Son of God, and Saviour of mankind, descended from heaven, and took upon him the human nature in Judæa, towards the conclusion of the reign of Herod the Great, king of that country. The place of his birth was Bethlehem, a flourishing city of Judah; but the year in which he was born is not precisely ascertained. The most general opinion is, that it happened about the year of Rome 748 or 749, and about 18 months before the death of Herod. Four inspired writers have transmitted to us an account of the life of Jesus Christ. They mention particularly his birth, lineage, family, and parents; but say very little concerning his infancy and earlier youth. Herod being informed that the Messiah, or king of the Jews, so much spoken of by the prophets, was now born, being afraid that his kingdom should now be taken away, contrived how to destroy his supposed rival; but Christ, being carried, while very young, into Egypt, escaped the cruelty of the tyrant; who, being determined to make sure work, made a general massacre of the infants about Bethlehem, from the age of two years and under.

After the death of Herod, our Saviour was brought back to Judæa; but we are totally ignorant of what his employment was during the interval between his return thither and the time of his entering upon the ministry. We know only, that when he was but 12 years of age, he disputed in the temple with the most learned of the Jewish doctors; whom he surprised with his knowledge, and the answers he gave to their questions. After this, as the scripture tells us, he continued with his parents, and was subject to them, till he entered upon his ministry. It is said, indeed, though upon no sure foundation, that during this period he followed the trade of his father, who was a carpenter. In the 30th year of his age, he began his public ministry; to which the attention of the people was drawn by the preaching of John, a prophet miraculously inspired of God to proclaim the existence of the Saviour, as now descended upon earth, and visible to the eyes of all; and by this prophet Christ himself was baptized in the waters of Jordan, that he might not, in any point, neglect to answer the demands of the Jewish law.

It is not necessary here to enter into a particular detail of the life and actions of Jesus Christ. Everyone knows, that his life was one continued scene of the most perfect sanctity, and the purest and most active virtue; not only without spot, but also beyond the reach of suspicion. And it is also well known, that by miracles of the most stupendous kind, and not more stupendous than salutary and beneficent, he displayed to the universe the truth of that religion which he brought with him from above, and demonstrated the reality of his divine commission in the most illustrious manner. For the propagation of his religion through the country of Judæa, our Saviour chose 12 apostles; whom, however, he sent out only once, and after their return kept them constantly about his person. But, besides these, he chose other 70, whom he dispersed throughout the country.

There have been many conjectures concerning the reason why the number of apostles was fixed at 12, and that of the other teachers at 70. The first, however, was, according to our Saviour's own words (Matt. xix. 28.), an allusion to the 12 tribes of Israel, thereby intimating that he was the king of these 12 tribes; and as the number of his other messengers answers evidently to that of the senators who composed the Sanhedrim, there is a high degree of probability in the conjecture of those who think that Christ by this number designed to admonish the Jews, that the authority of their Sanhedrim was now at an end, and that all power with respect to religious matters was vested in him alone. His ministry, however, was confined to the Jews; nor, while he remained upon earth, did he permit his apostles or disciples to extend their labours beyond this favoured nation. At the same time, if we consider the illustrious acts of mercy and benevolence that were performed by Christ, it will be natural to conclude, that his fame must soon have spread abroad in other countries. Indeed this seems probable from a passage in scripture, where we are told that some Greeks applied to the apostle Philip in order to see Jesus. We learn also from authors of no small note, that Abgarus, king of Edessa, being seized with a severe and dangerous illness, wrote to our Lord, imploring his assistance; and that Jesus not only sent him a gracious answer, but also accompanied it with his picture, as a mark of his esteem for that pious prince. These letters are still extant; but by the judicious part of mankind are universally looked upon as spurious; and indeed the late Mr Jones, in his treatise entitled A new and full method of settling the canonical authority of the New Testament, hath offered reasons which seem almost unanswerable against the authenticity of the whole transaction.

The preaching of our Saviour, and the numberless miracles he performed, made such an impression on the body of the Jewish nation, that the chief priests and leading men, jealous of his authority, and provoked at his reproaching them with their wicked lives, formed a conspiracy against him. For a considerable time their designs proved abortive; but at last Jesus, knowing that he had fulfilled every purpose for which he came into the world, suffered himself to be taken through the treachery of one of his disciples, named Judas Iscariot, and was brought before the Sanhedrim. In this assembly he was accused of blasphemy; and being afterwards brought before Pilate the Roman governor, where he was accused of sedition, Pilate was no sooner sat down to judge in this cause, than he received a message from his wife, desiring him to have nothing to do with the affair, having that very day had a frightful dream on account of our Saviour, whom she called that just man. The governor, intimidated by this message, and still more by the majesty of our Saviour himself, and the evident falsehood of the accusations brought against him, was determined if possible to save him. But the clamours of an enraged populace, who at last threatened to accuse Pilate himself as a traitor to the Roman emperor, got the better of his love of justice, which indeed on other occasions was not very fervent.

Our Saviour was now condemned by his judge, though contrary to the plaintive dictates of reason and justice; was executed on a cross between two thieves, and very soon expired. Having continued three days in a state of death, he rose from the dead, and made himself visible to his disciples as formerly. He conversed with them 40 days after his resurrection, and employed himself during that time in instructing them more fully concerning the nature of his kingdom; and having manifested the certainty of his resurrection to as many witnesses as he thought proper, he was, in the presence of many of his disciples, taken up into heaven, there to remain till the end of the world. See CHRISTIANITY.