Blog Post #2: Bible Archaeology

What are some new historical facts related to Jesus that you learned from your own group presentation? Be specific.

Through researching Bible Archeology, I was able to learn new things about Jesus. The main thing I grasped about Jesus from my own presentation was that Jesus was crucified. Previously, I thought Jesus was solely praised by his people as he was today. Yet, Jesus was not loved by everyone at the time. The people of Jerusalem wanted Jesus crucified. Pontius Pilate had the grueling tasks of deciding whether Jesus should be crucified. Ultimately, he decided to do this and Joseph of Arimathea took on the controversial role of burying Jesus.

What are some new historical facts related to Jesus that you learned from the other group presentations? Be specific.

The presentations given were full of knowledge about Jesus I had never learned before. First off, I learned Jesus could have been killed as a child by King Herod, when King Herod was killing young boys so he could have the power to himself. If Jesus would have been killed at this point in time, the Catholic faith would have been altered forever. In addition, Jesus was said to be crucified in Golgotha (said to be near current day Jerusalem). Good Friday signifies the day that Jesus was crucified. When Pontius Pilate ordered Jesus to be crucified, he thought he was crucifying Jesus to the advantage of his own people. Overall, the presentations expanded my knowledge of Jesus.

Which topic related to Jesus’ life did you find to be most fascinating and why?

Jesus’s lifetime took a lot of turns that were unexpected. I would not have expected Jesus to endeavor on such an unpractical life path. I think that his struggles are the most fascinating part of his lifetime. He was almost killed as a child, and was crucified as he got older. These are major turns in life that are not ideal for any person. To me, this shows that even the people who are the admired in life, still struggle. No one can go through life without struggle and hardship. Jesus’ lifetime can be used as an example to everyone going through a hard time, life is not going to be easy.

After reflecting on Jesus’ characteristics in the last unit and the events related to his life in this unit, who are two people in your life who display similar qualities as Jesus and why?

Two people that resemble the characteristics of Jesus to me are my parents. Jesus acts as a father figure to all of his followers, he guides them in times of hardship. Just as Jesus guides his followers through life, my parents guide me throughout my life and are there for me when I down and need their help. In addition, Jesus holds the power over all others. My parents hold power over me, and show me what is wrong and right to do. Jesus also sacrifices for his people. Both my mom and dad have sacrificed so much in their life for me. They always put my brothers and I before themselves, which I admire about them. Overall my parents have strong qualities within them that Jesus holds true for his believers.

For my multimedia item for this blog post, I chose the song God Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts. It shows how everyone how everyone’s path in life is broken down in some way. No everything is going to be perfect. Jesus went through a hard life, and his followers admire him today. Therefore, it shows that the “broken road” is the path to glory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYodFrBf0BE

Blogpost #1: Who is Jesus?

1. Prior to this class, my knowledge of Jesus was slim to none. I knew he was a very significant figure in the Catholic faith. Jesus served as a savior to all who were apart of this faith. In addition, I observed his actions and guidance made an impact on everyone who believed in him. Due to the fact I was not raised in a religious household, my first teachings of Jesus have been in this class. I look forward to diving in deeper to these teachings to learn who Jesus truly is.

2. I gained a lot from learning about Jesus in the past few weeks. As it states in the textbook, it has been proven that Jesus lived. This was a concept I did not think about before. I saw Jesus as a spiritual figure that had been given the traits of being a great teacher, a savior to all, forgiver of sins, and a prophet to name a few. The concept that his life has been proven changes my perspectives of him. Being that the idea of faith is new to me, it is hard to grasp onto and believe every detail said. Yet, the idea that his life has been proven makes that easier for me, since I know now he has truly made these impacts on people during his lifetime. Learning the names of Jesus taught me a lot this unit. Each name had a greater meaning about Jesus's lifetime. Through developing the meanings of these names, I learned Jesus has the ultimatum amount of power and that he gave sacrificial system to Israel. Overall, this unit has began to develop my thoughts of Jesus's power to all who follow him.

3. To me, I have always seen Jesus as a spiritual figure. I have seen him as a person that one can either choose to believe and follow the path of, or not. He holds true spiritual value. Anyone who can connect with him, has strong beliefs and genuine feelings of him. That is the main reason why I have always seen him as a spiritual figure. As we have gotten deeper into his teachings, I now see the historical value he holds. He lived a life, where he was an important figure to people he had met in his lifetime. He impacted society, just as any figure who one studies in history has done. At this point in time, I still view him as a spiritual figure, yet, as I learn more about him I see how could be seen as a historical figure.

4. My relationship with Jesus is one still in the making. I have never thought about "Who Jesus is to me" before. He holds strong values, many in which I agree with. His idea that holds true to me is that sin takes time to forgive, it is not instant. I have trouble forgiving people as soon as a quick apology has taken place, it takes time for me to establish the feelings of trust again. I like seeing that this is a core value of a person who has made an impact on so many others. As I begin to see more connections between Jesus and I such as this one, my belief on who Jesus is to me will shift. At this moment, Jesus is a person with strong values that relate to some of my values. With time, I believe this can develop and who he is to me can become deeper.

I chose this song because it shows what Jesus can be to people. He has developed in some peoples life to guide them and be their breath of fresh air. It is astonishing to me the impact he has made on the world. It is truly amazing to see a person thought of so highly for the actions they can put forth.
"Jesus" by Chris Tomlin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEbQswNB6Wc

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