Mary and Martha

Lazarus is a name found in two separate contexts in the New Testament. Lazarus of Bethany is the subject of a miracle recounted only in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus restores him to life four days after his death. Another Lazarus appears as a character in Jesus' parable of Lazarus and Dives, or Lazarus and the Rich Man, recorded in the Gospel of Luke.

The English variant of the name comes directly from the Latin, itself derived from the Greek Lazaros, which in turn came from the Aramaic Lazar. The ultimate origin is the Hebrew name Eleazar (?????, El??z?r), meaning "God's assistance" or "God (has) helped".

Jesus of Nazareth (c. 4 BC/BCE ? c. 30 AD/CE),Sanders (1993). also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity, which views him as the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament, and within which most denominations recognize him as the Son of God and as God incarnate. Islam considers Jesus a prophet and also the Messiah.Abdulsalam, M. "Jesus in Islam". IslamReligion.com. 19 February 2008. Judaism rejects these claims. Several other religions revere him in some way.

The principal sources of information regarding Jesus' life and teachings are the four canonical gospels, especially the Synoptic Gospels,"The Gospel of John is quite different from the other three gospels, and it is primarily in the latter that we must seek information about Jesus." Sanders (1993), p. 57.Funk, Robert W. and the Jesus Seminar (1998). The acts of Jesus: the search for the authentic deeds of Jesus. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco. Introduction, pp. 1?40. ISBN 978-0-06-062978-6

though some scholars argue that other texts (such as the Gospel of Thomas) are as relevant as the canonical gospels to the historical Jesus.Levine, Amy-Jill, "Visions of Kingdoms: From Pompey to the First Jewish Revolt (63 BCE?70 CE)", in Coogan, Michael D. (ed.) (1998). The Oxford History of the Biblical World, New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 370-371. ISBN 978-0-19-508707-9

Most critical scholars in the fields of history and biblical studies believe that some parts of the New Testament are useful for reconstructing Jesus' life,Funk, Robert W.; Hoover, Roy W.; and the Jesus Seminar (1993). The Five Gospels. New York: Maxwell Macmillan. "Introduction," p. 1?30. ISBN 978-0-02-541949-0Harris, Stephen L. (1985). Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield. pp. 255?260 ISBN 978-0-87484-696-6Crossan, John Dominic (1998). The essential Jesus. Edison, NJ: Castle Books. ISBN 978-0-7858-0901-2Examples of authors who argue the Jesus myth hypothesis:

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*Martin, Michael (1991). The Case Against Christianity. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. pp. 36?72. ISBN 978-1-56639-081-1

*John Mackinnon Robertson

agreeing that he was a Jew who was regarded as a teacher and healer. They also generally accept that he was baptized by John the Baptist, and was crucified in Jerusalem on the orders of the Roman Prefect of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, on the charge of sedition against the Roman Empire.Brown, Raymond E. (1994). The Death of the Messiah: From Gethsemane to the grave: a commentary on the Passion narratives in the four Gospels. New York: Doubleday, Anchor Bible Reference Library. p. 964. ISBN 978-0-385-19397-9Carson, D. A., et al., pp. 50?56.Cohen (1987) pp. 78, 93, 105, 108Crossan, The Historical Jesus, pp. xi?xiii.Grant, Michael. pp. 34?35, 78, 166, 200.Paula Fredriksen, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, Alfred B. Knopf, 1999, pp. 6?7, 105?110, 232?234, 266; John P. Meier, vol. 1:68, 146, 199, 278, 386, 2:726; Sanders (1993), pp. 12?13; Geza Vermes, Jesus the Jew (Philadelphia: Fortress Press 1973), p. 37.; Paul L. Maier, In the Fullness of Time, Kregel, 1991, pp. 1, 99, 121, 171; N. T. Wright, The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions, HarperCollins, 1998, pp. 32, 83, 100?102, 222; Ben Witherington III, pp. 12?20.Though many historians may have certain reservations about the use of the Gospels for writing history, "even the most hesitant, however, will concede that we are probably on safe historical footing" concerning certain basic facts about the life of Jesus; Jo Ann H. Moran Cruz and Richard Gerberding, Medieval Worlds: An Introduction to European History Houghton Mifflin Company 2004, pp. 44?45.

Aside from these few conclusions, academic studies remain inconclusive about the chronology, the central message of Jesus' preaching, his social class, cultural environment, and religious orientation. Scholars offer competing descriptions of Jesus as the awaited Messiah,For instance Brown, Raymond E. (1979). The Birth of the Messiah. Garden City, NY: Image Books. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-385-05405-8

as a self-described Messiah, as the leader of an apocalyptic movement, as an itinerant sage, as a charismatic healer, and as the founder of an independent religious movement.

Christian views of Jesus (see also Christology) center on the belief that Jesus is divine, is the Messiah whose coming was prophesied in the Old Testament, and that he was resurrected after his crucifixion. Theologian and bishop Lesslie Newbigin says "the whole of Christian teaching would fall to the ground if it were the case that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus were not events in real history but stories told to illustrate truths which are valid apart from these happenings."J. E. L. Newbigin, The Gospel In a Pluralist Society. (London: SPCK, 1989), p.66. Christians do predominantly believe that Jesus is the "Son of God" (generally meaning that he is God the Son, the second person in the Trinity) who came to provide salvation and reconciliation with God by his death for their sins. Other Christian beliefs include Jesus' virgin birth, performance of miracles, ascension into Heaven, and a future Second Coming. While the doctrine of the Trinity is accepted by most Christians, a few groups reject the doctrine of the Trinity, wholly or partly, as non-scriptural.

In Islam, Jesus (, commonly transliterated as Isa) is considered one of God's important prophets,Houlden, James L. (2005). Jesus: The Complete Guide. London: Continuum. ISBN 978-0-8264-8011-8Prof. Dr. ?aban Ali Düzgün, "Uncovering Islam: Questions and Answers about Islamic Beliefs and Teachings", Ankara: The Presidency of Religious Affairs Publishing, 2004 a bringer of scripture, and a worker of miracles. Jesus is also called "Messiah", but Islam does not teach that he was divine. Islam teaches that Jesus ascended bodily to heaven without experiencing the crucifixion and resurrection,Compendium of Muslim Texts rather than the traditional Christian belief of the death and resurrection of Jesus.