Any discussion of Christianity necessarily opens with attention to the person of the Historical Jesus and the Christ of Faith. We know of the Historical Jesus largely through the scriptures namely the New Testament and the evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke pictured here, and John. These evangelists then are figures who stand in relationship to the gospels themselves and stand in place of community, so each of these figures we should think of as associated with communities. Among these 27 books of the New Testament then are the four gospels attributed to the evangelists that give us the earliest sayings and the teachings of Jesus. Mark is considered the first Gospel written in Greek around 70 of the current era and linked to a non-Jewish or gentile Christian community. Matthew's gospel and Luke's gospel have the fullest accounts of the birth of Jesus and are associated with mixed Jewish and gentile Christian communities. John is considered the last gospel and was written after 90 of the current era as Christians who are differentiating themselves from Jewish synagogue communities. Mark's gospel then is generally seen as the model for Matthew and Luke's gospels. These three gospels are called synoptics because of their shared presentation and view of Jesus as having been born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth, and largely an unknown figure until he began his public teaching career at 30 years of age. Rather than biographical documents then we now understand the gospels as documents associated with early Christian communities with varied religious interests and regional concerns. These Christian communities were clearly embedded in local landscapes and biodiversity, which is reflected in the newly emerging religious consciousness. These gospels then draw unnatural images as elements of symbolic consciousness for expressing religious ecologies. Moreover, Jewish doctrines of creation and Greek philosophical thought disposed these communities to think of their faith in relation to the larger universe namely as a religious cosmology. While these Christian communities were differentiated, what drew them together were their personal encounters with the Jesus of History and the Christ of Faith. Mark's gospel identifies Jesus as Messiah, a term for unexpected religious leader and savior that is found in the earlier prophetic literature of Judaism. This gospel also set a definite tone in understanding the historical Jesus as an eschatological figure, namely a religious leader at the end of times. Thus Jesus is associated with such terms as Son of God, Son of Man, Kingdom of God, and the Day of the Lord. These are all terms borrowed from the prophetic tradition of Judaism that warn of a cataclysmic end of the world if the Jewish people broke their covenantal relationship with God. Jesus is also seen as a religious reformer. This is evident from His first encounter with John the Baptist, whose teachings Jesus seems to have taken up with the words, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Here we see John the Baptist portrayed in the role of the reformer who has come in this baptizing mode, purifying mode, bringing people into a new understanding of the reflection upon community and self. Jesus is also presented as a healer and miracle worker such as in the story of the healing of the lepers. His love and compassion for others is exemplified in a major teaching given in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Whatever the historical reasons and however he might have understood his life, Jesus was eventually found subversive of the political order by both Roman and Jewish authorities. This led to his death by crucifixion, a form of punishment that the Roman authorities reserved for political prisoners. After a period of time, the followers of Jesus re-interpreted his crucifixion in light of his reported resurrection from the dead. Thus we see that Jesus of History was understood and mediated by those who believed in Him. The understanding of the Jesus of History as an eschatological savior speaking about the end of time has been tempered in recent decades by scholarly work that locates Jesus in the social challenges of His day. Much of this work then emphasize not simply the end of time, but the many roles of Jesus as a charismatic healer, a wisdom teacher, a prophetic personality, and a founder of a revitalization movement. In these roles as social reformer or revitalization movement, the Jesus of History draws on symbols of nature to articulate his transformative vision. The richness of these symbols is seen in the parables, stories that teach lessons in a vibrant and accessible manner. For example, we see here the teaching Parable of the Good Shepherd, and then this parable of Jesus it describes His insights into the guidance and care of the shepherd for his sheep as ways in which the charismatic healer attends to others. Parables describe the sagely wisdom that Jesus draws out from agricultural practices in which seed falls on different types of soil we see here the fertile soil, and the rocky soil, and the bad covered soil, this is descriptive then of personal acceptance of the Word of God. Similarly, another parable reflects His prophetic role namely that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed that miraculously almost grows in a garden becoming a tree in which bird's nest. Finally, Jesus, as social reformer, decries excessive anxieties regarding what we shall eat and put on by pointing out the glorious beauty of the lilies of the field whose care is in God's hands. These many nature images associated with the teachings of Jesus illustrate how the regional landscape illustrates the moral reform and spiritual inspiration of early Christianity. They set the basis for an emerging religious ecology. Thus, while the Jesus of History may be difficult to locate with specificity of statement indeed, what is reported in the New Testament documents emphasizes His interactions with his social and natural worlds as interrelated.
