Episode 1 of 5 · Jesus the Messiah, the Word made flesh, and John the Baptist, the Forerunner

  1. Episode 1: Jesus the Messiah, the Word made flesh, and John the Baptist, the Forerunner
  2. Episode 2: Why and how did Luke write his Gospel?
  3. Episode 3: The disciples' teaching on the influence of the Pharisees
  4. Episode 4: The eschatological discourse on the Mount of Olives
  5. Episode 5: The burial of Jesus: spices and shroud

Appendices on the Gospels

Further reading
  • ANN080 Is Jesus a mamzer?

    The article examines the theory that Jesus might be a 'mamzer', the offspring of a union forbidden by Jewish law, because of his conception…

  • ANN071 The town of Capernaum

    The article explores Capernaum, a city of Galilee established on the shores of the Sea of Tiberias, known for having been the "headquarters" of Jesus after…

  • ANN088 The two anointings of Jesus the Messiah

    The article analyses the anointings of Jesus the Messiah in the Gospels, illustrating the contrast in values between Jesus and Simon the Pharisee. It highlights the…

  • ANN078 The parables

    The article analyzes Jesus' use of parables, defined as symbolic spiritual narratives. Used to teach profound truths, parables also served to…

  • ANN090 The appearances of the risen Messiah Jesus

    The study covers the appearances of the risen Jesus, based on the accounts of the Gospels, notably the encounter with Mary Magdalene. It aims…

  • ANN017 The Baptisms

    The article examines the different baptisms in the New Testament, from John the Baptist to Jesus and Paul. It highlights how each baptism marks…

  • ANN019 Did God Really Say?

    This article discusses the reliability of the Gospels and the criticisms they attract, defending their inerrancy under divine guidance. It distinguishes between legitimate criticism and…

  • ANN026 The hour of the crucifixion

    The article explores the differences in timing in the Gospels concerning the crucifixion of Jesus. The Synoptic Gospels and John give different hours, raising debates…

  • ANN056 The Gospels in Numbers

    This article analyses the Gospels through a gradual exploration of the pericopes, discussing the priority and dependence of the accounts. Based on a division…

  • ANN064 The “next days” noted by John

    The article examines the chronology of events surrounding Jesus' baptism in the Gospel of John, which differs from the synoptic Gospels. It seeks to harmonise these…

  • ANN087 The festivals noted by John

    The study delves into how the Gospel of John uses the Jewish feasts to establish a precise chronology of the ministry of Jesus, in contrast to the…

  • ANN039 Those Disappointed in the Messiah Jesus

    This article discusses how Jesus disappointed some of his disciples because they expected the Messiah to be a political liberator rather than a saviour…

  • ANN005 Calculating the Dates of the Life of the Messiah Jesus

    The article explores the chronology of the life of Jesus, comparing various hypotheses on the crucifixion, placing it on April 1, AD 33 and the…

  • ANN006 The exact date of the decree

    The article analyzes the decree of Artaxerxes concerning Jerusalem, organizing the biblical calendar around the seventy prophetic weeks of Daniel, crucial for dating the life of Jesus,…

  • ANN007 The family relationship between Mary and Elizabeth

    An analysis of the family relationship between Mary and Elizabeth based on the Gospel of Luke. The article examines the apparent contradiction between their kinship and…

  • ANN009 The censuses of Quirinius

    Article ANN009 examines the question of the censuses of Quirinius mentioned in the Gospel of Luke (Lk 2,1-2) and their apparent discrepancy with the census historically…

The life of Jesus up to the age of 12

  1. Jesus the Messiah, the Word made flesh, and John the Baptist, the Forerunner

    The article explores how the Gospel of John affirms that Jesus is the Word made flesh and is God, with John the Baptist as his Forerunner. John the apostle aims to demonstrate that Jesus, both the Messiah as king and a divine figure, fulfils Jewish messianic expectations.

    John 3.25-29 (King James Version) :
    Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying.And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
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  2. Why and how did Luke write his Gospel?

    This article details Luke’s reasons and method for writing his Gospel, highlighting his careful, historical approach to compiling reliable accounts of the life of Jesus.

    Luke 1.1-4 (King James Version) :
    Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
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From the 3rd Passover to the start of the final week

  1. Teaching the disciples about the influence of the Pharisees

    Jesus warns his apostles against the pernicious influence of the Pharisees, symbolized by the “leaven.” Matthew and Mark relate this teaching during a crossing toward Bethsaida, where the disciples have run short of bread. Jesus points out their lack of faith, inviting them to grasp the spiritual import of his words beyond material concerns.

    Matthew 16.5-12 (King James Version) :
    And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
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The last week before the arrest

  1. The eschatological discourse on the Mount of Olives

    Analysis of Jesus’ eschatological discourse on the Mount of Olives, based on the Gospels. Jesus speaks of the destruction of the Temple and the coming of the end times, revealing his prophetic abilities and the continuity of his mission after the crucifixion. Intended for readers who wish to deepen their theological understanding.

    Matthew 24.1-31 (King James Version) :
    And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.All these are the beginning of sorrows.Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.Behold, I have told you before.Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
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Contradictions

  1. The burial of Jesus: spices and linen shroud

    The article examines the alleged contradiction between the Gospels of John and Mark on the burial of Jesus. John reports an initial funerary preparation by Nicodemus before the Sabbath, while Mark describes an intention of the women, after the Sabbath, to complete this preparation. The article concludes that the accounts are complementary, illustrating a common tribute paid to Jesus.

    Mark 16.1 (King James Version) :
    And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
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