The context of Jesus’ birth (Nativity) and childhood
The family relationship between Mary and Elizabeth
In his account, Luke points to a kinship between Mary and Elizabeth without specifying its nature...
Studies 1 to 10
- 1The family relationship between Mary and Elizabeth
- 2The censuses of Quirinius
- 3The death of King Herod the Great
- 4The Magi from the East in Bethlehem
- 5Jesus’ brothers and sisters
- 6The disciples’ callings
- 7The choosing of the apostles
- 8The conflict between John’s and Jesus’ followers
- 9The Chief Priests
- 10Mary, the mother of Jesus
Studies 11 to 13
The context of Jesus’ birth (Nativity) and childhood
The censuses of Quirinius
The author of the third Gospel, in giving us historical reference points, could not have suspected the difficulties this would cause...
The context of Jesus’ birth (Nativity) and childhood
The death of King Herod the Great
In general, a historian draws conclusions based on established facts. In our case, we start from the result defined by the…
The context of Jesus’ birth (Nativity) and childhood
The Magi from the East in Bethlehem
In the ancient East, magi observed a celestial phenomenon, whether natural or supernatural in nature...
The context of Jesus’ birth (Nativity) and childhood
Jesus’ brothers and sisters
Are the brothers and sisters of Jesus cousins, or do they belong to a different sibling group? Are they simply brothers and…
Important biblical figures (Jesus' family and circle)
The disciples’ callings
The accounts of the calling of the disciples by Jesus the Messiah vary among the four evangelists...
Important biblical figures (Jesus' family and circle)
The choosing of the apostles
A distinction must be made between the disciples and the Apostles...
Important biblical figures (Jesus' family and circle)
The conflict between John’s and Jesus’ followers
The apostle John describes a rather surprising situation: tensions arose between the disciples of John the Baptist and those…
Important biblical figures (Jesus' family and circle)
The Chief Priests
The High Priest, as the main head of the Jewish court, the Sanhedrin, is a leading figure in society...
The context of Jesus’ birth (Nativity) and childhood
Mary, the mother of Jesus
Although Mary occupies an important place in the Roman Catholic Church today, she remains relatively discreet in the Gospel accounts...
Important biblical figures (Jesus' family and circle)
The Jews
Jew, Israelite, Israeli, Hebrews, Semites: how can we make sense of it all?...
The context of Jesus’ birth (Nativity) and childhood
Joseph, Jesus' adoptive father
Joseph appears 19 times in the Gospels, but these occurrences provide us with few details about his life and role....
The context of Jesus’ birth (Nativity) and childhood
The death of King Herod the Great
In general, a historian draws conclusions based on established facts. In our case, we start from the result defined by the…