The Life of Jesus Christ

Overview

All four Gospels contain stories of healings, miracles, teachings, encounters with others, and events in Jesus’ life. We hear a lot today about the Gospel of Thomas not being included in the Bible. The Gospel of Thomas is a Gospel of sayings, not stories. The early Church leaders didn’t think Jesus’ words (sayings) should be taught separately from his actions (stories). The stories matter. What Jesus was doing when he said things affects the interpretation of what he said. This goes along with an advancing understanding of discipleship in the Gospels that are in the Bible. It isn’t just about understanding Jesus; it is also about living as Jesus lived. The events of Jesus’ life have been common themes in Christian art.

Some of these are told in only one Gospel; others are recounted in all four Gospels. One practice that has been common in the artistic tradition is to depict a collection of Jesus’ life events in one artwork, incorporating many scenes, either in separate panels or with a more organic blending of scenes, within one larger scene.

Historical Notes

In the earliest Christian art, the most common themes depicted from Jesus’ life were healings, teachings, and meals. With the rise of humanism in the early Renaissance, more of the stories from Jesus’ life became popular.

The subtopics that flow from here are below. Click to go to that interpretation page.

• Christ Child in the Temple/Among the Doctors
• The Baptism of Jesus
• Jesus’ Temptation in the Desert
• The Wedding Feast at Cana
• Jesus Teaching
• Healings
• Nature Miracles (Storms, Feedings, Fishes, etc.)
• Jesus with the Apostles or Other Disciples
• Jesus Christ Clearing the Temple
• The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ
• Jesus’ Entry into Jerusalem