to inform the authorities about Mary’s pregnancy. But this is how the good news tells about it. What does history say about the census in Judea?

After the death of Herod the Great, Augustus, according to his will, appoints him (Anna) as Archelaus' successor. Ten years of the son of Herod's power did not bring tangible changes to the country. Summoned to Rome to the emperor, Archelaus was demoted and exiled. Judea became part of the Roman province of Syria, and a governor with unlimited powers and authority was installed over the country. Emperor Augustus sent Colonius (6-9) there as procurator, and Sulpicia Quirinius, the legate of Syria, ordered a census and assessment of the property of the population in the territory under his control (cf. Luke 2:1-2). He personally arrives in Judea, where he confiscates the property of Archelaus and, replacing the high priest Joazar, appoints Anan (in the Gospel Anna).

The historical persons and events mentioned in the gospel narrative thus turned out to be closely related to one year - the 6th (sixth) of the new era: census in Judea (6 - 7); Archelaus (4 BC - 6 AD); Anna (6-15); S. Quirinius (6-10); Herod Antipas (6 AD - 10th reign).

Matthew can also indirectly point to the same date (2:22), speaking about the first appearance of little Jesus in Nazareth (place of birth) under Archelaus. Undoubtedly, the registration of a male child at the time of the census by the authorities should be in the general tax lists. Documents on this subject were still preserved during the reign of Emperor Anthony Pius (138-161 AD). Justinian sent him one of the first “Apologies” in defense of Christians. In it, the author invites the emperor, if he wishes, to verify the story of the birth of Jesus according to census data.

Our primary analysis allows us to find out the reasons for the appearance of three different dating dates in the Evangelist Luke, all relating to the same year. But most importantly, he removes the apparent contradiction between them, restoring their consistency and equivalence: “the days of Herod” - “15th year of reign” - “the census of Quirinius”.

Time to leave

But in order to eliminate any doubts about determining the date of Christ’s birth, let’s subject our conclusions to another, so to speak, “reverse” check. If the year of birth is known, then the date of Jesus’ death can be determined with sufficient accuracy, and it will be the 36th year (6 + 30, point 2).

Now, to verify the correctness of our calculations, let us turn from the evangelists to the work of I. Flavius ​​“Jewish Antiquities”. For greater reliability, we will duplicate them with excerpts from Roman history. The story of Herod Antipas’ acquaintance with Herodias forces us to connect two different sources together. It coincided with tensions in the relationship between Rome and the Parthian kingdom that had developed by the mid-thirties.

In the column on the left are Jewish events according to Josephus, devoid of relative dating. On the right, in a parallel column - Roman history according to the books of Tacitus and Suetonius.
Judea

A comparison of parallel columns builds a single chronological order and sequence of events: the invasion of Armenia - Herod's trip to Rome - marriage to Herodias - execution of John - defeat of Herod's troops - punitive expedition against Aretas.

One should be saddened by the “supporters” of the early death of Christ, usually placed in the range of 29-33 AD. Only the outbreak of war between Parthia and Rome brought Herodias and Antipas together in a chance meeting. But this, as we see, happened later than the supposed dates of the “departure of Jesus.”

Logic identifies the 35th year as the date of the death of the Baptist. It could not happen before the marriage of Herod (34) and after his defeat by Aretas (36). This means that Jesus was crucified no later than the middle of the next year (the 36th), a few months after the baptism in the Jordan and the execution of John (points 2 and 3).

Now we can recall “the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius,” that is, Caiaphas, crossed out by Luke. The Aramaic document, which was with the third evangelist, coincides with our calculations, placing the beginning of John's baptism in 34 (19 + 15). It is noteworthy that in the Samaritan Chronicle (according to the Jewish chronicle) Jesus was executed in the days of the high priest Jonathan and Tiberius, and their reign coincided for only one year - the 36th. The Patriarch of Antioch (Michael the Syrian, XII century) in his “Chronicle I” gives, as one can understand, the same date of the crucifixion of Christ, referring to the Greek historian Phlegon (II century) - the 4th year, 203 Olympiad (translated into modern chronology - 36th year AD).

It is also noteworthy that Christ, the “King of the Jews,” was crucified a week before Easter. And for this reason: not a single true believer and devout Jew, much less a clergyman, would desecrate himself by the arrest, trial and execution of a “robber” committed on one of the main holidays of the country.

It should be taken into account that Easter this year was also “Great”, as it fell on Saturday. On its first and last day, according to Jewish laws, all activities and work were completely prohibited. In addition, with the gathering of huge masses of people on holidays in the capital, the authorities sought to suppress possible manifestations of discontent. This is how the evangelists themselves report this: “And the council (led by Caiaphas) ​​decided to take Jesus by cunning (!) and kill him. But they said - just not on a holiday (!), so that there would be no indignation among the people.” (Matt 26:4-5; Mark 14:1-2).

However, later the compilers of the “good news” moved the trial and execution to holidays, connecting the image of Christ with the “lamb of God” - the lamb sacrificed by the Jews to God on the first day of Passover. The Jewish Talmud also confirms everything that has been said about the fate of Jesus of Nazareth: “... and they hanged him on the eve of the holiday of Passover (Easter) and on the eve of the Sabbath.”

This provision will become one of the conditions of our final inspection. First, let's determine which Easter eggs fell in the thirties that interest us. To obtain an objective indicator, we will expand the boundaries of their time range to one decade - from 27 to 37.

As in the first problem, we introduce the initial data - the cornerstone of the ancient tradition. Early Christians first celebrated Easter, like the Jews, on the night of the 14th to 15th of Sanan, the lunar calendar. Many recognized the correct “first resurrection” and “first Easter” - March 25th. Back in the III-IV centuries. one of the Christian sects continued to celebrate this day regardless of the day of the week. In the East, where Jesus was born, it has long been believed that Christ was crucified on March 23, and he rose again on March 25.

Now let’s formulate the basic requirements determined by the choice of Easter eggs. 1. Easter should be Great - Saturday. 2. Easter in March, not earlier than the 25th. 3. The Crucifixion and Resurrection took place between March 23 and 25. 4. These three days correspond to the days of the week: Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 5. The arrest, trial and execution must take place before the Easter holiday.

Calendar analysis shows that if we discard all Easters that do not fall on March, Saturday and the last days of the month, then all our conditions are met by a single year - 36 (!). It is noteworthy that in the ancient apocrypha - the Gospel of Nicodemus (I-II centuries) Easter fell on Saturday, March 31st.

This is the final point in our investigation. I don’t know whether some readers will be pleased that the onset of the third millennium is moving away from us by a few more years, to the year 2007.

But we can reassure everyone: no one is going to revise and change the chronology scale that is familiar to us.

We just tried to answer one important question: when did Jesus Christ actually live, i.e. from what moment the clock was started, measuring the history of all mankind.