Questions around Jesus

Was Jesus a Jew?

Yes. His bloodline can be traced in any of the four Gospels.

What were the main religious beliefs in Judea at the time?

In Judea God was followed. At this time the new temple was still whole. It was torn down stone by stone later as was predicted, because of the gold that was part of the temple melting and going between the stones. So at this time the Jews were able to make sacrifices to God.

Can someone explain what the situation was around this time?

Around this time, you must understand that Israel was under the control of Rome. At that time Rome was pretty much THE world power. It would have been a pretty hostile environment. Also, at the time of His birth, male children were slaughtered by an edict of the king.

When were the followers of Jesus first known as Christians?

Acts 11:26 is the first place they are called Christians. This was at the church of Antioch. This was after His death and Ressurection.

What religion did Jesus and the disciples claim to follow during his lifetime?

They followed God, as the other Jews did.

Why is Jesus always portrayed as a white person?

He is portrayed as a white peron by most white people, and portrayed as a black person by many black people as well. This is because it makes him seem closer to people. In fact, because Jesus was of Jewish descent, he would have looked much like the Arabs and Jews of today.

WELL I’m not going to lie. I do believe in him, but I really don’t know if he his a jew.

adyzro - what exactly are you implying about jews?

jesus was a jew (if his parents were jews that obviously makes him a jew, ethnically speaking ofcourse)

I believe the main religion in Judea would have been Judaism, and there were four main sects - Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes, and Zealots

and if I remember my history correctly (I could be wrong, I took this class a while ago), jesus was also jewish in faith, his first followers were also all jews, he was not out to make a new religion… he was simply preaching in the Jewish context, in addition he was viewed to be the messiah which was phrophesized in the old testament/hebrew bible… he as far as we know thought of himself as jewish…

I’ll leave the why he’s portrayed as white to jeremy :)

Many thanks for the posts so far everyone…

Dashes off to look up some of the long/unfamiliar words on Google

:)

Why is he always white?

Thank a bunch of famous renaissance artists…if you visit Monte Negro for example (I was there last summer, GREAT place) you’ll see that they have some very old depictions of jesus, some were ~500 years old or more that I saw.

And, he was almost - but not quite, as dark as you’ll see anybody. Not white at all.

The issue here is westernization (if there is such a term) of the image to make it more “palatable” and given that we had the institution of slavery for a LONG time which was primarily Africans being abused, abducted & mistreated in this society, perhaps the establishment didn’t want to portray god made flesh as resembling one of the slaves they were abusing?

torikeene -

‘In fact, because Jesus was of Jewish descent, he would have looked much like the Arabs and Jews of today.’

please tell me, what does a “jew of today” look like?

The Jesus of the Bible is certainly a Jew. Whether or not that character is rooted in any historical Jew, is unknown.

Hmmm, his parents were jews I think. Not sure about him.

omg HE’S parents were jews — how come ?? HE S THE GOD CREATION .

I seem to me everyone ougt to just read the New Testement? The four Gospels tell the story. Lets just say that the Jew are of the house of Isreal. The Jews are the desendents of Judah who was the fourth son of Jacob, His Mother was Leah, If you read the first chapter of Matthew you will see the Genology of Mary & Jesus that goes back to Abraham through King David. He was of royal blood and entitled to be a King. Mary was Jesus’ Mother but his Father was God. His being overshadowed her and she concieved being yet a Virgin. Jesus may not have been as white as some but look as any people of that desent they are not black. Judisim Still yet the religion on the Jews follow even today a lot of the rites and sacrafices of the early time. Jesus was born into that religion and taught in the synagogs But the things he taught were much different. Jesus lives now even today in yonder heavens He paid the price for our sins. His Church is different in the he require now of the sinner a broken heart and a contrite sprite. In other words a person reconizes he has done wrong. is sorrowful about it and feels the need to repent. and he goes through the process and because of Christ atonement he can be forgiven a cleansed. The first principles of the Gosphel are Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Repentence, Baptism by imersion for the remission of sins and the lay on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. if you don’t have scriptures go to www.lds.org you can read or listen to them and there is many other helps there.