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Sources -

While there aren't many sources that mention Jesus apart from the Bible, historian André Chevitarese explains that a few authors have written similar information about his life.

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Sources -

The most widely known writings are attributed to Flavius Josephus. He was a Jewish scholar who lived during the 1st century CE. He mentions Jesus twice in his work 'Antiquities of the Jews.'

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Appearance -

A specialist in forensic science, British researcher Richard Neave reconstructed the face of a typical adult from the time that Jesus lived. The result was a dark-skinned man with short hair, very different from the average depiction of Jesus as a pale-skinned man with long hair and blue eyes.

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God's messenger - According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was very knowledgeable from a young age.

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Stance on homosexuality - A little-known fact is that Jesus never condemned homosexuality in the Bible. In fact, he never even mentioned it.

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Birthday - Although many Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25, most are unaware that the New Testament doesn't say what day Jesus was born.

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Jesus wasn't born on December 25 -

According to researchers, it is more likely that his birthday falls sometime between May and November, during the hottest months in Israel.

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Three Wise Men -

As soon as the Three Wise Men saw the guiding star that alerted them to the birth of Christ, they started their journey to Bethlehem. Researchers have traced the route they likely took and concluded that it would have taken them two years to arrive. This would mean that they could not have visited Jesus in the stable shortly after his birth.

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Star of Bethlehem -

Astronomers believe that the star that marked the birth of Jesus was the result of a conjunction between Saturn and Jupiter. This astrological event occurred in 7 BCE in the Pisces constellation.

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Nazareth - The town of Nazareth was small and insignificant. The place is even jokingly criticized in the Gospel of John. Philip the Apostle tells Nathanael that the new Messiah was found in Nazareth. Nathanael replies, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

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Career - The Greek term for Jesus's profession is tekton. Although the most common translation is "carpenter," scholars explain that the term referred to a craftsman or mason. Jesus most likely worked as a mason.

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Wealth -

His family tree can be traced back to King David, one of the richest men in biblical history. Many other details of Jesus' life suggest his family was relatively well off.

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Stable - The idea that he was poor most likely comes from the fact that he was born in a stable, but this was a case of bad luck. There was a census in Bethlehem on the day that Mary went into labor, meaning many people who lived in the surrounding areas had traveled to the town. All the inns were full and the couple could only find a stable for Mary to give birth in.

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Clothes -

During his crucifixion, Jesus was said to be dressed in a special tunic that only rich men wore at the time. It says in the Bible that the soldiers even fought over who would keep it.

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Fulfilled Old Testament prophecies about Jesus -

There are people who respect the teachings attributed to Jesus but reject the idea that they were given to him by God.

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A philosopher and humanitarian - For Christian atheists, Jesus was not the son of an all-powerful god, but a philosopher and humanitarian.

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The sacred book of Islam -

Jesus is mentioned more in the Quran, the sacred scripture of Islam, than the Prophet Muhammad (Jesus is mentioned 25 times, whereas Muhammad is only mentioned four times). 

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Prophet - Jesus is recognized as a prophet in Islam, although he isn't seen as the son of God. There is a tomb reserved for Jesus Christ next to Muhammad's tomb in Medina, Saudi Arabia.

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Divine rage - During the filming of Mel Gibson's 2004 movie, 'The Passion of the Christ,' two people were struck by lightning. One of them was Jim Caviezel, who portrayed Jesus.

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More lightning... - A 65 ft (20 m) statue of Jesus located next to a church in the city of Monroe, Ohio, was struck by lightning and destroyed by the subsequent fire.

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Siblings -

Jesus is said to have had four brothers and at least two sisters. The brothers were James, Joseph, Jude, and Simon. There are theories that they may have actually been his father's sons from another marriage, or even cousins. According to the Bible, Jesus' brother James (pictured) was stoned to death.

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Sentencing - After 15 years of excavations, archaeologist Amit Re'em and his team found Herod's Palace. Located in the western part of Jerusalem, the palace is known by historians as the place where Jesus was sentenced to death.

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Married? -

A shocking ancient text dating back to the 9th century CE was verified by historians and made public in 2012. The document is sometimes referred to as the "lost gospel" and suggests that Jesus was married. The name Mary is also mentioned, which led some to theorize that his wife was Mary Magdalene.

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Burden of the cross -

Evidence points to the fact that Jesus carried just the horizontal part of the cross, called the patibulum. Jesus would have dragged the cross rather than carry it on his back, as it weighed around 60 pounds (27 kg).

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The crucifixion -

Contrary to popular depiction, Jesus was not nailed to the cross through his hands, but rather through his wrists. If his hands had been nailed to the cross, they would have torn from the weight of his body and he would have fallen.

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The crucifixion -

His death on the cross could have taken up to six days. According to biblical reports, Jesus died six hours after. The crucifixion occurred at around 9 am and his death occurred at around 3 pm that afternoon.

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Death -

The Bible states that Jesus' death occurred on Good Friday.

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Death -

Historians concluded that his death must have occurred in either 30 or 33 CE. Clues from Pontius Pilate and Tiberius indicate that 33 CE is likely the year that he died.

Sources: (Britannica) (History) (Live Science) (Deseret News) (CNN) (NPR)

See also: The world's most intriguing religious relics

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