Encyclopedia of World Religions, Frank K. Flinn
J. Gordon Melton, Series Editor

The Encyclopedia of Catholicism seeks to cover
the landmark people, movements, institutions,
practices, and doctrines of Roman Catholicism
from its earliest origins. It is most important for
Christians and Catholics to realize that Christianity
emerged from the matrix of late Judaism.
Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew; he was born a Jew;
he lived as a Jew; he taught and preached as a Jew
within the religious concerns of Judaism; and he
died as a Jew. In short, Jesus was not a Christian.
The term did not even arise until late in the first
century, c. 95 C.E. (Acts 11:26). The historical
understanding of Jesus cannot be seen apart from
the theo-political situation in ancient Judea, as
the Holy Land was called. Jesus appeared in the
midst of the conflicts and compromises of Pharisees,
Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots, and others,
who were all under the thumb of Roman power.