While there are lots of assertions made about Jesus there are some solid facts about him that most of the scholars agree are true. While there are very few documents that were written while Jesus was still alive we can ascertain some facts based on other sources like the Jewish and Roman documents from around that time. Here are some of the facts:
Jesus was Jewish
Though a manger may or may not have figured prominently in the birth, scholars do agree that Jesus was born between 2 B.C. and 7 B.C. as part of the peasant class in a small village called Nazareth in Galilee. Historians also back the claim that Joseph, Jesus' father, was a carpenter, meaning Jesus would have gone into the family profession as well.
Jesus was tough.
From age 12 to 30, Jesus worked in Nazareth as a carpenter. "Is not this the carpenter?" say the astonished crowds when he begins to preach
The word used for Jesus' profession in the original Greek is tekton. The traditional translation is "carpenter." But most contemporary scholars say it's more likely a general craftsman; some even translate it as "day laborer."
A tekton would have made doors, tables, lamp stands and plows. But he probably also built stone walls and helped with house construction.
It was tough work that meant lugging tools, wood and stones all over Galilee. Jesus doesn't simply stride onto the world stage after having dreamily examined a piece of wood when the mood suited him. For 18 years, he worked—and worked hard
Jesus did not start preaching until his 30's and did not think he was starting a new religion, he merely thought he was helping his current religion of Judaism progress.
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