Before he was born, Jesus was referred to as the King of the Jews.  Because of this, wise men from the East, called Magi are believed to have visited him shortly after his birth.  It is believed that they found Jesus by following a bright star.  Before the Magi visited Jesus, they went to King Herod hoping he could help them find “the king.”  This news made King Herod so jealous that he ordered the murder of all boys two years and younger born in or near Jerusalem.  It is believed that Jesus' family fled to Egypt to escape Herod.

The Last Supper
During the Jewish festival of the Passover, Jesus gathered all his disciples for a special meal.  As they were eating, Jesus broke bread and shared wine from a cup.  He instructed his disciples to eat bread and drink wine in memory of him.  This meal became known as the Last Supper and today’s Christians celebrate this as the Holy Communion.

The Crucifixion
Jesus was tried by the priests and it was decided he should be killed.  He was then sent to the Roman governor who could find no reason to kill Jesus.  However, the crowd assembled decided that Jesus should be crucified.  Jesus was given a crown of thorns and forced to carry a heavy wooden cross to Calvary.  He was nailed to the cross with a criminal on either side of him.  After Jesus' death, his body was placed in a tomb with a large stone at the front to seal the tomb.

The Resurrection
Christians believe that on the third day following the crucifixion Jesus rose from the dead.  This is referred to as the resurrection.  This is another core belief that affirms the Christian belief that Jesus is the son of God.

Spreading the Gospel
After Jesus' death, his disciples spread his message.  They taught that Christ died to save people from their sins and believing in Christ would give them the chance to go to heaven.  The followers of Christ who spread the gospel are referred to as the apostles.  One of the most influential people in the early history of Christianity was St. Paul.  He founded churches around the Mediterranean, and his letters to these and many other churches make up many of the books of the New Testament.  These letters, called the Epistles, are a source of inspiration to many Christians.  The missionary work started by St. Paul continues today.