Biblical Biographies Archive
At the beginning of Jesus Christ’s ministry, Joseph, his adopted father, had probably already passed away. Because the average life expectancy was low and occupational accidents high, this conclusion seems rather natural. Perhaps Joseph’s death may also have been recent; those who knew Jesus Christ also knew Joseph or knew of him (John 1:45; 6:42).
This tradition is strengthened by the fact that Luke records an event from the life of Joseph when Jesus was twelve years old but then never mentions him again as living (Luke 2:43-48). Mark, who records events from Jesus’ life only after his baptism, never mentions Joseph. Those who knew Jesus’ Christ’s family were familiar with his mother, brothers, and sisters but do not seem to be acquainted with his father other than recognizing his occupation (John 7:3, 5; Acts 1:14; Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3). Based on the best textual evidence, Jesus’ younger half-brothers were named... Read the rest of this entry »
Jews typically had only a single name, which has caused difficulties in distinguishing between individuals with the same name in the New Testament. For example, the New Testament records the names of at least seven different Marys. To distinguish among them, the New Testament authors included nicknames or other identifying facts about them, such as where they were from (Mary Magdalene or Mary of Magdala).
Who was Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ?
Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, lived in Nazareth, probably with her parents, when the annunciation of Jesus’ birth came, although Matthew and Luke report strong connection among her, her husband, and Bethlehem (Matthew 1:16-23; Luke 2:4-7). She was a witness to the miracle in Cana (John 2:3), portions of the ministry (Matthew 12:46), the crucifixion (John 19:25), and possibly the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28: 1; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10). She is also mentioned as being present during a meeting... Read the rest of this entry »
Nicodemus was a Pharisee who, as “a ruler of Jews,” seems to have been a member of the Sanhedrin. He appears three times in the Gospel of John. In the first and most famous incident, soon after the cleansing of the temple, Nicodemus visited Jesus Christ at night, presumably to avoid detection by others of the Jewish leadership but perhaps on an official visit as a Pharisaic delegate of the Sanhedrin to assess Jesus’ intentions and character. Their meeting provided the setting for Jesus Christ’s discourse on the “new birth” (John 3:1-21), in which Jesus affirms the need for each person to be “born from above” (John 3:3 anothen, KJV “again”), being born of both water and spirit. Although Nicodemus initially seemed confused, perhaps revealing that his pervious opinions of Jesus were being reshaped, Jesus stressed the source of this new life by describing himself as the example of one who “came... Read the rest of this entry »
