Jesus
Jesus, called Christ (anointed), is worshiped as God and savior by some and revered as a prophet by others.
The name "Jesus" was first used in Middle English. It was derived from the Late Latin Iesus, which in turn comes from the Greek Iesous, which derives from the Hebrew Yeshua, a short form of Yehoshua (Joshua), which means "the Lord is salvation" or "Jehovah saves". The title Christ derives from the Greek Christos, a translation of the Hebrew "moshiach", or "anointed." Hence the name "Jesus Christ."
The Christian Account of Jesus Christ
Jesus is the central object of attention and worship in Christianity and is held by most Christians to be the Messiah foretold in the Hebrew Bible. More importantly he is believed to be the savior of mankind, the son of God the Father, and God himself. The vast majority of self-described Christians regard belief in the divinity of Jesus to be part of what defines Christianity. According to traditional Christian theology, Jesus is one of the three persons of the Trinity, along with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. (see also Christology)
According to the Christian Bible, the nativity or birth of Jesus took place as Joseph and his wife Mary (also commonly referred as the Virgin Mary or Mary Mother of God) were visiting Bethlehem from their native Nazareth.
Of the four Gospels, the Nativity is mentioned only in the Gospels of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. Certain details of the two accounts cannot be reconciled. Luke reports that the parents lived at Nazareth. According to Matthew, they settled in Nazareth only after their return from Egypt - an event which Luke does not mention.
Mainstream Christians believe Jesus was born after his mother Mary (betrothed to Joseph) was miraculously impregnated by the Holy Spirit, and was thereby the Messiah the Jews had been waiting for. According to a prophecy in Book of Isaiah 7:14 (see the articles on Biblical canon, Tanakh, Septuagint and Old Testament) a young woman would conceive a child called Immanuel (meaning "God with us"). The New Testament states that the Isaiah prophecy refers to the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:22-23). Most Christians understand the Isaiah prophecy as referring to Mary at the birth of Jesus. Others (generally less conservative Christians) believe his virgin birth to have been only metaphorical in nature.
The Bible tells little about Jesus' childhood or young adulthood. According to be Bible, by the time he reached his early 30s, he became known as a religious teacher. After traveling as wandering teacher and performing miracles for three years, he was convicted by the occupying Roman government of claiming to be king of the Jews, and crucified. Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead on the third day and appeared to his disciples; forty days later he ascended into Heaven.
Jesus' teaching, as told in the Gospels, concentrates on benevolence towards other people and calls on its followers to abandon their worldly concerns, make disciples, and wait for the second coming of their Savior. According to the Gospels, believers are promised salvation, which has often been taken to mean that only those who accept Jesus as the Son of God can enter Heaven.
However, "salvation" has been interpreted in many ways, and a wide spectrum of Christian viewpoints exist and have existed throughout the centuries. Jesus himself summarizes his teaching (Mark chap 12 verses 29 and 30) - the most important commandment (echoing Deuteronomy 6:5) is to love God with all the heart, the soul, the mind and one's strength. At the same time he says that the commandment to love one's another (even an enemy) as oneself (found in Leviticus 19:18) is as important.
The Historical Jesus
There are no contemporaneous accounts of the life of Jesus. Even the Gospels are believed by most historians to have been composed centuries after the time that Jesus is claimed to have lived (4 BC - 29 AD.) The oldest mention of Jesus comes from the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus. Flavius Josephus was born 37 AD; he describes Jesus as a wise man who was crucified by Pontius Pilate. There is a great deal of controversy regarding the authenticity of this passage in Josephus(see also Testimonium Flavianum). In 2002, an ossuary was discovered in Israel that contains the words Ya`aqov bar Yosef w'achu di Yeshua` i.e. "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus". The artifact is dated at 63 AD and is strong evidence for Jesus historical existence, although given that the names are all common, it can not be said to be conclusive.
A different but related question is to what extent the Jesus described in the Bible was based on a real person. Some scholars believe that regardless of whether there was a historical Jesus, the stories of the Gospels were based primarily on ancient pagan myths. Early Christians believed such myths were based on Hebrew prophecies. For more information in this topic see Osiris-Dionysus.
Other Viewpoints
The Islamic faith recognizes Jesus (Isa, in Arabic) as a wise man and a prophet, but not a savior, a god or son of God. Traditional Muslims believe that Mary was a virgin, and that God caused her to conceive. According to Islam Isa never died and he was not crucified; instead he was raised into heaven still physically alive, where he lives now. Some Muslims are believe that Isa will physically return to the world, end all wars, and usher in a messianic era of peace.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes Jesus appeared in the Western Hemisphere after his resurrection and taught the ancestors of modern Native Americans, whom they believe to be one of the lost tribes of Israel.
The Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in the Trinity, and affirm that Jesus is only the first spiritual being created by Jehovah.