Spirituality
Jesus Christ
quick ideas about Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus Christ? How to recognize his divinity. Historical data about Jesus.
EspañolA. Jesus Christ and His Divinity
1. Who is Jesus Christ?
2. How do we know that Jesus Christ is perfect man?
From his human acts. For the same reasons that when we see a person we know he is a man. Jesus Christ was born, worked, prayed, suffered, had friends and wept for them...
3. How do we know that Jesus Christ is God?
From his divine acts. He performed many miracles and spoke with divine authority. For example, when commenting on the commandments God had given to Moses, he improved them by declaring: "but I say to you."
4. Have other saints not performed miracles?
Yes. Many, but in a different way. When saints perform miracles they take great care to attribute those deeds to God because they know they act through the power God grants them. Jesus Christ, however, acted by his own power: "I say to you, rise."
5. Some consequences of the divinity of Christ
- His words are important because they are the voice of God. Hence the great interest in knowing his doctrine and putting it into practice.
- His clear love for mankind is wonderful because it is the love of God. Knowing that God loves us is a reason for gratitude and a strong impulse to serve him generously.
- The means of sanctification he left (the 7 sacraments) are essential because they are God's helps. And we naturally try to receive them frequently.
- The Church he founded is indispensable because God founded it. It preserves and transmits what Christ left us.
6. What do we preserve from Christ's time on earth?
The presence of God among us is the most magnificent event in human history. Apart from archaeological remains, we preserve four great things from Christ's time on earth:
- His doctrine, his teachings, his example.
- The 7 sacraments he instituted.
- Our Lady as our mother.
- The Pope, the successor of Peter, who ensures that these teachings are preserved and spread throughout the world.
7. How do we know which sacraments and teachings of Christ are authentic?
Because the Pope endorses certain doctrines and rejects others. For this he has divine assistance, since obviously the Lord desires that his teachings be transmitted without error.
B. Historical Data about Jesus Christ
1. What historical data do we have about Jesus?
We have three types of sources: Christian, Jewish and pagan. Christian documents are the most abundant, with the four Gospels being particularly outstanding. Also the other books of the New Testament, and the abundant writings of the Church Fathers, such as Saint Augustine, Saint Jerome, etc.
2. What do Jewish authors say?
Let us cite two important examples:
- Flavius Josephus in "Jewish Antiquities", from the end of the first century, says: "At this time appeared Jesus, a wise man, if indeed he can be called a man, because he performed wonderful works, and was a Teacher of men (...). Denounced by our nation, Pilate condemned him to the punishment of the cross."
- The Babylonian Talmud of the fifth century says: "on the day appointed for the execution, before the feast of Passover, Jesus of Nazareth was hanged on a gallows."
3. What do Roman authors say?
Tacitus in his Annals of 116 AD mentions Christians thus: "This name comes to them from Christ, who, under the reign of Tiberius, was executed by the procurator Pontius Pilate." Jesus is also mentioned in other texts by Pliny the Younger, Suetonius, etc.
4. Did Jesus marry?
No, no. No history book, no serious document supports that claim. To say that Jesus married or had a son is as false as saying he traveled from town to town by motorcycle. It simply did not happen. There are some Gnostic writings that mention it, but they also speak of 8, 12, 30 divine aeon pairs, and other fantasy-filled subjects; they were fond of divine male-female pairs, and it is logical that they would assign Jesus his corresponding partner to fit him into their elaborations.
On Christian sources, see gospels. You can also see a summary of the life of Christ.