The titles of Jesus

Christians believe Jesus was a real first-century Jewish man and that he was God the Son. The titles given to him in the Gospels each say something different:

• Christ / Messiah — the 'anointed' or 'chosen one' promised by God. Peter says this at Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:13–20).
• Son of God — Jesus shares God's nature; a voice says this at his baptism (Matthew 3:13–17).
• Saviour — the one who saves people from sin.
• Lord — the one Christians worship and obey.

Careful: 'Christ' is a title, not a surname. It comes from the Greek christos, translating the Hebrew mashiach — 'anointed one'.

What does "Messiah" mean?

The Incarnation and the virgin birth

The Incarnation is the belief that God took on human flesh in Jesus. The Apostles' Creed — a summary of belief used in worship — states that Jesus was 'conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary'.

• The Gospel birth narratives are Matthew 1:18–25 (the angel and Joseph) and Luke 2:1–20 (Bethlehem and the shepherds).
• Christians express this at Christmas, which the 0490 syllabus describes as 'a celebration of the Incarnation'.

Why it matters: if God became truly human, then God knows human suffering from the inside — a key move in almost every evaluation answer about the Incarnation.

The Incarnation

The Trinity — and Christians who reject it

Most Christians hold the doctrine of the Trinity: one God in three persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is one being, not three gods.

The syllabus is explicit that you must also know about non-trinitarian Christian belief. Jehovah's Witnesses and Unitarians, for example, do not accept the Trinity and understand Jesus differently.

Evaluation: a good answer never says 'all Christians believe…'. Say most, name the exception, and explain why the difference matters.

When did it happen?

Tap an event, then tap the stage of Jesus' life it belongs to.

The Last Supper and the Eucharist

On the night before he died, Jesus shared a final Passover meal with his disciples (Matthew 26:17–30). He took bread and wine and told them to do this in memory of him — Christians call this the institution of the Eucharist.

• At the same meal, John's Gospel records Jesus washing his disciples' feet — a model of humble service.
• Jesus predicted his own betrayal and death.
• Christians re-enact this meal as Holy Communion / Mass / the Lord's Supper, with different denominations understanding the bread and wine differently.

One God, three persons

Gethsemane, the trials and the crucifixion

The passion (from the Latin for 'suffering') is the sequence Christians remember in Holy Week:

• Gethsemane — Jesus prays in anguish and is arrested after Judas' betrayal (Matthew 26:36–46).
• The trials — before the Jewish council and then Pilate.
• Crucifixion and burial — Matthew 27:32–61.

Christians believe this death was not a failure but the means of salvation: Jesus, the sinless one, dies in place of sinners, creating a New Covenant — a new relationship between God and people.

The Last Supper

Resurrection and ascension

Christians believe that on the third day God raised Jesus from the dead (Matthew 28:1–10; Luke 24:1–12). Forty days later he ascended into heaven (Luke 24:50–53), promising the Holy Spirit.

• Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection; Ascension is marked with customs such as extinguishing the Paschal candle.
• Christians see the resurrection as proof that death is defeated and as the ground of their hope of eternal life.

Misconception: the resurrection is not the same as the ascension. Resurrection = raised to life; ascension = taken up into heaven.

Key beliefs about Jesus

Tap a term on the left, then its meaning on the right.

The significance of Mary

The syllabus asks specifically about Mary, the mother of Jesus. Christians honour her as the woman who said yes to God, but they do so in different ways:

• Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians give Mary a very high place, ask for her prayers, and keep Marian feast days. Lourdes is a major Marian place of pilgrimage.
• Many Protestant Christians deeply respect Mary as a model of faith but do not pray to her, arguing that prayer belongs to God alone.

Salvation

Where these beliefs come from

Cambridge examiners reward answers that name the source. For beliefs about Jesus the main sources are:

• The Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke and John: the accounts of Jesus' birth, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension.
• The Apostles' Creed — a short statement of Christian belief said in worship.
• The Church — its teaching, worship and tradition, which give the Bible its interpretation in each denomination.

Exam habit: one accurate reference (a named Gospel passage or a phrase of the Creed) is worth more than three vague ones.

Different Christian views

How Christians differ — and how to argue it

Paper 1 gives 40% of the marks to evaluation. On the person of Jesus, the live disagreements are:

• Trinitarian vs non-trinitarian understandings of who Jesus is.
• How literally to read the virgin birth and the empty tomb — some Christians read them as historical fact, others as profound theological truth expressed in narrative.
• How much weight to give Mary.

Structure that scores: state one view with its evidence, state a different Christian (or non-religious) view with its evidence, weigh them, then give a reasoned judgement of your own.

The big ideas to know

You have covered Cambridge 0490 topics C2.1 and C2.2 on beliefs about God and about Jesus. Press Finish to see your score.