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Jesus, A Timeline - Year 7 MVPS

Jesus (or Yeshua in the Hebrew) of Nazareth, son of Joseph, from the historical record, was a real person who lived 2,000 years ago, born around 6 B.C., in Bethlehem in Judea, known today as Israel and Palestine. He was a carpenter, teacher and religious leader, and was the founder of Christianity. Jesus Christ, as he was later named, taught radical new religious and cultural thought, and proclaimed himself as the Son of God, saviour of mankind and the Messiah. He was crucified by Roman and Jewish officials near Jerusalem in 30 A.D. on Good Friday and rose from the dead on Easter Sunday to continue his teachings before ascending to Heaven.

Task

Click here to access the task document. You are to research the life of Jesus of Nazareth and to put the significant events of his life correctly in order on a timeline. In addition, students should choose an artwork that matches or depicts each event. They must also be able to explain the religious significance of each key event for Christians.

The Milestones of Jesus' Life.

The Library has a large number of resources in the collection on Jesus and his life and teachings. Use the tabs below to find out about each major part of Jesus' life for your timeline.

Birth of Christ

Baptism

Transfiguration

Crucifixion

Resurrection

Ascension

Birth of Christ

Christians celebrate the birth of Christ during Advent in December every year and on Christmas day, the 25th of December. The story goes that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in a stable, and laid in a manger, as there was no lodging available due to the Roman census. An angel of God heralded his birth to a group of shepherds (Luke 2:1-52) and a guiding star appeared to three wise magi or kings to show them to Jesus so that they could worship him (Matthew 2:1-12).

Library Resources

Collection Highlights

The Birth of Jesus and other New Testament stories / retold by Victoria Parker.

On the shelves

Search the catalogue for the following subjects:

AV Resources

Web Resources

The Birth of Jesus - Christian Bible Reference Site
Biblical stories of Jesus' birth reveal intriguing clues about his times - National Geographic
The identity of Jesus: the birth of Jesus - BBC Bitesize
How December 25 became Christmas - Biblical Archaeology Society
What history really tells us about the birth of Jesus - The Conversation

Baptism

John the Baptist paved the way for Jesus and his work by preaching to people about his coming and baptising them in the Jordan River. When Jesus finally came to him, John agreed to baptise him, and the Holy Spirit showed itself to Jesus and the word of God can be heard in support and love of Jesus, which is a key moment in Jesus' revelation about his purpose (Matthew 3:1-17).

Library Resources

On the shelves

Search the catalogue for the following subjects:

AV Resources

Web Resources

What Is Baptism? Its Meaning and Importance in Christianity - Christianity
What is the importance of Christian baptism? - Active Christianity
Baptism of Jesus - Bible Study Tools
The identity of Jesus: the baptism of Jesus - BBC Bitesize
Why Jesus was Baptized - Catholic Answers

Transfiguration

In the gospels, Jesus took three of his Apostles, Peter, James and John, to a mountain to pray. Jesus begins to shine radiantly and is suddenly accompanied by the Prophets Moses and Elijah from the Old Testament. Once again the word of God is heard praising Jesus as the Son of God (Matthew 17:1-13).

Library Resources

Collection Highlights

"Through Samaria" to Galilee and the Jordan: Scenes of the Early Life and Labours of Our Lord / J L Porter.

eReserve

Porder, J L 1889, 'The Transfiguration', "Through Samaria" to Galilee and the Jordan: Scenes of the Early Life and Labours of Our Lord, T. Nelson and Sons, London, pp. 126-132.

AV Resources

The Transfiguration - Saddleback Kids (via YouTube)

Web Resources

What was the Transfiguration of Jesus? Bible Story and Meaning - Christianity
10 Things You Need to Know About Jesus’ Transfiguration - National Catholic Register
What is the Mount of Transfiguration? - Got Questions
The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ - Life, Hope and Truth

Crucifixion

After Judas Iscariot, one of the original 12 Apostles, betrayed Jesus to the priests and elders of Jerusalem for 30 silver pieces, and after Pontius Pilate relented to the demands of the crowd to have Jesus executed, Jesus was mocked and tortured, and made to carry his cross to the place where he was to be executed. The events of this journey are recorded in the Stations of the Cross (Matthew 27:1-31). When Jesus was finally crucified at Golgotha, he cried out "My God, why have you forsaken me" and died soon after. When he died there was an earthquake and seals were broken on the nearby tombs (Matthew 27:32-56). The entirety of these events are known as the Passion and are central to Christian theology.

Library Resources

On the shelves

Search the catalogue for the following subjects:

AV Resources

Crucifixion of Jesus

Web Resources

Crucifixion - Britannica
Roman Crucifixion Methods Reveal the History of Crucifixion - Biblical Archaeology Society
How did crucifixion kill? - The Guardian
Crucifixion of Jesus - Bible Study Tools
What Facts Do We Know About the Crucifixion of Jesus? - Christianity
Stations of the Cross - Catholic Online
Passion of Jesus - Britannica

Resurrection

The Resurrection of Jesus is a direct continuation of the Crucifixion, and both are the most well known part of Christian theology. In the Gospels of Matthew (28:1-10), Luke (24:1-8) and John (20:1-18), Mary Magdalen, and often other women followers of Jesus, was the one to discover that Jesus had risen from the dead. Details vary slightly between Gospels, but consensus points to angels appearing from Heaven declaring that Jesus had risen, and that he appeared to his disciples in various places including Galilee and Jerusalem over a number of weeks.

Library Resources

On the shelves

Search the catalogue for the following subjects:

The Resurrection

AV Resources

Resurrection of Jesus

Web Resources

The Resurrection of Jesus - Bible Study Tools
14 Passages to Read about the Resurrection - Crossway
The Bible Story and Proof of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ - Christianity
The Death and resurrection of Jesus - BBC Bitesize

Ascension

The Ascension is the final event to happen in the timeline of Jesus' life. After 40 days, while blessing his disciples, light shone down from Heaven and Jesus, at least in the Gospel of Luke (24:50-53), physically ascended into Heaven, to sit at the right hand of his Father.

eReserve

Self, D 2007, 'The First Christians', The Lion Encyclopedia of Christianity, Lion Hudson, Oxford, pp. 18-19.

AV Resources

Jesus' Ascension - Saddleback Kids (via YouTube)

Web Resources

Ascension of Jesus - Bible Study Tools
Ascension - Britannica
The Ascension of Christ - The Gospel Coalition
Two things to know about Christ’s ascension into heaven - Simply Catholic

Below are some additional resources that you may find useful.

Library Resources

AV Resources

Web Resources

Library Resources

Collection Highlights

The Illustrated Jesus Through the Centuries / Jaroslav Pelikan.

This volume is adapted from Jaroslav Pelikan's classic work Jesus Through the Centuries. Pelikan has condensed the original text and enhanced the book with 150 illustrations, most in colour, that give a further dimension to his thoughts. His commentary that accompanies the illustrations provides information on the art, architecture, individuals, and events that Jesus has inspired over the ages.

The Image of Christ in Modern Art / Richard Harries.

The Image of Christ in Modern Art explores the challenges presented by the radical and rapid changes of artistic style in the twentieth century to artists who wished to relate to traditional Christian imagery. Through a wide and beautiful range of images and insightful text, Harries explores the continuing challenge, present from the beginning of Christian art, as to how that which is visual can in some way indicate the transcendent.