ABSTRACT
The history of biblical Israel is hinted at in the three divisions of Tanak: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. The biblical book of Exodus narrates the rise of Moses to leadership of the Hebrews sojourning in Egypt and their miraculous deliverance from slavery. Jesus inherited the religious history, as well as the impact of movements that arose in the century preceding his birth. When Jesus began his public work, he probably was under the influence of John the Baptist. The sufferings that Jesus underwent on the way to Calvary, where he was crucified, and his agony on the cross, have become for Christians, and many others, a summary of the entire vulnerability of human beings, especially those who challenge others to move from evil to goodness. Jesus has little that is distinctive to say about the physical world. He seems to have accepted without question the guidelines handed down through Jewish tradition.
