Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad
Former Monarchy
Coat of Arms
Osman Ali Khan
First monarch	Qamaruddin Khan
Last monarch	Osman Ali Khan
Style	His Exalted Highness
Official residence	Chowmahalla Palace
Monarchy started	31 July 1720
Monarchy ended	17 September 1948

Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad (Urdu: نظام-ال-ملک وف حیدرآباد, Telugu: నిజాం-ఉల్-ముల్క్ అఫ్ హైదరాబాద్, Marathi: निझाम-उल-मुल्क ए हैदराबाद, Kannada: ನಿಜ್ಯಮ್-ಉಲ್-ಮುಲ್ಕ್ ಆಫ್ ಹೈದರಾಬಾದ್; Persian: نظام-ال-ملک اف حیدرآباد‎), popularly known as Nizam of Hyderabad, was a former monarchy of the Hyderabad State, now in the states of Andhra Pradesh (Telugu: ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్), Karnataka (Kannada: ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ), and Maharashtra (Marathi: महाराष्ट्र) in India (Hindi: भारत). Nizam (Urdu: نظام‌), a shortened version of Nizam-ul-Mulk (Urdu: نظام‌الملک), meaning Administrator of the Realm in Urdu, was the title of the native sovereigns of Hyderabad State, India, since 1719, belonging to the Asaf Jah dynasty. The dynasty was founded by Mir Qamar-ud-Din Siddiqi, a viceroy of the Deccan under the Mughal emperors from 1713 to 1721 and who intermittently ruled under the title Asaf Jah in 1724, and after Aurangzeb's death in 1707, the Mughal Empire crumbled and the viceroy in Hyderabad, the young Asaf Jah, declared himself independent. From 1798 Hyderabad was one of the princely states of British India, but it retained control of its internal affairs.

Seven Nizams ruled Hyderabad for two centuries until Indian independence in 1947. The Asaf Jahi rulers were great patrons of literature, art, architecture, culture, jewelry collection and rich food. The Nizams ruled until 17 September 1948 when Indian military attacked the independent enclave sovereign state forcing the Nizam's surrender to Indian forces in what became known as a 'Police Action' after the Indian Army's 'Operation Polo'. The Nizam's delegation to the United Nations in New York and UK Government in London was too late to prevent the forceful annexation by India of this independent nation into Indian territory. Initially it was integrated into Indian Union, and in 1956 divided on linguistic lines and merged into neighbouring Indian states.

Family origins[link]

Qamaruddin Khan,Asaf Jah I

The Asaf Jahi dynasty originated in the region around Samarkand, but the family came to India from Baghdad in the late 17th century. Shaikh Mir Ismail Siddiqi (Alam Shaikh Siddiqi) Alam ul-Ulema, son of Ayub Younus Salim Siddiqi, son of Abdul Rehman Shaikh Azizan Siddiqi, fourteenth in direct decent from Sheikh Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi, of Suhraward in Kurdistan, a celebrated Sufi mystic, or dervish, maternal (first), a lady of the family of Mir Hamadan (a descendant of the Prophet Mohammed) (SW), a distinguished Sayyid of Samarkand. They were direct descendants of the first Khalifa of Islam, Hazrat Abu Baker Al-Siddiq (R.A).

Origin of the title[link]

Nizām-ul-mulk was a title first used in Urdu around 1600 to mean Governor of the realm or Deputy for the Whole Empire. The word is derived from the Arabic word, Nizām (نظام), meaning order, arrangement. The Nizam was referred to as Ala Hadrat / Ala Hazrat or Nizam Sarkar, meaning His Exalted Highness (The last Nizam was awarded this title. It is a hereditary title).

Rise of the Nizams[link]

The first Nizam ruled on behalf of the Mughal emperors. After the death of Aurangzeb, the Nizams split from the Mughals to form an independent kingdom. When the British achieved paramountcy over India, the Nizams were allowed to continue to rule their princely states as client kings. The Nizams retained internal power over Hyderabad State until 17 September 1948 when Hyderabad was forcefully integrated into the new Indian Union.

The Asaf Jah dynasty had only seven rulers; however there was a period of 13 years after the rule of the first Nizam when three of his sons (Nasir Jung, Muzafar Jung and Salabath Jung) ruled. They were not officially recognized as the rulers.

A legend about the first Nizam states that, on one of his hunting trips he was offered some kulchas (an Indian bread) by a holy man and was asked to eat as many as he could. The Nizam could eat seven kulchas and the holy man then prophesied that seven generations of his family would rule the state.

By tradition no Nizam has ever left India no matter how good a reason might exist for doing so, as it was said, "the Sovereign is too precious to his people ever to leave India.".

Because Hyderabad did not participate in the first war of Indian Independence of 1857 against the British, its Royal Family had been accorded by British Royalty special honours and the Nizam was given the official status of Faithful Ally.

List of Nizams of Hyderabad (1720-Present)[link]

Nizams of Hyderabad (1720-1948)[link]

Image	Titular Name	Personal Name	Date of birth	Nizam From	Nizam Until	Date of death
	Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I نظام‌الملک آصف جاہ	Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan	20 August 1671	31 July 1720	1 June 1748
	Nasir Jung نصیرجنگ	Mir Ahmed Ali Khan	26 February 1712	1 June 1748	16 December 1750
	‏Muzaffar Jung مظفرجنگ	Mir Hidayat Muhi-ud-din Sa'adullah Khan	?	16 December 1750	13 February 1751
	Salabat Jung صلابت جنگ	Mir Sa'id Muhammad Khan	24 November 1718	13 February 1751	8 July 1762 (deposed)	16 September 1763
	Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah II نظام‌الملک آصف جاہ دوم	Mir Nizam Ali Khan	7 March 1734	8 July 1762	6 August 1803
	Sikander Jah, Asaf Jah III سکندر جاہ ،آصف جاہ تریہم	Mir Akbar Ali Khan	11 November 1768	6 August 1803	21 May 1829
	Nasir-ud-Daula, Asaf Jah IV ناصر الدولہ ،آصف جاہ چارہم	Mir Farqunda Ali Khan	25 April 1794	21 May 1829	16 May 1857
	Afzal-ud-Daula, Asaf Jah V افضال الدولہ ،آصف جاہ پنجم	Mir Tahniyath Ali Khan	11 October 1827	16 May 1857	26 February 1869
	Asaf Jah VI آصف جاہ شیشم	Mir Mahbub Ali Khan	17 August 1866	26 February 1869	29 August 1911
	Asaf Jah VII آصف جاہ ہفتم	Mir Osman Ali Khan	6 April 1886	29 August 1911	17 September 1948 (deposed)	24 February 1967

Titular Nizam of Hyderabad (1948-Present)[link]

Image	Titular Name	Personal Name	Date of birth	Pretender From	Pretender Until	Date of death
	Asaf Jah VII آصف جاہ ہفتم	Mir Osman Ali Khan	6 April 1886	17 September 1948	24 February 1967
	Mukarram Jah, Asaf Jah VIII مکرم جاہ ،آصف جاہ ہشتم	Mir Barkat Ali Khan	6 October 1933	24 February 1967	Alive

Line of succession[link]

The Asaf Jah dynasty followed the policy of male primogeniture during their long rule, regardless of the mother's marital status or rank. Currently, the line of succession to the Hyderabad throne is as follows:

The line of HEH Asaf Jah VIII[link]

1. HH Azmet Jah, the Prince of Berar (1960-). Eldest son of HEH Asaf Jah VIII.
2. Azam Jah (1979-). Second son of HEH Asaf Jah VII

Descendants of HEH Asaf Jah VII[link]

A cover story by TIME on February 22, 1937 called the last Nizam as the wealthiest man in the world

1. Muffakham Jah (1939-). Younger brother of HEH Asaf Jah VIII.
2. Rafat Jah (1966-). Elder son of Muffakham Jah.
3. Farhad Jah. Younger son of Muffakham Jah.
4. Shahamat Jah (1957-). Son of His Highness Moazzam Jah, the second son of HEH Asaf Jah VII.
5. Mir Ahmad Ali Khan (1912-); fifth son of HEH Osman Ali Khan VII
6. Ahmad Jah. Son of Kazim Jah (1912-1952), the sixth son of HEH Asaf Jah VII
7. Sahibzada Mir Arshad Ali Khan; son of Ahmad Jah
8. Baqir Jah; younger son of Kazim Jah (1912-1952)
9. Sahibzada Mir Muhammad Jafar Ali Khan (1964-); elder son of Baqir Jah.
10. Sahibzada Mir Kauser Ali Khan (1966-); younger son of Baqir Jah.
11. Sahibzada Mir Banda Ali Khan (1951-); son of Abid Jah (1913-1983), the seventh son of HEH Asaf Jah VII.
12. Sahibzada Mir Mushraf Ali Khan (1969-); son of Sahibzada Mir Banda Ali Khan.
13. Sahibzada Mir Ata'ullah Khan (1957-); eldest son of Hashmat Jah (1913-1988), the eighth son of HEH Asaf Jah VII.
14. Sahibzada Mir Rahmat ‘Ali Khan; second son of Hashmat Jah.
15. Sahibzada Mir Hassan ‘Ali Khan (1959-); third son of Hashmat Jah.
16. Sahibzada Mir Husain ‘Ali Khan (1961-); fourth son of Hashmat Jah.
17. Sahibzada Mir Shamsher ‘Ali Khan (1941-); eldest son of Hashim Jah (1913-1991), the ninth son of HEH Asaf Jah VII.
18. Sahibzada Mir Miraj ‘Ali Khan; second son of Hashim Jah.
19. Sahibzada Mir Shahamat ‘Ali Khan (1942-); third son of Hashim Jah.
20. Sahibzada Mir Baktiyar ‘Ali Khan (1964-); elder son of Sahibzada Mir Shahamat ‘Ali Khan.
21. Sahibzada Mir Sulaiman ‘Ali Khan (1980-); younger son of Sahibzada Mir Shahamat ‘Ali Khan.
22. Sahibzada Mir Kawkab ‘Ali Khan; fourth son of Hashim Jah.
23. Sahibzada Mir Zamin ‘Ali Khan (1948-); fifth son of Hashim Jah.
24. Sahibzada Mir Muhammad Jaffar ‘Ali Khan (1978-); son of Sahibzada Mir Zamin ‘Ali Khan.
25. Sahibzada Mir Haider ‘Ali Khan (2000-); son of Sahibzada Mir Muhammad Jaffar ‘Ali Khan.
26. Sahibzada Mir Murtuza ‘Ali Khan (2007-); son of Sahibzada Mir Muhammad Jaffar ‘Ali Khan.
27. Sahibzada Mir Askar ‘Ali Khan; sixth son of Hashim Jah.
28. Sahibzada Mir Muhammad Nusrath ‘Ali Khan; seventh son of Hashim Jah.
29. Sahibzada Mir Muhammad Hussain ‘Ali Khan (1970-); son of Sahibzada Mir Muhammad Nusrath ‘Ali Khan.
30. Sahibzada Mir Karam ‘Ali Khan (1956-); eighth son of Hashim Jah.
31. Sahibzada Mir Osman ‘Ali Khan (1985-); son of Sahibzada Mir Karam ‘Ali Khan.
32. Sahibzada Mir Najaf ‘Ali Khan (1964-); ninth son of Hashim Jah.
33. Sahibzada Muhammad Anas Ali Khan (2001-); son of Sahibzada Mir Najaf ‘Ali Khan.
34. Sahibzada Mir Naqi ‘Ali Khan. Elder son of Taqi Jah (1913-1985), tenth son of HEH Asaf Jah VII
35. Sahibzada Mir Ja’afar ‘Ali Khan. Younger son of Taqi Jah.
36. Sahibzada Mir Firasath ‘Ali Khan; eldest son of Sa’adat Jah (1917-1988), nineteenth son of HEH Asaf Jah VII
37. Sahibzada Mir Saqafath ‘Ali Khan. (1968-); fourth son of Sa'adat Jah.
38. Imdad Jah (1944-); twenty-third son of HEH Asaf Jah VII
39. Dilshad Jah (1963-); elder son of Imdad Jah
40. Sahibzada Mir Irshad ‘Ali Khan (1977-); younger son of Imdad Jah.
41. Son of Nawazat Jah (1944-2010); twenty-fifth son of HEH Asaf Jah VII
42. Son of Nawazat Jah
43. Fazal Jah (1946-); twenty-sixth son of HEH Asaf Jah VII
44. Sahibzada Mir Salabat ‘Ali Khan (1969-); son of Bhojat Jah (1947-1982), twenty-seventh son of HEH Asaf Jah VII
45. Sahibzada Mir Bhojat ‘Ali Khan (1998-), son of Sahibzada Mir Salabat ‘Ali Khan.
46. Manzoor Ahmad Nizami (1926-2008), son of Nizam Uddin Asaf Jah VII.
47. HEH Farooq Nizami (1965-), son of Manzoor Ahmad Nizami Asaf Jah VII.
48. Sahibzada Feroz Nizami (1994-), son of Farooq Nizami HEH Asaf Jah VII.
49. Sahibzada Muhammad Bin Farooq (2003), Nizam, son of Farooq Nizami HEH Asaf Jah VII.

Descendants of Asaf Jah III

1. Sahibzada Mir Jamil ud-din ‘Ali Khan (1940-). Descended from Asaf Jah III through his second son Samsam ul-Mulk, Sunisamad ud-Daula, Nawab Mir Bashir ud-din 'Ali Khan Bahdur, Samsan Jang (1797-1876), through his seventh son Nawab Mir Habib 'Ali Khan Bahadur, Muazziz Jang (1821-?), through his son Sahibzada Mir Yusuf 'Ali Khan (1856-19?), through his son Sahibzada Mir Habib 'Ali Khan Bahadur (1900-1937) and through his son Sahibzada Mir Bashir ud-din Ali Khan Bahadur (1921-1980).
2. Sahibzada Jaweed Siddiqi (1966-). Son of Sahibzada Mir Jamil ud-din ‘Ali Khan.
3. Sahibzada Bashir Siddiqi (1999-). Son of Sahibzada Jaweed Siddiqi.
4. Sahibzada Abrar Siddiqi (2001-). Son of Sahibzada Jaweed Siddiqi.
5. Shahizada Mir farooq Ali Khan . Son of Mir Moinuddin Ali Khan.son of mir bahauddin ali khan uzzam-ud-daula saham-jung son of samsam-ud-daula
6. Sahibzada Mir Moiz ud-din ‘Ali Khan (1954-). Son of Sahibzada Mir farooq Ali Khan(1924-1986)
7. Shahizada Mir Mohiuddin Ali Khan & Shahizada Mir Farooq Ali Khan Son of Mir Moiz uddin Ali Khan.
8. shahibzadi Mir Sadia Moiz D/o.Shahibzada Mir Moiz uddin Ali Khan(Wife of Shaikh ilyas Ahmed).
9. Sahibzada Mir Azmat 'Ali Khan (1944-). Son of Nawab Mir Husain 'Ali Khan Bahadur (1923-1987), the second son of Sahibzada Mir Habib 'Ali Khan Bahadur.
10. Sahibzada Mir Himayath 'Ali Khan (1984-). Eldest son of Sahibzada Mir Azmat 'Ali Khan.
11. Sahibzada Mir Azam 'Ali Khan (1989-). Second son of Sahibzada Mir Azmat 'Ali Khan.
12. Sahibzada Mir Mazhar 'Ali Khan (2001-). Third son of Sahibzada Mir Azmat 'Ali Khan.
13. Sahibzada Mir Osman 'Ali Khan (1952-). Second son of Nawab Mir Husain Ali Khan Bahadur.
14. Sahibzada Mir Khader 'Ali Khan (1955-). Third son of Nawab Mir Husain Ali Khan Bahadur.
15. Sahibzada Mir Tawfeeq 'Ali Khan (1983-). Elder son of Sahibzada Mir Khader 'Ali Khan.
16. Sahibzada Mir Mujahid 'Ali Khan (1995-). Second son of Sahibzada Mir Khader 'Ali Khan.^[1]

Family tree[link]

I. Qamar-ud-din Khan, Asaf Jah I, 1st Nizam of Hyderabad (20 August 1671 - 1 June 1748). A senior governor and counsellor in the Imperial government. Defeated the Imperial forces on 19 June 1720 at Hasanpur and formed an independent state of his own. Confirmed in his possessions by Imperial firman and crowned on 31 July. Named Vice-Regent of the Mughal Empire by the Emperor Muhammad Shah on 8 February 1722, secured the province of Berar on 11 October 1724 and formally made Hyderabad City his new capital on 7 December 1724. Died at Burhampur on 1 June 1748, aged 76. He had six sons and seven daughters, including:

• II. Nasir Jang Mir Ahmad, 2nd Nizam of Hyderabad (26 February 1712 - 16 December 1750). Ruled from 1 June 1748 - 16 December 1750, when he was killed aged 38 by the Nawab of Kadapa.
• Sahibzadi Khair un-nisa Begum. Married Nawab Talib Muhi ud-din Mutasawwil Khan Bahadur, Muzaffar Jang. She had issue, a son:
  • III. Muhyi ad-Din Muzaffar Jang Hidayat, 3rd Nizam of Hyderabad (d. 13 February 1751). Succeeded upon his uncle's death; ruled from 16 December 1750 - 13 February 1751, when he was killed by the Nawab of Kurnool.
• IV. Asaf ad-Dawlah Mir Ali Salabat Jang, 4th Nizam of Hyderabad (November 1718 - 16 September 1763). Succeeded his brother, ruling from 13 February 1751 - 8 July 1762. Deposed by his brother on 8 July 1762 and killed in prison the following year, aged 44.
• V. Ali Khan Asaf Jah II, 5th Nizam of Hyderabad (7 March 1734 - 6 August 1803). Ruled 8 July 1762 - 6 August 1803, when he died aged 69. He had 11 sons and 12 daughters, including:
  • VI. Mir Akbar Ali Khan Sikander Jah, Asaf Jah III, 6th Nizam of Hyderabad (11 November 1768 - 21 May 1829). The first of the dynasty to be officially granted the title of Nizam. Ruled 6 August 1803 - 21 May 1829, when he died aged 60. He had 10 sons and nine daughters, including:
    • VII. Nasir-ud-dawlah, Asaf Jah IV, 7th Nizam of Hyderabad (25 April 1794 - 16 May 1857). Ruled 21 May 1829 - 16 May 1857, when he died aged 63. He had five sons, including:
      • VIII. Afzal ad-Dawlah, Asaf Jah V, 8th Nizam of Hyderabad, GCSI (11 October 1827 - 26 February 1869). The first of the Nizams to fall under British rule. Ruled 16 May 1857 - 26 February 1869, when he died aged 41. He had four sons and six daughters, including:
        • IX. Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI, 9th Nizam of Hyderabad, GCB, GCSI, KIH (17 August 1866 - 31 August 1911). Succeeded his father on 26 February 1869, ruled under a regency until 5 February 1884, when he was invested with full ruling powers by the Viceroy of India. Died 31 August 1911, aged 45. He had seven sons and six daughters, including:
          • X. Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, 10th Nizam of Hyderabad, GCSI, GBE, Royal Victorian Chain, MP (6 April 1886 - 24 January 1967). Granted the style of His Exalted Highness (1 January 1918), the title of Faithful Ally of the British Government (24 January 1918) and Nizam of Hyderabad and of Berar (13 November 1936). The last of the ruling Nizams; ruled absolutely from 31 August 1911 - 19 September 1948, when the state was formally annexed to the Union of India. Maintained semi-ruling and semi-autonomous status from then until 23 November 1949, when he accepted the paramountcy of the new Indian government and Constitution and acceded to the Union. Formally lost his sovereignty, ending 230 years of Asaf Jahi rule, upon the formal promulgation of the Constitution on 26 January 1950. Served as Rajpramukh of the new Hyderabad State from 26 January 1950 until 31 October 1956, when the post was abolished. Served as a titular monarch from 26 January 1950 until his death on 24 January 1967, aged 80. He had children, 28 sons and 44 daughters, including:
            • HH Azam Jah, Prince of Berar, GCIE, GBE, MSM (21 February 1907 - 9 October 1970). Granted the title of His Highness the Prince of Berar (13 November 1936). Passed over in the line of succession in 1967 in favour of his elder son. He had two sons, including the elder:
              • XI. Barkat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah, Asaf Jah VIII, 11th Nizam of Hyderabad (6 October 1933-). Succeeded his grandfather as titular monarch on 24 January 1967; titles abolished by the Indian Government on 28 December 1971. He has children that included two sons.

italics - Considered pretenders by most historians; did not hold much power during their reigns.

^[2]

Palaces of the Nizams[link]

Chowmahalla Palace

The Asaf Jahis were prolific builders. Several palaces of the Nizams were:

• Chowmahalla Palace
• Purani Haveli
• King Kothi Palace
• Hyderabad House, New Delhi.
• Mahboob Mansion
• Falaknuma Palace
• Bella Vista
• Hill Fort Palace
• Chiran Palace
• Bashir Bagh Palace

Other landmarks like the Andhra Pradesh High Court, Jubilee Hall, Asafia library, The Assembly building, the Osmania Arts College and the Osmania Medical College are among their notable constructions.

The Nizams liked the European style of architecture and created a fusion of European traditions with Hindu and Islamic forms and motifs.

End of the Dynasty and Removal of the Last Nizam[link]

General El Edroos (at right) offers his surrender of the Hyderabad State Forces to Major General (later General and Army Chief) Joyanto Nath Chaudhuri at Secunderabad.

After the British left India in 1947, the princely state of Hyderabad did not accede to either of the new dominions of India or Pakistan and started taking support and arms from Pakistan. After attempts by India to persudade the Nizam to accede to India failed, the Indian government launched Hyderabad police action on 13 September 1948, swiftly overrunning the Nizam's forces within four and a half days. The Nizam capitulated and his forces surrendered on 17 September 1948 and he broadcast this over radio the same afternoon. His rule ended on 17 September 1948. It was the end of the dynasty.

Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam, died on Friday 24 February 1967. All Nizams are buried in the royal graves at the Makkah Masjid near Charminar in Hyderabad except for the last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, who willed that he be buried beside his mother, in the grave yard of Judi Mosque facing King Kothi Palace.

Places and things named after the Nizam[link]

• Jamia Nizamia university
• Nizam College
• Nizam's Museum
• Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway
• Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences
• Jewels of the Nizams
• Nizam Diamond
• Nizam Sagar
• HMAS Nizam, a Royal Australian Naval vessel named for the Nizam prince who helped finance her construction
• Nizamia observatory
• Nizam Club

See also[link]

• Osmanistan
• Hyderabad State
• Hyderabadi Muslims
• Carnatic Wars
• History of Hyderabad, India
• Paigah
• Salar Jung family
• List of Sunni Muslim dynasties

References[link]

• Zubrzycki, John (2006). The Last Nizam: An Indian Prince in the Australian Outback. Australia: Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-330-42321-2. 
• Regani, Sarojini (1988) [First published 1963]. Nizam-British Relations, 1724-1857. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 978-81-7022-195-1. http://books.google.com/books?id=9Fb26pWqhScC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb. 
• Hastings, Fraser (1865). Our Faithful Ally, the Nizam. London: Smith, Elder & Co.. http://books.google.com/books?id=FIBCAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb. 
• Briggs, Henry George (1861). The Nizam: His History and Relations With the British Government, Volume 1. London: B. Quaritch. http://books.google.com/books?id=TXxDAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb. 
• Lynton, Harriet Ronken; Rajan, Mohini (1974). The Days of the Beloved. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-02442-7. http://books.google.com/books?id=DhYjiciXlwwC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb. 
• University of Queensland feature
• The Pied Piper of Hamelin, by Robert Browning: "I eased in Asia the Nizam Of a monstrous brood of vampyre-bats"

Further reading[link]

• Mughal Administration of Deccan Under Nizamul Mulk Asaf Jah, 1720-48 A.D.By M. A. Nayeem, Indian Council of Historical Research, University of Poona, Dept. of History [3]

"The Days of the Beloved" Harriet Ronken Lynton and Mohini Rajan, Berkeley University Press

External links[link]

• Asaf Jahi Dynasty with Genealogical Tree and Photos
• Detailed genealogy of the Nizams of Hyderabad
• Rare colour footage of accession ceremony of the 8th Nizam of Hyderabad in 1967 (Youtube)

Jesus
Jesus as Good Shepherd (stained glass at St John's Ashfield)
Born	7–2 BC/BCE[1] Judaea[2]
Died	30–36 AD/CE[3][4][5][6][7] Judaea
Cause of death	Crucifixion[8]
Ethnicity	Jewish[9]
Home town	Nazareth, Galilee[10]

Jesus ( /ˈdʒiːzəs/; Greek: Ἰησοῦς; 7–2 BC/BCE to 30–36 AD/CE), also referred to as Jesus Christ or simply Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and most Christian denominations venerate him as God the Son incarnated. In Islam, Jesus (in Arabic: عيسى‎ in Islamic usage, commonly transliterated as Isa) is considered one of God's important prophets.^[11][12]

Most modern historians agree that Jesus existed and was a Jewish teacher from Galilee in Roman Judaea, who was baptized by John the Baptist, and was crucified in Jerusalem on the orders of the Roman Prefect, Pontius Pilate.^{[13][14][15][16][8]} Scholars have offered competing descriptions and portraits of Jesus, which at times share a number of overlapping attributes, such as a rabbi, a charismatic healer, the leader of an apocalyptic movement, a self-described Messiah, a sage and philosopher, or a social reformer who preached of the "Kingdom of God" as a means for personal and egalitarian social transformation.^{[17][18][19][20]} Scholars have correlated the New Testament accounts with non-Christian historical records to arrive at an estimated chronology of Jesus' life.^{[3][5][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]}

Christians traditionally believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, performed miracles, founded the Church, died sacrificially by crucifixion to achieve atonement, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, from which he will return.^[28] The majority of Christians worship Jesus as the incarnation of God the Son, and the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.^[29] A few Christian groups, however, reject Trinitarianism, wholly or partly, believing it to be non-scriptural.^[29][30] Most Christian scholars today present Jesus as the awaited Messiah promised in the Old Testament and as God,^[31] arguing that he fulfilled many Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament.^[32]

In Islam, Jesus is a bringer of scripture, and the product of a virgin birth, but not the victim of crucifixion.^[33] Judaism rejects the belief that Jesus was the awaited Messiah, arguing that he did not fulfill the Messianic prophecies in the Tanakh.^[34] Islam and the Bahá'í Faith use the title "Messiah" for Jesus,^[35][36] but do not teach that he was God incarnate.

Etymology of name[link]

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"Jesus" is a transliteration, occurring in a number of languages and based on the Latin Iesus, of the Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs), itself a hellenization of the Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yĕhōšuă‘, Joshua) or Hebrew-Aramaic יֵשׁוּעַ (Yēšûă‘), both meaning "Yahweh delivers" or "Yahweh rescues". In Arabic, it is عيسى‎.^[37][38]

The etymology of the name Jesus in the context of the New Testament is generally expressed as "Yahweh saves",^[39][40][41] "Yahweh is salvation"^[42][43] and at times as "Jehovah is salvation".^[44] The name Jesus appears to have been in use in Judaea at the time of the birth of Jesus.^[44][45] Philo's reference (Mutatione Nominum item 121) indicates that the etymology of Joshua was known outside Judaea at the time.^[46]

In the New Testament, in Luke 1:26-33, the angel Gabriel tells Mary to name her child "Jesus", and in Matthew 1:21 an angel tells Joseph to name the child "Jesus". The statement in Matthew 1:21 "you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" associates salvific attributes to the name Jesus in Christian theology.^[47][48]

"Christ" ( /ˈkraɪst/) is derived from the Greek Χριστός (Khrīstos), meaning "the anointed" or "the anointed one", a translation of the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Māšîaḥ), usually transliterated into English as "Messiah" ( /mɨˈsaɪ.ə/).^[49][50] In the Septuagint version of the Hebrew Bible (written well over a century before the time of Jesus), the word "Christ" (Χριστός) was used to translate the Hebrew word "Messiah" (מָשִׁיחַ) into Greek.^[51] In Matthew 16:16, the apostle Peter's profession "You are the Christ" identifies Jesus as the Messiah.^[52] In postbiblical usage, "Christ" became viewed as a name, one part of "Jesus Christ", but originally it was a title ("Jesus the Anointed").^[53][54][55]

Chronology[link]

Judaea and Galilee at the time of Jesus.

Although a few scholars have questioned the existence of Jesus as an actual historical figure,^[56], and some early Christian sects denied that Jesus existed as a physical being (see below), most scholars involved with historical Jesus research believe his existence, but that the supernatural claims associated with him cannot be established using documentary and other evidence.^{[57][58][59][16][60][61]} As discussed in the sections immediately below, the estimation of the year of death of Jesus places his lifespan around the beginning of the 1st century AD/CE, in the geographic region of Roman Judaea.^{[62][63][64][65][66]}

Roman involvement in Judaea began around 63 BC/BCE and by 6 AD/CE Judaea had become a Roman province.^[67] From 26-37 AD/CE Pontius Pilate was the governor of Roman Judaea.^[68] In this time period, although Roman Judaea was strategically positioned in the Near East, close to Arabia and North Africa, it was not viewed as a critically important province by the Romans.^[69][70] At the time the Romans were highly tolerant of other religions and allowed the local populations such as the Jews to practice their own faiths.^[67]

Year of birth[link]

Two independent approaches have been used to estimate the year of the birth of Jesus, one by analyzing the Nativity accounts in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew along with other historical data, the other by working backwards from the estimation of the start of the ministry of Jesus, as also discussed in the next section.^[5][22]

In its Nativity account, the Gospel of Matthew associates the birth of Jesus with the reign of Herod the Great, who is generally believed to have died around 4 BC/BCE.^[22][71] Matthew 2:1 states that: "Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king" and Luke 1:5 mentions the reign of Herod shortly before the birth of Jesus.^[22] Matthew also suggests that Jesus may have been as much as two years old at the time of the visit of the Magi and hence even older at the time of Herod's death.^[72] But the author of Luke also describes the birth as taking place during the first census of the Roman provinces of Syria and Iudaea, which is generally believed to have occurred in 6 AD/CE.^[73] Most scholars generally assume a date of birth between 6 and 4 BC/BCE.^[74] Other scholars assume that Jesus was born sometime between 7–2 BC/BCE.^[75]

The year of birth of Jesus has also been estimated in a manner that is independent of the Nativity accounts, by using information in the Gospel of John to work backwards from the statement in Luke 3:23 that Jesus was "about 30 years of age" at the start of his ministry.^[3][5] As discussed in the section below, by combining information from John 2:13 and John 2:20 with the writings of Flavius Josephus, it has been estimated that around 27-29 AD/CE, Jesus was "about thirty years of age".^[76][77] Some scholars thus estimate the year 28 AD/CE to be roughly the 32nd birthday of Jesus and the birth year of Jesus to be around 6-4 BC/BCE.^[3][5][78]

However, the common Gregorian calendar method for numbering years, in which the current year is 2012, is based on the decision of a monk Dionysius in the sixth century, to count the years from a point of reference (namely, Jesus’ birth) which he placed sometime between 2 BC and 1 AD.^[79] Although Christian feasts related to the Nativity have had specific dates (e.g. December 25 for Christmas) there is no historical evidence for the exact day or month of the birth of Jesus.^[80][81][82]

Years of ministry[link]

Israel Museum model of Herod's Temple, referred to in John 2:13.

There have been different approaches to estimating the date of the start of the ministry of Jesus.^{[3][76][77][83]} One approach, based on combining information from the Gospel of Luke with historical data about Emperor Tiberius yields a date around 28-29 AD/CE, while a second independent approach based on statements in the Gospel of John along with historical information from Josephus about the Temple in Jerusalem leads to a date around 27-29 AD/CE.^{[5][76][77][84][85][86]} A third method uses the date of the death of John the Baptist and the marriage of Herod Antipas to Herodias based on the writings of Josephus, and correlates it to Matthew 14:4.^[87][88][89]

The estimation of the date based on the Gospel of Luke relies on the statement in Luke 3:1-2 that the ministry of John the Baptist which preceded that of Jesus began "in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar".^[76] Given that Tiberius began his reign in 14 AD/CE, this yields a date about 28-29 AD/CE.^{[3][76][78][90][91]}

The estimation of the date based on the Gospel of John uses the statements in John 2:13 that Jesus went to the Temple in Jerusalem around the start of his ministry and in John 2:20 that "Forty and six years was this temple in building" at that time.^[5][76] According to Josephus (Ant 15.380) the temple reconstruction was started by Herod the Great in the 15th-18th year of his reign at about the time that Augustus arrived in Syria (Ant 15.354).^{[3][76][92][93]} Temple expansion and reconstruction was ongoing, and it was in constant reconstruction until it was destroyed in 70 AD/CE by the Romans.^[94] Given that it took 46 years of construction, the Temple visit in the Gospel of John has been estimated at around 27-29 AD/CE.^{[5][76][84][85][86][95]}

Although both the gospels and Josephus refer to Herod Antipas killing John the Baptist, they differ on the details, e.g. whether this act was a consequence of the marriage of Herod Antipas and Herodias, as indicated in Matthew 14:4, or a pre-emptive measure by Herod which possibly took place before the marriage, as Josephus suggests in Ant 18.5.2.^{[96][97][98][99]} The exact year of the marriage of Herod Antipas and Herodias is subject to debate among scholars.^[88] In his analysis of Herod's life, Harold Hoehner estimates that John the Baptist's imprisonment probably occurred around AD 30-31.^[100] The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia estimates the death of the Baptist to have occurred about AD 31-32.^[89] The death of John the Baptist relates to the end of the major Galilean ministry of Jesus, just before the half way point in the gospel narratives, before the start of Jesus' final journey to Jerusalem through Judea.^{[101][102][102][103]}

Luke 3:23 states that at the start of his ministry Jesus was "about 30 years of age", but the other gospels do not mention a specific age. However, in John 8:57 the Jews exclaimed to Jesus: "Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?" suggesting that he was much less than 50 years old during his ministry.^[5] The length of the ministry is subject to debate, based on the fact that the synoptic gospels mention only one passover during Jesus' ministry, often interpreted as implying that the ministry lasted approximately one year, whereas the Gospel of John records multiple passovers, implying that his ministry may have lasted at least three years.^{[3][5][104][105]}

Year of death[link]

A 1466 copy of Antiquities of the Jews.

A number of approaches have been used to estimate the year of the death of Jesus, including information from the canonical gospels, the chronology of the life of Paul the Apostle in the New Testament correlated with historical events, as well as different astronomical models, as discussed below.

All four canonical gospels report that Jesus was crucified at Calvary during the prefecture of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect who governed Judaea from 26 to 36 AD/CE. The late 1st century Jewish historian Josephus,^[62] writing in Antiquities of the Jews (c. 93 AD/CE), and the early 2nd century Roman historian Tacitus,^[63] writing in The Annals (c. 116 AD/CE), also state that Pilate ordered the execution of Jesus, though both writers use the title "procurator" instead of "prefect".^[64]

The estimation of the date of the conversion of Paul places the death of Jesus before this conversion, which is estimated at around 33-36 AD/CE.^{[4][106][107]} (Also see the estimation of the start of Jesus' ministry as a few years before this date above). The estimation of the year of Paul's conversion relies on a series of calculations working backwards from the well established date of his trial before Gallio in Achaea Greece (Acts 18:12-17) around 51-52 AD/CE, the meeting of Priscilla and Aquila which were expelled from Rome about 49 AD/CE and the 14-year period before returning to Jerusalem in Galatians 2:1.^{[4][106][107]} The remaining period is generally accounted for by Paul's missions (at times with Barnabas) such as those in Acts 11:25-26 and 2 Corinthians 11:23-33, resulting in the 33-36 AD/CE estimate.^{[4][106][107]}

For centuries, astronomers and scientists have used diverse computational methods to estimate the date of crucifixion, Isaac Newton being one of the first cases.^[65] Newton's method relied on the relative visibility of the crescent of the new moon and he suggested the date as Friday, April 23, 34 AD/CE.^[108] In 1990 astronomer Bradley E. Schaefer computed the date as Friday, April 3, 33 AD/CE.^[109] In 1991, John Pratt stated that Newton's method was sound, but included a minor error at the end. Pratt suggested the year 33 AD/CE as the answer.^[65] Using the completely different approach of a lunar eclipse model, Humphreys and Waddington arrived at the conclusion that Friday, April 3, 33 AD/CE was the date of the crucifixion.^{[66][110][111]}

Life and teachings in the New Testament[link]

Although the four canonical gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are the main sources for the biography of Jesus’ life, other parts of the New Testament, such as the Pauline epistles which were likely written decades before them, also include references to key episodes in his life such as the Last Supper, as in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.^{[112][113][114]} The Acts of the Apostles (10:37-38 and 19:4) refers to the early ministry of Jesus and its anticipation by John the Baptist.^[115][116] And Acts 1:1-11 says more about the Ascension episode (also mentioned in 1 Timothy 3:16) than the canonical gospels.^[117][118]

According to the majority viewpoint, the Synoptic Gospels are the primary sources of historical information about Jesus.^[6][7][119] and of the religious movement he founded, but not everything contained in the gospels is considered to be historically reliable.^{[120][121][122][123][124]} Elements whose historical authenticity are disputed include the two accounts of the Nativity of Jesus, as well as the resurrection and certain details about the crucifixion.^{[125][126][127][128][129][130]} On one extreme, some Christian scholars maintain that the gospels are inerrant descriptions of the life of Jesus.^[131] On the other extreme, some scholars have concluded that the gospels provide no historical information about Jesus' life.^[132]

Canonical gospel accounts[link]

A 3rd century Greek papyrus of Luke.

Three of the four canonical gospels, namely Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are known as the synoptic Gospels, from the Greek σύν (syn "together") and ὄψις (opsis "view"), given that they display a high degree of similarity in content, narrative arrangement, language and paragraph structure.^{[133][134][135]} The presentation in the fourth canonical gospel, i.e. John, differs from these three in that it has more of a thematic nature rather than a narrative format.^[136][137] Scholars generally agree that it is impossible to find any direct literary relationship between the synoptic gospels and the Gospel of John.^[136]

However, in general, the authors of the New Testament showed little interest in an absolute chronology of Jesus or in synchronizing the episodes of his life with the secular history of the age.^[138] The gospels were primarily written as theological documents in the context of early Christianity with the chronological timelines as a secondary consideration.^[139] One manifestation of the gospels being theological documents rather than historical chronicles is that they devote about one third of their text to just seven days, namely the last week of the life of Jesus in Jerusalem.^[140]

Although the gospels do not provide enough details to satisfy the demands of modern historians regarding exact dates, it is possible to draw from them a general picture of the life story of Jesus.^{[138][139][141]} However, as stated in John 21:25 the gospels do not claim to provide an exhaustive list of the events in the life of Jesus.^[142]

Gospel sources, similarities and differences[link]

Scholars have debated the sources for the gospels for millennia, and have proposed various hypotheses of how the synoptic gospels were written and how they influenced each other, going back to the Augustinian hypothesis in the 5th century.^[143] In the 20th and 21st centuries hypotheses such as the two-source, four-source, Farrer or the Markan priority hypothesis have been debated.^{[143][144][145]} Each hypothesis assumes a specific order in which the gospels were written, or that other as yet unknown and hypothetical documents such as the Q source or the M source influenced various gospels in various ways. Each hypotheses has had support among some scholars, while problems with and weaknesses in it have been pointed out by opponents.^{[143][144][145][146]}

Since the 2nd century attempts have been made to harmonize the gospel accounts into a single narrative; Tatian's Diatesseron perhaps being the first harmony and other works such as Augustine' book Harmony of the Gospels followed.^[147][148] A number of different approaches to gospel harmony have been proposed in the 20th century, but no single and unique harmony can be constructed.^[149] While some scholars argue that combining the four gospel stories into one story is tantamount to creating a fifth story different from each original, others see the gospels as blending together to give an overall and comprehensive picture of Jesus' teaching and ministry.^{[148][150][151][152]} Although there are differences in specific temporal sequences, and in the parables and miracles listed in each gospel, the flow of the key events such as Baptism, Transfiguration and Crucifixion and interactions with people such as the Apostles are shared among the gospel narratives.^{[138][139][153][154]}

Key elements and the five major milestones[link]

The five major milestones in the gospel narrative of the life of Jesus are his Baptism, Transfiguration, Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension.^{[155][156][157]} These are usually bracketed by two other episodes: his Nativity at the beginning and the sending of the Holy Spirit at the end.^[155][157] The gospel accounts of the teachings of Jesus are often presented in terms of specific categories involving his "works and words", e.g. his ministry, parables and miracles.^[158][159]

The gospels include a number discourses by Jesus on specific occasions, e.g. the Sermon on the Mount or the Farewell Discourse, and also include over 30 parables, spread throughout the narrative, often with themes that relate to the sermons.^[160] Parables represent a major component of the teachings of Jesus in the gospels, forming approximately one third of his recorded teachings, and John 14:10 positions them as the revelations of God the Father.^[161][162] The gospel episodes that include descriptions of the miracle of Jesus also often include teachings, providing an intertwining of his "words and works" in the gospels.^[159][163]

• 

  Nativity

• 

  Baptism

• 

  Temptation

• 

  Disciples and Apostles

• 

  Ministry

• 

  Teachings and Sermons

• 

  Parables

• 

  Miracles

• 

  Last Supper and Betrayal

• Decani.jpg

  Passion and Crucifixion

• 

  Resurrection and Appearances

• 

  Ascension

Genealogy and Nativity[link]

The accounts of the genealogy and Nativity of Jesus in the New Testament appear only in the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of Matthew. While there are documents outside of the New Testament which are more or less contemporary with Jesus and the gospels, many shed no light on the more biographical aspects of his life and these two gospel accounts remain the main sources of information on the genealogy and Nativity.^[141]

Genealogy[link]

Matthew begins his gospel in 1:1 with the genealogy of Jesus, and presents it before the account of the birth of Jesus, while Luke discusses the genealogy in chapter 3, after the Baptism of Jesus in Luke 3:22 when the voice from Heaven addresses Jesus and identifies him as the Son of God.^[164] At that point Luke traces Jesus' ancestry through Adam to God.^[164]

While Luke traces the genealogy upwards towards Adam and God, Matthew traces it downwards towards Jesus.^[165] Both gospels state that Jesus was begotten not by Joseph, but by God.^[166] Both accounts trace Joseph back to King David and from there to Abraham. These lists are identical between Abraham and David (except for one), but they differ almost completely between David and Joseph.^[167][168] Matthew gives Jacob as Joseph’s father and Luke says Joseph was the son of Heli. Attempts at explaining the differences between the genealogies have varied in nature, e.g. that Luke traces the genealogy through Mary while Matthew traces it through Joseph; or that Jacob and Heli were both fathers of Joseph, one being the legal father, after the death of Joseph's actual father—but there is no scholarly agreement on a resolution for the differences.^{[169][170][171]}

Nativity[link]

The Nativity is a prominent element in the Gospel of Luke, comprises over 10% of the text, and is three times the length of the nativity text in Matthew.^[172] Luke's account takes place mostly before the birth of Jesus and centers on Mary, while Matthew's takes place mostly after the birth of Jesus and centers on Joseph.^{[173][174][175]} According to Luke and Matthew, Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, his betrothed, in Bethlehem. Both support the doctrine of the Virgin Birth in which Jesus was miraculously conceived in his mother's womb by the Holy Spirit, when his mother was still a virgin.^{[176][177][178][179]}

Luke is the only gospel to provide an account of the birth of John the Baptist, and uses it to draw parallels between the births of John and Jesus.^[180] Luke relates the two births in the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth^[172] and further connects the two births by stating that Mary and Elizabeth are cousins.^[181] In Luke 1:31-38 Mary learns from the angel Gabriel that she will conceive and bear a child called Jesus through the action of the Holy Spirit. When Mary is due to give birth, she and Joseph travel from Nazareth to Joseph's ancestral home in Bethlehem to register in the census of Quirinius. In Luke 2:1-7. Mary gives birth to Jesus and, having found no place in the inn, places the newborn in a manger. An angel visits the shepherds and sends them to adore the child in Luke 2:22. After presenting Jesus at the Temple, Joseph and Mary return home to Nazareth.^[174][182]

The nativity account in chapters 1 and 2 of the Gospel of Matthew appears to differ from Luke in implying that Jesus and his family are already living in Bethlehem.^[183] However, Matthew does not state that Joseph lived in Bethlehem prior to the birth of Jesus.^[184] Following his betrothal to Mary, Joseph is troubled in Matthew 1:19-20 because Mary is pregnant, but in the first of Joseph's three dreams an angel assures him not be afraid to take Mary as his wife, because her child was conceived by the Holy Spirit.^[185] In Matthew 1:1-12, the Wise Men or Magi bring gifts to the young Jesus after following a star which they believe was a sign that the King of the Jews had been born. King Herod hears of Jesus' birth from the Wise Men and tries to kill him by massacring all the male children in Bethlehem under the age of two (the Massacre of the Innocents).^[186] Before the massacre, Joseph is warned by an angel in his dream and the family flees to Egypt and remains there until Herod's death, after which they leave Egypt and settle in Nazareth to avoid living under the authority of Herod's son and successor Archelaus.^[185][187]

Early life and profession[link]

In the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, Jesus’ childhood home is identified as the town of Nazareth in Galilee. Joseph, husband of Mary, appears in descriptions of Jesus’ childhood and no mention is made of him thereafter.^[188] The New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, and Galatians mention Jesus’ brothers and sisters, but the Greek word adelphos in these verses, has also been translated as brother or kinsman.^[189]

Luke 2:41–52 includes an incident in the childhood of Jesus, where he was found teaching in the temple by his parents after being lost. The Finding in the Temple is the sole event between Jesus’ infancy and baptism mentioned in any of the canonical gospels.

In Mark 6:3 Jesus is called a tekton (τέκτων in Greek), usually understood to mean carpenter. Matthew 13:55 says he was the son of a tekton.^[50]:170 Tekton has been traditionally translated into English as "carpenter", but it is a rather general word (from the same root that leads to "technical" and "technology") that could cover makers of objects in various materials, even builders.^[190][191]

Beyond the New Testament accounts, the specific association of the profession of Jesus with woodworking is a constant in the traditions of the 1st and 2nd centuries and Justin Martyr (d. ca. 165) wrote that Jesus made yokes and ploughs.^[192]

Baptism and temptation[link]

Trevisani's depiction of the typical baptismal scene with the sky opening and the Holy Spirit descending as a dove, 1723.^[193]

In the gospels, the accounts of the Baptism of Jesus are always preceded by information about John the Baptist and his ministry.^{[153][194][195]} In these accounts, John was preaching for penance and repentance for the remission of sins and encouraged the giving of alms to the poor (as in Luke 3:11) as he baptized people in the area of the River Jordan around Perea about the time of the commencement of the ministry of Jesus. The Gospel of John (1:28) specifies "Bethany beyond the Jordan", i.e. Bethabara in Perea, when it initially refers to it and later John 3:23 refers to further baptisms in Ænon "because there was much water there".^[196][197]

The four gospels are not the only references to John's ministry around the River Jordan. In Acts 10:37-38, Peter refers to how the ministry of Jesus followed "the baptism which John preached".^[116] In the Antiquities of the Jews (18.5.2) 1st century historian Josephus also wrote about John the Baptist and his eventual death in Perea.^[198][199]

In the gospels, John had been foretelling (as in Luke 3:16) of the arrival of a someone "mightier than I".^[200][201] Apostle Paul also refers to this anticipation by John in Acts 19:4.^[115] In Matthew 3:14, upon meeting Jesus, the Baptist states: "I need to be baptized by you." However, Jesus persuades John to baptize him nonetheless.^[202] In the baptismal scene, after Jesus emerges from the water, the sky opens and a voice from Heaven states: "This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased". The Holy Spirit then descends upon Jesus as a dove in Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-23.^{[200][201][202]} In John 1:29-33 rather than a direct narrative, the Baptist bears witness to the episode.^[201][203] This is one of two cases in the gospels where a voice from Heaven calls Jesus "Son", the other being in the Transfiguration of Jesus episode.^[204][205]

After the baptism, the synoptic gospels proceed to describe the Temptation of Jesus, but John 1:35-37 narrates the first encounter between Jesus and two of his future disciples, who were then disciples of John the Baptist.^[206][207] In this narrative, the next day the Baptist sees Jesus again and calls him the Lamb of God and the "two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus".^{[208][209][210]} One of the disciples is named Andrew, but the other remains unnamed, and Raymond E. Brown raises the question of his being the author of the Gospel of John himself.^[203][211] In the Gospel of John, the disciples follow Jesus thereafter, and bring other disciples to him, and Acts 18:24-19:6 portrays the disciples of John as eventually merging with the followers of Jesus.^[203][206]

The Temptation of Jesus is narrated in the three synoptic gospels after his baptism.^[207][212] In these accounts, as in Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13, Jesus goes to the desert for forty days to fast. While there, Satan appears to him and tempts him in various ways, e.g. asking Jesus to show signs that he is the Son of God by turning stone to bread, or offering Jesus worldly rewards in exchange for worship.^[207][213] Jesus rejects every temptation and when Satan leaves, angels appear and minister to Jesus.^{[207][212][213]}

Ministry[link]

Luke 3:23 states that Jesus was "about 30 years of age" at the start of his ministry.^[3][5] The date of the start of his ministry has been estimated at around 27-29 AD/CE, based on independent approaches which combine separate gospel accounts with other historical data.^{[3][5][76][77][84][85][86]} The end of his ministry is estimated to be in the range 30-36 AD/CE.^[3][4][5][6]

The three synoptic gospels refer to just one passover during his ministry, while the Gospel of John refers to three passovers, suggesting a period of about three years.^[194][214] However, the synoptic gospels do not require a ministry that lasted only one year, and scholars such as Köstenberger state that the Gospel of John simply provides a more detailed account.^{[153][194][215]}

The gospel accounts place the beginning of Jesus' ministry in the countryside of Judaea, near the River Jordan.^[195] Jesus' ministry begins with his Baptism by John the Baptist (Matthew 3, Luke 3), and ends with the Last Supper with his disciples (Matthew 26, Luke 22) in Jerusalem.^[194][195] The gospels present John the Baptist's ministry as the precursor to that of Jesus and the Baptism as marking the beginning of Jesus' ministry, after which Jesus travels, preaches and performs miracles.^{[153][194][195]}

A 1923 map of Galilee around 50 AD/CE. Nazareth is towards the center.

The Early Galilean ministry begins when Jesus goes back to Galilee from the Judaean desert after rebuffing the temptation of Satan.^[216] In this early period Jesus preaches around Galilee and in Matthew 4:18-20 his first disciples encounter him, begin to travel with him and eventually form the core of the early Church.^[195][217] This period includes the Sermon on the Mount, one of the major discourses of Jesus.^[217][218]

The Major Galilean ministry which begins in Matthew 8 refers to activities up to the death of John the Baptist. It includes the Calming the storm and a number of other miracles and parables, as well as the Mission Discourse in which Jesus instructs the twelve apostles who are named in Matthew 10:2-3 to carry no belongings as they travel from city to city and preach.^[219][220]

The Final Galilean ministry includes the Feeding the 5000 and Walking on water episodes, both in Matthew 14.^[221][222] The end of this period (as Matthew 16 and Mark 8 end) marks a turning point is the ministry of Jesus with the dual episodes of Confession of Peter and the Transfiguration - which begins his Later Judaean ministry as he starts his final journey to Jerusalem through Judaea.^{[223][224][225][226]}

As Jesus travels towards Jerusalem, in the Later Perean ministry, about one third the way down from the Sea of Galilee along the Jordan, he returns to the area where he was baptized, and in John 10:40-42 "many people believed in him beyond the Jordan", saying "all things whatsoever John spake of this man were true".^{[227][228][229]} This period of ministry includes the Discourse on the Church in which Jesus anticipates a future community of followers, and explains the role of his apostles in leading it.^[230][231] At the end of this period, the Gospel of John includes the Raising of Lazarus episode.^[232]

The Final ministry in Jerusalem is sometimes called the Passion Week and begins with the Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.^[232] In that week Jesus drives the money changers from the Temple, and Judas bargains to betray him. This period includes the Olivet Discourse and the Second Coming Prophecy and culminates in the Last Supper, at the end of which Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure in the Farewell discourse. The accounts of the ministry of Jesus generally end with the Last Supper.^{[153][232][233]} However, some authors also consider the period between the Resurrection and the Ascension part of the ministry of Jesus.^[234]