History Characters / TheFourGospels

** Possibly Judas Iscariot as well, if "Iscariot" is derived from the Sicarii, another anti-Roman group who carried out assassinations with daggers (sicae). So yeah Judas might have been an [[Franchise/AssassinsCreed Assassin.]] Though some historians say this is anachronistic and interpret Iscariot as "from Kerioth (a town in Judea)".

* IHaveManyNames: Jesus son of Joseph[[note]]Yehoshua bar Yosef back then[[/note]], Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, [[note]]"Christ" is derived from the Greek word ''Christos'', which includes a translation of the Hebrew word ''[[MessianicArchetype mashiah]]'' meaning "anointed one", [[IAmNotShazam not a surname]].

--> While I was with them, I kept them in thy name which thou hast given me: and I guarded them, and not one of them perished, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.r this betrayal to end in an actual arrest, much less an ''execution''; rather done it as a push to finally bring on KungFuJesus by ''forcing'' Jesus to take defensive (and then hopefully offensive) action against the authorities. Understanding less than half of what was actually [[HeroicSacrifice going on]], Judas deeply regretted betraying Jesus as soon as said unintended consequences went down, and hanged himself out of [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone guilt]] - which would make him more of an AntiHero.

* IHaveManyNames: Jesus son of Joseph[[note]]Yehoshua bar Yosef back then[[/note]], Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, [[note]]"Christ" is derived from the Greek word ''Christos'', which includes a translation of the Hebrew word ''[[MessianicArchetype mashiah]]'' meaning "anointed one", [[IAmNotShazam not a surname]]. Though if anyone [[HolierThanThou gives you grief]] about thinking it were a name because it's been in use as practically that for ''so'' long; you can point out to them that strictly speaking, it's not a title ''either'' but a declaration of (Christian) faith - as Christos isn't merely a Greek translation of Messiah, rather its full meaning is "He who I believe ''is'' the Messiah". Only it's been in use as practically a title for ''so'' long... And then you can ask them to tell you something about splinters and beams, [='mKay=]?[[/note]], the Son of Man[[note]]This is the name Jesus most often uses when talking in ThirdPersonPerson[[/note]], Jesus Son of David... definitely more than forty depending on what exactly you count as a name or title.

* BecauseDestinySaysSo: Possibly: debates abound to this day in Biblical scholarship over Judas's actual agency in his betrayal of Jesus.[[note]]Considering that Judas' actions lead directly to Jesus' arrest, trial, and death by crucifixion - which are obviously as central of events to Christianity as central can get - those debates can often expand to the nature of salvation itself: whether there are some people ''destined'' not to be saved - with all that entails in Christian teaching. Safe to say, it's a hot button issue, one of many over which Christianity has split into a myriad of different denominations[[/note]] Jesus, in his final prayer for the disciples, refers to Judas as "the son of perdition". "Perdition" means "being lost"[[note]](it just sounds cooler in [[GratuitousLatin Latin]])[[/note]] - so considering the "Parable of the Lost[[note]](or "prodigal": Latin has several cool words for "lost")[[/note]] Son" elsewhere in the Gospels (whose eventual return after leaving of his own will is a plot point), the meaning of this is ambigous: is it a foreshadowing and lament of Judas betraying Him which Jesus can already observe [[note]](but neither He nor God the Father change because of non-interference in Judas' free will)[[/note]], or a (re-)statement of the fact that this was always going to happen?
--> While I was with them, I kept them in thy name which thou hast given me: and I guarded them, and not one of them perished, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.[[note]]Note that because of the semicolon "that the scripture might be fulfilled" refers to both the "I kept them..." and "I guarded them...", NOT to "perished". Those are the "joys" of English interpunction when translating from the Greek text of the Gospels - and with Greek being the language it is, [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness examples]] just like this one are ''many'' in the Gospels.[[/note]]
* BiblicalBadGuy: Betraying Jesus would qualify him as one of the worst. It's commonly held, however, that Judas hadn't intended for this betrayal to end in an actual arrest, much less an ''execution''; rather done it as a push to finally bring on KungFuJesus by ''forcing'' Jesus to take defensive (and then hopefully offensive) action against the authorities. Understanding less than half of what was actually [[HeroicSacrifice going on]], Judas deeply regretted betraying Jesus as soon as said unintended consequences went down, and hanged himself out of [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone guilt]] - which would make him more of an AntiHero.

%% * before you edit the following, note that ressentiment (which is like bias, but goes deeper into the person holding it) and resentment (which is a mild form of hatred) are two separate words with different meanings - it's just that one is way more known than the other. So are antijudaism (which is religiously motivated hatred of Jews) and antisemitism (which itself claims it is "scientifically based" hatred of Jews).
* HateSink [=/=] UnbuiltTrope: It should be noted that due to geography nearly everyone in the Gospels (including Jesus Himself) was Jewish (either that or they were Romans). Only Judas, though, is the target of the GreedyJew stereotype, betraying Jesus for no apparent reason other than [[OnlyInItForTheMoney thirty pieces of silver]]. There is rather solid historical evidence that all of this ressentiment was added to Judas' characterisation later[[note]]hundreds of years ''after'' the events, no less. There's even some quite durable evidence that the character ''as a whole'' was added between three hundred and three hundred fifty years ''after'' Jesus' death.[[/note]] - when Christianity became the Roman state religion. Jesus was executed by the Romans, after all - and it's quite akward to have a state religion which says you just murdered your own deity. Especially in [[DramaticallyMissingThePoint a monotheism]]. So, Judas fills the role of the "actual" murderer by proxy - and gets to be all the worst the ones (re-)writing this could think of in a human being, ever. Along with adding things to the Gospels like "His blood come over us and our children", which spreads the HateSink out to first the Pharisees and then all the Jews of the time[[note]]And by targeting both him and them, the HateSink (unintentionally at the time of writing) spreads to Jews in general by using such stereotpypes. Sordidly enough, this result led to ''[[{{Understatement}} a lot]]'' of Christian antijudaism throughout the ages. Always loudly call this evil it out for what it is, but on the other hand [[SoYouWantTo/AvoidUnfortunateImplications tread carefully]] around the issue of Christian antijudaism in your wording to avoid giving the myriad UnfortunateImplications yourself - most notably any implications that you were excusing the persecuting Christians for their motives. If anyone gives you grief about calling this what it is by changing the definition of "Christian" so as not to include antijudaists in a mixture of No True Scottsman and HolierThanThou (for not knowing the "real" definition), rest assured that you have a lot of Christian scholars and indeed most Christians generally agreeing with ''you''. The probably best one can say about that is that "blessed shall be those who are persecuted for my sake, for theirs shall be the Kingdom of Heaven" also applies to the victims when it's ''the Christians'' doing the persecuting for the sake of displaying their (misunderstood) Christianity (which would also be "for my sake")... and the persecutors would have done well to consider beforehand where that puts ''them''. See also the BerserkButton entry in Jesus' folder: doing something evil in His name is the biggest berserk button He has, and anyone would do well '''not''' to push it.[[/note]].

* {{Greed}}: A trait mentioned repeatedly, and further amplified in the retelling before the Gospels were written down - both were because of the betrayal: to emphasize that he had been bad all along rather than pulling a face heel turn. Unfortunately emphasizing this greed turned him into the UrExample of the GreedyJew stereotype, as Judas thus has no apparent motivation to betray Jesus except for the money[[note]]Interestingly, the thirty pieces of silver Judas was paid are the same amount Jewish law requires to pay to someone if you murder their slave.[[/note]] (the runner up is acknowledged to be DemonicPossession if you take "the devil entered into him" literally; but WellIntentionedExtremist is downplayed). It doesn't help at all that the term ''Jew'' is very closely related to the name ''Judas'' - the name basically derives from it - and antijudaists historically exploited this.
%% antisemite (one word, no hyphen) = someone who hates Jews just because; antijudaist = someone who hates Jews for religious (here misunderstood Christian) reasons

* TropeNamer: To call someone a "Judas" is to say he is a traitor, hence trope names including ObviousJudas, FindingJudas, etc. \\
While it's also done, using Judas' secular counterpart Vidkun [[TheQuisling Quisling's]] name as a standin for traitor doesn't even come close to being as widespread[[note]]Though Quisling arguably made much more of a fully informed and willful choice to jump over the moral event horizon than Judas did - especially if you believe Judas was demonically possessed and Quisling was not.[[/note]].

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Crucifixion was actually a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifixion standard public execution method]] in ancient Rome, but it was most definitely cruel. Certain aspects of the death in the Gospel accounts were made to be even crueler than usual, for example the Crown of Thorns. Note that there is also a very large humiliation and disgrace component which is lost on modern audiences. Due to a number of factors, being crucified was ''extremely'' dishonorable, to the point that crucifixion victims ellicited the same utter disgust that we today feel for pedophiles or neo-nazis.

* WrongfullyAttributed: Despite the popular assumption that December 25 is the anniversary of Jesus' birth, the Gospels themselves do not record a specific date. Several explanations for chosing that date exist:
** The most biblical explanation is the belief, common at the time, that the prophets each died on some anniversary of their conception (even those who were violently murdered). This was carried over into Christianity to apply to Jesus (and John the Baptist), too - and if you go forty weeks from the eve of Pessach (or Good Friday, respectively) which is always on the 14th of Nissan (around March 15th), you end up with a child conceived then being born on or around the 25th of December.

** Some historians have proposed that the Church Fathers selected the date for various cultural and poetic reason. To be able to go on celebrating various other holidays which fell into that time is one guess - just as you would translate the Christian message into the language spoken in the area to be understood, you'd also "translate" important Christian customs into the local customs and festivities (or rather them into it). Another version is that the purpose was to make it exactly one week before new year's day, symbolizing the start of a new beginning (also for various reasons that had to do with translating customs).

** The incident in question is recorded in John 8, when a woman who was caught in adultery was brought to Jesus in [[RunningGag yet another attempt]] to trap Jesus by a MortonsFork. Commentators have suggested that what Jesus wrote on the ground was the accusers' own failings, as a way of calling them out for hypocrisy.

(Though when Jesus resumes writing again after their dispute one has the notion that ''now'' it's less of the reminder of earlier of the symbolic meaning of their names written in the dust, and more of giving them a chance to leave in some form of quiet.)
* UtilityWeapon: According to John's gospel, Jesus [[ImprovisedWeapon made a whip out of cords]] and drove all the sheep and cattle away from the temple courts. He then scattered the coins of the corrupt money changers and [[FlippingTheTable overturned their tables]]. He was also the target of [[ATasteOfTheLash scourging]] (being flogged with whips that had metal barbs attached to them so as to flay the skin) by Roman soldiers on the way to the crucifixion.

* WordsCanBreakMyBones: He occasionally laid on a hand to make a point, but usually Jesus healed people who were sick, handicapped and[=/=]or maimed by saying something, and this is also the way He carried out miracles.
** At one point, He is asked to heal a dying man by a miracle: "I'm not worthy for you to come and see him, but say just one word and he'll get well." Jesus obliges, and also blesses the petitioner for expressing this faith in Him.
** The Gospel of John refers to Jesus as [[IAmTheNoun The Word]] of God in human form.
* WrongfullyAttributed: Despite the popular assumption that December 25 is the literal anniversary of the birth of Jesus, the Gospels themselves do not record a specific date. Several explanations for that date exist:

** Another take is that writing anything in the dust ''at all'' is a cross-reference to the prophet Jeremiah[[note]]From the Literature/BookOfJeremiah's chapter 17 verse 13 specifically[[/note]] - which was most certainly known to all parties involved - and while the King James version of the Bible [[BlindIdiotTranslation translates]] this in a way that loses the ShoutOut, the gist of it closer to the original is:

* WithUsOrAgainstUs: As far as Jesus is concerned, neutrality in Him doesn't exist. Either one accepts or rejects the message.
* WordsCanBreakMyBones: While He occasionally laid on a hand to make a point, usually He healed people who were sick, handicapped and[=/=]or maimed by saying something, and this is also the way He carried out miracles.

* ThirdPersonPerson: Jesus often referred to "the Son of Man" in a third-person kind of way when prophesying or talking about the role of Messiah.
* ThisIsUnforgivable: Some things are unforgivable even for him, such as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit - i.e. misusing God's name for evil purposes.[[note]]By all scriptural accounts, this is a BerserkButton He shares with God the Father: the Literature/BookOfExodus seriously stresses [=NOT=] to push it, or even {{God}} will never forgive you.[[/note]]

* TurnTheOtherCheek: The TropeNamer. He does refer to the "eye for an eye" ethic of demanding compensation of the exact value in damages for the thing destroyed or damaged[[note]]''Not'' inflicting an equal injury on the one who did the damage, as both Jesus and His audience at the time knew very well and most recent audiences do not. Rather, this "eye for an eye" was set up to ''limit'' the amount of damages to the value of the damaged thing and prevent feuds. Jesus is (merely) taking it still a step further - and by now you can guess that the cheek probably wasn't quite that literal, either...[[/note]], but then adds that it's much better to, well...

** Jesus was by no means an ExtremeDoormat, however. He was always quick to call people out on their evil attitudes and walk away from potentially explosive circumstances - it was only on [[HeroicSacrifice Good Friday]] that He did not resist being arrested, tried, and then executed on false charges.

* Main/TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: The TropeCodifier. Jesus was mocked and whipped before He was crucified. [[SubvertedTrope Although,]] His death wasn't him being rescued from said sinful earth - rather the other way around: it was about Him rescuing this sinful Earth. After [[BackFromTheDead the resurrection]], He also stayed around for awhile before ascending into Heaven.
* TheUnreveal: To settle a dispute, Jesus wrote something in the dust on the ground that apparently blew them away and made everyone stop fighting. This is the only recorded instance of Jesus ever writing anything. But none of the books ever tell us ''what'' He wrote, maybe because [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm we couldn't understand it?]]
** The incident in question is recorded in John 8, when a woman who was caught in adultery was brought to Jesus in [[RunningGag yet another attempt]] to trap Jesus by His own words. Commentators have suggested that what Jesus wrote on the ground was the accusers' own failings, as a way of calling them out for hypocrisy.

(Though when He resumes writing again after their dispute one has the notion that ''now'' it's less of the reminder of earlier of the symbolic meaning of their names written in the dust, and more of giving them a chance to leave in some form of quiet.)
* UtilityWeapon: According to John's gospel, Jesus [[ImprovisedWeapon made a whip out of cords]] and drove all the sheep and cattle away from the temple courts. He then scattered the coins of the money changers and [[FlippingTheTable overturned their tables]]. He was also the target of [[ATasteOfTheLash scourging]] (being flogged with whips that had metal barbs attached to them so as to flay the skin) by Roman soldiers on the way to His crucifixion.

* WhamLine: Jesus liked these. One of the repeated refrains of the Gospels was that the people reacted to what He said with amazement. Jesus even announced His own eventual betrayal, crucifixion, and resurrection to his disciples, who were unsurprisingly alarmed and confused at His words.
* WithUsOrAgainstUs: As far as Jesus is concerned, neutrality in Him doesn't exist. Either one accepts or rejects His message.

* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: One example of his ethics. See the parables about the eye of the needle or The Rich Man and Lazarus.
* SelfRestraint: Jesus went along with being sentenced to death. He even remarked at the time that, if He really wanted to, He could summon four legions of angels to bust Him out. Note that the sight of just a single angel on Easter Sunday made a group of soldiers so afraid they fainted.

* ShoutOut: does this frequently in His parables (though never in a way that interferes with the storytelling), often to Literature/BookOfPsalms, and at least once a parable to one or several stories in Literature/BookOfGenesis[[note]]The Parable of the Lost Son, in particular, has some sort of allusion to the Book of Genesis almost every other word.[[/note]].

* SuicidalPacifism: True to His teaching to TurnTheOtherCheek and not resist evil with violence, when Jesus' enemies show up to take Him to his death, He not only doesn't resist in the least, He heals a man injured by one of His disciples. He explains that he ''could'' call legions of angels to fight for him, but chose not to (the whole HeroicSacrifice thing might also have had something to do with it).
* TakeAThirdOption: One of His specialties.

* TakeThat: It's hard to read His words and not think He's talking about someone today - but He was more talking about the people of his time, their hypocrisy and blindness to injustice. \\
But since He's [[GodInHumanForm God]] He very well could be talking about people today, especially since [[HistoryRepeats sometimes]] we humans can be slow to learn from [[HumansAreFlawed our mistakes]]. Or His message [[{{Applicability}} is one]] that can speak to [[ValuesResonance all people across time]].

* ThirdPersonPerson: Jesus often referred to Himself as "the Son of Man" in a third-person kind of way when prophesying or talking about the role of Messiah.

** Ditto with those of the money-changers in the temple taking advantage of the poor and downtrodden, on whom Jesus goes absolutely berserk when He sees them doing this.
* TheParagon: He told His disciples, "Love one another as I have loved you."
* ParentalSubstitute: to the Apostles' TagalongKid John[[note]]Just how young John was is downplayed, but Jesus arranges for Mary to take care of him as if for a son at His death. He could not have been too young as Jesus also arranges for John to take of Mary.[[/note]].
* ThePowerOfLove: One of Jesus' most remembered teachings is to love God and to love your neighbor. Jesus emphasizes love as ''the'' most powerful thing in the universe. ([[PowerOfTrust Faith]] and [[WorthLivingFor Hope]] being the two runners-up.)
** [[BeyondTheImpossible Taken up to eleven]] when Jesus said to love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.[[note]]It quite spoils the "beyond the impossible" appearance when someone clarifies that ''doesn't mean'' "'''feel''' as if they were lovable", but rather means "'''act''' charitably and with humanity towards them" (for this very reason, the word "charitable" is derived from the Latin word ''caritas'' for unconditional love) - but now you know.[[/note]]
* PsychicNosebleed: Jesus is praying at the Mount of Olives just before His arrest, and His sweat appears like drops of blood (Luke 22:44). Ultimately a subverted trope as this is actually a documented medical phenomenon in some cases of extreme stress - here likely brought on by His knowledge of what's about to go down.
* PurityPersonified: In a heated debate, Jesus once asked: "Which of you convicts me of sin?" There was no response.

* RashomonStyle: The four Gospels emphasize different sides of Jesus [[DependingOnTheWriter based on each evangelist's target audience]]. Matthew showed Jesus as an {{Expy}} of Moses and [[ShownTheirWork cited a myriad of Old Testament prophecies]] to really drive the whole Messiah thing home. Mark's Gospel was DarkerAndEdgier because his audience were persecuted Christians. Luke's Gospel is LighterAndSofter, emphasizing NiceGuy qualities of Jesus because he was targeting non-Jewish converts. John's Gospel is the most mystic of the four and writes a HigherSelf version of Jesus to emphasize His divinity.[[note]]It also subtly hints at the author ''not'' sharing some of the more common Christian views of his time - just the very core Christian doctrine - although John treads very carefully and plays AmbiguousSyntax (which Greek has a lot of as many words have multiple meanings) and ExactWords to the hilt so as not to distract anyone from the core message by unexpected details which could be misunderstood. The most striking difference is John stressing that God's Grace existed from before the dawn of time and did not suddenly come into existence on Good Friday. John is also ''very'' particular about not confusing HeroicSacrifice and HumanSacrifice there.[[/note]]
* ScarsAreForever: He still had the scars from the crucifixion after He rose from the dead, probably because the Apostles would not believe unless they felt them; something at least one of them (Thomas) outright stated.

** According to Christianity the whole ''point'' of God becoming [[GodInHumanForm human]] was God's version of this - not for His own, but for all human beings' destinies; so that human beings would not be trapped in hostile destiny and bad karma, but freed to come to Him.[[note]]How large a part of this was due to heroic sacrifice is weighted differently between the Gospels - in Marks' Gospel, it's the entirety of it; while John treads carefully about the fact that he disagrees with Mark by 100 percent.[[/note]]
** Also, several examples where Jesus pronounces forgiveness for individual humans.

** He declined to even say anything in his own defense while on trial. This likely has at least something to do with His track record of mopping the floor with opponents in religious disputes - if he'd made an active effort to rebut the accusations, it might have complicated the HeroicSacrifice. Also, [[KangarooCourt His accusers]] were determined to kill Him regardless of the validity of what He (or anyone else, eg: Pontius Pilate) said during the trial.

* IAmTheNoun: A favorite form of statement, especially in the gospel of John. "I am the resurrection and the life," "I am the true vine," "I am the bread from heaven," "I am the way, and the truth, and the life..."

* ManlyTears: "Jesus wept" (John 11:35).
* MatterReplicator: An example where the matter being replicated is also this (with a little divine help): He multiplied fish and loaves of bread to feed the masses from just one boy's lunch.
* MeaningfulName: "God is salvation."
* MeeknessIsWeakness: Jesus actually described Himself as being "meek and lowly in heart," but otherwise subverts this trope. See also GoodIsNotSoft.

* MyRuleFuIsStrongerThanYours: Often took [[RulesLawyer people arguing with Him]] down a notch or three when they tried to discredit Him.
* NeverAcceptedInHisHometown: The TropeNamer and the page quote-provider. Yeah, He wasn't exactly popular in Nazareth.

** Was tempted ''[[RuleOfThree three]]'' times by Satan and rose from the dead on the ''third'' day afterward.

** When the guy known for using His powers for good and being a FriendToAllLivingThings turns and curses a fig tree after finding no fruit on it, causing it to wither and die, you know something serious is about to go down. This could have been invoked {{Foreshadowing}} as Jesus went to His death a few days later.
** Ditto with those of the money-changers in the temple taking advantage of the poor and downtrodden. He goes absolutely berserk when He sees them doing this.

* LooksLikeJesus: Subverted. Fairly fitting for whom those artworks are depicting (considering that according to the Bible God Himself adopted human form so that human beings could identify with and thus get closer to Him) most depictions of Jesus take ArtisticLicense to help the viewers contextualize Jesus as a person who can identify with them, making protraits look similar to the artists or most people around them.[[note]]In Europe Jesus is blonde (or brunette) with blue eyes, in African art often depicted as black, in Asian art given Oriental features, and so on. He's almost universally depicted in most Western art as a European looking guy with long, straight brown hair and beard. Not only did Jesus actually most likely look far more mediteranean than most art would have you believe, furthermore long hair was not common for men at the time. He probably did have a beard, but both historical texts and artwork from the era confirm that men in that time and place wore their hair and beards cut ''short'' to protect against lice.[[/note]] Meanwhile, the Bible does not give any appearance details or eyewitness descriptions, but the fact that the Roman soldiers needed Judas to point out ''whom'' to arrest suggests that Jesus was completely average-looking.[[note]]In academic studies, beyond generally agreeing that "Jesus was average-looking for His time and place", modern anthropologist scholarship has not conclusively dealt with the question of what "average-lookinng" then meant. For those wondering, here's a depiction by an artist taking all those studies onboard who thinks Jesus would have been [[http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a234/1282186/ a stocky black-haired man with features typical of native Galileans]].[[/note]]
** Old Testament prophesies also hint at this on the few occasions they comment on the Messiah's appearance. Isaiah, for example, describes him as having

** The only thing close to an eyewitness description of Jesus anyone has been able to find is attributed to the Jewish historian Josephus, who described Jesus as four feet tall, with terrible posture, and a mono-brow.[[note]]Whether Josephus is a reliable source is up for debate, as he was entangled in the controversies of his own time, a few decades after Jesus. But the idea of Jesus as ancient Jerusalem's Danny [=DeVito=] is admittedly very amusing.[[/note]]
* MagicalHomelessPerson: The son of God with seemingly unlimited powers who chose the life of a penniless wandering prophet.
* MagneticHero: Jesus had no trouble gathering His twelve apostles - in fact, most of them JumpedAtTheCall. Justified as, being GodInHumanForm, He'd have all the knowledge He needed to choose the people in question.

* LooksLikeJesus: Subverted.[[note]]He's almost universally depicted in most Western art as a European looking guy with straight brown hair. This may be seen as ArtisticLicense to help the (European) viewers contextualize Jesus as a person who can identify with them: in Europe Jesus is blonde (or brunette) with blue eyes, in African art often depicted as black, in Asian art given Oriental features, and so on. This is fairly fitting for whom they are depicting, considering that according to the Bible God Himself adopted human form so that human beings could identify with and thus get closer to Him.[[/note]]Not only did Jesus actually most likely look far more mediteranean than most art would have you believe, furthermore long hair was not common for men at the time.[[note]]He probably did have a beard, but both historical texts and artwork from the era confirm that men in that time and place wore their hair and beards cut ''short'' to protect against lice.[[/note]]The Bible does not give any details about Jesus' appearance, but the fact that the people sent to arrest Him needed Judas to point him out suggests that Jesus was completely average-looking.[[note]]In academic studies, beyond generally agreeing that "Jesus was average-looking for His time and place", modern anthropologist scholarship has not conclusively dealt with the question of what "average-lookinng" then meant. For those wondering, here's a depiction by an artist taking all those studies onboard who thinks Jesus would have been [[http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a234/1282186/ a stocky black-haired man with features typical of native Galileans]].[[/note]]

* JesusWasWayCool: He was definitely seen as this by many contemporaries; and many people even today emphatically[[note]]see UsefulNotes/Christianity [[/note]] see Jesus that way.
* JewsLoveToArgue: Jesus was Jewish, of course, and much of the action in the Gospels involves Him arguing with others (including His own disciples) about the correct interpretation of the Laws of Moses.
** However, in many instances, it was the other person or people who argued with Jesus that started the argument. He's more than happy to oblige.
* JourneyToFindOneself: Jesus' 40 days and nights in the desert, sort of. Note [[NumerologicalMotif that forty]] ''weeks'' is also the time a child spends in its mother's womb from conception to birth.
* KungFuJesus: Despite forcibly kicking shady merchants out of the temple on occasion, this is mostly averted. In fact, people turned against Him because He ''wasn't'' this; they expected their Messiah to lead a revolt against Rome.
* LargeHam: Occasionally. The most obvious example is when he angrily chases out the [[BerserkButton corrupt among the]] money changers from the temple and flips their tables.
* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: In many Bibles, His words are written in red. Also, He is often portrayed wearing purple robes, purple being a color long associated with royalty in the West, or dressed in white, representing purity.

--> I am the light of the world: those that follow me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

* LooksLikeJesus: Subverted.[[note]]In most Western art, He's almost universally depicted as a European looking guy with straight brown hair. This may be seen as ArtisticLicense to help the (European) viewers contextualize Jesus as a person who can identify with them: in Europe he is blonde (or brunette) with blue eyes, in African art he is often depicted as black, in Asian art he is given Oriental features, and so on. This is fairly fitting for whom they are depicting, considering that according to the Bible God Himself adopted human form so that human beings could identify with and thus get closer to Him.[[/note]]Not only did He Himself most likely look far more mediteranean than most art would have you believe, furthermore long hair was not common for men at the time.[[note]]He probably did have a beard, but both historical texts and artwork from the era confirm that men in that time and place wore their hair and beards cut ''short'' to protect against lice.[[/note]]The Bible does not give any details about Jesus' appearance, but the fact that the people sent to arrest Him needed Judas to point him out suggests that Jesus was completely average-looking.[[note]]In academic studies, beyond generally agreeing that "Jesus was average-looking for His time and place", modern anthropologist scholarship has not conclusively dealt with the question of what "average-lookinng" then meant. For those wondering, here's a depiction by an artist taking all those studies onboard who thinks Jesus would have been [[http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a234/1282186/ a stocky black-haired man with features typical of native Galileans]].[[/note]]

* GoodShepherd: The TropeNamer:
->'''Jesus:'''"I am the Good Shepherd".

* InternalReformist: Of Judaism and the law of Moses. Paul in turn was particularly instrumental in reforming the early church's focus, extending Jesus's message to non-Jews.

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." is a quote from an actual prayer Jesus prays in Luke 22:42. One interpretation is that Jesus felt dying impaled as a criminal and a blasphemer was a heavy load to bear and an affront to God. The gospel states in the next few verses that God sent an angel to comfort Jesus. So really, even God knew it sucks to be the Chosen One and tried to make it a little easier. Another interpretation is that Jesus simply understands that being in human form and slated to die a gruesome death is ''just going to suck'', despite being God Himself.
* JesusWasWayCool: Many people see Him as this. He was definitely seen as this by His contemporaries.

* GoodShepherd: The TropeNamer.
** Jesus calls Himself this; and lives up to it, including the part about "the shepherd [[HeroicSacrifice laying down his life]] for the sheep".

* HumbleHero: Shows this in many ways.

* IHaveManyNames: Jesus son of Joseph[[note]]Yehoshua bar Yosef back then[[/note]], Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, [[note]]"Christ" is derived from the Greek word ''Christos'', which includes a translation of the Hebrew word ''[[MessianicArchetype mashiah]]'' meaning "anointed one", [[IAmNotShazam not His surname]]. Though if anyone [[HolierThanThou gives you grief]] about thinking it were a name because it's been in use as practically that for ''so'' long; you can point out to them that strictly speaking, it's not a title ''either'' but a declaration of (Christian) faith - as Christos isn't merely a Greek translation of Messiah, rather its full meaning is "He who I believe ''is'' the Messiah". Only it's been in use as practically a title for ''so'' long... And then you can ask them to tell you something about splinters and beams, [='mKay=]?[[/note]], the Son of Man[[note]]What He most often called Himself[[/note]], Jesus Son of David... definitely more than forty depending on what exactly you count as a name or title.

* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Jesus was even tempted [[DealWithTheDevil by the devil himself]] in a moment of seeming vulnerability (trying to tempt Jesus with food while the latter was hungry from fasting), but He didn't buckle.

!Jesus and his followers

The main character of the Gospels, UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} is the central figure of UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}}, a carpenter from the small town of Nazareth turned preacher and healer. He is called [[TheChosenOne the Messiah]] or Christ, the Son of {{God}}, and even God himself [[GodInHumanForm in human form]], who came to bring humanity closer to God and to save them from evil
->'''Matthew 1:21''': She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

* HeroicSacrifice / SomeoneHasToDie: According to the substitutionary punishment view dominant in three of the gospels, Jesus had to die and suffer the punishment mankind had earned in order to make it possible for people to be saved and not have to suffer punishment themselves.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: He will/did [[HeroicSacrifice die for you]] - but if you ever happen to push one of Jesus' [[BerserkButton Berserk Buttons]], may God help you... Actually, God wouldn't; not least because those are by all biblical accounts the very same buttons He Himself shares.

* GoodIsNotSoft: Although this attitude is mainly aimed at a tempter trying to solicit a DealWithTheDevil, those who were being {{Hypocrite}}s, or those who defiled God the Father's temple by misusing His name for a scam - don't push any [[BerserkButton berserk buttons]] or BewareTheNiceOnes.

* GoodShepherd: The TropeNamer. Jesus calls Himself this, and lives up to it, including the part about [[HeroicSacrifice laying down His life for the sheep]].
** DarkShepherd: Then, there's His warnings of eternal damnation in Hell if someone [[IgnoredEpiphany doesn't repent of evil ways]]. He's more gentle about it if they ''do'', though.

** In one instance[[note]](which is the TropeNamer for GoAndSinNoMore)[[/note]], when asked if someone should be stoned for adultery, Jesus wrote something in the dirt [[EccentricMentor instead of answering]]. While the specific words of that writing are lost to history (and thus it [[SubvertedTrope comes off]] as this trope) there are several educated guesses as to what non-random thing might have been written there. The names of those asking the question are a popular guess - making it a direct reference to the words of the prophet Jeremiah:

* FriendToAllChildren: He got annoyed when His disciples tried to keep children from approaching Him to hear Him speak or crowd around Him, explaining that children have exemplary faith in His Kingdom. He then blessed the children and went back to what he was doing before.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: He made a point of drawing parables from nature, inviting His disciples to "Consider the Lilies" or "Consider the birds of the air."

** Whether Jesus actually claimed to be divine is open to interpretation and was[=/=]is heavily debated among theologians from thhe get go (see [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nontrinitarianism Nontrintarianism]]). For example, "Son of God" may be more of a symbolic title ascribed to ''any'' peacemaker ([[http://biblehub.com/matthew/5-9.htm Matthew 5:9]]), not only to Jesus.
* GodInHumanForm: He claimed to be, leading to accusations of [[BlasphemousBoast blasphemy]] - though whether this actually happened or the accusers ''infered'' it is a debated topic. See AGodAmI above.
* GoodIsNotSoft: Although this attitude is mainly aimed at [[{{Satan}} the devil]] who tried to tempt Him, those who were being {{hypocrite}}s, or those who defiled His temple by misusing God's name for a scam - don't push His [[BerserkButton berserk buttons]].
** On the other hand, even ''demons'' who ask nicely can be included in AllLovingHero, like getting His permission to posess a herd of pigs instead of a boy. It all comes down to not pushing His BerserkButton.

* TheDeterminator: The man once faced down an angry mob who wanted to throw Him over a cliff, silenced them with a look and walked right through without a scratch. The most prominent example is how even death itself [[BackFromTheDead couldn't stop Him]].
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: In the midst of execution by torture, He [[BadassPacifist refused to take anesthetic]], managed to make arrangements for someone to [[TakeCareOfTheKids look after]] His mother and the disciples' TagalongKid John, reassured a penitent thief that He would take him to {{Heaven}}, and forgave His executioners.
* FirstLawOfResurrection: Returns three earthly days after his death.
* ForgivenessRequiresDeath: With the twist that Jesus wasn't guilty; He was dying to get forgiveness for everyone else.

* ArmorPiercingResponse: Jesus often gave these in response to people wanting to start a discussion. A good example is being asked the question if it was legal to pay taxes to Rome in the hope Jesus could either be arrested or alienate the audience with the answer. Jesus outsmarted the MortonsFork by asking to be shown one of the coins to pay those taxes with - and then giving the answer of "since it's Roman, it belongs to Rome; so give it to them."

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Crucifixion was actually a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifixion standard public execution method]] in ancient Rome, but it was most definitely cruel. Certain aspects of His death were made to be crueler than usual, for example the Crown of Thorns. There's actually a very large humiliation and disgrace component here that's lost on modern audiences. Due to a number of factors, being crucified was ''extremely'' dishonorable, to the point that crucified people were given the same type of hatred that we today usually reserve for pedophiles and neo-nazis.

* DealWithTheDevil: Averted, though not for lack of trying on [[{{Satan}} the devil's]] part. (It helped that Jesus had IncorruptiblePurePureness.)
* DependingOnTheWriter: While the most important details are consistent across the four Gospels (such as Jesus being the Son of God and the Messiah), some details vary between the four Gospels, partly due to [[RashomonStyle the authors not all being in the same place at the same time]]. The closer a translation gets to the Greek originals, the larger the variations are.

** In one instance[[note]](which is the TropeNamer for GoAndSinNoMore)[[/note]], when asked if someone should be stoned for adultery, Jesus wrote something in the dirt [[EccentricMentor instead of answering]]. While what He wrote was lost to history, and thus [[SubvertedTrope comes off]] as this; there are several educated guesses as to what non-random thing it might have been. It's speculated that what He wrote were the names of those asking the question. This would be a direct reference to the words of the prophet Jeremiah:

** This was - as the people of the time were certainly familiar with Jeremiah - a not so subtlle way of telling the ones asking that they, also, had strayed from the word of God and should be ashamed of themselves (and hence should also be punished, according to their own logic):
---> Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.
* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: A lot of the time, [[ObfuscatingStupidity these moments DO help Him make His point]].
* CompellingVoice: He can stop storms with His voice.
* CountryMouse: Jesus was one, since Nazareth was apparently a backwater town, regarded as insignificant to the point of scorn: as others said, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"
* CradleToGraveCharacter: Matthew and Luke begin with the conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit, continue to his birth in Bethlehem, describe his ministry in detail, describe his death on a cross, and end by going past the grave to describe his Resurrection from the dead. But the character is generally not depicted as achieving old age and a natural death, except in certain apocryphal writings.
* CrucifiedHeroShot: The TropeCodifier.

* CassandraTruth: "Jesus answered and said to him, 'What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.'" (John 13:7). Also, a lot of people Jesus spoke to did not believe Him.

** Some people think that Jesus was actually married (most likely to Mary Magdalene), but they believe that this marriage was not mentioned in the Gospels (and thus there are also a lot of speculations about just why this is so). Other people see this idea as heresy. Regardless, having a wife is not sinful so, if He did have one, it wouldn't invalidate who Jesus was or what He taught.

* ChildProdigy: At about 12, Jewish boys were expected to start joining in religious discussions. At 12, Jesus was ''teaching'' at these discussions, and astonishing everyone with His understanding and answers.