Jesus
The central figure in the New Testament of Christianity is Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus in many ways has both historical and spiritual natures, due to his being born to a typical Jewish family (father Joseph and mother Mary) in Galilee but also being recognized by his disciples as the Son of God who was divinely conceived. Jesus was called Christ, a term derived from the Greek term for "anointed one," and his followers in his lifetime and thereafter believe Jesus Christ to be the Messiah prophesied in the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament. As a religious figure in his lifetime and due largely to his radical religious and political beliefs, Jesus upset the social and political order in the Roman-controlled Levant. The teachings of Christ included a tremendous upheaval of traditional Jewish custom, laws, and ritual codes of conduct ranging from the abolition of circumcision to the doing away with Jewish dietary laws. He was executed via crucifixion. Although crucifixion was a commonplace method of public execution at the time, the symbol of Jesus dying on the cross has become a major motif in the Christian religion, as well as the overarching symbol of martyrdom. The four canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) as well as ancillary gospels...
Paul had been a relatively late convert to the Christian faith, having initially doubted the gospel of Christ before having a revelation that transformed his life and character -- as well as the nature of Christian worship. Paul spread the gospel of Christ to gentile, Jewish, and pagan crowds in places like Ephesus and other important locales throughout the Roman Empire.
Like many Pauline texts, the author focuses on many aspects of Christ's teachings including morality and ethics. In 1 Corinthians, Paul establishes his own credibility as a speaker and missionary of Christ before launching into deep philosophical discussions about the nature of truth "Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" (1 Corintians 1:20). Paul's goal is to awaken in his audience interest and passion for the budding Christian faith. Even though 1 Corinthians and other Pauline epistles are not considered part of the canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), the texts and…
