Jesus (Jesus Christ; Isa, in Arabic; Joshua, in Hebrew)

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JESUS (Jesus Christ; Isa, in Arabic; Joshua, in Hebrew)

The founder of Christianity, Jesus is considered by Christians to be the Messiah, son of God, and redeemer of humanity. According to many historians, the effect of Jesus' preaching was to annoy the great Jewish priests, Pharisees and Sadducees, who saw in his discourse the ferment of unrest in the Jewish community of Palestine. After he went to Jerusalem for Passover, Jesus was arrested, condemned to death, and crucified on the order of the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate. After his death, his apostles claimed that Jesus had been resurrected, thereby giving birth to the first generation of Christians, whose faith was based on the preaching of Jesus. The year in which Jesus is believed to have been born marks the beginning of the common era. However, many historians think Jesus was actually born in Galilee six or seven years earlier.

SEE ALSO Christianity;Galilee;Isa;Messiah.