Who is Jesus?

By Rolando José Olivo

First book of the collection The Most Extraordinary Man of All History:

More than two thousand years ago, the most extraordinary man of all time was born, who guided humanity to follow a religious and ethical path. Considering that the life, works, teachings and legacy of Jesus are so spectacular, the following questions have arisen: Who is Jesus? Did Jesus exist?

Although He has been subjected to strong scrutiny (during the last four centuries, in the three searches of the historical Jesus) and some skeptical researchers question or deny his existence, the vast majority of scholars and researchers accept the existence of the historical Jesus. Some even state that it would have been impossible to invent Him.

Additionally, Jesus proclaimed himself as the Son of Man, identifying as the biblical Messiah, and also surprised by not leaving written documents, attending to various strategic reasons.

Despite the debates for and against the existence of Jesus, what is clear is that his legacy is undeniable and the good Christian is distinguished by being an exemplary and virtuous person, fulfilling his obligations to society and God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rolando José Olivo
• Release date: Jan 27, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463198308

Rolando José Olivo

[e-mail] Instagram: @rolandojolivo Systems Engineer with 3 postgraduate degrees: Master's Degree in Applied Economics, Diploma in General Management and Specialization in Management of Social Programs (Summa Cum Laude). Work experience in companies in the oil sector, occupying these positions: Planning and Logistics Manager, Project Coordinator, Financial Advisor and Consultant. Consultant in the economic and financial area. Writer of books on economics, management, self-help, novels and Christianity, among others.

Book preview

I. INTRODUCTION

Too much has been written and spoken about Jesus, immersed in a religious climate of admiration and fascination. With a short ministry of three years and a few months, He definitively changed the human history, founding the Christianity, expanding the Jewish belief of the existence of a One True God, all over the world, dividing history into two eras, propitiating new celebrations, rescuing the principles and moral values, and promoting many processes of transculturation, modernization, progress and human development.

Undoubtedly, Jesus is the most extraordinary man in all history, although his life, works, teachings and legacy lead to the following questions:

Who is Jesus?

Did Jesus exist?

In Chapter II. The Existence of Jesus, the answers to these questions are sought, explaining the differences between the historical and the religious Jesus, and mentioning the three searches of the historical Jesus.

It is divided into the following sections: a) II.1 The First Search of the Historical Jesus, b) II.2 The Second Search of the Historical Jesus, c) II.3 The Third Search of the Historical Jesus, d) II.4 Results of Investigations of the Historical Jesus, and e) II.5 Conclusions on the Existence of Jesus.

Even more, despite the criticism of some skeptical researchers, who question or deny the existence of the Lord, other scholars argue that it would have been impossible to invent Jesus, and also, taking into account that his ideas were highly innovative (during that time and in the later centuries), also it is extremely difficult for a small group of radical Hebrews to have conceived them, promoting an ideological confrontation with the Jewish authorities and desisting from acting violently against the Roman occupation.

Certainly, Jesus' messages are revolutionary and controversial. On the one hand, He was a biblical scholar, with great knowledge of the Old Testament, and respectful of the commandments of God.

And on the other hand, He stood out for his extraordinary ideas, questioning beliefs and practices of Pharisees and Sadducees, giving a new approach to the religion (emphasizing that love, mercy and respect for others or human rights are more important than the strict and routine religious customs).

Additionally, this literary work addresses other mysteries related to Jesus (Chapter III. The Problem of the Son of Man and Chapter IV. The Enigma of the Non-Writer Jesus), highlighting that the complex figure of the Son of Man gives full identification to the Messiah, and that possibly, some of Jesus' strategies reflect his successful decision of not leaving written documents.

In that sense, on several occasions, Jesus proclaimed himself as the Son of Man, in accordance with a biblical prophecy (Daniel 7:13-14) and didn´t hesitate to identify in this way, before his accusers. Likewise, Jesus, the Son of Man, the Son of God and the Messiah, renounced to write any document,