Abstract
This paper answers a question. How does Jesus express God? Jesus did not divide himself into three different parts: the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus continually reflected the wishes of his Father. Jesus expressed God in many ways beginning with many of the miracles he performed continuing with the love and mission Jesus had on earth.

From the Paper
The Ways Jesus Expresses God Looking at a little child and comparing the child's features to his father will show similar features. They may have the same eyes or perhaps the same dimple. They may both be short or tall. They may have the same hair coloring. A child can often be seen as an expression of the father. This was true for Jesus. Jesus was born as a human, but he was also God. In the Bible Jesus often referred to the unity he had with God and the Holy Spirit ("The Trinity" 7). Jesus did not divide himself into three different parts: the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus continually reflected the wishes of his Father. Jesus expressed God in many ways

Tags:catholic, jesus, god

Abstract
The temptations of Jesus began after he had fasted for forty days, so it is not surprising that Satan first tempted Jesus to satisfy his hunger, but Jesus understood the critical issue that to satisfy His hunger under such conditions would have been contrary to God's will. Jesus responded to Satan by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3 and said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Jesus' response affirmed that it is better to obey God's word than to satisfy human desire, and he triumphantly overcame this temptation.

From the Paper
The Temptations of Jesus: An Interpretive Analysis of Matt. 4:1-11 The temptations of Jesus began after he had fasted for forty days, so it is not surprising that Satan first tempted Jesus to satisfy his hunger, but Jesus understood the critical issue that to satisfy His hunger under such conditions would have been contrary to God's will.A'A Jesus responded to Satan by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3 and said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Jesus' response affirmed that it is better to obey God's word than to

Tags:temptation, of, jesus

Abstract
This paper reviews Russell Aiuto's article, "The Trial of Jesus Christ", about the trial, conviction and execution of Jesus. The reviewer points out that Aiuto's intention was to present his information in the historic context of ancient Judea, ultimately determining who was guilty in causing the death of Jesus. The paper is written from a religious Christian perspective and gives an in-depth examination of the role of the Jews and the Romans in Jesus' death.

From the Paper
"For many people, especially those evangelical Christians who know little about the historical and political conditions in ancient Judea, it seems clear that the Jews killed Jesus. While it is certainly true that some Jews played an important role in bringing about the trial and execution of Jesus, it is a gross oversimplification to suggest that there was a vast Jewish conspiracy to kill Jesus. On the contrary, there were three main groups of Jews competing for power during Jesus' time: the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees. Aiuto describes these three groups of Jews as "interchangeable," which is not entirely historically accurate. (Aiuto). In fact, at times these groups competed viciously with one another for control of Jewish civil and religious law. However, they did share a religious and social background that separated them from the Roman population that occupied ancient Judea. Furthermore, all three groups believed that the Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah would be fulfilled. (Aiuto). In fact, Jesus was not the first person to be proclaimed the Messiah. Understanding that there was a tremendous amount of strife and competition in the Jewish community is important, because it makes it clear that while some Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus, it can hardly be suggested that all Jews were responsible for Jesus' death. Instead, Jewish involvement in Jesus' death seems explainable by one of the truisms of murder investigation: murders are generally committed by same-sex members of the victims' racial group. Because Jesus was a Jewish male, it should come as no surprise that some Jewish males played a central role in his trial and execution. However, that statement should not be viewed as either anti-Semitic or as an excuse for anti-Semitism. While some Jews played a central role in Jesus' death, his apostles were also widely Jewish, Jesus self-identified as a Jew and had no interest in preaching to Gentiles, and the founders of the Church were Jews who initially preached to a strictly Jewish audience."

Tags:Jesus, Romans, Judea, Christianity, Jews

Abstract
This paper answers two questions from the book "Excavating Jesus", the first on whether Jesus advocated nonviolent existence or nonviolent resistance, and the second on the significance of the James Ossuary.

From the Paper
"According to Crossnan and Reed in "Excavating Jesus", Jesus was a proponent of nonviolent resistance. They state; "Wherever you locate Jesus on that continuum of covenantal to eschatological to apocalyptic resistance, the Kingdom of God is a force for nonviolent resistance to the normalcy of both social oppression by class and colonial oppression by Rome." They also point out, however, that there are two problems with this interpretation-the response of Jesus' companions and followers to being attacked and Jesus' division of the..."

Tags:Jesus, nonviolence, James ossuary, excavating Jesus

Abstract
This paper answers two questions from the book "Excavating Jesus", one about the top three discoveries related to Jesus or early Christianity, and one related to whether archaeology can be used to verify that the Gospel stories about Jesus are factual.

From the Paper
"In my opinion, the top three discoveries related to Jesus or earliest Christianity are the Dead Sea Scrolls, the James ossuary and the Pilate inscription, although Peter's house and boat could also be classified in the top few discoveries. (Crossan Reed) The Dead Sea Scrolls, an exegetical discovery, are of all the discoveries, the most vitally important because they authenticate the Torah and the Old Testament. Not only do they provide evidence of when the Bible was likely written, they also serve as a..."

Tags:archaeology, Gospels, Jesus, discoveries, Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, ossuary, inscription

Abstract
The paper relates that this book makes the point, early in Chapter One, that studying and researching Jesus, for secular historians and religious Christians alike, can be controversial. The paper posits that one has to agree with this thought, since anyone researching Jesus can not help but bring preconceptions to the research. The paper explains that the book's underlying theme is that by studying the historical Jesus a Christian will become stronger, not weaker, in his or her faith.

From the Paper
"This book makes the point, early in Chapter One, that studying and researching Jesus, for secular historians and religious Christians alike, can be controversial. One has to agree with this thought. The immediate logical reason is that anyone researching Jesus can not help bring preconceptions to the research. A Christian will tend to look for evidence confirming the divinity of Jesus, that Jesus really was the divine son of God. A secular historian will have tendency to lean the other way. Such a historian will incline..."

Tags:jesus, religion, christ

Abstract
This paper discusses the prophecy about the birth of Jesus found in Isaiah. The paper explains that this prophecy, which tells the story of Jesus' birth to the virgin Mary, is probably the most famous of all the prophecies about Jesus and chronicles the interactions between the prophet Isaiah and King Ahaz.

From the Paper
"There are a number of messianic prophecies about Jesus' birth -- prophecies about the location, manner and time of his birth, about his genealogy and about events that were to occur at the time of his birth. Probably the most famous of these prophecies is the prophecy that Jesus would be born to a virgin found in Isaiah. Isaiah chronicles the interactions between the prophet Isaiah and King Ahaz. In Isaiah we read: "Then said the LORD unto Isaiah Go forth now to meet Ahaz..."

Tags:Bible, old and new testament, Isaiah, prophet, god, jesus, immanual, prince of peace, virgin birth

Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts how the gospels of Mark and John describe the character of Jesus. The paper explains how Mark depicts Jesus as a miracle-worker, an exorcist and healer, and as one that spoke to his disciples in parables. The paper then describes the version of Jesus depicted by John as a riddler, who purposely invites misunderstanding, and who uses word puns to confuse outsiders as well as his own disciples.

From the Paper
"The gospels of Mark and John are two very unique gospels that characterize Jesus very differently. Their portrayal of his nature, mission, passion narrative (his death), and the human predicament are largely contrary. Johannine Jesus never tells a parable and never casts out a demon in John. He doesn't try to keep his identity a secret or command others to silence. Jesus does not institute the Last Supper in the Gospel, nor does he go to Gethsemane to pray to be released from his fate " he is not put on trial before the Sanhedrin or found guilty of committing blasphemy," but instead is found guilty of political insurrection by Roman officials (Ehrman 159). In Mark, Jesus speaks to crowds in parables, and proclaims the imminent appearance of the kingdom of heaven (to be brought about by his death and resurrection). In John, however, he speaks in word puns to certain people, and plainly to those who know him for who he is. All these differences show that the Markan Jesus was chiefly concerned with overcoming the evil age, the rulers of this world, whereas Johannine Jesus came to find and teach the children of light."

Tags:bible, gospel, jesus, john, lazarus, mark, new, nicodemus, religion, samaritan, testament

Abstract
This paper discusses how Christopher Wright's book, "Knowing Jesus through the Old Testament", examines how the Old Testament helps provide insight into the life of Jesus Christ. In particular, the paper examines how Wright uses the book of Mathew to explore the origins of Jesus' mission on earth.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Summary
Interaction And Assessment
Identity
Covenant And Promise
Other Perspectives
Conclusion
Bibliography

From the Paper
"In the preface to "Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament," Wright informs the reader of his thesis: "The deeper you go into understanding the Old Testament, the closer you come to the heart of Jesus." In approaching the task to write such a book, Wright admits that he "found it hard to decide whether this is a book about Jesus in the light of the Old Testament, or a book about the Old Testament in the light of Jesus. Perhaps it is both." Indeed, Wright has succeeded in presenting both (Jesus and the Old Testament) in such a way as to compel the reader to never again wholly separate one from the other."

Tags:Knowing Jesus, Christopher Wright, Book review, Old Testament theology

Abstract
This paper is a book review of James D.G. Dunn's book "Jesus and the Spirit: A Study of the Religious and Charismatic Experience of Jesus and the First Christians as Reflected in the New Testament". The review is critical of the book, citing overstatement of the obvious, obfuscation of simple truths, and questionable use of sources.

From the Paper
"James D. G. Dunn's book "Jesus and the Spirit: A Study of the Religious and Charismatic Experience of Jesus and the First Christians As Reflected in the New Testament" attempts to identify the religious experiences of Jesus and the early Christians, the range of those experiences and the criteria by which Jesus and the early Christians recognized experiences with God and His Spirit as such-particularly in terms of being a Christian experience in nature. Dunn's thesis is that Jesus' religious experience was distinctively..."

Tags:Dunn, Jesus and the Spirit, book review