| Name | Jesus of Nazareth |
| Period | 1st century CE |
| Region | |
| Religion | Nazarene faith |
| Followers | Nazarene movement |
| Teachings | Blended with Hellenistic and Incan beliefs • Inspired a religious movement |
| Occupation | Preacher • Revolutionary |
| Alternate Names | The Nazarene • Yeshua |
Jesus, or Yeshua ben Yosef as he was known in his lifetime, was a Jewish preacher and social reformer who lived in Judea during the 1st century CE. While not considered the divine Messiah as in traditional Christianity, Jesus played a central role in the emergence of the Nazarene religious movement, which spread across the Roman Empire and beyond in the centuries after his death.
Born around 5 BCE in the town of Nazareth, Jesus came from a modest Jewish family and received a traditional religious upbringing. As a young adult, he began preaching a message of social and religious reform, calling for a return to the core values and teachings of the Hebrew Bible.
Unlike the Gospel accounts in the canonical Bible, the historical Jesus was not seen as the literal Son of God, but rather as a charismatic teacher and prophet inspired by the God of Israel. He advocated for the poor and downtrodden, condemned the corruption of the Temple authorities, and preached a message of compassion, humility, and spiritual renewal.
Jesus also participated in the various messianic, apocalyptic, and revolutionary movements that were common in 1st century Judea under Roman occupation. His critiques of the political and religious establishment, as well as his calls for social upheaval, eventually led to his execution by the Roman authorities around 30 CE.
In the decades after Jesus' death, his followers began forming a distinct religious movement known as the "Nazarenes." This group saw Jesus as a divinely inspired teacher and prophet, but did not view him as the divine Messiah or Son of God as in later Christian theology.
The early Nazarenes focused on preserving and spreading Jesus' ethical teachings, which emphasized virtues like charity, humility, and non-violence. They also retained many elements of traditional Judaism, including observance of the Mosaic Law, veneration of the Hebrew Bible, and continued worship at the Temple in Jerusalem.
As the Nazarene movement spread from Judea into the Greco-Roman world, it began to incorporate influences from Hellenistic philosophy and religion. Concepts like Platonic idealism, Stoic cosmopolitanism, and elements of the Olympian Pantheon were syncretized with Jesus' core teachings.
By the 3rd century CE, the Nazarene movement had evolved significantly, developing a more elaborate theological and liturgical structure. This included the incorporation of Incan religious beliefs and practices, brought back by Nazarene missionaries who had traveled to the Andes.
The Nazarenes, for example, began venerating Inti - the Incan solar deity - as a manifestation of the same divine force that inspired Jesus. Rituals like the Inti Raymi festival were adopted and adapted into Nazarene worship. Likewise, the Incan concept of Pachamama as the divine "mother earth" was syncretized with female figures like Mary Magdalene.
This eclectic synthesis of Hellenistic, Judaic, and Incan elements created a unique Nazarene theology and cosmology. Jesus was seen not as the singular Son of God, but as one of many divine "avatars" or incarnations of a universal, transcendent divine essence. The movement also placed a strong emphasis on personal mystical experience and reincarnation.
Over the course of the 1st millennium CE, the Nazarene movement continued to spread across the Mediterranean world and beyond, adapting to local cultures and traditions. It became particularly influential in regions like Egypt, Greece, and the Andes, where it blended with indigenous spiritual beliefs.
By the 6th century, the Nazarenes had developed a sophisticated organizational structure, with centers of learning, monasteries, and a loose hierarchy of clergy. However, they retained a decentralized, non-hierarchical ethos compared to the highly centralized Catholic Church in our timeline.
As the Nazarene faith continued to evolve over the centuries, it gave rise to numerous sub-sects, offshoots, and syncretic belief systems. These ranged from mystical, ascetic movements to more socially or politically engaged forms of "Nazarene liberation theology." The Nazarenes also played a significant role in opposing colonialism and defending indigenous rights in places like the Americas.
While the Nazarene movement never achieved the global dominance of Christianity in our world, it maintained a substantial following across the Mediterranean, Persia, the Andes, and parts of Africa up to the present day. Its emphasis on eclectic spirituality, social justice, and resistance to hierarchical authority continues to influence alternative religious and philosophical movements.
