Historical background of the New Testament that the Temple would not be rebuilt in their lifetimes, Christianity reflected the acknowledgment of early Christians that the Second Coming of Christ and the establishment of God's kingdom on earth was not to happen in their lifetimes. The critical analysis of the Gospels involves, at least in part, a consideration of how these concerns affected the Gospels' accounts of Jesus. According to historian Paula Fredriksen (1988: 5), critical scholars rely on four basic criteria for extrapolating an "authentic" historical account of Jesus out of the New Testament sources: As Fredriksen observes, these criteria do not guarantee an accurate historical
Jerusalem in Christianity Jerusalem in Christianity Jerusalem's role in first-century Christianity, during the ministry of Jesus and the Apostolic Age, as recorded in the New Testament, gives it great importance. According to the New Testament, Jerusalem was the city to which Jesus was brought as a child, to be presented at the Temple () and to attend festivals (). According to the canonical gospels, Jesus preached and healed in Jerusalem, especially in the Temple Courts. The events of Pentecost in the New Testament Book of Acts also took place at this location. There is also an account of Jesus' cleansing of the Temple