Rewriting the Past: The Misrepresentation of Jesus's Identity

The Dangers of Modern Political Narratives and Why Historical Accuracy Matters

Since 2023, efforts to rewrite history have intensified, with attempts to portray Jesus as Palestinian or even Muslim gaining traction. This revisionism reached a new level of absurdity when Pope Francis unveiled a Nativity scene featuring baby Jesus wrapped in a kaffiyeh, a symbol of Palestinian identity. Beyond its symbolism, such acts erase historical truth and undermine both Christian faith and Jewish heritage.

History forms the foundation of identity and faith. Distorting it—whether by recasting Jesus or denying Jewish ties to Israel—undermines truth and sows division. The Christian faith is built on the Hebrew Bible, and Jesus’s teachings were rooted in his Jewish heritage and lived experience under Roman oppression. His identity as a Jew is not incidental but central to his story and mission.

Claims that Jesus was Palestinian or even Muslim ignore these truths and distort history for political or ideological purposes. Such revisionism harms not only faith traditions but also humanity’s ability to learn from history and find common ground.

Jesus: A Jew from Judea

Jesus was born in Judea around 4 BCE, a region under Roman occupation. His teachings were deeply rooted in Jewish tradition and shaped by the socio-political challenges of his time. The inscription INRI placed on his cross by the Romans—"Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum" (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews)—explicitly affirmed his Jewish identity.

It is essential to note that the land of Judea was not renamed Syria-Palestina until 135 CE, nearly a century after Jesus’s crucifixion. Claims that Jesus was Palestinian are anachronistic and erase his Jewish heritage. Equally unfounded are assertions that Jesus was Muslim, a religion that emerged more than six centuries after his death. These fabrications distort history and sever the connections between Jesus's life, his Jewish identity, and the faith traditions that emerged from his teachings.

The Formation of Christianity

Christianity as a distinct religion did not exist during Jesus’s lifetime. Initially, his followers were considered a Jewish sect, referred to as "Followers of the Way." It was only after several decades, as the teachings of Jesus spread beyond Jewish communities to Gentiles, that Christianity began to form as a separate faith.

The Apostle Paul played a pivotal role in this transformation, emphasizing Jesus’s message to non-Jewish audiences. The term "Christian" was first used in Antioch (Acts 11:26), and the formal separation between Judaism and Christianity developed gradually, becoming more defined by the late 1st and early 2nd centuries.

This historical timeline underscores the absurdity of retroactively assigning Jesus to a faith or identity that did not exist during his lifetime. Jesus lived and died as a Jew, and his teachings are firmly rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish tradition.

Historical Revisionism in Christianity

Attempts to disconnect Christianity from its Jewish roots are not new. Early Christians grappled with their Jewish heritage, and revisionist efforts to distance Christianity from Judaism became institutionalized during the medieval period.

• Shift from Sabbath to Sunday Worship: Early Christians transitioned from observing the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) to worshiping on Sunday, commemorating Christ’s resurrection. By the 4th century, Emperor Constantine formalized Sunday as the Christian day of worship, further distancing Christianity from Judaism.

• Council of Nicaea (325 CE): This council excluded Jewish calendars when determining the date of Easter, reinforcing the division between Christianity and its Jewish origins.

• The Dark Ages and Antisemitism: During the medieval period, replacement theology—a belief that the Church had superseded Israel as God’s chosen people—gained prominence. This doctrine erased the significance of Jewish heritage and fueled centuries of antisemitism, including discriminatory laws and teachings blaming Jews for Jesus’s death.

These revisions distorted Christianity’s understanding of its own foundations and led to widespread persecution of Jews.

Shared Struggles: Attacks on Jewish Heritage are Attacks on Human History and Christian Roots

Today, Jews face similar efforts to erase their connection to their ancestral homeland. Narratives portraying them as colonizers aim to delegitimize their historical ties to the land of Israel. While Jews and Christians may differ in their perspectives on Jesus, his Jewish heritage is an undeniable historical truth. Attempts to redefine him as Palestinian or Muslim parallel broader campaigns to distort Jewish history and sever their connection to their homeland.

Preserving historical accuracy is essential for understanding faith, culture, and identity. Jesus’s Jewish heritage, his teachings, and the connection of Jews to their ancestral land are truths that must be defended. To rewrite history for modern agendas risks erasing the very foundations of faith and culture, leaving future generations with a fragmented and false understanding of the past.