what time period did jesus live in?
4 BCE
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 Virtually all modern scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed historically , and they consider the Synoptic Gospels ( Matthew , Mark , and Luke ) to be the best sources for investigating the historical Jesus . Most scholars agree that Jesus was a Galilean Jewish rabbi who preached his message orally , was baptized by John the Baptist , and was crucified by the order of the Roman Prefect Pontius Pilate . In the current mainstream view , Jesus was an apocalyptic preacher and the founder of a renewal movement within Judaism , although some prominent scholars argue that he was not apocalyptic . Jesus debated with Jewish authorities on the subject of God , performed some healings , taught in parables and gathered followers . After Jesus ' death , his followers believed he was resurrected , and the community they formed eventually became the Christian Church . His birth is celebrated annually on December 25 ( or various dates in January for some eastern churches ) as a holiday known as Christmas , and his resurrection is likewise celebrated as a holiday known as Easter . The widely used calendar era " AD " , from the Latin " Anno Domini " ( " in the year of our Lord " ) , and the alternative " CE " , are based on the birth of Jesus . 

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 Jesus ' childhood home is identified in the gospels of Luke and Matthew as the town of Nazareth in Galilee where he lived with his family . Although Joseph appears in descriptions of Jesus ' childhood , no mention is made of him thereafter . His other family members — his mother , Mary , his brothers James , Joses ( or Joseph ) , Judas and Simon and his unnamed sisters — are mentioned in the gospels and other sources . 

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 John depicts Jesus ' ministry as largely taking place in and around Jerusalem rather than in Galilee . In this Gospel , Jesus ' divine identity is publicly proclaimed and immediately recognized . 

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 Jesus grew up in Galilee and much of his ministry took place there . The languages spoken in Galilee and Judea during the first century AD include Jewish Palestinian Aramaic , Hebrew , and Greek , with Aramaic being predominant . There is substantial consensus that Jesus gave most of his teachings in Aramaic . 

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 Historians have reached a limited consensus on the basics of Jesus ' life . 
