Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ of Nazareth, also known as the King of Kings, Jehoshua and the Savior, is the key religious figure of Christianity. According to Christian belief, he was the son of God and the Virgin Mary. In Islam, he is viewed as a mortal prophet, and is known in Arabic as Isa.^[2]

Biography[]

According to the Bible, Jesus was a Jewish carpenter who worked with foster father, Joseph. In his adult life, he spent three years preaching various lessons about love and forgiveness and how to live life with a devotion to God. He was known to associate with tax collectors, prostitutes, and other various sinners, preaching that they too could be saved. Jesus was also said to possess divine powers to heal the sick, multiply food, and even raise from the dead, and he often performed such miracles to stir belief. Jesus often found himself challenged and hated by the chief priests and Pharisees of the land, and they came to believe that he may lead to the destruction of the Jewish people. At the same time, many zealots saw Jesus as a possible leader to overthrow the Roman rule.

Around the time of the Jewish festival of Passover, Jesus knew that his time on Earth was coming to an end. He celebrated a last supper with his twelve closest followers, his apostles, and he used a cup to serve wine. He was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver by one of the twelve to the Pharisees, then given to the Roman authorities,^[3] and was executed by crucifixion, during which he was pierced in the side by the Spear of Longinus.^[4]

Legacy[]

Before his death, he predicted he would rise from the dead in three days. Sure enough, he returned from the dead and commissioned his apostles to spread the Word of God, which eventually led to the creation of the religion of Christianity, according to which, anyone who would believe in his sacrifice, would have eternal life.

By the modern period, Christianity was one of the world's major religions, and sometimes his name was used as a swear, though some considered that to be blasphemy. The Holy Grail,^[5] the Fourth Nail,^[6] the Spear of Longinus^[4] and Judas Silver were relics connected to Christ, all imbued with supernatural powers from their association.^[3] Their linking with the concept of "eternal life" made them sought after objects.^[5]